“No hardship.” My laugh comes out jagged. “It is if we don’t choose this.”
“Tell me to stop and I’ll find a way,” he repeats.
That’s the thing. I don’t want him to stop. I can blame the bond, but the truth is that I’ve been drawn to Rylan since I first saw him. I’ve hated him, resented him, but neither of those feelings have been enough to combat the sheer desire that licks at me every time we get too close. “I won’t ask that of you,” I whisper. I’m not even sure which outcome I’m talking about.
Rylan doesn’t ask.
He yanks me against him, plastering us together. He takes my mouth. It can barely be called a kiss. It feels like an attack I’m only too happy to meet halfway. This is what I need. If we must do this, we’ll do it our way. Angry. Just shy of violent.
I shove him back, and he twists just enough that he hits the wall instead of the open window. The impact still shakes us both. Not enough. It’s not fuckingenough. Every time I turn around, I’m being reminded of how little control I have, how very much I’m at the whims of powers far beyond me. These vampires. The bond. Even my father. All have power where I have none.
I just want to forget.
Rylan spins me around and I barely catch myself on the window ledge. He doesn’t give me time to recover, kicking my legs wide and then he’s there, shoving his giant cock into me. He’s almost too big to make it work, even after fucking Malachi and Wolf earlier. Not that he cares. Not thatIcare. I press back, taking him deeper. “More.”
His hands land on my hips. Sharp pain makes me jump. I twist to find that the tips of his fingers have…changed. Into claws. “Rylan?”
“Sorry,” he grits out. “Can’t control it.”
He hesitates, but I’m having none of it. “Don’t stop.”
Rylan takes me at my word. He pounds into me, each stroke relieving a layer of pressure on the bond. I didn’t realize how intensely his absence weighed on me until we’re as close as two people can be, his body invading mine. The relief has me nearly giddy, which only stokes my anger hotter. “Harder.”
The sharp pain of his claws dig in and then he’s doing just as I command. Fucking me just shy of violently. Taking his frustrations out on my willing body.
Because I am willing.
I didn’t choose the bond, but I choosethis.
Pleasure instead of violent pain.
I look out over the grounds around this house. Trees crowd close to the house, giving the impression of us being cut off from the rest of the world. Overhead, the moon is the only witness for what we do in the dark. Pleasure builds in time with the pounding Rylan’s giving me. It feels so good that I want it to go on forever.
He has other ideas.
He loops an arm around my waist and hauls me away from the window. To the bed. I get a glimpse of his bloody claws, and for reasons I’m not inclined to examine, the sight makes me clench around his cock. Rylan growls and then he pulls out of me, flipping me around and shoving me down to the mattress.
The only other time we had sex, he was distant for the whole experience. He practically orchestrated it, overseeing things to ensure my power awoke and I broke the blood ward. Even when he was fucking my mouth, he was restrained and in control. There’s none of that control now.
He covers me with his body, wrapping his claws around my wrists. “I can’t stop.”
“Don’t.” I lift my hips, angling to take his cock again. He shoves into me, and we release twin shaky breaths. This isn’t enough, though. I knew it wouldn’t be upon the first stroke. I tilt my head to the side. “Bite me.”
“Mina.” Upon his lips, my name sounds like a benediction and a curse, all wrapped up into one. He bites me with the speed of a striking cobra. Too deep. I can tell that from the moment his teeth sink into my skin. They’re larger than normal, sharper. A predator’s teeth meant for ripping and tearing.
Fuck.
This is bad.
The sharp spike of fear is instantly swallowed by the pleasure of his bite. I orgasm hard, wrapping my legs around his waist in an attempt to get him closer, deeper. To make this wave last forever. He keeps fucking me in a borderline frenzy, his mouth latched onto my neck. My blood is flowing freely, too freely, but I can’t quite bring myself to care. Not when he’s so close.
His strokes lose their steady rhythm and he grinds into me as he comes. I hear shouts in the distance, but I don’t really care about that, either.
At least I don’t until Rylan lifts his head and snarls. The sound is beastly and far too deep to have come from his throat. In fact, he feels bigger all around right now, as if he’s put mass onto his muscled frame while I wasn’t paying attention.
He pumps into me almost leisurely, but his eyes—now fully silver—are on something outside of the bed. I start to turn my head, but stop when pain flares to life with a strength that makes me gasp.
That brings Rylan’s gaze back to me. His eyes drop to my neck and he licks his lips. Blood covers the lower half of his face. It covers everything. Him. Me. The bed. Too much blood, even for me.