6. Chapter five
Chapter five:
Knox
Few times in his life did he go back to that place once he’d crawled out of it. After he’d taken up his throne and consumed his kingdom, Knox Zrazduel hardly had a bad dream. They did happen, but it wasn’t often. It didn’t seem to care if he’d felt comfortable in his position or that he was holding onto a gorgeous woman. Nightmares don’t care about frivolous things like that. They only care about the pain. They only care about the suffering. And they only stop when there’s nothing left to hurt.
He was a child, hung by his horns, blood dribbling down his eyebrows from the large gashes. His hands were chained and allowed to hang, increasing the pressure in his skull. Declan slugged him a third time, spinning the fiend in a circle.
“ Should we feed him to the maw?”
“Nah, he’s worth more alive than dead.”
“Stitch him up and get him back on the street, I want him running scared. I want that bastard found!”
Knox woke with a gasp, sweat drenching the sheets. His fingers were cramped around Amelia. She was twisted toward him, cupping his face. Frenzy pumped through his veins as he panted for air. Amelia cooed him, “Hush, hush, it’s all good. It was a bad dream.”
He was engulfed by her. His arms around her and fingers burrowed in her flesh. Their legs were tangled, and his tail knotted around her ankle.
“Wha—what…happened?” He gulped down air. A tiny side lamp near his bed flickered on and a soft orange glow broke through the empty abyss.
Amelia smiled at him apologetically. Stroking his hair and around his horns sweetly, she brought him back down into the bed. He’d somehow sprung up and nearly gotten his horns tangled in the pillows on the way up. “You were talking at first, then you shouted ‘no’ and were fighting the blankets.”
“Huh.” He couldn’t parse together words or an excuse. His heart was thrashing in his chest, ready to explode at any second. Yet, with her tender hands stroking his face, every passing moment his heart calmed down within the cavity in his chest.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she murmured.
Yes.
No.
Knox wanted nothing more than to confess. She’d sworn all secrets would stay here, in this bed. However, to trust anyone with that truth, with that heavy confession, would mean death. Because it would consume him. Knox could never again be the frail little fiend child scared for his life. He was the fear consumer now—the devourer.
“No, thank you,” he breathed, pressing his hot forehead to her cool skin.
She hummed softly, keeping her pattern of strokes against his hair until he could breathe again. Amelia pressed a kiss to his lips, light as a butterfly’s touch. He draped an arm around her, kissing her deeper. She was too soft not to devour. Their lips tugged at each other in long, dizzying moments. It wasn’t until she sighed and pulled back the blankets, he even realized she’d pulled away fully. He blinked in the dark. “Where are you going?”
She snorted, “Am I not permitted to pee at night?”
“I’ll allow it,” he teased, sitting up once more. Knox let her slide into the bathroom before he wrapped his arms around bent knees and placed his forehead to them. He could spend days trying to figure out what set off the memory, but it was a waste of time. By the time he’d convinced himself of what caused it and how to rid himself of it, the nightmare would return. Best not to poke a sleeping bear.
Lifting his head, he stared into the hazy early morning. The screen of his phone bit his eyeballs as he caught the time. Three am and some change. They’d slept for a good five hours. A personal best. As the toilet flushed inside the bathroom, he let his legs slide down. Amelia tip toed out of the bathroom, not shutting the door. He watched her shadow creep along the floor. Smirking, he whispered, “What are you doing, pet?”
“Nothing,” she laughed nervously.
“Mmm, why do I not believe you?” He saw it, her hand at the door handle. Knox narrowed his eyes.
“You know…if your head’s in a bad spot, what will really clear it?” She cracked the door open, and he flipped back the duvet.
Well, don’t mind if I do. He growled, “What’s that?”
“A good chase.” And she bolted. Like a gazelle, she flew out of the door and into the house. Knox scrambled out of the bed. His legs were caught in a tangled web of sheets and fabric. After fighting for his ankles, he clawed hand over foot till he ran out the bedroom door. Slick from sleep and sweat, his feet skittered across the floor like a cat on ice before he caught his traction. Amelia was already galloping down the steps, her hushed giggle floating through the air.
