Chapter 28
ARIES
We don’t keep secrets from each other. Oh yes, we fucking do. But I only like them if they’re mine.
This need to know what they’re talking about is overwhelming.
I’m gone for five minutes, and they’re huddling in the corner, whispering about fuck knows what.
I had to peek in on Mia to make sure Bones’s psycho brother hadn’t broken free and strangled her to death.
Although, by the feral looks he was giving her, he’s more likely to choke her with his cock first.
I amble over to their little trust circle and insert myself in true Thorn fashion. “What have I missed?”
“How’s Mia?” Nox asks a little too quickly for my liking.
“She’s fine. What are you three discussing behind my back?” I don’t beat around the bush. Never have.
Bones and Draven exchange a pensive look. But before I can ask what the fuck that was for, Bones grabs my arm and leads me toward the sweeping staircase. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere private.”
We settle on one of the lavish guest rooms. The bed is draped in burgundy velvet blankets, black satin sheets, and golden ropes that hang from the black lace canopy. The bedposts are dark cherrywood, etched with carvings of ancient symbols, most likely Nocturnus markings.
Back when Nocturnus was first formed, all of the families were members. So it’s not surprising that Harker Mansion has evidence of that. Eventually, they, along with the Wickfords and the Bishops, broke away from Nocturnus due to disagreements and power struggles.
In the present day, the members are few, with only the Graves, some Thorns, me not included, plus Maureen Blackwell—the first woman to hold a high rank—and the addition of the Erebus family, who came along much later in our history.
“We need all of the founding families in order to close the veil,” Bones blurts out as soon as he closes the door behind us.
I guess I’m not the only one with old Melancholia lore on the brain. “That’s what you brought me up here to talk about?” I snap.
He leans against the door in his fitted white tee and low-slung jeans.
Through the fabric, I can make out the lines of his hip bones dipping down into his pelvis.
Fuck me. I’m trying really hard not to devour him with my eyes, but it’s impossible.
His beautifully chiseled body always manages to distract me from being angry.
Knowing me all too well, he lifts up the hem of his shirt and flexes his fingers over his perfect fucking six-pack abs. “Who said I brought you up here to talk?”
I cock my head to the side before stomping over to him. I smack my hands against the door, boxing him in on either side. “If you want to fuck then let’s fuck. But either before or after, you will tell me what you, Draven, and Nox were whispering about.”
He smirks, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s a storm brewing in his gaze, a look I’m not familiar with. And I’ve known this man my entire life. Something feels off.
He unbuttons my dress shirt, slowly. “I’ll tell you some now, some during, and some after.”
My cock swells as the heat from his fingertips cascades over my chest. “Have I ever told you how obsessed I am with you?”
He swallows hard, his throat bobbing as he rips off my pants and tosses them to the floor. “Not since high school. You were so out of it that night, I thought it was just the poison talking.”
I step out of my pants and shove him back toward the door again. I shake my head. “I only speak truth to you, baby. Always have and always will.”
He looks down, thinking he can keep me from seeing the tears welling in his eyes. “There has to be one more sacrifice in order for Sonny to stay with us.”
No. I know what he’s thinking. What he’s planning. “No.”
He rubs his palm over his freshly shaved head. “It has to be me, Ries. Not Lettie. Not Felix. Me.”
All my blood rushes to my feet, and I stumble forward, pressing myself into Bones. I feel sick. Fuck. “No,” I murmur against his cheek.
He wraps his arms around my waist. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I can’t let anyone else do it. This is my fault. Sonny has always been my responsibility. This is what I have to do to make amends.”
My throat is dry while tears threaten to spill from my lids.
A wild fury courses through my veins, then sadness, heartache, and finally utter despair worms its way in next.
I cover his mouth with mine and kiss him hard.
We both gasp when our tongues collide. I want to make him mine forever.
I want to swallow every drop of his essence until he is inside me, so I can carry him with me always.
I cannot be without him. Not even in the After. Especially in the After… “Bones, no. I can’t. I can’t. I fucking can’t.” I wrap one hand around his throat and the other around his hard cock.
He slams his head back against the door and closes his eyes as I stroke his shaft. “Lo siento,” he rasps. “I’m sorry. Let’s not waste any time.”
I kiss him again and almost cry into his mouth. I flick my thumb over the tip of his cock and roll his pre cum around in circles. “Fuck you feel so good. You’re so fucking hard for me.”
“I want you to go hard on me, Ries. I deserve it.” He squeezes the flesh right above my hips, an erogenous zone for me that sends shivers up into my balls.
This sends me into a fit of rage. How is he the only one who can provoke such fear and anger, but also so much love and devotion in me at the same time?
I drag him over to the sitting area of the suite.
“Turn around.” As soon as he obeys, I push him down, bending him over the arm of the satin chaise. “Good. Stay just like that for me.”
I dash into the ensuite bathroom and rummage around in the drawers and cabinets until I find a large tub of petroleum jelly. Mmm. My arousal is like fire now as I stalk back over to where I left him ass up in the air, his hole puckered and aching for me.
I want to hurt him for what he’s done. For not considering my feelings for one second. I put the jar of petroleum jelly on the coffee table next to him without opening it. I spread his ass cheeks apart and nudge the tip of my cock in.
