Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
The wood planks creaked under my bare feet as I stepped into the room.
The musty smell was settled so deeply into the walls that no spring day could ever air it out.
The indulgences of this room stained the floors and walls; they were imprinted in the furniture and engraved in the very foundation of the building.
Warwick stood with his back to me, staring out the window. His hands were on his hips, his shoulders straining up against his ears. His T-shirt stretched across his back, muscles flexing with every measured breath.
The door clicked closed behind me, leaving us alone in the tiny room. He gobbled up every molecule, every breath, hoarding it and pushing it against me as though he could take up the little space I contained.
I lifted my chin, shoving back against his dominance, denying him from seizing what little I had left. He sniffed in, the silence weaving a palpable weight in the air.
Impulse had my senses reaching out, as if I was right next to him, slithering inside, feeling his anger and resentment like he poured it into my hands, wrapping it around me like a noose.
A deep grunt came from him, his shoulders twitching back. “Stop,” he said, so low it almost got lost in the gravel of his voice.
I stood up taller, pushing harder, taking from him what he was trying to claim from me.
“Stop,” he growled again, his physique locking up, but at the same time expanding so large he blocked the entire window.
“You can feel that?” It wasn’t really a question. I took a step, imagining my fingers trailing down his spine. I could feel the fabric of his shirt, his muscles tense under my touch.
“I. Said. Stop.” His head jerked to me, a snarl curling his lip.
“How?” I didn’t pause, only moved closer to him, feeling his pulse thump over my imaginary fingertips. I could sense his trepidation and building irritation.
In a flash, a switch seemed to flip.
He sprang forward, wrapping his hand around my neck like a boa, pushing me back into the wall. Sparks charged through my veins, both hate and lust crackling through my core.
“I told you to stop.” His luminescent eyes burned through the dark room, his mouth only a breath away from mine, his grip squeezing my throat.
“You don’t tell me what to do,” I sneered. Every fiber in my body blazed with life, taking in his rich sexy smell, his warmth, his fury.
“Maybe you should listen for once.” He pressed into me, the full skirt keeping him from flattening himself against me, but somehow he still invaded my space. His heavy cock was pulsing and hot. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have to keep saving your ass, princess.”
Anger charred my throat, popping and fizzing like fireworks. A smug grin twitched on his mouth.
“Get the fuck off me.” I shoved at his chest, not moving him a hair. “I didn’t ask you to save me.” I tried to push him again, but he didn’t budge an inch. “Nor did I need your help.”
“Really?” His free hand grappled for my flailing arms, pinning one back against the wood. “Then what was your little visit here for?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I seethed, trying to buck against him. “Now let go of me.”
“If I actually thought you meant it, I would.” He thrust me harder into the wall, his thumb sliding down my throat, his lips skimming my ear.
Wetness throbbed between my legs, my nipples hardening at his intensity.
A dark chuckle hummed from his throat. My body completely gave me up.
“That’s what I thought. Whether you like it or not, I know what you enjoy, Kovacs.
How dark and dirty you want it. Even if you won’t admit it yet. ”
“Fuck you.” I wiggled underneath his grip, and he leaned more heavily on me.
“What do I keep telling you about that?” He grabbed both my arms, trapping them beside my head, his bulk consuming mine. Taking over. Demanding more of my space. Physically I was no match; I understood that. But mentally . . .
In my head, my fingertips skated slowly down his arms. Small bumps rose on his skin in the wake of my ghostly touch. His brow wrinkled, his jaw setting. I swept over his chest, not stopping as I reached the V-line slightly exposed between his shirt and jeans.
He sucked in, and I knew he felt me trace the deep indention as if my hands were actually there.
“Kovacs,” he said between gritted teeth.
“What?” I challenged him, staring right into his eyes as he felt my hand slip inside his jeans, grazing the tip of him.
“Fuck.” He choked, his body naturally curling into me, seeking more, desiring my touch.
My fingers tingled as if I really were stroking his hot skin, feeling him pulse and grow against my palm. Desire speared through me, my hips opening, wanting.
Gripping him firmer in my mind, my hand could feel every vein, every scalding inch of his skin. But even my imaginary hands were struggling to grasp his width and length.
Fucking hell. This man was indeed a legend.
Air puffed out of my lungs, matching his as I moved up and down his shaft.
He growled and pushed his hips into me, his grip on my arms tightening. His eyes blazed, meeting mine, breathing heavily out of his nose.