Knox barreled after her, whipping down halls and narrowly getting her several times. His pet was really fucking fast . They wound around staircases and sharp corners. Weaving through open doors and spitting out the other side, the pair reached the foyer. Knox, hot on her heels, pounced. She went down with a thud and a choked yelp. He cupped her mouth with one hand and grabbed ahold of her waistband in the other. The fabric was barely down her thighs before he sank himself into her. Rock hard already, of course, who wouldn’t be? His little pet had him chase her through the house and had gotten pretty far. A much better track record than earlier.
Less foot traffic and all.
Knox thrust into her, face pressed into her warm back. He kissed her spine with appreciation. “Oh, thank you, pet.”
She clawed her fingers against the carpet he pinned her against. Gasping for air, she answered between his sharp thrusts. “You’re. Very. Welcome.”
“Never stop running, pet, never stop letting me chase you. Fuck, you feel so good.” He babbled into her flesh, chasing an orgasm he did not care if he caught. All he wanted was to be here, panting for air and fucking her into the carpet. His hands traveled down her arms and intertwined their fingers together. She gripped him back.
His stomach twisted into terrible knots. Knox really liked Amelia Armstrong. Had this been under any other circumstance, he’d keep her—she wouldn’t be allowed to leave. Not after that! Not after she’d soothed him and knew the exact remedy to his plagued mind. Not after she encouraged him to chase her and clearly enjoyed being claimed.
Amelia Armstrong might possibly be the mate of his dreams…and he’d fucked it up by making a stipulation that he never see her again after this.
He pressed his nose into her soft skin and inhaled sharply. Soap, sweat, and something uniquely hers filled his lungs. He could taste her scent on his tongue. It was sharp, like an orange liquor that didn’t fuck around. It bit and held on and burned. Fuck, he liked it. Knox bit into the meat of her shoulder and fucked her for dear life.
And when he finally broke, spilling into her, he mourned the moment as it passed. Knox kissed away the dark bruise he left on her shoulder. He dribbled out of her like the perfect glaze across her cunt. Knox grabbed the sweatpants he’d put her in but stopped halfway.
“Did you come, pet? I didn’t feel it?”
“Oh…no… I uh…not going to lie, I was just really enjoying it. I didn’t even think to ask you to reciprocate.” She wiggled around and flopped onto her back. He sat back on his calves, eyeing her below him. Amelia grinned, “Don’t look like that, you look like I robbed you of something.”
He hadn’t realized his face was being loud until he had to manually relax it. “You did. Your orgasm! ”
She snorted, “Oh no! What ever am I going to do after you’ve ripped close to seven out of me by now?”
Knox glared at her. That was hardly the point! Sure, he’d given her more than he’d taken, but that was all in the fun. Watching her squirm and wrung out from pleasure? That was pure joy, seeing the glazed eyes of a lover well fucked and orgasmed that they’re just putty!
“It’s the principle.” He hovered over her, leaning close so their lips were brushing. “I’m not an edging kind of devil. I did tell you I like my pussy dripping, so consider this your warning, pet. You come for me double next time.”
Amelia barked a laugh in his face. “Ooooh, I’m soooo scared .”
A dark, wicked smirk crawled over his face. He captured her mouth in a nasty kiss. Teeth and lips and moans. Grinding against her, wrapping her legs around his slender hips, he nestled himself against her. He felt the wetness of his release soak in her pants and the front of his. Oh, I’ll be sure you’re very scared later, pet. Knox kept his taunt to himself, kissing her hungrily instead.
Then, sharply and knowing she would protest, he ripped back from her. Amelia huffed. He chuckled, “You know what I want now?”
“More?” she croaked, face fallen. After a moment of suspicious silence, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t.”
