“Don’t,” I snap, sitting up abruptly. “And I don’t care. About you, or your blood weave, or whatever twisted plan you’re conjuring up.”
His eyes darken, a flicker of something dangerous passing over his face. “Oh, you care, all right. You care so much it’s eating you alive. You just don’t know what to do with it.”
The tension between us stretches taut, the air in the cave growing thick and heavy. I’m breathing harder than I should be, and I hate that he’s the reason why. My heart’s racing and my arousal’s soaring again and the heaving of his chest isn’t helping.
Gods and Goddesses, this is vile.
He’s vile.
And all I can think about is what his hands would feel like on me again. What it would feel like to have him manhandle me again. I shouldn’t want it, and I definitely shouldn’t want him. But his hands and his cock are almost all I can think of and I have got to pull myself together.
“You don’t know anything about me,” I whisper, the words more venomous than I intend.
Kade leans closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “Don’t I?”
He’s too close.
I can feel the heat radiating off him, feel the pull of the bond thrumming in my chest. It’s suffocating and overwhelming, and for a split second, I can’t move. My heart judders as he reaches out, brushing a strand of my freshlycleaned hair from my face. His touch is light, almost tender, and it sends a jolt through me, my magic sparking in response.
I jerk back, glaring at him. “Don’t touch me.”
His smirk returns, but there’s something in his expression now. I don’t like it and I definitely don’t want to name it. Not when it might change everything. Not when it’s him and he killed my sisters.
“Keep telling yourself you hate me, Zara. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”
I don’t respond. I can’t. My chest feels too tight, my thoughts too jumbled. I stare at him and his pupils dilate, watching me as I lose myself in those almost ebony eyes. Kade threatens to inch his head forward and I snatch a flustered breath, more shaken than I want to admit.
I push away from him, scrambling to my feet. The air in the cave is too thick, and I need space—desperately. The fire flickers and the shadows distort into ominous, gnarly shapes that flit across the cave’s walls, shattering the last shards of calm that I have left. The little heat from the burning embers is suddenly too oppressive and I curse myself for feeling anything at all.
Kade doesn’t move, but I feel his eyes on me, burning into my back as I stand. He sighs and I stop, certain he’s going to follow me even if I leave.
“What’s the plan, Kade?” I snap, my voice echoing off the stone. “Are we just going to rot in this cave until one of us keels over? Or are you going to tell me what the hell you want from me?”
He shifts behind me, the sound of his movements grating on my already frayed nerves. I tense as I hear him stand and screw my eyes shut as he closes the distance between us. Kade’s too close and yet not nearly close enough, and I don’t know if the ache I’m feeling is because I’m wanting or fearing histouch.
“Patience, kitten,” he says so smoothly that it grates on my already frayed nerves. “The finer details can wait until later.”
His hands grip my shoulders and I exhale; my question answered in a way that isn’t satisfactory. I don’t like his touch, but I need it more than I need its absence, and the only thing I’m afraid of is how far this will go. Kade isn’t kind, he isn’t good, and he’ll take anything he thinks he can, no matter what it costs me.
“You dragged me into this mess,” I snarl, spinning to face him. My fists clench at my sides and I push my magic down, hiding it as it hums under my skin. “Your magic shackled me to you. You owe me answers.”
Kade doesn’t say anything and his expression is unreadable. He draws himself up, impossibly even bigger now. Even more imposing, and unfortunately, more attractive. His presence fills the space like an abyss, vast, daring me to fall even though I know better. His darkness flickers with an intensity that pulls me closer and even my resolve wavers in the face of his quiet menace and undeniable confidence.
“I didn’t shackle you to me, darling,” he murmurs, his ebony eyes locking onto mine. “You think I’m the villain in your story, and maybe I am one. But you’re not the hero, Zara.” His fingers brush my face and my lip trembles. “What you are is mine. Mine to tease. Mine to torment. Mine to fuck and use as I see fit.” He hums and I hate the way his words make my clit burn so damn hot it hurts. “My perfect little fucktoy. Almost as if you were made for me. As if I were made for you.”
I wrench one arm free, glaring up at him.
“We’d better hope there’s a way to undo this blood weave,” he says, his head dipping dangerously close to mine. “Or else we’re both completely and utterly fucked.”
His lips crash onto mine and my tiptoes lift me into him, demanding more from him as his tongue slips into my mouth. Kade’s on fire and he doesn’t give me a chance to breathe, taking everything he wants and more from me. I pant and try to keep up with him, but it’s damn near impossible when he presses into me and pushes me into the wall behind me.
Kade’s cock digs into me as he grinds against me, and my clit throbs and begs his wandering hands to find it and release the agony. I moan and gasp as his fingers dig into my ass and lift me off the floor, his body holding me in place as we move against each other.
The relief is palpable.
The pleasure is undeniable.
The agony is excruciating—and I’d do almost anything for more.
