Naomi Blackwood: Crave me Duet 2 (Vicious Five Series) Read online

  Naomi Blackwood

  Cave Me Duet

  R. Spain

  Copyright © 2021 R. Spain

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Here's to my last book of 2021, may it be as cruel to me as my kids are when they are hungry!

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Noami Blackwood

  Vincent Youngblood

  1.

  Naomi

  2.

  Vincent

  3.

  Naomi

  4.

  Naomi

  5.

  Vincent

  6.

  Naomi

  7.

  Naomi

  8.

  Vincent

  9.

  Naomi

  10.

  Vincent

  11.

  Naomi

  12.

  Naomi

  13.

  Vincent

  14.

  Naomi

  15.

  Naomi

  16.

  Vincent

  Naomi

  17.

  Naomi

  18.

  Vincent

  19.

  Naomi

  20.

  Naomi

  Vincent

  21.

  Naomi

  22.

  Vincent

  23.

  Naomi

  24.

  Vincent

  25.

  Naomi

  Vincent

  26.

  Naomi

  27.

  Vincent

  28.

  Naomi

  29.

  Naomi

  Mason

  30.

  Vincent

  Naomi

  Note from the author

  Thank you to all of my teams, I couldn’t do this without you!

  Books by R. Spain

  Noami Blackwood

  Lies are common amongst my family. An honest Blackwood would be akin to a virginal hooker. It’s preposterous to even imagine. Darius Blackwood dug a grave lower than six feet deep, and I’ll make sure he lies in it. The streets will run red with his sins and my revenge will be whispered on the tongues of everyone. I am the next leader of the Vicious Five, and any who stand with my father will fall like dogs. Fuck the consequences.

  Vincent Youngblood

  I’ve created a monster, and everything about her turns me on. She’s beautiful, but so broken. No one is more perfect for me. I like the power my family gives me, but I’d give it all away for her—no. That isn’t true, I’d make myself more powerful for them. The FIVE must have a leader, and I’ll be damned, I just made the perfect one.

  1.

  Naomi

  Darius Blackwood was going to die. That much we knew, but the how is the tricky part. You can’t just walk inside his home and pull the trigger. That’s a suicide mission, if I didn’t have anything to live for, it’s definitely an idea.

  Vincent told me everything, and then I saw it all for myself. Vincent told me he’d prove it if I needed him to. He understood that just seeing the boy wasn’t enough proof in itself. I didn’t need it though, I knew Exos was my son. The moment my eyes found him, I knew who he was, and he was robbed from me. Darius played it so well, the role of grandfather, that is. I was rushed to deliver the baby, but there were complications. I was dying, and so was my child. It seems Darius never intended to allow me to be a mother. That was never in his cards for me. I was his weapon and nothing else.

  I stupidly fell in love, and because of my ignorance both myself and my child paid for it. After a weird encounter, Exos was brave enough to tell me what he has been enduring for years. He doesn’t remember much other than the last year, maybe two, but he told us everything. The fury inside of me only grew with each word that spilled from my son's lips.

  The conditions of the home he was staying at were less than acceptable. Darius came by once every two weeks to check in on Exos. He told him how he was going to be the very best. The best assassin. My father was training his grandson to kill people. It all made me sick, and I had to take a moment to collect myself. I had promised myself I wouldn’t let Exos see me cry. I’d never give my father that weakness of mine. Vincent promised me constantly that we’d make him pay. It was all building; we have been planning. Eventually, I stopped receiving calls from the Five, it was a signal that I only had two weeks left to contact the family. Once those two weeks are up, Darius will more than likely send Conrad, Talia, and maybe even Mason with a team to find proof of life.

  Vincent was still struggling to accept that his brother turned on him. It was all a cluster fuck of epic proportions. I knew most of the soldiers would follow me, I just wasn’t sure about the heads of each of the five. They were my problem, them and my father’s right-hand man. James was not someone you could discredit, former military, and three times my size. My father basically saved him from the streets and James’ loyalty to Darius was legendary. So, for now, we didn’t make a move. That’s not to say we were complacent, because we weren’t. If we had to leave the safety of the mansion Vincent had for us, I made sure to wear a wig. My red hair wasn’t subtle, and we couldn’t afford to be spotted, so we also began applying makeup to cover our tattoos and scars. Vincent even went as far to shave his head entirely. There was no room for slip ups. Exos must remain safe.

  It was an entirely different life to the one I was used to, and the anticipation inside of me to end it all so I can regain that life drove me daily. My work outs were intense, and I barely did anything else but study The Five, practice, and sleep. School wasn’t something a person could continue doing when they were hiding out from someone. Which meant I wouldn’t be graduating this year like I expected. Vincent says I can make it up and come back strong next year, but I’m not sure it’s even something I want to consider pursuing any further. I went for him, I transferred because he told me too, I passed because there was no other option. I didn’t love it though; it was just muscle movement at this point. I was done living the way Darius Blackwood told me too. I think the day I met Vincent was really the only day I was grateful for the orders my father gave me.