“Heh, no. Ice cream.” He giggled evilly as he tugged them both to their bare feet. Knox took her hands and led her through the dark foyer toward the kitchens. She stumbled after him into the kitchen. He kept the main light off but flipped on the hood light over the stove top. His pet leaned against the counter as he pulled out a massive tub of ice cream and grabbed two spoons.
“Moose tracks?” she cocked a brow.
“Not a fan of fine ice cream, I see?” He cocked his head.
She scowled, snatching a spoon from him. “No, I just figured you had more of a bad guy flavor palate.”
“What kind of flavors do bad guys eat?” Smugness oozed from him as he scooped up a bit of ice cream.
“Pistachio,” she answered without hesitation, taking a bite.
“Mmm, yes, I agree.”
“Right? Anyone who says pistachio ice cream is their favorite is suspicious at a bare minimum. I enjoy pistachio, but it’s not my go to ice cream.” She cleaned off her spoon with a loud smack. “Rick liked pistachio.”
Knox snickered, “Is that when you knew he wasn’t good for your sister?”
Amelia chuckled darkly to herself, taking another bite. They took a few chunks of ice cream in silence before she finally answered. “Before the night they went out? Their big date that won her over and stole her heart? About a week earlier, she invited him over for movie night. They’d been classmates then, and I knew she kind of liked him. But…when he paid for pizza and tipped the driver, I saw a fake ID in his wallet.”
Knox scoffed, “That’s not a good enough reason, plenty of people get fake id’s.”
“The ID said the name Richard Calhoon on it.”
Knox froze, spoon halfway into a scoop of ice-cream. After a moment, he glanced up to watch her face. She poked at the ice cream top, not committing to spearing in but leaving little dents about the top. He stood up straighter. “How’d you know it was a fake?”
“My sister and I got fake IDs when we were eighteen so we could sneak into an underground wrestling tournament. I wanted to go so bad, a dwarf from my dad’s class was running it and said he’d get us in if we had fake IDs to back it up. So, we grabbed them. I’d know that stamp anywhere. And when I stole it out of his wallet later while he was eating my sister’s face, I found it right there, bottom lefthand corner.” She stabbed into the ice cream and shoved it into her mouth.
“So, this wasn’t just a good fake ID to cover up his age?”
“We were twenty-three, he was twenty-five; he didn’t need one and his birthdate was the same one he told us. His whole identity was fake, but I couldn’t prove it because I couldn’t find him anywhere. Penny didn’t want to believe me till they’d already married, and she found a stash of money and a fake travelers pass to the Maylor Kingdom with the name Timothy Douhort.” She shrugged. “But she loved him and when he swore it was for work, she believed him.”
Knox wasn’t a good person. He’d lied, cheated, stolen, stabbed, murdered and much more. There wasn’t a moral high ground for him here. But, at least when the world saw Knox Zrazduel, they saw the real Knox. He never hid who he was…and he made sure people knew who he really was.
“Well, then I’m glad there’s one less Rick in the world.” Knox took up a bite.
“When you came for Penny, when he promised her to you…what were you planning?” Amelia glanced up, sharp eyes on him. “You said you had a plan for everything, what was the plan?”
“Money laundering,” he confessed without blinking an eye.
“That’s it?” She raised a brow.
“I need more clean bills, your sister’s a bank manager, that would have been an easy contract as long as she was smart about it.” Knox studied her face for anger or regret. Instead, all he saw was absolute relief. She sagged against the counter, exhaled heavily and took another bite. He took his own chunk and bit into the vanilla ice cream, savoring the ripples of fudge.
“You said you don’t deal in people?” She glanced up at him once more.
“I don’t.” He sat back from the counter before deciding to grab something to wash down all the creamy delight. Pulling out a frosty can of soda, he popped it and offered her first sip.
She took it hesitantly before asking again, “Why not?”
“Even bad guys have a line they won’t cross,” he teased before taking the can from her.
“So, there’s not a specific reason?” She squinted at him.
“You’re thinking like an author. Not everything I do has to have a tragic backstory attached to it.” He tossed back a heavy gulp before putting the can down. Packing up the ice cream, he tucked it into the freezer.