In this moment, he was not some myth or cruel beast. We were equal. And I could drop him to his knees as easily as he could me.
Without actually touching him.
“Stop.” A guttural growl vibrated up his throat.
I pumped him harder in my mind. He inhaled sharply, his eyes glazing for a moment.
“You want to play? Fine,” he mumbled. One hand stayed on my wrists while the other clutched the back of my head roughly.
Without warning or ease, two phantom fingers stroked over my lace underwear, pushing the fabric aside, sliding through me while his actual hands stayed exactly where they were. A gasp opened my mouth, a deep groan wanting to escape. I slammed my teeth together to keep it locked inside.
“Someone’s wet.” Warwick smirked, clearly loving the switch of power.
My body instantly moved to seek out his touch, craving it so badly a jolt of fear almost blinded me. With a feral cry, I thrashed against him, pushing him out of the way. Warwick didn’t fight, dropping his hands, letting me bolt to the other side of the room. Not that I could escape him.
“How-how is this possible?” My hand went to my stomach, feeling anxious. “Why is this happening?”
Warwick rubbed his head, moving the farthest he could from me. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Emotion overpowered me. “How do we stop it? I don’t understand . . . Why? How?”
“I. Don’t. Fucking. Know!” he roared, anger bursting from him. “Believe me, I wish I did.”
I whirled around, glowering at him.
He glared back. “You think I fucking want this?” He motioned between us. “Whatever it is. I hate it. I want it gone. Unlike you, it seems,” he seethed, looking at me as if it were my fault.
“You think I want this?” I stabbed at my chest. “I don’t want it either.”
“Appears to be working out for you. Twice I’ve saved you from danger.”
“You mean after turning me over to the fae lord? Trading me like cargo?”
“You didn’t seem to suffer all that much there. How long did it take to fall into his bed?”
My jaw crunched down painfully, fury blasting into him. Instinctually, I knew he could feel my wrath and hate. “You betrayed me.”
“That’s how it is out here. I told you to only trust yourself. To each his own. That’s how it is in the real world, princess.”
“Bullshit,” I yelled. “Look around you, Warwick. You think you’re all alone out here?
You have a house full of people willing to protect you.
Az istenit! That woman down there will do anything for you.
Hide you at any cost. Are you so blind, or are you okay with using the fact she is in love with you? ”
His shoulders rose, a nerve under his eye twitching. A blast of rage hit me in the stomach as he moved to me. “You don’t know anything about her, me, or our history. Don’t speak about things you know nothing about.”
“But you see it, right?”
“It’s not what you think. We’ve been through things your human brain could never fathom. You are nothing but a child.”
“Excuse me?” I shouted, closing the last few feet between us, every fiber of my being sizzling.
“This fucking child lived through Halálház. I have murdered and survived the same as you. Maybe I haven’t gone through as much, lived as long, but don’t you dare lessen what I have done .
. . what I have lived through and experienced.
” I pushed his chest. “My hands are stained with blood too.”
He exhaled out of his nose, peering down at me through his lashes.
“I think that’s what really scares you . . .”
“Scares me?” He scoffed, leaning over me. “Nothing scares me, sweetheart.”
“Except me.” The words came out of my mouth without thought.
“You?” He dropped his head back with a dark laugh. “An insignificant human who will not even be a glimmer in my lifetime?”
“Yes, because I see you too, Farkas.” I smirked. This time instead of focusing my energy on his skin, I dove underneath, grazing his mind, his soul, reaching for his truth.
I barely slipped under his skin when I felt energy slammed back into me, engulfing me.
Mind-blowing pain.
Blinding pleasure.
A howl echoed through the room at the same time as a cry tore from my lips, the power so penetrating, my knees dipped. Gasping at the intensity, I quickly retreated, not ready for the extreme emotions that overwhelmed every sense.
What the fuck was that?
There was a pause as we stared at each other, not able to speak.
He grabbed me roughly, slamming our bodies into the wall.
Untamed madness crackled off him as he flattened into me, the dress not able to withstand the force.
The air even seemed to slip out of his way, terrified of the angry wolf.
Death flickered in his eyes, his body vibrating. His eyes burrowed into mine.
Demise.
Desire.
Devastation.
Hunger.
Hate.
I felt it all, like a little taste of a drug, and now I wanted more. Needed it.