Chapter 57
I swung the door of my manor open, revealing my little thief with beautiful rainbow hair.
She was at the most reclusive spot of the entire island, clutching the Cigno Nero to her chest, her eyes bulging. I yearned to recreate the precise instant we met a decade ago when she clung to my soul, etching herself into the very fabric of my being and igniting a glimmer of hope within me—call it nostalgic.
“I’m your—”
“You’re mine.” I interrupted her, cocking my head to the side.
She smiled, her gaze lifting to the spikes of the manor or “the dollhouse,” as Cillian had called it. Everything here was shrouded in darkness—my soul, my choice of decor, the manor itself, even the thorns climbing its facade—but she was a burst of color amid the bleakness.
“You bought the Pantheon founder’s manor,” she said. “It’s been uninhabited for two centuries.”
It had been frozen in time until I burst in like an unsummoned demon, claiming this place as my own.
“I’m not afraid of curses. A tragedy is just a story that is not finished.” I arched a brow, gesturing for her to follow me in the gardens. “Walk with me.”
“You aren’t going to invite me in? You’re so impolite!” She hastened her stride to keep up with me and muttered, “Some things never change.”
A corner of my lips lifted, and I strode toward that unassuming timber barn as a lone black butterfly flitted around us. It’s been a long time. The crashing waves against the cliff roared, and the salty air filled my nostrils.
I swung open the barn door. “You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve opened a cybersecurity firm called Checkmate Security. This is my humble headquarters.”
Goose bumps skittered along her bare arms as she entered the place. The ceiling lights flickered before casting a glow upon my office, where computer screens stood, bathing the space in blue hues. Pins on the board held pictures of the vilest monsters on earth—a collection fit for the darkest nightmares. It resembled a haven for the damned or perhaps the ideal refuge to welcome a corpse, but, well, we all had our aesthetic.
“How? When?” she whispered.
I stalked around the room, circling her. “I may have developed a couple of software during our friendship era to help me cope with my sexual frustration. Your generous donation made me $3.7 million short on my account.” I sneered. “Made that back last month. I’ve also satisfied my need for chaos by assisting secret services with hacking needs through my company.”
She remained still, and I bowed down to her eye level, licking my lips. “I’ll catch the ugliest monsters of this world. Child traffickers, rapists, serial killers, terrorists… I have a whole list. I hope you’re not scared?”
My therapist was delighted about my new choice of career—though concerned about the pleasure I was taking in the prospect of ruining their pitiful lives. But I didn’t want to hide anything of my scarred self from Dalia, even at the price of making her shrink back in terror. She didn’t, though.
Instead, she slapped my shoulder.
“Why didn’t you tell me anything about it!” She pouted, crossing her arms. Interesting. “Levi, this is amazing but… threatening.”
She was right, and it was only the beginning of my heroic journey.
“You’re like a dark vigilante, tearing down the monsters. This is like your Batcave or something.” She nibbled on her lips, her gaze drifting toward my main office, full of numerous pictures of her alongside the stereo where I’d be listening to her music on repeat. A blush crept through her cheeks. “I like it. Your own special place.”
She was responsible for making the world prettier while I took care of the ugliness. “It’s all thanks to you.”
“To me?”
She’d saved me. In a way, I was alive thanks to her, and I wouldn’t waste a second of this life without her by my side. I grasped her hand. “I have something else to show you.”
I led her back inside the manor, and she frowned at the view of the black walls, the veiled gray curtains, and the drab tapestry on the black-and-white checkerboard floor tiles. The only splashes of color came from the golden chandelier, the reflective mirrors, and the dark green couch. We ascended the dark wooden stairs to the top floor, and I lowered a ladder. Climbing up, I swung open the door of the tallest and most luminous room: the attic.
I held out a hand to help her. “That’s my other surprise.”
“What?” She seized it and climbed into the space I had designed for her.
The old attic’s windows allowed streams of multicolored light to dance freely, casting a kaleidoscope of spheres. She could stand against the star-studded night sky, radiating as brightly as the constellations. A black piano graced the wooden floor, accompanied by a pink home studio outfitted with all the necessary equipment for her musical creations. And in the corner, a stately purple chair awaited, ready for me to claim its place as my throne.
“Oh my—” Her glossy lips parted as she twirled around. “That’s better than having a drawer!” She halted in front of the piano, delicately placing the Cigno Nero on the nearby desk. “Why a piano, though?”
I shrugged. “I thought I could play with you.” When she started to beam, I closed the distance, trapping her against said piano. “Sometimes.”
I hated doing something I was terrible at, but I’d made my peace with that instrument.
“I’m so in love with you,” she said, kissing me.
