CHAPTER 6
Frankie
“Give me back my fucking knife!” I snarl.
I need to get it out! It hurts! I want it gone! The pain is the only thing that makes it go away.
I yank against his hold, but it’s useless. My wrists are locked into cuffs before I realized he moved me. The metal bites. My magic snarls and so do I.
I bare my fangs at him. My voice is raw. “Let me go.”
He stands barely out of reach, watching me thrash, studying me. And in this moment I fucking hate him.
“So,” he finally says, “you like pain.”
I stop struggling. My head drops, and I stare at the floor. I don’t answer. I don’t need to. I hate that he can see me so clearly.
“Look at me, Frankie!”
I shake my head.
His fingers dig into my cheeks, lifting my face to his. “Did you tell me no?” Flames are blazing in his eyes now, but he does not let me look away.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter.
His face is so close now, I can feel his lips move. “I don’t want your apology, Frankie. I want you to answer my question. Did you tell me no?”
“I…” My voice trembles. “Yes.”
I search his eyes, hoping my admission will make him soften, but it doesn’t.
He releases my face, but he doesn’t step back. “When I tell you to look at me, you look.” His voice is quiet, controlled. “You do not look away until I say you can. Do you understand?”
I nod, keeping my eyes on him through the burn, through the blur, through the ache gathering behind them. I don’t look away.
He waits until the tears spill over. “Blink.”
Finally! I let my lashes fall, sending more tears down my cheeks. The burn fades as my eyes squeeze tighter.
A whimper slips from my lips when he leans in, his mouth brushing over mine. His hands slide to my throat, long fingers wrapping around my neck. “You want pain?” His voice is low. “You take it from me. No one else. Not even yourself. Do you understand?”
My chest tightens and it hurts more than the knife ever could. He sees me. He saw all of me, and he didn’t leave. I slowly nod, my body relaxing enough that the cuffs catch my weight.
Heat follows his hand as it traces my collarbone. “Good, because your body is mine, Melita.”
A shiver runs through me, my fingers curling against the cuffs. I’m ready. I want to be his.
He gently cups my cheeks, tilting my face to his, eyes steady on mine. “I just need one more thing from you before we start,” he says, softer now. “When you come, you stay with me. No more thinking of him.”
My head pulls back, anger returning once again. What the hell? I narrow my eyes at him. “You think I choose that?”
“No.” His fingers lift my chin. “But if you let me in, I can help you stop it.”
My nose tingles and I’m about to cry. I want to let him in, but I don’t know what to do. “How?”
He brushes a piece of hair from my face, his eyes a warm amber. “If you feel him, you reach for me. If you hear him, you listen to me. If you fall, you come back to me.”
I nod my head. I want this, but I’m afraid I’ll fuck it up. “I’ll try. Just don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t.”
This time, I’m the one who leans forward and brushes my lips over his. I trust him.
His hand moves to my jaw as I open to him, his mouth pressing deeper into mine. I catch his lower lip lightly between my teeth and tug.
He pulls away, flames burning in his eyes once more. “Mm.” His voice is lower now. “There she is.”
His eyes fall to my lips while his thumb traces over them. “Last chance to change your mind, little mate.” He pulls his eyes back up to mine, and heat is already building between my legs.
I don’t speak. Instead, I sink a fang into my bottom lip, knowing it’ll drive him crazy.
He smiles, and I can’t wait for what’s to come next.
“All right then,” he says, voice deepening. “Let’s have some fun.”
His smile sharpens when he releases my face. Bending down, he reaches for his ankle and pulls out another knife. A big one.
My heart rate picks up. Is this his idea of fun? I’m not ready for a blade yet, not if I’m going to stop turning to one. “Zarreth.” My voice is fragile. “I promise I won’t cut again.”
“I know you won't, baby. We’ll make sure of that.” What does he mean? Is he going to cut me? Teach me a lesson? Normally I would welcome it, but not now. Not today.
His fingers curl around the top of my corset and tug it away from my skin. I sag in relief when he slices from the top all the way to the bottom, avoiding my flesh, leaving my breasts bare to him.
I try reading his eyes, but his expression gives nothing away. It’s okay, I trust him. I really do. He always pushes my boundaries, but he knows how to listen to my body. He won’t cross that line…I hope.
He tears away a strip of fabric and lets the rest fall to the floor. Oh, God. He wraps it around my eyes, knotting it behind my head, leaving me in total darkness. My pulse is so loud now I can barely hear my thoughts. I hold my breath, trying to focus on what’s about to happen.
