Chapter 37
The Hunter
R uby laughs. “Oh, he will.”
Without delaying further, I quickly clean the skin where she wanted the mark. Once done, I grab the tongs, placing the arrowhead between them. As I flick the lighter, the flame appearing, she lowers herself to her knees.
She shuffles closer, and as soon as my cock touches her lips, she swirls her tongue over the tip, lapping up the pre-cum. My length jerks as she wraps her hand around the base. The sight of her like this, taking charge, causes a shudder to ripple through me.
“Mhmm, Pet,” I groan.
The sensation is exquisite, her lips and tongue working in a perfect symphony. I feel my resolve slipping; the need to claim her, to mark her as mine, growing stronger by the second. But I won’t give in. Not yet.
I wrench my eyes away from her, focusing on what I’m doing. While she swallows my cock, taking me all the way to the back of her throat, I turn the arrowhead, making sure every part is touched by the flame. Luckily, the lighter she brought me has a long neck, or my fingers would be burning by now.
“Do you like this?” she asks, her voice husky. “Do you like having me on my knees for you?”
“Yes,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. “You’re so beautiful when your lips are around my cock.”
Ruby picks up the pace, her head bobbing faster, cheeks hollowing with each pull. The wet sounds of her mouth working on me are almost too much to bear; they echo in the room, mingling with my ragged breaths.
Her hands aren’t idle, either. One continues to stroke the base of my cock, while the other ventures lower, cupping and massaging my balls with a tenderness that sends bolts of pleasure through my body. The heat from the lighter is nothing compared to the fire building inside me.
I glance down at her again, watching her eyes flutter closed in concentration, her movements becoming even more fervent. It’s clear she loves this—loves driving me wild, loves tasting me. She hums around my length; the vibration sending jolts of pleasure through me. She pulls back, a string of saliva and pre-cum connecting her lips to my cock.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to focus. The arrowhead is glowing red now, perfect for what I intend. I set the lighter down and move away from her, ignoring her pout.
“It’s time,” I rasp. Careful not to loosen the tongs, I lie down on the floor again. I’m so close to Michael I could reach out and touch him, not that I want to. But I know my pet wants to taunt him, so this position is perfect.
Ruby wastes no time following me, straddling my hips and rising up while she grabs my cock, rubbing the tip against her clit. “I can’t wait to feel you inside me again,” she moans.
“This is forever,” I groan when she lowers herself onto my aching length. “So if you have any doubts—”
“I don’t,” she says. Turning to Michael, she hisses, “Watch me enjoy myself, husband. Watch a real man fuck me.”
Then she takes the rest of me inside her. I moan, loving the feel of her tight heat squeezing me. She sits still for a minute or two, resting her hands on my chest while she adjusts to having my cock inside her. Once she’s ready, she begins riding me.
Her hands slide up my chest, fingers splayed and nails grazing my skin as she anchors herself. She rolls her hips deliberately, taking me in deeper, the wet heat of her enveloping me completely. The sensation is electric, sending sparks through my nerves, and I can’t help but growl in response.
Ruby tilts her head back, her hair cascading down her back as she moves with increasing fervor. Her breasts bounce with each thrust, nipples hard and tempting. Leaning up slightly, I capture one in my mouth, sucking and nipping at the sensitive flesh. Ruby cries out, her movements faltering for a moment before she resumes with even more intensity.
Michael’s labored breaths fill the room, each exhale tinged with frustration and something else—something darker. His eyes are glued to us, watching Ruby’s every gasp and moan as she loses herself to the pleasure only I can give her. The arrowhead in my grip glows menacingly, a promise of what’s to come.
She plants her feet on the floor beside me for better leverage, rising up until just the tip of my cock remains inside before slamming back down, taking me as deep as she can. The force of her movements sends jolts of pleasure through us both, and I have to squeeze the tongs harder to not drop the arrowhead.
“That’s it,” I groan. “Show him what he never got to have from you.”
Ruby’s eyes are half-lidded, her lips parted in ecstasy. She lifts herself almost completely off me, hovering there for a moment with just the head of my cock nestled inside her warmth, teasing us both with the anticipation of the next thrust. “I want you to fuck me like this forever,” she whispers, loud enough for Michael to hear. Her voice is dripping with desire and defiance.
She rides me hard, hips slapping against mine with a wet, obscene sound that fills the room and mingles with our guttural noises of pleasure. Watching her use my cock for her own pleasure is nothing short of perfection.
“Look at how wet he makes me,” Ruby taunts Michael, voice dripping with lust and cruelty as she bounces on my cock, every plunge drawing a moan from deep within her.
My fingertips dig into the soft flesh of her ass as I match her rhythm, thrusting up into her as she comes down, pushing myself deeper and deeper inside her. Her moans grow louder and more desperate, filling the room with a symphony of pleasure.
