Chapter 16
16
Zara
T hough her face is partially hidden by her diamond mask, I can see the shock in Valentina's eyes.
There's no other way. Enough people have died tonight, one of whom I killed.
My insides quiver harder at the thought.
I killed someone. An innocent man pleaded for his life, but I slashed his throat and then stabbed him in the heart.
What kind of animal am I?
Valentina recovers, her lips pursing as she studies me closer.
Sean digs his fingers into my waist, but I can't tear my gaze from hers.
There's something familiar about Valentina. I can't put my finger on it, and I'm sure I've never met her before, yet the look in her eyes is almost comforting. It makes no sense to me, yet I can't shake it.
I'm sure she's stunning without her mask. I think she might be in her late twenties, maybe early thirties, and her sharp features remind me of a model on the catwalk.
One who'd eat me alive if I crossed her.
For some strange reason, I respect that trait in her. It's another aspect that feels intimate.
Somehow, I muster every ounce of bravery and don't flinch under her perusal.
Her expression morphs into one of approval, and she asserts, "Then don't keep us waiting. There are three stages of initiation, and you've only gotten through one. When the sun rises, you'll either be part of The Underworld or..." She pauses, pursing her lips, glancing at Sean, then back at me. "Not."
My stomach dives. At this point, the only goal is to get out of here alive with Sean by my side.
Valentina turns to face the crowd and puts her arm in the air. The gathering of people goes silent, and she points behind her, roaring, "Let the Performance test begin!"
Torches raise in unison, and the audience chants breathlessly, "Oh...ah! Oh...ah! Oh...ah!" They pound their feet and repeat the phrase over and over.
A buzzing ache fills my veins as I stare at the white silk-covered bed positioned in the middle of the huge bloodstain, pink rose petals strewn about, and the soft glow of flickering candles surrounding it.
"Zara," Sean murmurs in my ear.
I begin to turn toward him, but the bodies hanging on the flag poles, and the thousands of people watching us, steal my bravery. My heart beats so fast, I think it might explode, and my breathing turns shallow.
Sean steps before me, throws his arm around me, and slides his other hand into my hair. He pushes my face against his chest and murmurs, "I don't want it to be like this, but we have no choice. Forgive me before we do this." He pulls back and locks his conflicted, remorseful greens on mine .
I put my hand over his chest. His heart's pounding, just as out of control as mine, and I nod, stating, "I do."
A small amount of relief fills his expression, but it's short-lived. With his arm around my waist, he leads me to the side of the bed and then palms my cheeks. He presses his lips to mine, slowly sliding his tongue into my mouth and lazily kissing me until I'm clenching the lapels of his jacket, aching for everything I've deemed too risky for our friendship to survive.
The galvanic chanting lowers to a hushed tone, surprising me and pulling at the core of my desire.
Sean releases me, his chest rising and falling heavily, and keeps his eyes pinned on mine. He unbuttons his jacket and slides it off, then removes his bow tie and drops it on the floor next to it.
The chanting turns to only the women moaning, "Oh." The men continue groaning, "Ah." The thumping of feet continues.
A need sparks to life inside me, so intense my knees wobble. I've never experienced anything like it before, nor did I know something so powerful could consume me.
Sean drops his dress shirt, still watching me.
My gaze drifts to his defined pecs, sculpted biceps, and the V of his torso. Then he unbuttons his pants and draws down his zipper, and butterflies fill me to the point I can barely breathe.
His slacks slide down his toned thighs, displaying his half-erect cock.
Time seems to stand still. My pulse skitters as the reverberations in the air penetrate every cell in my body.
Sean breaks my trance, stepping closer and spinning me to face the rest of the arena.
I gasp, staring at the huge crowd of masked members of this world I know nothing about but was determined to join .
Sean's lips hit the curve of my neck, sending a shock wave of tingles down my back and straight to the ache between my thighs. He slowly unlaces the back of my corset, kissing my shoulders, then murmuring in my ear, "You've always been so fucking beautiful, you know that?"
I inhale a deep breath and turn my head, glancing into his eyes.
He gives me a chaste kiss, then he pushes my barely-there dress down my body. He studies me as the night air hits the front of my exposed body, and his warm frame heats my backside.
My nipples harden. My legs shake, and I swallow hard, glancing at his lips.
He steps closer, locks his arm around my waist, and his cock pushes into my back. Then he grasps my chin, pressing his thumb to the pulse in my neck. He tilts my head, holding it so I can't move, forced to stare at the crowd.
Heat floods my veins. I inhale sharply, holding my breath, my pulse climbing higher and higher.
His hot breath tickles my ear. His tongue teases my lobe. He declares, "All these people want you, my little brat. But you're mine now, and this group of strangers is staring at my wife's perfect, curvy body. So when we get home, I'm spanking your flawless fucking ass for getting yourself into this mess."
Adrenaline-spiked pulsations attack me. My thighs shake, but he holds me against him with his forearm.
He tilts my chin so I'm refocused on him, and adds, "They can't have you, my pulse. You're my wife now. I'm the only one who gets you."
Every sensation feels overloaded. My lips tremble.
