“Wow, called out.” Joker shrugs. “I’m independent. I had to grow up fast and I’ve lived through shit that most people never experience. I can fight my own battles and that includes finding people to meet my needs during my heats. Although, because we’re outlaws, it hasn’t been easy. I’ve become used to leading with deception. I lie and wear a mask. It’s not easy to finally be myself.”
“Are you being yourself?” When I scrutinize Joker, he squirms.
I hold him still, however, forcing him to face this.
“As much as I can. I may have forgotten whatIam,” he admits.
That may be the most honest thing he’s said, and hell, does it resonate.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever known the answer to that.” I mirror his honesty with my own. “My Adonis pack hated that I was a Rogue from the moment I was born. Pretending that I wasn’t their daughter was just one of the many masks I wore every day to survive.”
Joker leans to capture my lips in a surprisingly tender kiss. “Want to go on a bloody revenge rampage, baby?”
Behind me, Bird laughs. “We’ve found your murder twin.”
I smile into the kiss and reward Joker, by deepening the kiss. “Maybe conversations like this are underrated.”
“Definitely,” Joker kisses me again, “underrated.”
When I slide my hand into the hair at the back of his head and tug, he whines. “But what about your Alpha’s ruts?”
Joker’s honey eyes darken. “They’re an issue. He doesn’t experience them the same as other Alphas. It’s why…”
“He’s feral. Mute.”
Joker nods. “In an emergency, when he’s losing control, I can trigger a rut for him with my Rogue Powers, and he can enjoyones like those. He won’t seek them out but he can take pleasure from the sensations.”
Shocked, I let go of Joker’s hair. “Our powers are weapons.”
Joker leans closer, before he whispers, “Haven’t you worked it out yet? They are so much more than that.We are the missing dynamic.Hunted and feared. Because we are the strongest people in the world.”
Confusion mixes with a terrifying temptation at his revelation inside me, which throws me away from him and onto my feet.
He stares up at me, sadly.
I know that he’s only speaking the truth.
Except, if I accept that, then what will I do with the knowledge?
It could break everything.
Change the world.
But doesn’t the world deserve to be broken?
I bend over and snatch up a shirt from the floor, throwing it onto the bed. “Get dressed, Bird.”
“You’re leaving,” Joker says, flatly, as if he’s known that I was all along. “You’re leaving me.”
“I…”What can I say?
“Ro…?” Bird clutches the shirt to his chest but doesn’t move to put it on.
“I understand.” Joker looks away, trying to hide the devastation in his eyes. “But would it help if I asked you to stay? You like begging. How about if I begged? I can get down on my knees. I look good on my knees.”
Before I can stop him, Joker slips off the bed.
He kneels in front of me, hanging his head. His hair falls in front of his eyes, and he clutches his hands in his lap.