All Hail (Queen Crow, #1)

by J. Bree

“You’re ruthless and you’re fierce. You’re unstoppable and you’re so fucking loyal that you won the Wolf’s friendship. The Jackal doesn’t fucking know who he’s messing with.”

She’s good at that, at respecting your space when the situation isn’t the best. No one knows better than her what it feels like to be breaking open with an audience waiting to pounce on any weakness you might show.

“Ash isn’t the only one who breathes for you, Floss. I’d level fucking cities for you, any of us would. If you need some quiet then it’s yours, just… just don’t drown in it.”

I’m not saying I’ll be able to let my love for him go… I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do that. Loving Atticus Crawford is so ingrained in me that it’s now instinctual. I think I could give up breathing easier than giving him up and, though he refuses to do anything about it, I know he feels the same way. There’s something inside of me that recognizes that in him.

I will salt the Earth. I will burn the entire department down to the ground and build something back up in its ashes that belongs entirely to me. For the first time in months, I feel purpose again. My job is to stop this shit from happening to us.

“I killed for you long before your brother did. I was bleeding out the buyers your father auctioned you off to before you made it to middle school. You think I walked into the Game clean? My hands were dripping with the blood of men who wanted to destroy you, Avery. Don’t you ever tell me I gave you up; I have never given you up. I’ve tried to give you a good life, if you don’t want that then you’re mine. No more coming to meetings with the Butcher draped all over you, no more dancing in the Bay with the Stag. You have my full attention. What are you going to do with it?”

He opens the shower door and reaches in to turn the heat of the water down with a scowl. “Just because you’re hurting doesn’t mean you should boil to fucking death in there.” I glance down and find my skin way past rosy red and into that bright lobster shade that my OCD tendencies love so much. “I need to get clean.” His eyebrows draw together and his voice dips low. “Then grab some fucking soap. Stop hurting yourself over some motherfucker who doesn’t deserve you and don’t worry about something as stupid as me leaving. You think I don’t know you love him? You think that shit will scare me off? Queenie, nothing affects you and me except you and me. He’s not going to ruin this for us, get that through that gorgeous head of yours.”

“No woman who has ever said she’s fine in the history of women was actually fine. Between the spit on your shoes and the idea of the Crow stooping to that level you’re done for the day. I’ll call the kid, let her know to call you later.”

The integrity and loyalty in Avery Beaumont is second to none and I don’t know what the hell I did to get her attention but I’ll do fucking anything to keep it.

I need to dance and feel the burning of my muscles the same way that Ash needs to run until he loses feeling in his legs. We need to push our bodies into feeling something so we don’t drown in the overwhelmingly crushing doom of our lives.

“If the word ‘rapist’ comes outta your mouth right now I’m going to break the pretty plate you just threatened me about against the fucking wall. Heads up, don’t fucking talk about yourself like that around me or we’re gonna have problems. Big ones because you, Beaumont, are fucking perfect. The type of woman any man would crawl through glass on his knees every damn day to get the chance to be with and I won’t fucking hear you talking shit about yourself like that. Not at all, so just fucking don’t.”

“I was hoping to do this without ropes this time around, but if you don’t quit overthinking every little thing, I will tie you to the bed and edge you all night long. If you’re into that then keep pushing because I’m a man of my word.”