30
SEEING STARS
ADRIANA
E nzo watches me as I read, sucking air through his teeth when he isn't drinking his whisky. He's been staring all evening, unable to take his eyes off me. I've been fed and allowed to do as I please, except his eyes haven't left me alone.
I'm debating taking on a third book, but it's hard to focus on the novel in front of me. It's good but it's a little niche and I'm not sure if the market will take it. This decision feels more pressured than my last two, mostly because of the expectation now I've signed Anna.
I've acquired a reputation, and now I've got to live up to it.
I should focus on the manuscript, but my eyes keep flicking up to meet Enzo's. They're darker these days, their ebony turning to onyx as rims of starlight and gold shimmer around his irises. They're captivating, and they're not the only thing that demands my attention.
The collar plays on my mind. It isn't comfortable yet and I still haven't come to terms with it. I've accepted it's staying on, I just haven't accepted it.
I keep playing with it and Enzo growls every single time he catches me touching it. I want to know its shape and structure, understand the lines and curves of its gold and the sparkle of its gems as the collar sits against my skin—and I can't when he stops me from exploring it.
My fingers run over it loops and swirls, playing with it as I read my book. Magic unleashes itself on the pages and a warmth spreads up my arm, growing increasingly uncomfortable.
“LEAVE. IT. ALONE.”
Enzo shouts at me for the first time I recall. He's shouted around me but never at me and he's intimidated me in other ways, but he's never raised his voice.
I put my book down and glare at the man who's hanging on by a thread. His knuckles are white as they cling to his crystal glass that looks to be on the verge of shattering. Enzo's breathing has turned erratic and his eyes are beacons of black, their sclera replaced with ink as dark as oblivion.
“I'm getting used to it.” I realize my mistake and my tone changes. Quickly. “Daddy.”
Enzo doesn't soften. “My collar ties you to me. Leave it alone, Adriana. Before I lose control.”
Usually, I'd go quiet and let him cool. The silence would fill the space and take the heat out of this situation, and it would avoid the confrontation. But that hasn't worked well for me or us and I won't make the same mistake again.
I don't understand and there's only one way for me to figure this out.
“What do you mean?”
Enzo tilts his head and for a moment seems unsure. “Ah, you’re finally asking instead of pretending you know something you don't. The collar binds you to me, Adriana. It connects us and our emotions. Yours are not always easy to interpret, but I sense them. When you play with the collar, it arouses my senses. It's damn distracting and I'm half inclined to walk over there and fuck or spank you senseless.”
I blush as my mouth makes a perfect circle, and a silent oh escapes my lips.
“So be a good girl for me and leave it alone.”
“Does it do anything else?”
Enzo smiles and walks over, calmer. “I can channel my magic into it so it provides protection, as well as a warning to anyone stupid enough to think about taking you from me. If you were a creature born of darkness, it would bind our powers and let me use yours.”
He lifts my chin and kisses me.
“I am pleased you’re asking questions, sweet girl. It is progress.” He kisses me again, stopping me from pointing out it would also be progress if he learned I need more explanations. “Did you have questions?”
I do.
I'm just not sure if I dare to ask them
Or face their consequences.
Enzo waits and I fidget nervously, trying to figure out how to say what I want without offending him. My mind goes blank as my heart races and his stare intensifies, and in the end, I just blurt out the first thing that I can think of.
“Can I see your horny things?”
Enzo blinks and tips his head back, laughing riotously as my awkward question hangs in the air. He's relaxed and his smile is so damn beautiful it's dazzling.
“Horns will do just fine, Adi.” His knuckles drag down my cheek. “You may not like this, baby. Are you sure you want this?”
I nod.
“Take my hand.” He squeezes my fingers as his curl around them. “I'm still the same, Adriana.”
Lines of illusion blur as shimmers of colors break the world around him. They rise like waves of heat, rippling over a mirage, and the reality I thought I knew comes apart. Its safety net is lifted and I'm left with something truly terrifying.
Long, ribbed horns protrude from Enzo's forehead, curling through the world with sheer damn menace. They're vicious, violent and their edges are made for slicing through flesh. Their pointed edges are sharper and my blood turns to ice as I stare at them, questioning the reality I'm sure must be true.
“Breathe, baby,” Enzo says. “You're doing surprisingly well. Most lose control of their bladder or bowels or both.”
I nod and my hands tremble, turning white as my blood rushes back to my heart, frantically trying to keep it pumping.
“What do...”
My fingers move, and I don't know if I'm controlling them. I must be, but I stare dumbfounded as they reach for the terrifying horns. I'm more surprised when I touch them and they're smooth. Sleek. Comforting in a peculiar way. They're fucking nice to touch and my hands disagree with my eyes and head, demanding more.
“Careful, Adi. They're sensitive.”
“Really?” They don't look like it . “How sensitive?”
Enzo closes his eyes. “Too sensitive when you do that, baby. Fuck.”
My fingers trace their curves as my confidence grows, and I start to recover. My circulation resumes and terror turns to anxiety as Enzo holds himself absolutely still. There's not a chance he's moving until he's sure I'm ready, and this slight gesture is, for him, an act of epic proportions.
He's accepting my needs and giving me time.
Just as I'm accepting his demonic form, albeit one part of it.
“When I'm not around, do you hide them?”
