26. Orion
26
ORION
“TAKING SERAPHINA”
Red shrouds my vision as I take a step closer to Seraphina, a deep need settling into the pit of my stomach, infecting every cell in my body until I’m nothing more than a giant, shuddering mass of need.
Need. Need. Need.
The word echoes in my mind as I commit Seraphina’s expression to memory. The horrified sheen in her eyes, the space between her lips as she gasps her shock. Her terror.
Good. You should be scared of me, little dove.
My attention is pulled to the corner of the room, biting down a furious snarl as Ivan fights to right himself, clutching the wall for support while thick rivers of blood course down the side of his neck. Before I have time to stop it, Ivan rushes from the room like a cornered rat, leaving a heavy trail of blood across the expensive rug.
My lip curls in disgust, only for it to fall a moment later when I realize my dove and I are alone. Finally.
I step over Noah’s headless body, my pulse thrumming in my ears as I close the gap between Seraphina and me. For every step I take, she moves back, until her back slams against the far wall.
Her chest rises and falls rapidly, eyes wide and searching the room for something to defend herself with. Too late for that, little dove.
“If you’re looking for your dagger, it’s currently embedded in your lover’s neck.” My fist tightens at my side when I remember Ivan is still alive. Another failure.
She shakes her head, mouth wide and wordless as she settles her eyes on my face. “You…”
My mouth quirks as I rake my eyes over Seraphina’s naked frame, only for it to drop as I take in the small black tattoo on her hip. Who the fuck did she get that for?
Rage boils my skin as I take another step toward her, “You’re coming with me, little dove.”
“The fuck I am.” She bares her teeth in a snarl as her hand curls into a fist at her side. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
I tilt my head. “I would never do that.”
She scoffs, eyes darting to the three dead bodies spread across the room. “It doesn’t seem like you have many qualms about it.”
I take another step. Another, and another, until eventually we’re chest to chest. Seraphina’s pulse spikes as I reach up to her face, dragging a bloodied thumb over her lips, staining them with crimson.
I lean in, brushing my lips against her ear. “I won’t kill you, little dove. Not yet—not until I break you.” I let my hand fall from her face, cupping the side of her delicate neck and applying pressure. “And you don’t break easily, do you?”
She shakes her head, her breath coming in short gasps. She looks utterly terrified, and I’ve never been harder in my fucking life.
A low chuckle falls from my lips as I lean forward, brushing them lightly against hers. “We’re going to have fun, you and I.”
And that’s when I plunge the needle into her neck.