She moves faster, chasing her release as I thrust up to meet her every descent. Our bodies move in perfect harmony, driving each other toward the edge.
“Yes,” she gasps. “Fuck me just like that.”
I respond by reaching between us and rubbing her clit in tight circles. Ruby cries out in ecstasy, her body tensing as she teeters on the brink of orgasm. “Are you ready to come, Pet?”
“Y-yes.”
I wait until she’s lost in the rhythm again. The moment she closes her eyes, I bring the arrowhead closer to her, pushing it against her skin. Ruby opens her mouth in a silent scream as her pussy convulses around me, her orgasm cresting while I’m branding her.
She sucks in air and digs her nails into my skin, so hard blood pebbles under her fingers. Then it finally comes; the scream she lets out is a twisted mixture of pain and rapture, echoing off the walls and searing itself into my memory. Her eyes fly open, wide with shock, but she doesn’t stop riding me. Instead, her movements grow more frantic, more desperate, as if trying to fuck the pain away.
Not caring about anything but her, I throw the arrowhead and tongs into the ice bucket next to us. With my hands free, I grab her hips and rear up, fusing our lips together in a bruising kiss. My arms wind around her back, pulling her closer until her nipples graze my chest.
“You did so good,” I praise, nipping at her lips. “You’re strong, Ruby. Stronger than anyone knows.”
A sob escapes her. “I’m not… not really,” she cries into my mouth.
Grabbing her hips, I flip us around so she’s on her back and I’m hovering above her. She wraps her long legs around me, digging her heels into my ass. “You are,” I growl. “And I won’t let anyone say otherwise, not even you, Pet.”
I fist the base of my cock and position it between her swollen lips. Then I push all the way back into her heat, groaning when her inner walls flutte r around me. “Valentine,” she moans. “Yes. Don’t… don’t stop.”
Now that I have her under me, and she’s wearing my mark that—even in its rawest form, freshly seared into her—looks sexy as sin on her skin, I have no intention of stopping. “I won’t,” I promise.
Her nails rake down my back, blazing trails of sensation that make me hiss through my teeth. “God, Ruby,” I murmur into her neck, kissing the flushed skin there. She shudders when I nip at her, her body arching up to meet mine.
“Yes… oh. yes…” Her cries are getting louder now, more urgent. Her muscles tense and clench around me, pulling me deeper and deeper into her heat. “Please… Valentine…”
I brace myself on one arm, using the other hand to grab her ass and tilt her hips up. It changes the angle just enough so that every thrust rubs right against her clit. I bring my hand up to grasp her chin, forcing her to look into my eyes.
“I want to see your face when you come on my cock again,” I tell her, my voice raw with need.
Her eyes flutter open and lock onto mine, pupils blown wide with lust. Her lips part in a silent scream as I angle my hips to hit that spot deep inside her, the one that makes her tremble and keen. “Valentine… oh God…”
“Don’t call out to him,” I smirk. “He has nothing to do with it.”
I can feel her getting close again, her inner walls clenching around me tighter, even more erratic. I feel like I’m losing myself in her. The way she moves, the way she sounds—it’s intoxicating. I grip her hips harder, pulling her into each thrust, making sure she feels every inch of me.
“You’re mine,” I growl into her neck before biting down on her pulse point.
The effect is immediate; she explodes around me, her entire body shaking with the force of her orgasm. Her scream pierces the room, a mix of pain and ecstasy as she clutches at me like I’m the only thing grounding her.
The tightness, the heat—it’s too much. I teeter on the edge, fighting to hold back, to prolong this moment just a little longer. I want to burn her in to my memory, every gasp, every cry, every desperate clawing of her nails. But it’s a losing fight; her release triggers mine, and I thrust deep, pouring every ounce of my desire into her.
“Goddamn, Ruby,” I growl as I shoot my cum deep inside her. “You’re going to be my undoing.”
“Valentine,” she breathes when she can find her voice again. It’s softer now, more tender, but still filled with that insatiable need. She runs a hand through my hair, pulling my face up from her neck to meet her gaze. Her eyes are a storm of emotions: lust, surrender, something deeper that I don’t dare name. “I know you don’t love me. But I still want you to know that I love you. It’s… I tried not to, okay? I’m not able to stop it, and I don’t want to.”
“Ruby—”
She shakes her head, smiling sadly. “I don’t expect anything in return. I just want you to know.”
Before I can gather my thoughts enough to tell her that whatever I feel for her is as close as I’ll ever get to love, she claims my lips.
Her tongue delves into my mouth with a fierce tenderness that takes me by surprise. It’s not just another kiss; it’s a plea, a declaration, a last-ditch effort to show me what she just told me.
When she finally pulls away, we’re both breathless. She studies my face, searching for something. Maybe a promise, maybe an acknowledgment. I don’t know.
“Pet,” I rasp. “If I were capable of love, I would feel it for you. You would be the one I’d whisper it to at night before going to sleep. I would make sure to tell you each and every day. But that’s just not me.”