He shakes his head, and I freeze. I steel myself and smile, regaining my composure as I stroke his horns again.
“I only hide them around mortals who I don't wish to terrify. I keep to my demonic form otherwise.”
Our eyes meet and the darkness in them pulls me towards him, like black holes with irresistible gravitational fields. The rules of a quantum universe cease to apply as light and time diverge, and I fall into the infinite chaos left behind.
Enzo leans in and kisses me, rolling his lips over mine. He's slow, careful and his eyes stay open, locked on mine as he checks for any sign of distress.
My heart explodes like a supernova when he pulls me onto his lap. He dips his head and grabs my collar, gently pulling it toward him. I close my eyes as pleasure washes over me and I give him the control he wants. The pressure on my neck heightens my excitement as I calm and surrender, finding peace in the moment with Enzo.
“Let's get this off,” he rasps.
My bra tugs, and fabric rips as something shreds it, catching my skin with its sharpness. It's a bolt of electricity that thunders through me and I gasp, snapping my eyes open.
“Eyes on me, baby. Keep those pretty eyes on Daddy while he plays with you.”
I glance down and watch his hands stroke my body. They're even larger than before and their nails sharper, replaced with claw-like talons. I know this touch, remembering my back coming alive when he marked me before I came, except it's different. Unhurried. Unconcerned. Uninhibited.
Their points glide over my stomach and skate over my thighs.
“Shall we try something new?”
Enzo's voice is a tease and I watch his claws trail over me, moaning as every stroke sets my core on fire.
“Will it hurt?”
“Not if you behave, sweet girl. Relax and let me take care of you.”
I giggle, and he pulls me closer, kissing me so damn hard my lips swell. My legs tremble as his hands cup my ass and lift it, holding me against him as his claws shred the remaining lace underwear.
“I hope that wasn't expensive.”
Enzo smirks and spanks my ass. Twice.
“The first one was for missing my title. The second one for being mouthy.”
I loll my head back and laugh, relaxing as he holds me. I'm playful and at ease, comfortable with everything we're doing. Everything he's doing and somehow this feels right.
I'm less inhibited and he isn't constrained.
I'm freer and he's happier.
I'm bolder and he loves it.
“You're going to sit on my cock until you come so hard you see stars. I want those pretty little eyes of yours to stare into mine as I give you the best orgasm of your life.”
One hand holds my collar as the other guides me onto him. He's so damn big and his cock pinches as it slides inside, pleasure and pain combining as he thrusts hard.
“It hurts so good, Daddy.”
We move together, our hips grinding into each other when we connect before we roll away. My core heats and I pant, staring into those eyes that contain an infinite blackness and I lose myself in their universe. I'm so close to him it's hard to know where I end and the vast chasm of his darkness begins, sending me hurtling like a shooting star that leaves stardust in its wake.
“Good. Fucking. Girl.”
Enzo's pace increases and I meet it. My pussy is deliciously sore, but every thrust sends a burst of pleasure through me. I'm high and getting higher, enjoying every second as Enzo's hand helps move my ass, setting an even more punishing rhythm.
His breathing matches mine, and our hearts beat in unison as we chase our climaxes. I'm getting closer and the pressure builds and when Enzo yanks my collar, it makes my clit throb, pushing me dangerously close to the edge.
“Don't come,” Enzo growls.
I tighten my muscles, working to hold back the climax that threatens to erupt. I'm struggling, but I'm withstanding its pressure as Enzo's cock hits all the right spots and the pleasure keeps coming in wave after wave of arousal.
“Please, Daddy.”
“Almost, baby. Just a little longer.”
I moan, and my chest tightens while his hand runs over my ass. His fingers move toward my center and I'm so damn close it's impossible to think of anything other than the orgasm I'm chasing. I'm desperate, I'm needy, and I'm prepared to do anything to climax.
His finger presses into my ass, and the pressure increases as he slides it inside me. I'm so damn full it's indescribable, and I feel every movement of his cock as it fucks my cunt. Enzo presses harder and his cock swells as my ass fills tight and full—and the sensation is too much to process and far too much to contain.
I scream and come so damn hard my vision fades to black and all I see are gold and crimson flecks, lighting my way home. I'm oblivious to everything except the ecstasy tearing me apart and the starlight in Enzo's eyes as I scream and cry and lose track of who and what I am.
Enzo leans back and lifts me into his chest, cradling me as I rest against him. His come drips down my leg and I smile, content to know he's come. His arms hold me tightly, stroking my back and arms as I relax.
“Did you see stars?”
“In your eyes.”
Enzo beams and his horns only make his smile seem more genuine. It's as if their harshness makes his smile seem even freer, more filled with joy than I've ever seen.
“Stay still for me, baby. Just for a few seconds.”
I whimper as I feel movement in my ass and it relaxes as whatever was in it withdraws.
“What...”
Enzo smirks as my voice trails off, overcome by the warm haze overwhelming me. My question doesn't matter when it felt that damn good and I'd happily do it a thousand times over if I'm going to receive orgasms like that in return.
“Did you like it?” he asks, showering me with reassuring kisses.
I grin as I close my eyes, too tired and dazed to speak.
“Good girl. That was my tail, sweet girl—and I'm going to enjoy pinning you down and fucking you with it.”