He flinches and lurches forward. “What the fuck, Ries? You’re not going to lube me up first?”
I snicker and slap him hard on the ass. “Not yet. I’m gonna fuck you raw first. Because that’s what you get for pissing me off.”
He clenches his cheeks together in defiance. “Fucking hell, you’re a bastard, Ries.”
A sinister grin possesses my lips. I’m punishing myself too. I’d enjoy this more if I could just ease in, but the thought of hurting him right now turns me on. “Relax for me, baby. Don’t fight it.”
He screams into a purple throw pillow as I inch my thick cock inside his tight little hole. “Oh, fuck. Baby. Mmm, fuck. You’re like an oven.” Sweat coats his ass, providing a little help.
I’m barely halfway in when he bucks forward, his legs shaking. “Fucking hell, you’re going to rip me apart.”
I slap his ass cheek again. “Shhh. Let me get all the way in and thrust a couple times. Then I’ll lube you up, baby.”
It takes every ounce of willpower not to tear through him right now.
As much as I want to punish him, I don’t actually want to split him open.
He feels so fucking good I could cum any second.
If I even breathe wrong or move one inch too quickly, it’s over.
His ass will be so full of my cum, there won’t be any need for lube.
So I still myself for a second and take shallow breaths. “Thatta boy. You’re doing so fucking good.”
He curses me out through gritted teeth. But the more he starts to relax, he opens up. “Oh, fuck. Ries…”
“Almost in, baby.” I spread his cheeks wider as I watch the way my thick cock slides in, stretching his swollen hole to fit.
So fucking snug. “Fucking hell. I’m not going to take it easy on you.
I want to destroy this hole, fuck.” A feral rage comes over me.
My carnal appetite and anger over what he’s done push me to the edge.
“Give me the fucking lube, Ries. I swear to the ravens, I will get my revenge for this,” he snarls.
He could shrug me off at any time, and yet, he doesn’t. He lets me have my fun. He knows I need this. “Not yet,” I growl. I push all the way inside him until I’m buried to the hilt. As I pulsate in his ass, I pray I don’t combust. I’m not ready to cum yet.
I pinch my eyes shut and pull back. “This is going to hurt, baby.” He screams as I thrust back in, slamming into him hard. Oh, fuck. I almost lose it. I have to still myself again. “Oh, you’re so fucking good to me.”
Bones lets out a gurgled moan. “If this is making you feel better, then fuck me harder. Anything to make you forget how much you hate me right now.”
This sets me over the edge. I pump into him hard, furiously—brutal and violent. Thrusting in and out, riding him like he’s a toy that I want to break. He screams and cries and moans as I take all my rage out on him.
“Yeah, that’s it, Ries. Fuck me raw. Fuck me harder. Punish me,” he cries out.
All my anger balls up inside me and threatens to kill us both. “I can’t fucking do it, Bones. You aren’t allowed to leave me,” I yell.
“I don’t want to leave you. I love you. But I can’t let him die again.” His moans turn to sobs.
I slow down and pull out. “Fuck. I love you too.” I rip open the jar and slather a huge glob of petroleum jelly onto my cock. I rub another glob around his entrance before I thrust back inside. “Ohhh. Shit.”
Bones arches his hips up, urging me in this time. “It’s going to be okay, mi amor. We’ll be okay.”
As I fuck him slow and deep, my tears stream down my cheeks. I’m overcome, aching, and broken at the thought that one day I will lose him. We fuck each other in the silence, rocking back and forth as one. To where I don’t know where I begin or where he ends.
And when I finally fill him full of cum, my tears fall harder. I weep and moan and drown in my love for him. And even though I’ve ripped him apart, it’s he who comforts me.
“I know, mi amor. It’s okay. Let it all out.
Yeah, that’s it. You’re doing so fucking good.
” He chants these praises like lullabies.
And all I know is that I have to find another way for us to be together forever.
Even if I have to scour this entire wretched world for a solution.
I’m a fucking Thorn. And Thorns don’t lose.
I pull out and roll him over so he’s sitting up against the chaise. And then I immediately drop to my knees in front of him. “Close your eyes and let me take care of you now.”
He threads his fingers through my hair. “Show me how good your lips look around my cock.”
I don’t have a gag reflex, so I take the entire length of him in one breath. I love the way he responds to me, the way he throbs in my mouth. I moan as I massage my tongue against his ridges.
He pulls my hair taut in his fist. “Fuck, Ries. Just like that. I’m so fucking close.”
I deep throat him, hollowing out my cheeks as I suck. It only takes a few thrusts before he’s cumming in my mouth. I look up from between his thighs and admire how beautiful he looks when he orgasms.
He throws his head back and howls. “Oh, Ries. Yes, baby.”
I swallow every ounce of his thick cum. I moan as it trickles down my throat—warm and sticky. “You taste so fucking good.”
He runs his fingers through my hair as we bathe in the afterglow of our arousal. “We have many nights of this, baby. Don’t think about the After now. Who knows, maybe we’ll figure it out by then.”
I place a wet kiss on his thigh. “Oh, I definitely will. You can hold me to that too.”
He flashes me a lazy grin, and I’m not sure if he believes me. But I intend to prove him wrong. Bones Crane is not allowed to wander this earth without me. Death is weak compared to the fury that lives inside me. Nothing and no one will keep us apart.