  Don’t get me wrong, I loved the death of it all. The feel of a knife in someone's artery as they bled out. It was an intoxicating feeling, truly. That part of life isn’t something I’ll ever be able to just walk away from, but Vincent doesn’t want me to. He enjoys my killer side, appreciates my technique. Even Exos still has the want to learn how to protect himself and the people he cares about. That mostly consists of Vincent and the older lady that watches him. We still haven’t really figured out our dynamic. The part of me that was a mother died the same day I thought he did.

  My father’s worst sin, and my most damning heartbreak. I suppose I just haven’t figured out how exactly to go about being a ‘mom’ again. Vincent is amazing with him, and Exos loves him dearly. It’s a chip in my armor, and I do my best to try not to show it. Vincent has seen enough of my crying and weeping. My dangerous disorder forces me to accept the fact that things are changing and there’s nothing I can do about it.

  Vincent wants to bring a therapist in,
but how do you tell someone that you found out your son, your child, was believed to be dead for years but really wasn’t because your father stole him and made him into a weapon? I don’t really think that conversation would go over well at all.

  I want to call Camden, but he has his own struggles right now. Riley has apparently been taking his attention since he got to Alabama. He is stupid if he thinks the Order is going to let him feel up on their girl, but hey, whatever makes him happy. My hope for Talia to be on my side vanished when Mason betrayed us all. They have been thick as thieves since the beginning and I’m not ignorant enough to even try. I want my father to believe I am long gone, hell, dead even. The less Darius knows, the better it is for me.

  I only regret that Conrad doesn’t know my truth. I’m almost positive that with him thinking me dead, he will join the fight to see Vincent blown from the Earth forever. He has only ever really gotten close to me, and maybe Nevaeh Rhodes. Still, their friendship wasn’t as bone deep as ours went. Conrad knew most of my secrets, and he carried them within his own walls like an oath he would never betray. He knew about Exos, and the utter pain I went through with his death. He knew about everything, except the horror I inflicted on myself nightly, that was a line I knew in my soul I couldn’t tell anyone. So, I never did. I’m sure my friends had their suspicions, but I never gave them a reason to ask about it. There wasn’t a point, and therein lies the problem. Vincent was the only person who ever broke down my walls, damning the consequences all the while. I think that’s why I trust him, because he doesn’t ask anything of me except for me to allow him inside of my very being, to see the deepest truths of myself that I don’t want to admit aloud. I’m playing a dangerous game, one that has a high possibility of me dying. I’m just curious who would be the next to take my place. Every bloodline must have a head. If I kill Darius, the position becomes mine. However, if he kills me, then will he force Exos to take my place? Would he bring in a random person and claim them as his child? Or would he simply get a whore pregnant, and trap the poor girl into a life of misery? We are all trapped with questions, and as I sit here in the dining room of the hideaway house, a spoon in my hand as I play with cereal I will not eat, I’m drowning in the sea of them.

  “You’re awfully quiet, Naomi.” Vincent’s deep voice caresses me, and the smell of musk greets my nose as his sweaty body comes into view. He has a towel around his neck and a grey wife beater on with black sweats. His hair is now shaved, normally, it doesn’t work for me but everything about Vincent screams attractive. It’s unfair really, watching him as if nothing is wrong in that perfectly dark mind of his. He has a swagger that still, after weeks of seclusion, hasn't worn off.

  “I’m just trying to work out our game plan, our options. Since you refuse to let me just go kill the bastard.” My spine straightens as the argument that I know is coming takes its breath of life. Vincent hates that I want to do this quickly, and quietly. He wants it public; he wants a war where every side makes themselves known. I think it’s a fool's errand. Why should we be so bold to give away our secrecy? It doesn’t make sense, and each time he argues it I think we are leading to an explosion between the two of us.

  “Naomi, I’ve told you. You’re the head of the Five, you must call your people to fight for you. We need to understand just how deep this goes and who will follow you. Those who don’t, will of course, need to die. It’s the only way we can pick off everyone who won’t stand aside and let you be when Darius is dead.” I hum at his words, it seems the more he repeats it, the more sense it makes, but still, it frustrates me. I don’t care about allies, the Blackwood’s are led by fear, and it’s something we are good at. Vincent seems to believe I should rule a different way, but I don’t think he is looking at it subjectively. I am what the parents tell their children about to make them behave, the ghost that goes bump in the night. My father crafted me beautifully to fulfill all his desires when it came to death. Even to his dismay of me not being a boy, I know my skills made him proud.

  Just not enough to keep him from stealing my child and telling me he was dead when he wasn’t.

  “I know what I am to the Five, and I am telling you right now, unless we prove Darius weak, or kill him, no one will turn on my father. No matter if I’m the rightful heir. Despite the horror stories about me, there is always the worst part of it in everyone else's eyes.”

