“You taste so fucking good,” I breathed, drunk on her, drunk on the way she was ruining me from the inside out.
I moved my mouth away slowly, leaving a trail of kisses along her inner thigh. Goose bumps blossomed across her skin. I kept going, sucking lightly, enough to mark her but not enough to overwhelm. Not yet.
All of her… I wanted all of her.
The only sound was the distant howl of wind outside the castle walls. Lina shifted into an upright position, but she didn’t push me away. As she settled, I rested my head near the mark I’d left on her leg. Her feet found their place on top of my thighs, where I still kneeled.
I watched the shadows of the light tell a story on the crumbling walls when a sharp sensation grazed my neck. It moved in a menacing, circular motion—one of her daggers. All she had to do was press down, and I would bleed out within minutes.
I wasn’t worthy enough to die by her hands, but she was the only one I would ever allow to end me.
I closed my eyes, breathing steadily. I could feel her hair brushing against me, tickling me. “Don’t move,” the Nycto Reaper commanded.
“I wouldn’t dare… Petal.” I took a deep breath and braced myself as the blade slid lower, tracing across my skin, dragging a perfect line all the way to my arm.
Chapter 15
ADELINA
How would it feel to kill him?
His blood was bright red, a single bead creeping down the front of his neck, another trailing down the back. I wanted to press harder. I wanted to engrave every piece of rage out of my body and into his. His family destroyed mine, and I wanted to take everything from him.
So why couldn’t I cut his throat?
Why wouldn’t my hand move?
Not once did he flinch. Not once did he disobey. He kneeled there, chained and waiting, as if he truly meant to let me end his life. As if he doubted I could.
“If you want my life, Petal, it’s yours to take. Only yours.” His voice was empty and certain.
My attention refocused on the scars mapping his back. I knew who did this to him. I didn’t know Cezar, not yet, but I knew the type of man he was—one who allowed things to be done to him, not because he was weak, but because he had learned to endure the pain. Still, I didn’t understand why he would allow his father, of all people, to keep hurting him.
I withdrew the dagger and strapped it back into its place before following one of the raised lines down his back. His body stiffened. His hands curled tight against the chains.
Cezar didn’t retreat. He moved his head until it rested between my thighs. I parted them just enough so he could breathe.
A strange calm rolled through me, as if the storm inside went silent for the first time. I petted him, curious despite myself.
I felt like a cat marking something that wasn’t mine.
What the hell am I doing??
I pushed him up and away from me gently. Dear god, the sadness in those stunning eyes. My mind blanked for a moment. I couldn’t think. Then a faint smile pulled at his mouth, soft and devastating.
I moved behind him, weighing the idea of keeping him here like this. Forever. The thought lingered a little too long before I reached for the keys. As I unraveled the chains, I noticed the marks on his wrists and arms. He must have pulled hard. Anyone who saw him would know exactly what happened. What I did. My face grew hot, and I felt… giddy.
While I put everything back where it belonged, Cezar rose. Slow movements. Sore. He had been trapped in that position for too long.
When the last candle went out, we retraced our steps. Cezar stayed carefully behind me. Normally, that position would put me on edge. Hard to be jumped if you aren’t in front.
What felt more unsettling was his silence. The rain had stopped by the time he slipped ahead to open the door for me. I watched him closely before getting into the car. He made his way to the passenger side.
With the cold air, the dampness clinging to my skin, and the fading adrenaline, I craved warmth. Not the kind Cezar gave. Just… something steady. I let the car warm up, and then he spoke, his voice faint.
“Thank you…” He exhaled, long and deep.
I wondered what he was thanking me for. Not killing him?
