Heat burns through my face and Kade delights in my predicament. His hand slides to the back of my head again and he yanks my hair, craning my neck until the angle hurts and then makes it even harsher.
“Tell me, kitten. I want to know the dirtiest, sluttiest filth that runs through that little mind of yours.”
My chest tightens and a nasty pressure starts to build inside me. It’s unnatural and I try to push back against it, but it keeps growing. The force won’t stop massing and it’s burning through my core as it crushes my will, obliterating almost all my thoughts. The only things that remain are this feeling and the desperate need to tell him what he wants.
It’s a compulsion, an urge I can’t resist. I’m holding it back but that won’t be enough and I know I’ll cave. Worse, I know it isn’t coming from him. Kade isn’t doing anything and this isn’t his magic at work. The ebon chain has decided I need to take this step and only now do I begin to understand its nature and just how impossible it is to resist.
“I…”
“You feel it, don’t you?” Kade snarls, delighted I’m caught in this predicament. “You’re desperate to tell me but frightened of admitting you’re just like me. You’re going to suffer either way, Zara. You’ll be in agony until you confess and then I’m going to do whatever filthy things you’ve been praying someone has the balls to do to you. And I’m going to make damn sure it’s degrading and disgusting and you’ll love every fucking second of it.”
“The tree…” I mumble as the dam breaks and I screw my eyes shut. “With something to tie me to it.”
“And?” he asks as his grip makes the burn across my scalp impossible to ignore.
My mouth moves, but words won’t come out. The breath from my lungs burns as my throat turns dry and the damn chain pulls me toward him, demanding I tell him what I’m holding back. It’s the thing I’ve always held back, and I’ve rarely admitted this to myself, let alone to another soul. My lips tremble and I hear his breathing turn ragged as we both dance on the edge of a kind of madness, both hoping I’ll find a way to end this insanity.
“I want it to hurt.” I swallow. “I prefer it when it hurts.”
“Good girl,” Kade purrs, and the softness in his voice is surprising. “Let’s make that happen, shall we, kitten?”
His grip loosens as I nod and open my eyes. Kade’s cock is right in front of me, still hard and still far too big to be anything other than intimidating. I blink and he yanks my hair, dragging me behind him as he barely gives me time to find my footing. The pain is excruciating and it sets my senses alight, heightening my awareness and making everything else more potent.
Kade hurls me against a large oak tree and his hand wraps around my throat, lifting me onto tiptoes. His hand rubs at my trousers and there’s no softness in his touch, nor any hesitation. I groan as I fight for air and my body burns as my arousal catches fire.
I’m so damn turned on it’s hard to think straight and my vision narrows, finding only his face. He’s staring at me with an intensity that’s hard to resist, and I watch the darkness in his eyes deepen as it seeps into the world around us. The shadows coil and twist around my wrists, pulling them up and back, binding them with ease.
His head dips and his teeth grate down my skin, biting as he plays with my neck. Pleasure jolts to my clit and I buckagainst him, his fingers still pressing against my clit with a harshness that heightens my desire. Kade’s not being gentle and I don’t want him to be, and I know this is only the beginning of how rough this will get.
Not just tonight.
The blood weave will keep pulling us back together and strengthen our connection. It’ll become as impossible to ignore as the sensations racing through me, and I’ll crave it and him. We’ll do more and more, pushing the limits until we know each other in a way I’ve never dared to let anyone know me. Kade will know my head and my heart, he’ll know the songs my marrow and my blood sing, and I’ll know him.
His hands grab and paw me, manhandling me with a fury that I’ve longed for as his shadows tighten and pull me into position. I’m bound and held firm, unable to move unless the darkness from him allows it. The shadows dip between my legs and press my thighs apart, forcing my knees to lift as they hold me in place.
I’m panting and hot, too damn hot.
I’d be utterly exposed if I was naked, arms held away from me and my knees bent up and out. Kade would see all of me and have absolute control, and I let my eyes close for a fraction longer than I should as relief sweeps over me.
“Let’s get you properly dressed.”
The softness has gone. The warmth too. All that remains in Kade’s voice is a cruel harshness that chills me to the bone. His words are a threat he’s going to make good on it.
I whimper and he laughs against my ear, sending more shudders of fear through me. They’re sending me higher and my arousal’s beyond insane, and my whimpers grow more feverish as I don’t know how to handle this. I’ve never wanted anything more and his aggression has me hot and bothered and desperate to be fucked.
The cold bite of the night air catches on my skin and I writhe against the darkness holding me. Kade used his magic to strip me, and I’m completely vulnerable, unable to protect myself from his gaze. He smirks as he stares into my eyes, and I realize there’s only him now. Only his darkness and what he’ll give me. Only this and right now, I don’t want anything else.
My head shakes slightly and he steps back, his eyes softening for a moment. It’s the pause I need and I stare at him, my eyes wandering down him as it takes a moment for my head to catch up with what it’s seeing. He’s naked too and the man is flawless. He’s covered in muscles, each one toned and made more perfect by the tattoos covering him. I’ve rarely understood their appeal before, but Kade’s are an art form I’ll never tire of staring at.
My words escape me before I can stop them.
“You’re stunning.”
Kade nods simply and ensures I see him taking me in. He’s noticing all my lines and curves, all the bits of myself I hate and hide. There’s nowhere to hide and he takes his time, his fingers stroking my skin as he traces some of my swells.
“As are you, Zara.” His hand plays with the bulge of my stomach and I look away. “I fucking mean it, kitten. You’re sexy as fuck, and I’m going to enjoy playing with you.” His fingers grip my chin and force me to stare into his eyes. “I don’t know which fucker made you feel this way about yourself, but when I find the cunt, he’ll be paying for his offense. Now get out of your head and let me fuck you how you need to be fucked.”
I nod and his eyes narrow.
