17. Wraith
Chapter 17
Wraith
I don’t remember getting out of the chair.
Don’t remember how I got the ropes to slip off my wrists.
Just the burn where they bit deep.
Just the blood pounding in my ears.
Just the taste of her still coating my fucking tongue.
My jaw aches.
My mouth is sore from being ridden like a goddamn prized pony.
And my cock?—
Fuck.
Still fucking hard.
Still fucking leaking.
Still. Fucking. Untouched.
I should’ve known better.
Should’ve known chasing her was never a game I could win .
Neri doesn’t play fair.
She doesn’t let you win.
She made me beg with my mouth and left me starving—and fuck if I didn’t love every second of it.
Worse?
She left her mark.
Every breath I take tastes like her—danger and dark heat, the kind of wild you don’t survive loving.
But you try anyway.
It’s burned into me. Permanent.
She ruined me.
And now?—
Now I need to ruin something softer.
The night drapes itself over me, heavy and breathless.
Unreal.
Blurred at the edges.
But the rage?
The ache?
That’s sharp. Sharp enough to cut.
And Lily?—
Lily is the soft center of it all.
Not because she wronged me.
Not because she ran.
No.
Because she didn’t.
She let me in.
Smiled at me like I was safe.
Touched me like I could be gentle.
Looked at me like I wasn’t the monster I’ve spent my life becoming.
And that?—
That’s the most dangerous thing of all .
She doesn’t know what she invited in.
Doesn’t see the monster curled up in the darkness of her perfect little world.
But she will.
Tonight, I won’t haunt her.
Won’t watch from the shadows.
Won’t let her keep painting me in soft colors.
Tonight, I’ll mark her.
Not with fear.
Not with blood.
With ownership.
This isn’t about vengeance.
Or loss.
Or lust.
It’s about control.
I need to feel it?—
Need to see the moment her smile falters.
Need her to understand?—
I’m not her protector.
I’m the fucking reckoning she let inside.
I’m not punishing her.
I’m claiming her.
The key slides into the lock.
The door opens without a sound.
I step inside.
The cat’s there—right in the center of the living room.
Doing God knows what. Probably summoning demons, or whatever else cats do for fun.
Tail flicking once like he’s annoyed I dared to interrupt his evening.
He lifts his head.
Sees me.
And if a cat could roll its eyes, he would.
He flicks his tail twice more as if to say:
Oh. It’s you again.
Unbothered.
Unimpressed.
Well fuck you too.
I don’t have time for his shit tonight.
I move deeper.
Silent. Deliberate.
Each step a promise her world is about to end.
Her bedroom door is cracked open.
I push it the rest of the way with two fingers.
The room smells like her.
Soft. Sweet. Sickeningly innocent.
Exactly what I’m craving.
Lavender clings to the air, thick and cloying, like the world itself is trying to warn me off.
Too late.
My boots are muffled by the rug as I cross the threshold.
And there she is.
Tangled in blankets, limbs slack and open, like she’s daring me to touch. Inviting me to.
One arm tucked beneath her pillow.
The other clutches a battered stuffed animal—holding onto it like a lifeline.
Her hair spills over the sheets in a wild halo.
Her skin glows in the low light.
Her mouth parts on a soft, sighing breath.
I stop.
Stand there and drink her in .
A creature made of light and softness.
Something not meant for me.
But I’m still going to claim her.
I’m the darkness she should’ve avoided.
But she didn’t.
She let me in.
Begging.
And somehow, somehow, she tears through me easier than any blade could.
I was supposed to ruin her.
But right now?—
Right fucking now?—
All I want is to crawl into that bed and get ruined with her.
For one frozen second, I let myself imagine it.
Imagine lying beside her.
Imagine her curling into my chest without fear. But with adoration.
Imagine being anything but the creature about to unmake her.
Her mouth parts again.
A breathy little sigh.
She shifts, snuggling deeper into the bed.
Completely unguarded.
Completely fucking mine.
And just like that?—
The last string of restraint snaps.
Her lashes flutter.
A tiny movement.
A ripple through the stillness.
And then—those bright green eyes blink open.
Bleary. Sleepy. Soft.
They find me immediately.
Her expression isn't one of hesitation.
It’s not one of fear.
Its fucking joy.
Her face lights up with a sleepy smile so pure it feels like a knife between my ribs.
“You came back,” she whispers.
Not surprised.
Not scared.
Relieved.
Like this was the only version of the story she ever thought possible.
Like this—the monster standing over her bed—is what she wanted.
My fists clench at my sides.
The room tilts.
I growl low in my throat, the sound barely human. “Up.”
She moves instantly.
Blanket slipping off her like a lover’s touch.
No flinch. No fear.
Just sleepy obedience.
And fuck if it doesn’t make want to ruin her more.
She swings her legs over the side of the bed.
The t-shirt she’s wearing rides up high on her thighs.
