Page 88 of Dancing With Demons

“YOU!” I raced across the distance, seizing his jacket. “I choose you, Ronin! Please!” Tears clogged my throat. “Don’t leave me here.”

He didn’t turn around. “You’re just saying that,” he said to the door. “You’ve thrown things at me and broken my nose. You clearly despise me.”

“No, that—”

Hands grabbed my dress and collar. “Give it up! He already said you’re ours!”

“No!” I threw my arms around Ronin’s waist, crushing myself against him. “No, please, I didn’t mean to do those th-things,” tumbled out of me. “I have a t-temper— I’m sorry, just—”

“A temper?” Ronin repeated. “Was it your temper that made you lie to me and say you were speaking to Erlik this morning when it was actually that leech Radu?”

My eyes widened.

“Was it your temper that made you say you were going to defy me and let that rat lead you straight into danger?” He grabbed my wrists, trying to pry me off him. “I’ve become a burden to you, Hunter. An obstacle in your ultimate goal to get as far away from me as possible, so let me save you the trouble now—”

“No!” I cried, fighting to hang on to him. “I didn’t mean it! Please, I’ll do whatever you say. I— I— I won’t talk to Radu anymore,” I blurted. “I’ll stay away from Nik and—and—and I’ll get Lucifer to agree to your deal in exchange for the hallows. I’ll do whatever you want so, please...” I grasped his chin, forcing him to face me.

My kiss was light and soaked in tears. “Don’t leave me, Ronin. I want to go with you,” I whispered. “I choose you.”

His gaze burned me where I stood, reducing me to ash. “Say it.”

Lips parting, I said the words that sealed my fate, “Because I’m yours.”

Ronin snapped his fingers, and we were gone.

WE STUMBLED INTO MY bedroom attached at the lips—mine wet and frozen. His rough and hungry.

His hand was under my skirt before the back of my knees hit the bed.

“Hmmpf.”

Two fingers slipped past my folds as rough as the thumb pressing down on my clit. Ronin swept my legs out from under me and I dropped on the bed, coming down hard on his fingers, and rolling my eyes up in my head.

“Mine,” he hissed, nipping a trail across my cheek and to my sensitive, helpless ear. “All mine.”

Ronin tore my dress from my body. It didn’t hurt. All the gowns he gifted me were so thin and gauzy, they might as well have been made from toilet paper.

No, his goal wasn’t to hurt or punish me. I felt it in the desperate roughness of his kiss. What Ronin was going to do was brand a tattoo on my soul to match the one on my arm.

Ronin flicked my little nub and I snapped back, body bending in half as lightning zipped through my nerves—awakening every one to his touch. And still...

...I didn’t utter a sound.

Ronin may have claimed me. He may have written his name on the parts of me no one could see, and addicted my body to his touch in ways that would bring him to my mind every time I climaxed for the rest of my life—whether he was responsible for that climax or not.

Yes, tonight was his victory... but only half of one.

Latching on to my neck, Ronin kissed the fluttery, rapid dance played out for him by my pulse. A third finger slipped in and I clamped down on my lip, biting through the bottom one.

Ronin suddenly pulled back, frowning at me. One look at the blood staining my lips and his eyes narrowed to slits.

He snapped off his clothes and positioned himself between my legs. Staring at me dead-on, his glinting jeweled eyes taunted and dared me to remain silent as he drilled and struck that spot dead-on, his other hand rolling my right nipple between his fingers as he did so.

I should’ve been a moaning, shuddering mess... but nothing. As he got more insistent, and angry, the vision of him turning his back on me as Bruno, Pravat, and Kazuya leched over me just got more vivid.

I was right back in that room.

Ronin kissed me hard—scrambling my mind like eggs—and sending me down the twisted stretch of our short time together. Ronin ripping my mole off. Ronin putting me under the desire spell and making me have sex with Tristan in the middle of class. Ronin using Kazuya and his buddies to trick me into the sub bond. Ronin pushing Nik and Santino out of my life. Ronin drugging me with an aphrodisiac.