She nods. “I told you I didn’t expect you to say anything,” she says, giving me a sad smile.
All I can do is look back at her, hating that I can’t say the words back to her. I’m curious to know where that would take us, and if maybe I could feel that way if I trained myself for it.
“It’s time to take care of him,” she suddenly says, pointing at Michael over my shoulder. She sounds more closed off now, which makes me think she’s disappointed she didn’t find what she wanted in my expression.
Nod ding slowly, I lean back, taking her hand so I can pull her up with me. “I want to clean your mark first,” I rasp, licking my lips as I watch my Hunter mark on her skin.
It looks amazing, and I can’t wait for it to scab so I can kiss it without worrying about infection. I once again get the antiseptic, slowly cleaning the burn. She flinches and whimpers every time I touch it.
“I’ll buy a spray instead. That way, I don’t have to touch it.”
Ruby doesn’t even acknowledge my words, her eyes are firmly on Michael. He’s still propped up against the couch, and his eyes are still open. I wonder if she already knows how she wants to kill him, if she’s going to make him suffer for hours or…
“I’m going to slit your throat,” she says, still looking at her husband. Her tone is monotone, like she’s discussing the weather and not revealing how she’s going to end his miserable life.
“Do you have a knife?” I ask.
Shaking her head, she replies, “Michael has some stashed all over the house. It shouldn’t be hard to find them… wait, what are you doing?”
While she was talking, I grabbed my leather jacket. “Want to use mine?” I ask as I pull the blade from the inner pocket, offering her the handle.
She smiles as she accepts the weapon, then she moves over to Michael, crouching in front of him. He’s still as paralyzed as he’s been since I joined her here in the living room. Whatever poison she’s given him is good.
It’s been hours, and she hasn’t needed to give him more, he hasn’t moved anything but his eyes. But with the way they’re now stuck in a way that makes it look as though he’s looking upward, I wonder if it’s getting more and more potent. Maybe in time he wouldn’t even be able to swallow.
I don’t take my eyes off of her as I reach for my boxer briefs, quickly pulling them on.
“Here we are,” she hisses, placing the knife under his chin. “A part of me is sorry you’re stuck like this. It feels both too easy and somehow anticlimactic. I should have made you go through just a fraction of the shit you’ve done to me over the years. But there isn’t time.”
Isn ’t time? What does she think is going to happen? I’ll keep Marco sedated, and I’m sure she can keep her brothers away if that’s who she’s referring to.
“I guess our vows will be more accurate than we thought all those years ago,” she murmurs. She says it so softly I barely hear it, which makes it seem like it’s more for herself than him. “Until death do us part. See you in Hell, Michael.” With those words, she deftly drags the knife across his neck.
The skin splits, blood gushes from the wound. The gurgles that escape his throat are the only sounds in the room. And fuck me, I’m hard again from watching her kill the man who’s tormented her for years.
She stands and turns away before he’s finished, walking back toward me with the knife dangling loosely in her hand. There’s something almost casual in her demeanor, as if she’s just completed a mundane chore, like taking out the trash or washing the dishes. Her calmness should unsettle me more than it does.
“So that’s it,” I say, though I’m not sure if it’s a question or a statement. I take the knife from her hand and wipe it clean with a rag from my pocket. The blade catches the light for a moment, flashing like a sinister wink.
“That’s it,” she confirms, though there’s an emptiness in her voice that makes me wonder if she believes it herself. I reach for her, but she sidesteps me. “I could use a bath. Do you mind getting it started? I want to stay here and watch.”
The words sound good, reasonable even. But the way she keeps looking toward one of the windows makes me feel like she knows something I don’t.
“Sure,” I agree.
I tell myself not to look back as I exit the room, but I do. I pause momentarily in the doorway, watching the way she clenches her fists while gnawing on her bottom lip. Whatever relief Michael’s death should have brought her doesn’t exist. She’s wound tight.
“You sick bastard,” she says, her tone filled with venom.
As I watch her kick Michael, I realize she might need some time alone with his corpse to fully comprehend that he’s dead and that her nightm are is finally over.
With that thought, I walk into the bathroom, already knowing which one is hers from when I inspected the house earlier today, before she came home.
After plugging the tub, I let the scalding water pour into the porcelain. Then I add some of the products on the side, only too late realizing she probably shouldn’t have any of those in there with her burn. Well, I can’t do anything about that now—
My thoughts are interrupted as I hear what sounds like glass shattering. “Ruby?” I shout, switching the water off again.
A scream rings through the house, and I’m immediately sprinting toward the living room.
“Ruby? Are you okay?” The words barely leave my lips before I’m back in the room, but apart from Michael’s corpse, I’m alone. “Ruby? Answer me!” I bellow.
Only then do I realize the front door is wide open, and she’s nowhere to be seen.