“I’m okay. Go back to sleep.”
Malrik sauntered in till he stood beside the bathtub, never blinking as his eyes drank me in. I have never been naked in front of anybody before, and it felt both exhilarating and powerful the way he was looking at me.
He looked at my arm in the sling, and I could see his eyebrow quirk up with curiosity, but the fury simmering beneath his red eyes made me swallow hard.
“What happened?” His finger trailed down my arm, sending shivers racing through my body.”
“Had a bit of trouble whilst you were gone, nothing I couldn’t handle,” I replied, trying to sound casual while my heart hammered.
The magnetic pull between us was undeniable, a tension that crackled in the air. Everything inside me screamed at me to kiss him, to close the distance and give in to the heat between us.
Malriks' expression darkened. “I’m sure you did, now tell me, did someone help you, and who?”
I bent down to pull the plug and stepped out, hoping he wouldn’t ask me again because I feel like he is the possessive type, not that he has any right to be. I could feel his obsessionwith me wrap around me like a warm blanket, comforting yet dangerous, and I was torn between pushing him away or pulling him closer.
He gripped my chin and made me look at him, the cold air brushing against my skin, heightening the tension. “Tell me.”
“Does it matter? I’m alive, the vampires are dead.” I shrugged, his fingers digging into my chin lightly.
His hand slid down my neck before wrapping around and pulling me closer until our noses almost touched, my chest against his torso.
“You either tell me who helped you, or I will put you over my knee and make your ass red raw before I fuck your throat, without any relief for yourself.” He tightened his hold. “That’s what you want, isn’t it? Do you crave my touch? I've read your books, little witch.”
I gulped as much as I could, heat spreading through me even if the room was cold. It ignited a deep need I had buried, something I thought I could never have, and silently wished for since meeting him, even if it has been a short amount of time for me.
Licking my lips, feeling a rush of anticipation as I whispered, “No.”
A smirk curled on his lips, and before I could process what was happening, he closed the distance between us and pulled me in for a kiss.
Finally.
It was fierce and all-consuming, his lips soft yet demanding against mine. A wave of warmth flooded my chest, igniting every nerve in my body. It was my first kiss, and it felt as if the world around us melted away.
As our tongues entwined, the heat intensified, sending sparks coursing through my veins. My hands instinctively wrapped around his wrist, anchoring me as he deepened the kiss, hispresence enveloping me. I could feel his passion, his want and hunger for me because I felt the same.
With a sudden, teasing bite on my lip, he pulled back just enough for me to taste the metallic tang of blood on my tongue. The flavour was intoxicating, a wild rush that made my heart race even faster.
“You taste delectable,” he uttered quietly, and I couldn’t help but grin.
There’s something seriously wrong with me.
He kissed me lightly again, and only for a second, before I felt him stroke up and down my arms, then he slowly cupped my face.
“I’m going to ask you once and once only because I may be a little psychotic, but I respect you, and if you say yes, then you're mine, Ravena.”
His finger twirled around a wet strand of hair, goosebumps spread across my skin, the word mine felt possessive, and honestly, if it were anybody else, I would knee them in the balls, but Malrik wasn't just anyone.
“Go on.”
His free hand undid my sling with ease, letting it fall to the floor like it didn’t matter—because nothing mattered but us. His eyes burned into mine.
“I want to taste every inch of you until you're trembling and wrecked. I want to make you come so many times you forget your own name and only remember mine. I want to drag your filthy little fantasies out of those books you read and make them real—make you beg for more.”
He leaned in closer, a manic sort of softness in his smile. “Say yes, and that’s it. You’re mine. Morning to night, I’ll take what I want. And I swear—on every twisted part of me—I’ll spend the rest of my life giving you everything you never knew you needed. Even if it kills me.”
Did I want that? I really did. I know he will never leave; he will never give me up, and he’s crazy, but he doesn’t scare me. He could have killed me, but he didn’t, and he’s been protecting me for God knows how long. I want to live a little instead of being that sad, lonely girl with secrets and a past that nobody would want to have.
I want him, I want this.