Her bare skin gleams in the low light.
She sits there blinking up at me, waiting, like a good little lamb being led to slaughter.
No defense.
No hesitation.
Just trust .
Fucking trust.
So easily given.
It shreds me.
Rips through the anger, the need, the bone-deep hunger with something rawer. Worse.
She doesn’t even know what she’s doing.
Doesn’t know what she’s waking up inside me.
I step closer.
“Strip.”
Her hands move without thinking.
Up.
Lifting the oversized t-shirt off and over head.
Letting the soft fabric puddle at her feet.
Bare breasts catching the faint light.
Perfect. Fucking perfect.
She hooks her fingers into the waistband of her sleep shorts.
Stands.
Slides them down over those smooth, beautifully toned legs.
Every motion she makes is effortless.
Natural.
Sexy without even fucking trying.
My cock throbs against the unforgiving line of my zipper.
Fucking zipper deserves a raise after tonight.
I should be punishing her.
Demeaning her.
Dominating her.
Reminding her exactly what I am.
Reminding myself.
But fuck, she makes me want to worship and destroy her all at once.
I drag a breath through my teeth.
“Hands behind your back, angel. Grab your elbows.”
She obeys.
Instantly.
Like I spoke a prayer she’d been waiting to hear her whole life.
The cord slides from my pocket.
The same cord that had just restrained me.
Soft.
Black.
Deceptively innocent.
Her eyes widen just a little when she sees it.
Not fear.
Curiosity.
God fucking help me.
I step closer.
Drag the braided fibers across her bare shoulder.
She shivers.
I trail it lower—slowly, deliberately—down the curve of her breast, the dip of her waist.
Across the jut of her hipbone.
I let it dangle between her legs.
Pull it up.
Drag it through the slick heat of her cunt.
A gasp punches out of her—small, broken, beautiful.
Her knees wobble, thighs pressing together instinctively.
I give the rope a little tug, rubbing it against her clit in one lazy pass.
She bites her lip, trembling .
Good.
Feel it, little angel.
I loop it around her throat.
Slow.
Measured.
Not tight—just enough.
Enough for her to feel it.
Enough for her to know she’s tethered to me now.
“You like being tied up?” I growl, voice rough with hunger.
Her lips part.
Her breath shivers out.
She nods.
Smiles.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Those goddamn smiles.
Like I’m giving her everything she’s ever dreamed of.
Like being bound and bared in front of a monster is her idea of safety.
I tighten the rope around her arms.
Binding her hands to her elbows behind her back.
Not rough.
Not cruel.
Precise.
Patient.
Like wrapping a gift I’m going to ruin.
“On your knees.”
She sinks without hesitation.
Soft thighs parting.
Bare knees sinking into the plush rug.
Knees spread wide.
Exposed.
Dripping.
Waiting.
My chest heaves.
My cock throbs painfully, knowing it’s torture is almost over.
Patience.
Punishment.
I unzip.
Fist myself at the base.
She blinks up at me, wide-eyed and glassy.
“Mouth open.”
She obeys.
Tongue out.
Waiting.
Eyes never leaving mine.
Begging.
No fear.
No second-guessing.
I thrust into her mouth without warning.
No apology.
No mercy.
Her lips stretch around me, a perfect fucking fit.
She moans low—vibrating around my cock.
Jesus fuck.
I drive deeper.
Harder.
Fisting her hair.
Fucking her face like I hate her for making surrender fell this goddamn sweet.
She doesn’t gag .
Doesn’t flinch.
Just moans.
Low and filthy, the sound vibrating straight through my cock, straight through my chest, like she’s thankful for the rough treatment.
My hips jerk.
I thrust harder, faster, forcing her to take every brutal inch.
Her throat works around me—swallowing, sucking, offering me salvation.
Fucking hell.
Her eyes stay locked on mine the whole time.
Wide.
Trusting.
Ruining me for the rest of miserable existence.
“You want me to come down your throat, little angel?” I rasp, voice breaking apart in the thick air.
She blinks up at me.
Slow.
Dreamy.
Her tongue flicks against the underside of my cock as she nods.
Fuck.
I lose it.
I bury myself deep. Hold her face flush against me.
Feel her lips seal tight around the base of my cock.
Feel her swallow around me.
Hard.
I growl—low, ragged—gripping her hair tighter as I spill into her.
Hot.
Filthy.
Endless.
My release floods her throat.
She hums—hums—like it’s the sweetest fucking thing she’s ever tasted.
Her lashes flutter.
Her hands, bound behind her, tremble slightly from the force of holding herself open, compliant.
I pull back on a ragged exhale.
My cock drags wetly from her mouth, swollen and gleaming.
Her chin glistens. Her cheeks streaked with tears.
Her lips are slick and swollen and so fucking perfect.
She blinks up at me again.
Still kneeling.
Still tied.
Smiling. Always goddamn smiling.
