6. A Little Viper #2
Panic rose in my throat, his body too close and his sharp breath too harsh. I struggled against his grasp, but it was no use. Even with one hand on me, he overpowered me easily.
“You watched me bathe?” I asked incredulously.
“Mmmm, I did.” He lowered his nose to my jaw, inhaling deeply as he traced along my skin. “Fucking god, you do smell good. I imagined you would.”
I slapped him, out of sheer instinct, but not even a hint of shock crossed his face.
He simply grinned even wider, throwing his glass to the ground where it smashed into a thousand pieces, and seizing me with his other hand.
He crushed me against him, one hand around my waist the other clasping my jaw and forcing me to look up at him.
“I would watch you bathe, running your hands over this soft skin, and I imagined they were my hands.”
“You are vile,” I spat at him.
“Your breasts are spectacular, beloved. I often wondered how they would look with my cock between them.” He pressed his mouth to my ear as I gasped. “What my seed would look like, dripping down your neck.”
“Azriel!” I tried with everything I had to push him away, to wrench myself from his grasp, but he spun us so I was pinned against the wall, holding me in place with his body. “What are you doing?”
“But do you know the worst of it?” His hand on my jaw kept my head tipped back against the wall, unable to move. “Watching my father take what was mine. ”
My eyes widened in horror. “You watched me with your father? You watched him make love to me?”
“You call that love-making?” Azriel chuckled darkly. “Lying on top of you while your face went blank, as though you were imagining yourself to be anywhere but there, with him. Did you have to do that, beloved? To bear it?”
I flailed against him, wishing I could tear his face off or bite his hand, I didn’t care which. But his proximity was suffocating and I was desperate to escape it by any means necessary.
“Did you ever imagine it was me?” His eyes dropped to my lips. “When my father forced himself on you, did you ever think of me, Evie?”
I tried to shake my head, but his grip on my jaw was like iron. “Stop this!”
He lowered his face to mine. “Or what?”
“I’ll scream.”
“And?” The neutrality in his face was terrifying. “What do you think I’ll tell them, if they come running in here to save you from the brute, Azriel Caine?”
The floor threatened to fall out from under me, and panic threatened to cut off the air to my lungs. My whole body began to quake, feeling hot and cold at once.
“What do you mean?”
His fingers brushed against my thundering pulse. “What else do you think I’ve seen, watching you in the moonlight? Watching you slither about these halls, like a little viper?” He tutted softly. “Oh dear, Evie. Have I rather ruined your plans?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, now let me go!
” I shoved against his chest, and he released me so suddenly I stumbled forwards, not wasting a moment and racing for the door.
But before I could reach it, he caught up to me, catching me again, like a cat playing with its prey.
He shoved himself against my back, his arms encircling me like a vice.
“You may be able to fool everyone else in this house with your pretty face, but not me, Evie.” His breath was hot against my ear. “I saw what you did.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, now-” I cut off with a gasp as his hand cupped my breast, his other hand wandering over my stomach.
“So beautiful.” He grunted as he ground himself against me, and I thanked God that the heavy skirts prevented me from feeling any hint of his arousal. “I could take you right here, right now, and no one would know.”
“Let me go this instant.” I wrenched myself away from him, knowing once again that he had simply let me go, because he was enjoying this game far too much.
I spun to face him, and he looked like the Devil himself, disheveled and unruly, eyes glinting with frigid malice in the flickering lamp light.
I raised a shaking hand and pointed a finger at him.
“You do not touch me, ever. Do you understand?”
He shrugged off his jacket, leering at me. “I will do as I please with what belongs to me.”
“I do not belong to you.”
“Your secrets are mine, therefore, you are mine.” He shook his head and laughed. “You were a fool to think I would let you go.”
“You are mad.”
“Perhaps.” He shrugged, crossing the room to pour himself another cognac while fear kept me frozen to the ground. “My father often said I was touched by the same madness that plagued my mother.”
“He hated you,” I snarled at him, feeling the only weapon I had now was to hurt and humiliate. “He was ashamed of you. He told me every day how disappointing you were.”
“Aye, and he told every one of his business associates what a terrible fuck his pretty little wife was.” Azriel laughed out loud, the sound laced with cruelty.
He turned back to me, the fire catching the venom that etched into every sharp line of his face.
“Oh yes, every one of those men at his funeral had heard about his wife’s cunt, and how barren she was. How she’d no idea how to please a man.”
“How dare you!” I wanted to claw his eyes out. “How dare you use such language and speak to me this way! I am still the lady of this house!”
“You were sold off by your family because the only worth you had lay between your legs.” Azriel threw back all his cognac and smashed the glass into the fire.
“You were a pretty face, and a sweet little cunt, and nothing more.” He snarled out a laugh.
“You think my father hated me? He hated you, too.”
“Enough!” I spun on my heel, angry tears burning my eyes. I made for the door, but a fist slammed into it, stopping me from leaving, and Azriel was leering down at me.
“Tomorrow, at 9 o’clock, be ready. We are going on an outing.”
“I am in mourning, you idiot. I am only allowed to go to church.”
His hand shot out to grab my throat, and I let out a strangled shriek as he slammed me into the door.
“If you want to save your wretched soul, beloved, you will be ready in the morning, and you will go where I say.” His grip tightened as I fought against him, and I froze in horror as he licked the side of my face.
“Remember. I know what you did. Your life is mine.”
“Damn you!” The words were strange and foreign, but came flying out of me all the same. I shoved against him ferociously, and he laughed as he stumbled backwards, watching me frantically wipe my face. “You’re a monster! ”
“That may be, but I am a monster who knows your deepest secrets - therefore, you will do as I say.”
“Where in hell’s name are you taking me?”
A triumphant smile broke across his face. “Somewhere you may make an informed decision about your future. Now go, get some rest.” He waved me off, and I did not hesitate before racing through the halls, up the stairs, and back to my room.