Chapter 31
AMELIA
It feels surreal to be here, safe and sound in the silk sheets of Blade’s king-size bed after everything that’s happened. From thinking I was dead, to waking up kidnapped in a smelly van, to being chained in a cabin, and discovering my mom is alive. My head is spinning. It’s crazy how life can change in the blink of an eye.
This may sound weird, but I’m glad I got kidnapped. If I hadn’t, I might never have found out the truth about my mom. Can you believe it? My mom is alive. Sometimes, I still need to pinch myself when that thought crosses my mind.
I stayed downstairs with her for as long as I could, but she really can talk, just like in the old days. She and Julie are still down there catching up, but after the first two hours, I had to come lay down—in the place that’s ultimately become my safe space. After I took a long, warm bath, of course.
I don’t know what it is about this room—the dark, moody vibe, our two scents mingling, the new comfy bed he brought because he said he wanted it to be our bed—but it feels like home now. Like I belong here.
A long breath comes from deep within me, and I allow the tension to seep out of my muscles, closing my eyes for a moment. It’s peaceful. I think I finally feel what it means to hope, that everything could actually turn out okay. I mean I have to believe in miracles now, my mom came back from the freaking dead.
When I open my eyes again, I hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching outside the room before the door opens.
His jet-black hair is perfectly in place, and he looks clean, neat, composed. Like he spent the last few hours grocery shopping or something. I expected him to look at least a little disheveled. His eyes soften when they land on me, and he crosses the room, sitting on the bed.
“How did it go?” I ask.
“He’s gone. You don’t have to worry about him bothering you ever again.” He kisses my forehead and rubs his hands up and down my arms. I think it’s just an excuse to touch me after being away, but I’m not complaining because a comforting warmth sizzles on my skin wherever he touches.
“Gone? As in… did you kill him?”
He clears his throat. “No. But I made sure he left town—the West Coast entirely. He won’t come near you or your mother ever again. I promise.”
“How can you be sure?” Of course, I trust him, but I can’t shake the fear that still lingers. Jacob was gone the first time too, but then he came back. What if he tries again? And kills me this time?
“I made sure. You’re not gonna worry your pretty little head about it anymore, understand?”
Goosebumps ripple across my skin at his words and authoritative tone of voice. I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder, and nod. The scent of his woodsy cologne envelopes me. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“You don’t need to thank me. I’d die if it meant keeping you safe.” He wraps his arm around me, and we sit in silence for a few moments, nestled close. A comfortable silence.
“You know, you’re the last thing I thought about before I passed out,” I admit.
He sighs, but it’s not out of frustration or concern. It’s a sigh of deep relief, like the first breath after being underwater for so long. “You don’t know how happy that makes me, Amelia.” He moves a piece of hair out of my face, and his eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that takes my breath away, as if he’s found everything he’s ever needed right here, in this moment.
“Amelia. Hm.”
“What?”
“I want you to call me angel. I like it… when you call me that.” I tug my bottom lip between my teeth.
“Is that so, angel?” He chuckles.
“Yeah, because I… I like you.” I exhale, the words slipping from my mouth like an anchor I can always hold on to when I’m drowning.
I know because of the way I thought about him when I took my final breath, wishing I could stay just to share more memories with him. I know because I feel alive when I’m with him, after learning to live half-alive for so long. There’s an unspoken understanding between us, a silent language that speaks louder than words ever could. I feel seen—truly seen—when I’m with him. I can be raw, open, vulnerable, give up control, and still feel completely safe.
He places his forehead against mine. “I like you, too. A lot. More than you’ll ever know, angel. Ever since October thirteenth that day of the party. I would say sooner when I was following you around, but I had to make sure it wasn’t just lust. Because with this banging body…” His hand trails down my thigh. “It’s easy to get caught up in lust. But the second I made you mine, I knew it was more than that. Way more than that. I’ve never loved anybody else before.”
Loved?
Did he just say the real L word?
I nod in understanding, even though I’m internally screaming as a bunch of Fourth of July fireworks set off in my mind.
“You’ve never loved any of your exes?” I fight to keep my voice steady. No
“Exes? I’ve never had any of those.”
“So, then what was Catalina?”
“A student.”
“Oh my God, Aiden!” I laugh and elbow him.
“Mmm, it sounds so good when you call me that.” He reaches over and sucks on my neck. I bite my lip to hold back a small moan, but when he bites down, a whimper escapes anyway. Every time his marks on my neck fade, he makes sure he never misses an opportunity to add more. “But seriously. You’re my first. And no, I’m not talking about first hookup or even first girlfriend, even though you are my first girlfriend. I mean first person I could picture myself spending the rest of my life with,” he mumbles against my neck, bringing his mouth close to mine. So close that we’re almost touching.
God, why is he being so romantic tonight? My heart can’t take it. It feels like it’s about to burst at the seams.
“I want you to fuck me. Don’t be gentle,” I whisper against his mouth. “Make me yours again.”
He groans. “Fuck, Amelia.” He grabs my hand and places it over his jeans, right on his hard dick. “You see what you do to me?”
His lips claim mine in a kiss that is hungry and fierce. I respond, wrapping my arms around him, holding him as if he may slip away from me again. He lifts me and throws me on the bed, and I yelp as I land on my back.