And then?—
And then she fucking whispers?—
Soft.
Grateful.
“Thank you.”
Her words hit harder than any blow.
Harder than any taunt.
It slices straight through my chest. Through the walls I built. Through every monstrous part of me I’ve spent a lifetime sharpening to survive.
And it shatters me.
No.
I was supposed to break her.
I was supposed to leave her ruined .
Empty.
Begging.
Instead—
I’m the one coming apart at the fucking seams.
A savage sound tears out of me.
I grab her.
Lift her like she weighs nothing.
She squeals—a soft, startled noise—and then giggles, the sound like tinkling bells, as I throw her onto the bed.
She bounces once. Lands sprawled.
Bright eyes wide with excitement.
Flushed cheeks.
Messy hair.
Smiling.
Still fucking smiling.
I let go of control, it’s the only thing holding me back.
And then I’m on her.
Mouth crashing between her thighs.
Tasting her.
Claiming her.
Fucking devouring her.
There’s nothing slow about it.
Nothing soft.
Just heat and hunger and a punishment so deep it feels like penance.
I lick her like I’m starving.
I suck on her like I’m trying to steal her soul.
Like she’s the only goddamn thing that can save me.
She screams .
Writhes.
Bound hands clawing at the sheets. Trying to find something to hang on to.
Her legs lock around my head, trembling violently.
I don’t stop.
I don’t let her breathe.
My tongue drives into her, fucking her with the same brutal pace I forced on her.
Her moans tear free—loud, raw, desperate.
Cracking open the silence.
Ruining the night.
Ruining my fucking life.
“Please,” she gasps, voice high and broken.
Christ.
I growl against her cunt.
Taste her come on my tongue.
I thrust two fingers inside her.
Pumping them in and out.
Deeper. Harder. Brutal.
Until she’s sobbing into the mattress.
Until she’s babbling nonsense.
Until she’s so lost in it she doesn’t even know where she ends and I begin.
Her thighs quiver.
Her hands fist the sheets.
And then she shatters.
Again.
Louder.
Wilder.
A wrecked, beautiful mess.
I lap up every drop of her pleasure.
I lick her through every broken gasp, every little cry, until she collapses against the bed.
Trembling.
Destroyed.
Utterly mine.
I flip her onto her stomach.
Undo the rope with shaking fingers.
Almost fumble it.
Almost leave her tied just so I can keep her.
But I don’t.
I free her.
Hands her the power back even when it feels like it’s ripping me in two.
She sighs into the pillow.
Soft.
Dreamy.
And then—god fucking help me?—
She smiles.
That same soft, sweet smile.
The one she gave me before.
The one she gives me now.
The one that completely destroys me.
Like I didn’t just wreck her.
Like I didn’t just tear her soul to shreds and lick the pieces off her skin.
She never feared me.
Not even once.
Not even now.
I tuck myself away.
Force my hands to unclench.
Force myself to step back.
“You’re mine. Do you understand now?”
She nods and says the one word that fucking shatters me worse than thanking me.
“Stay.”
Her eyes are pleading, her voice soft and angelic. Like I didn’t just have my cock rammed down her throat.
I should stay.
Should drag her beneath me and fuck her so deep she forgets her own name.
But instead—I leave.
No words.
No goodbye.
I leave her glowing.
Breathing hard.
Smiling.
I meant to ruin her.
But somehow?—
I’m the one coming undone.
And just like that—I’m fucking hers.
The cold air bites at me as I step outside.
The door clicks shut behind me.
The night wraps around me, thick and sharp and merciless.
I breathe it in.
It burns.
It carves through my ribs like a blade.
Pull my hood low.
Pull every fucking wall back up.
But it’s too late.
Her scent clings to me.
Her smile haunts me .
Her soft fucking words lodge in my skull like a bullet I’ll never dig out.
I should disappear.
Should vanish from her life into the night.
That’s who I am.
That’s what I’m good at.
Ghosts don’t get attached.
Ghosts don’t fucking stay.
But my feet don’t move.
I just stand there.
Breathing hard.
Tasting her on my tongue.
Feeling the phantom imprint of her body against mine.
Wanting.
Needing.
Fucking aching to go back in.
One more touch.
One more taste.
One more breath of her sweetness before the monster inside me tears it all apart.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
Grit my teeth so hard my jaw cracks.
I meant to ruin her.
I meant to make her afraid.
Instead—
Instead, I offered myself up to her on a golden fucking plate.
And the worst part?
I’d fucking do it again.
I will do it again.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
No chance at survival.
I grind my fists into the sides of my jeans.
Turn away.
Force my body down the steps.
Into the dark.
Away from her.
But even as I vanish into the streets, one savage, broken truth coils itself around my throat and sinks its teeth in deep:
She owns you now, Wraith. Body. Mind. Soul.
And you’ll crawl. You’ll bleed. You’ll burn the whole fucking world down for her before this is over.