“Bah! That’s so boring, having a moral compass.”
He whirled away from the sink where he’d been about to wash his hands to stare at her. She smirked mischievously, taking nervous sips from the can. He arched a brow. She muttered something into the lip of the aluminum before turning away from him. Knox scrubbed his fingers free of the sugary residue. He dried his hands before slinking up behind her. She shivered, tensing up in his touch as he cupped her hips just under the lip of her waistband.
“So, I’m boring now, am I?” he purred in her ear. She nearly crunched the can against the counter as she sat it down.
“No,” she breathed.
He chuckled, nipping at her ear. “Good pet. Since we’re awake…”
Knox ripped her from the spot, guiding her by the hips back out into the halls. Instead of going to his regular business office, he brought her deep into the house. Past the weaving hallways and up one floor. Most of his live-in employees lived on either the ground floor or a few had rooms here on the second floor. However, toward the western end was his other ‘workspace’. Which was just a large room full of many couches for sitting, a massive balcony that was closed off from the rest of the balconies, and it had a swing attached to the awning over it. Knox didn’t give her time to look around. He was on a mission. Dropping himself onto the swing in the warm, summer air, he ripped her pants down.
“Take them off.”
She glared at him but stepped out of the sweats and tossed them inside the room onto a random couch.
“Your top too.”
Amelia’s left eye twitched, “You want me to just give the whole world a show?”
“What world?” He laughed, motioning around them. “I fucked you against the lawn and everyone cleared out. Besides, it’s too early for peeping Toms. Now, tits out, Pet.”
She huffed, ripping the top off and tossing it inside the room. Knox grabbed her by the hips and pulled her into his lap, her back against his chest. Roaming his hands down her chest, he stopped to pinch her nipples. She arched her back into his palms, sweet mewls of delight coming from her mouth. He smirked. Her throat was open to him, and he abused every inch of it. Nipping and kissing from her jaw to the ends of her shoulder. She’d leave here covered in him; he’d make sure of it.
Knox latched onto a spot that caused her hips to buck. His cock bobbed underneath her, and she let out a wheeze. “How?”
“How what?” He tugged on her ear lobe.
“How are you already hard again? How do you even have that much blood in you?” She gasped as he ground his swelling cock against her backside more.
“It’s hard not to when my pet’s in my lap,” he snickered, brushing his nose against her pulse. Both hands kneading and pinching her nipples over and over until she was whimpering, he reveled in her pleasure. “Call it a fiendish advantage.”
“It’s so fucking unfair.” She bucked her hips.
“Why’s that?” He nipped at her jugular again, eliciting a dreamy sigh from her.
“You’ll ruin me for anyone else.” The confession filled the air and drowned him. Knox dropped a hand to her cunt, cupping it possessively. Even though he was swiping his fingers through it, his mind was on her words. Ruin her for anyone else? Good! Let her be ruined for anyone else. Let her be mine and no one else’s. He groaned against her skin. Knox clamped his teeth onto the spot on her neck. Her needy clit already at his fingertips. She grabbed onto the wooden swing beside his legs. Let me ruin you, let me have you. He spread her legs wider, her legs pinned outside his knees. Let me ruin you and let me keep you.
She orgasmed with a shout that he couldn’t give a fuck if it woke anyone up. It’s why he gave them block out curtains and silencing wards on their room; it’s their bad luck if they didn’t use them. Knox drowned in the sound of her crying out his name, the feeling of her pussy throbbing and cum soaking his fingers.
Amelia sagged back against him, putty in his hands. For a moment, he contemplated pulling his cock out, ruining her even more for any piss-poor partner she found after him. Leave more than just bite marks, he wanted her to never find as much pleasure as she did with him. It was truly cruel to wish someone never having a good fuck ever again…but if Knox couldn’t have her, he sure as fuck didn’t want anyone else to. No, Amelia Armstrong was his and if he had to ensure any people she dated after this mysteriously disappeared or had unfortunate fates, then so fucking be it.