At that moment, everything froze. My heart ceased its frantic beating. It was as if my wounds had been torn open anew, each nerve ending ablaze. Blood surged through my veins, a torrent of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I’d never get used to her loving me.
She withdrew, her lips parting from mine, her green eyes, the color of moss, peering into the depths of my wounded soul.
“What I feel for you is stronger than love,” I drawled, already feeling my cock throbbing and lust blackening each of my cells. “It is as inevitable as death. As powerful as living. As haunting as a dream. You’re everything .”
I pulled her close and seared her mouth with a kiss. Who told her to stop kissing me? I fisted her hair, angling her head up to me. All the broken parts of me were hers. They always had been. My chest swelled, and my lungs caved, breathing everything of her—the warmth of her skin, the orange scent of her hair, the sugary taste of her glossy lips; everything about her was my undoing.
My fingers slid between her thighs and tugged her panties to the side. Her juices slicked my fingers—she was so wet.
“What did you fantasize about when you were touching yourself in the shower?” I groaned, nibbling the lobe of her ear.
“You,” she moaned. “Tasting me and fucking me the way I like it.”
I curved a brow. “Dirty talking, are you now? It’s adorable, but I’ve never fucked you, Dalia.” I kneaded her nipple with my fingers and dragged my mouth down her neck until I reached her beating pulse, fluttering wildly by her throat. “I only made love to you in my twisted way.”
I untied her dress, let it slip to the ground, and kneeled in front of her. My hands clutched her ass cheeks, squeezing. She whimpered, and I dipped my head between her thighs. She gripped the back of the piano, my tongue swiveling on her clit. She ground against my face while I nipped, sucked, and fucked her with my tongue, worshipping her.
She was my favorite meal. “Ride my face like the good girl that you are.”
She jerked her head back, and desire flamed hotter in my veins. I pumped one finger inside her, and she clenched around me. My cock pulsed in my pants with urgent need when one of her hands fisted my hair, wanting to feel me deeper.
“Yes,” she moaned, and pure lust flooded my bloodstream.
I hiked her leg on my shoulder, tongue flicking, sucking, nibbling her deeper. Her muscles went taut, and I felt her legs shaking under me, trying to push me away.
“Levi…”
I slapped her butt cheek and pumped two fingers inside her, increasing the pace of my tongue on her swollen clit. She shattered in a cry of release, drenching the air.
I rose, licking the taste of her with my tongue. Fucking delicious.
I hoisted her up, settling her on the piano. My hand collared her throat in a chokehold so she’d taste herself on my lips.
“Don’t ask me to go slow because I can’t,” I warned her in a growl. “I. Need. You.”
She took off my shirt, dropped it on the ground, and unzipped my pants, freeing my pulsing length. Her fingertips traced the contours of the scars etched into my skin, each touch soothing.
“I need you too.”
She lay on the piano, offering me the perfect view of her breasts. I didn’t trust any of my pulsations. I didn’t trust my ugliness. I wanted to fuck her lips, pussy, ass. Kiss every damn inch of her. Love, claim, and worship her soul.
For a moment, I did nothing but devour her with my eyes. She sank her teeth into her lower lip, and her cheeks flushed pink. She cradled my cock in her hands, leading my tip to her cunt. I seized her thighs and, with a sharp jerk, brought her back to me. I buried myself inside her, groaning while she gasped.
I gripped her hips firmly. She felt so tight. So good. “I’m fucking powerless in front of you.”
The sound of her ass slapping off my hips sent another jolt to my pulsing hardness. Her eyes pinched shut. Her breath stalled. The outline of her rib cage was visible beneath her skin as her muscles contracted.
“Look at me, Dalia,” I drawled, rubbing my thumb on her swollen clit. “I want to assure myself this is real.”
Her eyes creaked open to land on me. That was all I needed to become feral, pumping my sex in quick, rough tugs inside her. Her breasts bounced, my hand choked her throat, and her nails dug down in my skin. I lifted both her legs on my shoulders and kissed her ankles, caressing her smooth skin.
I hit the very end of her in a slow but hard thrust that sent her bouncing deeper. Yes . Another one. I was close. So damn close. She was gorgeous, forbidden, and all mine.
“I’m close.” She gasped for air, and I lifted her, cradling her against my chest.
“You have to hold on a little bit more.”
I drove in and out of her mercilessly. That was just a preview of what I had in store for us both. She captured my lip and sucked on it, using me to hold on. My muscles tensed, and she rocked her hips on me faster to take control of the pace. I lost it. Her orgasm wracked around her, but I trapped her with me, her whole body shaking.
“Levi…”
I lost myself inside her.
The queen’s kiss could be deadly, but her love was the greatest treasure of all.