He called me his pulse.
I'm married to Sean O'Malley.
For life .
His eyes darken. As if he can read my thoughts, he adds, "For eternity."
I gape at him, unable to move or speak.
Then his mouth and tongue take over, adding more fuel to the fire, burning my existence to ashes.
He spins me so I'm facing him, deepening our kisses, one palm gripping my ass, his other hand fisting my hair. His possession over me taunts me into wanting more until my body's aching and my arousal slides down my thighs.
The erotic moans of the arena heighten. The air between us turns balmier.
Sean retreats, his chest heaving, lips parted. He releases me, steps back, and assesses me, his gaze slowly drifting from my face to my toes. Then it moves back up until his greens glow with a look I've caught glimpses of but never been allowed to fully receive.
He’s a bad boy concoction of a monster and a prince, meditating on the fight over his next move.
The chanting quiets, the stomping getting faster and louder, and grunts flare around us in unison.
Sean's eyes turn wicked. He steps closer, the back of my knees hit the mattress, and I fall onto the bed. He leans over me, his large frame casting a shadow around us, his forearms bracketing my cheeks.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" women seductively interject, matching the vitality of the grunts.
I writhe under Sean, lifting my chin so my breath merges with his.
He moves his arm and runs his thumb over my nipple.
An "Oh!" flies out of me, matching the audience's as if in a song.
He lowers his fingers to the heat between my thighs, teasing it lightly.
"Take me," the women desperately call out .
I jerk my head toward the audience. My bravery disappears, and panic takes its place.
Sean turns my head back to him. "It's you and me, Zara. Forget about them and focus on me."
I gape at him.
His expression softens. He quickly kisses me and repeats, "Me and you. It's always going to be me and you. That's all that matters."
My eyes well with tears. I blink hard, hating the onset of emotions but unable to stop them. A million thoughts about what I'm about to do with thousands of strangers watching, the eternal vow I just made after killing a man, and the worry my friendship with Sean will be ruined, attack me.
He swipes at the first tear that falls and then lowers his mouth to my ear, asserting, "The time to cry is later, my beautiful wife. Don't show them any weakness. Focus on me. It's you and me and everything we've both always wanted."
I sniffle, taking a deep breath and meeting his eye. I ask the question to which I already know the answer, but for some reason, I want reassurance on. "You've always wanted this?"
He gives me another chaste kiss and confidently answers, "You know how much I've lusted over you, my pulse."
My anxiety fades. I've never heard Sean call any of his girlfriends a pet name, but something about him calling me his pulse seems sweeter than anything else he could call me. And I realize I love it as much as I love him calling me his little brat.
Sean demands, "Now, tell me you've always wanted me devouring you, Zara. Taking you to the point of no return and consuming you until you're spinning out of control with me inside of you."
I don't hesitate. "I've always wanted you, Sean. "
Approval fills his expression. "Good. So it's you and me. Embrace the rest of this situation."
I nod, taking a final sniffle. "You and me."
He dips to the curve of my neck and kisses it, then murmurs, "Show everyone what they can't have because it's mine."
I slip my hand into his hair, clinging to it, as I slide the heel of my stiletto over the silk sheets and then raise my knees toward the sky.
His erection pushes deeper into my pelvis.
I tug his hair until his face is in front of mine, finding my courage and ordering, "Give me what I want, Sean."
His green eyes flare. His lips curve before they meet mine, and the dam breaks. The years of abstaining from the mystery and fascination of what we'd be like if we gave in to our desires come to an end. His mouth possesses mine with a burst of enthusiasm twisted with greedy need.
I dig my heels into the mattress, lifting my pelvis, craving to feel our bodies join together.
He holds my hip to the bed and taunts, "You don't run this show, my little brat. I do."
I open my mouth, and the chanting changes again.
Oms fill the air once again, but they aren't in unison, and it seems to never come to an end. As soon as one starts, another one begins.
It's chaotic, and creates a soft buzz inside me, adding to the ache I can't escape.
I turn my head, staring at the flickering torches and masked audience. Heat infuses my cheeks.
Sean nibbles on my breast.
I gasp and refocus on him .
He retreats to my lips, mumbling, "I get what I want first, my little brat."
"Please," I beg, trying to thrust my hips so he slides inside me.
A devilish grin erupts on his lips. He pins my cheek to the silk sheets.
The flames of the candles dance around me, turning the crowd blurry.
Sean's voice is gravelly when he says, "This is the only time they'll ever see you this way. Show them how gorgeous you look when I give you everything you need. Haunt their dreams and desires for the rest of eternity, my little brat. We'll see these people for the rest of our lives. And I want them to get a taste of what they'll never have because it's mine."
My adrenaline spikes. No one's ever seen me in a compromising position before. No man has ever told me to let others watch so they can be jealous. Surprisingly, the thought doesn't turn me off. It fuels what I'm dying to finally experience.
He adds, "Imagine being the villainess in everyone's fantasies. You're sometimes within touching distance, yet they're never allowed to reach out and take what they crave. They'll thirst for you in ways no one can imagine."