  “What’s that?” Vincent asks me, I pour all of my attention into him, my focus no longer muddled and cloudy as I give him the very truth he seems to forget.

  “My father is the monster that created me. In their eyes, that makes him worse. I am nothing more than a dog on a leash, he is the handler that gives the commands,” I grit my teeth as the cold from my words roll off my tongue into my tone. I was a puppet, and Darius the puppeteer. Sadly, it is how life will always be. I am nothing without him, and he is everything because of me. It’s a glass half full, half empty situation with one clear winner.

  “One thing the monster didn’t count on though.” Vincent says as he searches me for something. I shrug, unsure what that could possibly be.

  “He didn’t expect me.” I snort at how egotistical Vincent sounds. His words, though high of themselves, also hold merit. My father didn’t expect a Youngblood, but my father is adaptable. It’s how he has survived so long; he will not make the same mistakes a second time.

  “I’m going to shower.” I tell Vincent as I place the spoon next to my bowl. I’d leave it there, the energy to clean it not currently within my grasp. I leave and head towards the showers, my body begging to feel something against my skin. My mind was desperate for the release of all my pent-up aggression, one thing was for sure. Death was coming, I just didn’t know for whom.

  I’d give Vincent his war, as long as it got me blood.

  2.

  Vincent

  She was about to head face first into another episode. I could see all the signs of her depression seeping from her pores. I knew it also meant she might be in there cutting herself again. I was at a loss; you can’t fight gut wrenching sadness with brute strength or pretty words. Naomi needed actual help, I knew it. So, I called in a favor, and he should be here shortly. Jacob knew the trade, he understood the lifestyle we all were born into. I knew he would care for Naomi’s mental health, while I cared for her physical health. I also trusted him to know where the boundaries presented themselves, Naomi was mine, utterly and completely, if he placed even a finger on her I’d kill him without hesitation.

  I was not a man that would ever be able to share. My entire life I have given everything to Mason, but not this, not her. Naomi was my breath of fresh air after a stale lifetime, she was the water of life that kept me fighting. Despite her issues, without her none of this was worth it. So, no, I could never share her. As I would suspect, the mad woman would take my balls if I ever hinted at her having to share me.

  “Vince?” Exos’ voice calls for me.

  “In the kitchen, Ex.” I call back as I smile to myself. I can’t say my time with him hasn’t been something altogether new. I’ve discovered that I care for him, but more than that, I enjoy playing the role of father to a child that’s seen nothing but misery. My only hope is that I can find a way to put him and Naomi on the same path, to help guide them into a relationship both of them desperately need. Exos needs a mother, and Naomi needs to find the part of herself that allows her to show human emotion. Even with me, she can be cold at times. She fights this thing we have, the difference is I fight harder to own her. Exos is so used to being unwanted, unloved, that he isn’t yet sure how to breach Naomi’s walls. He doesn’t understand how he can have a mother that wants him, but when she’s faced with him, everything inside her shuts down. I try to explain it to him, but you can only help a child so young understand so much. I do my best to mend the gap between them. In doing so I like to think it helps my relationship with Exos grow more. He has begun to trust me, and dare I say, care for me as well. I knew he felt safe with me, and that in i
tself makes me feel emotions I have only felt before with my brother. The protective instinct inside of me that I wouldn’t be able to reach without Mason present. Of course, Mason’s name now only brings forward emotions of anger and betrayal.

  “Did you see Omi?” Exos asks. I sigh as my body turns slightly chilly from the sweat drying on my body. I nod at him, Exos’ face stays passive as I wait for him to say anything at all. I know he will once again be asking me the same questions I won’t have any definite answers too.

  “Can you ask her to see me today? I have to study, but please?” I give the boy the best smile I can manage as I walk from the counter and towards him, squeezing his shoulder and crouching down to his level.

  “Of course, you go do your studies. I’m sure Omi will come see you soon.” I try to smile at him, to give him some sense of hope that Naomi won’t disappoint him, and if I have any say in the matter she won’t, but I can see he is preparing himself for the pain of it all. Every time he tries, she closes off, every time she tries, he backs away. It’s a circle of confusion that clouds the two of them. Neither one of them will open themselves up enough to allow pain. I know they both feel it, I just don’t know how to help bridge the gap. The situation is fucked.

  I exhale my relief when Exos is gone, and I’m alone to gather my thoughts. I give it only a few more seconds before I’m standing to my full height and marching towards the bathroom. Naomi won’t like the fact that there’s nothing sharp for her to use against herself, even the razors have been moved into a locked cabinet only I can access. However, the damn woman is creative, and I want to be cautious.

  Steam is everywhere when I open the door to the bathroom, it covers the mirror and the walls. The sound of water running greets my ears as my body attempts to relax, I move towards the shower, shedding my clothes to join this infuriating woman. She must not notice me, her red hair to my front as I try to get into the shower, but she quickly turns a knife at my junk before I’m able to respond. I grunt, and her eyes go wide as she takes me in.