“I can’t change who I am, and I won’t apologize for anything I’ve done, but I swear you mean more to me than you know.”
“Are your warped feelings supposed to make me feel better about you potentially killing me?” I snapped.
“Do you know that you have smiled a total of twelve times in my presence throughout four months?” His low, rasped words plucked at me, needling my skin.
“What do you want me to smile about? My home is in ruins, my people are being raped by those sick bastards you claim as family, and killed off by your subjects. And somewhere in your insanity seized brain, you think we have more of a connection than this goddamn bond you forced upon me!”
My angry words were screamed without a filter, uncaring if I provoked the beast before me until it was too late.
His eyes glowed brighter than the flames in the fireplace. If he could burn me right then and there, I had no doubt he would have.
Movements purposely slow; he took off his clothes. I knew what was coming and closed my eyes. The chemise I’d slipped on was removed from my body, and I was easily subdued, one strong hand holding my wrists above my head as the other began to play.
Fingers rolled my nipples until they budded and ached. My clit was massaged fast, and then slow, back to fast, building pleasure but not granting release.
My pussy was played with until my hips were lifting on their own accord and juices covered the sheets. He laughed at my curses and indulged my every whimper.
When his cock finally slammed inside me, a scream of unfettered pleasure tore from my throat, cut off on a choked cough as a hand wrapped around my windpipe.
“Am I repulsive now, my queen?” Reyes seethed, rolling his hips at an angle that ensured I felt every part of him. “Whose cock is it inside your pussy? Whose name do you chant like a prayer when you come? Who is it that gets you so wet they can see their reflection in your juices?”
With every question, he fucked me harder, gripped my throat tighter. The headboard smacked into the wall.
My body craved this. Pussy locking around his cock, pleasure zipped through my veins. My demon, she was ravenous for it, pleading for our partner to give us what we needed.
My heart, it rattled in its cage knowing Reyes and I would never be anything more than a lustful, angry tragedy.
“Answer me!” he demanded, bottoming out inside me.
“You, yours,” I choked out as another climax blossomed in my core.
“That’s right. You call for me. You get fucked by me. You belong to me. I am your king!”
He continued to fuck me ruthlessly, dominating me over and over again. When he finally buried himself and found his release, pumping his hips to empty every drop, he stayed there until he was completely flaccid.
“I could have an army of women in my bed and a queen that would proudly sit alongside me on a throne. But I have you. Start coming to terms with your future. Nothing you do will change it.”
He dressed and left the room after that. I lay there alone and sore, aching much more on the inside than I ever could on the out.
Still, no tears fell.
~16~
Things only got worse.
Reyes and I, we went to war against one another with words, using our bodies as weapons. Thus far, I had most of the casualties.
He never slept beside me anymore, keeping odd hours in various rooms. However, in court, we did our best to play a king and queen who doted on one another.
Few knew the truth. Jacinda…Scarlett…the brothers….Dylan and Wesley.
In the banquet room, I picked at the soup Reyes had added to the citadel meal sheet specifically for me.
My stomach revolted with every sip. It got to the point that I knew if I raised a spoon of broth to my mouth again, it would be expelled on the table.
I was tempted to reach for the water, but I feared that would have the same effect. Refraining from rubbing a hand across my brow, I looked to Reyes down at the far end of the table.
His eyes were already locked with mine, a dash of concern replacing their usual coldness. I silently asked if I could excuse myself, and he nodded.
I excused myself as politely as possible and rose from my chair, ignoring my friends’ concerned gazes.
I didn’t stop to wait for Dylan or Wesley. I went straight to my room and took everything off, crawling into bed nude and remaining there until sleep swept in to make everything better momentarily.
The consistent pounding woke me from a deep, dreamless slumber.
I stumbled from bed disorientated, searching out my robe. When I finally opened the door, I was met with Dylan’s grim face and familiar black cloak.