Page 45 of Hellebore

“Oh, Briar…” The sound that leaves me is broken, almost painful.

I lean in and drag my tongue through her folds in one long, slow stroke. The taste of her explodes across my tongue, sweet, warm, addictive. Ten years of dreaming. Six years of agony. And now she’s here, wet and open for me.

I groan into her, the sound vibrating against her clit as I devour her. My tongue circles, licks, presses deep, savoring every drop. Her body reacts even in sleep, hips twitching, soft moans falling from her lips, back arching like she’s offering herself to me.

I suck her clit into my mouth, flicking it with my tongue while my hands grip her thighs hard enough to leave faint marks. When I feel her getting close, I move to her left inner thigh and suck hard, marking her with my mouth. One single bruise. A secret claim for her to find tomorrow.

I return to her cunt with a starving growl, licking deeper, slower, worshiping the taste I have waited nearly a decade to claim. Black hellebore petals cling to her pale thighs and stomach as a dark sacrament, scattered across her body in the flickering candlelight.

Every unconscious moan. Every helpless tremble. Every drop of slick heat coating my tongue belongs to me.

I slide one thick finger inside her, curling it slowly against that perfect spot. Her walls flutter and clench around me as another soft, broken moan slips from her lips. Her hips twitch, chasing the pleasure even in sleep. I suck her clit harder, thrusting my finger in a steady rhythm, desperate to feel her fall apart for me.

Her entire body begins to shake. Her thighs tremble against my shoulders. I growl into her, sucking and licking relentlessly until her walls pulse hard around my finger and a flood of wetness coats my tongue.

“Fuck…” The word rips from my throat, raw and reverent.

When the last tremors fade, I look up at her.

She is breathtaking.

Lips parted, cheeks flushed, long black hair fanned across the pillow like a dark halo. The purple light and candle flames paint her skin in gold and shadow, making her look as if she’s a fallen goddess offered up just for me.

I pull my mask up just enough, stand, and stare at her.

I can’t move for what feels like an eternity. I just watch her, the way her breasts move as she breathes, the way her cum is still glistening between her legs.

Fuck.

I shake my head, take a deep breath and walk to the bathroom. I dampen a soft towel with warm water, then return to her. With careful, almost tender movements, I clean between her thighs, wiping away the evidence of her pleasure and my hunger.

I gather her into my arms, cradling her against my bare chest. Her head rests over my heart—right where her name is burned into my skin. The feeling is almost too much. Too real. Too perfect.

Holding her with one arm, I pull the blankets back and lay her down gently in the center of the bed. I cover her carefully, then place a single perfect hellebore bloom on her chest, right over her heart.

I walk to my phone, stop the recording, and stare at her one last time.

“Goodnight, my love,” I whisper, voice hoarse with satisfaction as I leave her bedroom.

I turn her alarm on before leaving, the soft beep sounding almost laughable. Lucille really believed something so small could keep me away?

I slide into my car and start the engine. As I pull away from her block, headlights appear behind me.

Not unusual at first. But when I turn left, they follow. Another turn to the right, still there. A slow, dangerous smile curves my lips beneath the mask.

Interesting.

Tasting Briar has left me hard and viciously hungry. I promised myself I wouldn’t come until I’m buried deep inside her while she’s awake and screaming my name. So killing will have to feed the beast tonight.

I was always prone to violence. I simply learned to leash it.

Right now? The leash is gone.

I lead him away from the city, deeper into the woods. The moment we hit the old, narrow road lined with ancient trees, I kill my headlights and accelerate hard.

“Let’s play, asshole.”

I take a fast turn onto an overgrown path, kill the engine, and glide silently between two massive trees, swallowed completely by darkness.