I stare at the crowd, the blurriness fizzling, and the masked congregation intensifying their oms .
"Don't hold back, my pulse. Instill misery in your pleasure."
His words create a new desire to bloom inside me. A demented picture of pain and suffering braided with envious emotions turns my reservations into a challenge. I embrace everything this moment is and can represent.
He glides his thumb over my neck, taunting, "Don't look away from them, my pulse. Terrorize them now and for all eternity."
The oms grow louder .
"Now, be a good little brat and show me you're sexier at coming than I dreamed all these years." He drops his face to my chest and returns to sucking my breasts, then makes his way down my torso.
"Oh!" the women moan as the men grunt.
Sean's palms press against the back of my thighs, and his mouth hits my throbbing pussy.
I writhe and inhale sharply, almost turning my head away from the onlookers, but I stop myself.
Haunt their dreams.
I'm only Sean's.
His tongue swipes over my clit, and his thumb rotates over the outside of my entrance.
My breath catches. He flicks faster, and I moan. Heat burns through my body, and my arousal dampens the sheet beneath me.
The noises from the crowd get louder, and all eyes are focused on me, as if they can see inside my soul.
He teases me further, flicking, sucking, pushing inside me but keeping me on edge.
I grip the top of his head, tugging him into me and begging while looking at the crowd, "Please!"
He doesn't allow me to come. He torments me until my body can't take anymore, and my body does something it's never done before.
Adrenaline slams into me, over and over, until I almost black out. I squirt all over him, soaking his mouth and chin in my orgasm, screaming, "Sean!"
The men groan "Fuck" so loud, I wonder if I actually heard it or made it up.
The women moan, matching their volume .
Sean laps up every drop, his own groan vibrating against my pussy.
The euphoria never stops, and I can't see the crowd anymore. Everything's white with the blur of flickering flames burning brighter and sensual noises growing louder.
He sucks me harder, my hips writhing.
A final release hits me, and I whimper, the adrenaline rush slowing. My heart races faster than ever before. I wiggle and finally admit, "I can't take anymore."
Sean lunges up, caging his hard frame over mine. He turns my head back to face him and slides his lips over mine, consuming me with the taste of my pleasure on his tongue. Then he pushes his forehead against mine. With a ragged breath, he asserts, "Now you're ready for me. And it's only you and me, my sexy little pulse."
"Y-yes." I barely manage to get the word out.
He slides his cock into my throbbing pussy, diving in as deep as he can in one thrust.
"Sean!" I cry out, clutching my arms around him.
He responds with more kisses, thrusting in and out of me in slow motion, pushing my desire to the brink of madness. His greens study me intently, watching my every reaction.
"Thank God I didn't know this all these years," he mutters.
"Wh-what?" I ask, then moan, blinking fast as his pace increases.
He clenches his jaw, glides his thumb over my cheekbone, and his hot breath slams into mine.
"Oh...oh...oh!" flies out of me. A new wave of adrenaline, different yet just as delicious as before, floods every cell.
"That's my little brat. Taunt my cock some more," he grits .
"I-I... Oh fuck!" I cry out, closing my eyes. The whiteness drowns everything out. All I can do is vibrate against Sean's body while gripping him tighter.
The chants ring out around us, beating into the tremors Sean keeps erupting through me.
"Jesus Christ, Zara," he barks, pushing my thigh toward my chest and thrusting hard.
"Sean!"
"Little brat," he belts out, and his cock thickens, then fills me deep with his warm cum.
Another high explodes within me. I can barely hold onto him, too exhausted from the onslaught of everything I always wanted but never knew could be this way.
He collapses on top of me. His ragged breath tickles my ear. His chest presses into mine.
I slowly return to reality as night breaks into early dawn.
The chant turns into a low hum.
Sean lifts his head, assessing me.
I smile up at him.
His lips twitch and then he kisses me. It's soft and sweet, and when he pulls back, he keeps his stare on me, claiming, "Mine."
"Yours," I reply.
Satisfaction fills his expression. He kisses me until I once again lose myself in everything Sean O'Malley.
The sound of clapping tears us out of our moment. Sean turns his head, as do I .
The audience roars with approval. It grows so loud we cringe from the shrillness.
Valentina steps next to the bed. Her expression matches that of the crowd. She holds out two robes, one pink and one black. She announces, "Bravo. You passed Performance. But can you handle Personalization?"
My mouth turns dry, and goose bumps pop out over my skin.
Sean jumps up, grabs the pink robe, and drapes it over my shoulders.
I slide my arms through it.
He pulls me off the bed and ties the belt around my waist, then kisses me gently. He takes his robe and secures it on his body. Then he wraps his arm around my waist.
Valentina points at something behind us.
We glance in that direction, and my gut drops.
Sean tugs me tighter to him as we stare at Kirill.
He stands next to a fire, holding a metal stick with something on the end, but it's too far to clearly make out what it is. Three men stand next to him, holding different objects.
Kirill dips the stick into the fire, and my gut spins. He pulls it out after a few minutes, and the end glows as hot as the flames. He pins his gaze on us and states, "It's time to make your final vows."