He kisses me again, and I feel his hand slide underneath my shirt. As his fingers brush over the raw, angry welt left by Jacob’s belt, a bolt of pain shoots through me, and I involuntarily wince. My sharp intake of breath breaks the moment, and he pulls away immediately.
“You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing,” I insist, trying to pull him back to me. “Just keep going.”
He shakes his head, cupping my face. “Let’s wait until you’re healed.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
I’m the one hurt, so I should get to decide if I’m up to doing it or not. This is bullcrap.
“Screw you!” I yell, not sure where the outburst comes from, maybe all the emotions I’ve been carrying the last few days. When he furrows his brows and doesn’t react, I keep on. “You hurt me all the time and we still have sex after. So why care now?”
His eyes darken with something I can’t quite place, but he stays quiet. More frustratingly, he doesn’t move to give me what I want. I don’t know what irritates me more—the silence or the inaction.
“You are so selfish! And you know what? There’s a load of guys downstairs, I’ll ask one of them.” I quickly hop off the bed and take two steps. “I don’t need you—”
Before I know it, I’m staring at the ground as I’m lifted over his shoulder, my t-shirt sliding down. When he lands three hard smacks down on my ass, I clench my teeth to hold in a wince.
After throwing me down on the bed, he grabs me by the hair and pulls me to him, whispering hoarsely in my ear, “Don’t get somebody down there fucking killed tonight, Amelia. You’re mine .”
My panties dampen, and my breathing becomes shallow as if I just ran a marathon. I look back, and the smirk on his lips tells me he knows exactly the effect his words have on me.
Then, his large hand comes into contact with my ass again. The combination of the pain and whatever is happening in between my legs turns me into a whimpering mess.
“You’re trying to be a little slut and give my body away.”
As he continues to rain down smacks, I can barely stop myself from pushing against his hand to alleviate the ache inside me. I yell into the pillow as the blows grow harder, radiating warmth from my backside.
“Everyone down there is gonna hear you and know what a bad little slut you’ve been.”
After what feels like twenty-five smacks, he flips me around, and I see that he’s already taken off his pants. He immediately grabs a punishing grip on my hair and guides my mouth to his cock.
He’s rough, shoving his dick to the back of my throat mercilessly as he holds my head in place. His hips thrust up and down in a steady rhythm. Is it bad that I’m getting off on him using my mouth in any way he pleases?
I claw at his legs, but he doesn’t let up. He reaches over and smacks my ass again, and I can’t help but moan while he’s still at the back of my throat.
“Shit,” he groans, throwing his head back.
I thrash around when I run out of air. Just when I think I’m going to pass out, he lifts me off his dick. I greedily gulp in as much breath as I can, but he only gives me two seconds before he shoves me back down.
It doesn’t take long to run out of air this time. My jaw is getting tired and going slack, but he continues to ravish my mouth. Again, when I think I can’t hold on any longer, he pulls me back up.
“Please—”
Before I can even finish the sentence, I’m down again—choking, spitting, tears running down my face. I must look like a mess right now.
He lets me up again. This time, he gives me a couple of extra seconds to fill my lungs, but I soon find out why. Because when he pushes me down this time, he pinches my nose, cutting off every single one of my air supplies.
I struggle like crazy, my chest burning with the need for air. I sputter and cough, the world turning into a muted, muffled chaos of spit and choking as my vision blurs.
When he lifts me again, he keeps me up this time. I’m a mess of heavy breathing.
“Page 239 of your current read. You highlighted it,” he says, placing me on my back. “You said don’t be gentle, right?”
I nod, taking a few moments to catch my breath. “I want you to make me forget. And erase his touch off of me. Please.”
He plunges inside me, and my head rolls back from the force of it. I can barely scream from my hoarse throat, but it still pierces the air as his cock tears through me.
“Fuck, you’re strangling my dick. Every time I go inside, your walls don’t want to let me back out. Did you miss me that much?”
Every movement against the mattress causes friction on my sore ass, sending a zap of pleasure straight from the burning in my ass to my core.
“You’re finally fucking home,” he rasps. “And I’m never letting you go again. You’re mine forever.” He thrusts into me exceptionally hard and stays buried there.
I gasp at both his words and the way he fills me, stretching me to the limit. No matter how many times he’s been inside me, I still feel a burn every time he enters, even when I’m soaking wet like right now. But it’s a good kind of burn, the kind you crave.
“Come. Right now,” he commands, pulling all the way out of me and slamming back in. “I can’t last in this good fucking pussy anymore and I want you to come first.”
I gasp, taking a moment to regain my ability to speak as he settles into me. “But—I’m not close—”
“ Come . Now .”
There’s a ferocity in his eyes as his thrusts pick up. I wasn’t lying, I’m not close yet. But his deep command takes over my body like I’m a puppet that can be controlled at his will.
And then it happens—a tsunami of an orgasm crashes over me, pulling me under its wave. Stars explode behind my eyelids as my body trembles. Nothing else and no one else exists right now, only me, him, and the intense pleasure of this moment.
My heart lunges in my throat, and I think I’m about to pass out, it’s too overwhelming.
Wait…
The edges of my vision darken, time seems to slow down, and I feel myself slipping, the world fading away. The last thing I feel is Blade tensing above me, his voice distant and muffled as he groans into a bite on my neck. I think he’s coming.
And then, darkness.