He knows I’m not ready, right? I don’t hear him put the blade away. Maybe I’m wrong. My entire body tenses, expecting to feel the bite of the blade splitting my skin. “Please, I don’t…”
He leans in so close, I can feel the heat from his breath. “I do like to hear you beg, but not with your words.” Something blunt taps my mouth, not sharp, and my panic eases. “Open up.”
I immediately obey and part my lips.
“Wider, as wide as you can.”
I open my jaw until it hurts, stretching my lips as far as they will go. I know better than to hold back.
“Beautiful. Stick out that little pink tongue.”
I do what he says, knowing there’s no way I’m beautiful right now, but I don’t care how ridiculous I look.
“That’s it, baby. Poke it out as far as it will go.” He collects the drool from my chin with the cold smooth metal and pushes it in my mouth.
“Now suck.”
It feels so foreign, but I cradle it with my tongue the best I can, wishing it was warm and alive, something I crave.
“I know you can do better.” His voice lowers. “Beg like you fucking mean it.”
I cover my teeth with my lips so they don’t break and move my head back and forth. I don’t stop until saliva covers my chin and tears fall down my cheeks. I take it all in, showing him I want it, because I do. I’m tired of holding back.
“What an obedient little mate I have.” He catches a tear with his thumb while I keep going. “It won’t last.”
Tightness gathers between my thighs as a small noise escapes me.
“Mm. That sound.” The rumble in his throat does something to me.
He pulls the handle from my lips. “It’s nice and wet now.” His fingers slide beneath my shorts, pressing against the soaked material. “Just like you.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I’m so glad I listened to Jess and wore a lace thong.
He chuckles, unbuttoning my shorts and pulling them down with my underwear. He holds me steady while I step out of them, leaving me in nothing but fishnet stockings and knee-high boots.
I hear him drop to his knees. His hand closes around my ankle, lifting it to his shoulder. I try to close my legs, but he forces them open. I’m completely exposed.
He inhales sharply. “Your scent is fucking delicious.”
The cuffs pull tight above me. I want to hide, but I can’t.
The handle drags up the inside of my thigh, slowly tracing a path to my entrance. It moves up and down my slit, gently easing me open. It’s not enough. Especially when I know exactly what he feels like, and this isn’t it.
“But I want you, instead,” I say, pulling my hips back.
His laugh is low, intrigued. “I know.” A sharp smack lands, heat flaring across my ass. “But you’re in no position to make demands.”
Something soft pushes between my teeth. It’s warm, faintly salty.
I can hear the amusement in his voice. He doesn’t need to see my eyes to know I wasn’t expecting my underwear. “You taste good, don’t you?”
I want to deny it, but I know he won’t let me. So I nod, making a small sound against the fabric.
His hands stop moving. “I think I need a little reminder,” he says, replacing the cold metal with a warm finger.
Finally! I let my head fall back as his finger presses against that perfect spot. He curls it again and again, reminding my body who it belongs to. My hips rock, chasing the pressure when he pulls away.
A frustrated noise slips from my mouth, making him chuckle. “Greedy little mate.” I jerk against the restraints as he makes a low, satisfied sound. “Fucking delicious.”
God, I love the way he reacts to me, like he would devour every inch of my body if he could.
His wet finger smears over my lips, catching on the fabric pressed between my teeth. Why does that turn me on so much?
The smooth metal presses into me again, but it feels different now when he slides it in and out. My body opens for it, taking it in deeper. My legs shake as everything inside me tightens.
Panic takes over before I can stop it. No! I can’t!
I push the underwear from my mouth with my tongue.
“Stop!” What if I have another flashback? What if Aradon gets in my head again?
He stops immediately, pulling away, leaving me empty. My relief is short-lived as disappointment takes its place. I did it again. I let him down. Why can’t I move on from this?
The blindfold loosens as light slips in. I blink, hard, letting my eyes adjust. His hand slowly comes into focus.
It’s red…and wet. I forget to breathe. He’s been bleeding for me this whole time.
He doesn’t say anything. Just circles me, his bloody palm moving over my stomach, my sides, the backs of my thighs. I know what I must look like. Suspended, bare, covered in blood and sweat and fear and need. I don’t know how he could want me.
“No.”
My throat tightens. No? He’s not leaving. He’s not letting me push him away. My legs shake for a different reason now.
He steps in front of me. “I don’t think you want to stop. You’re scared, that’s all. But I’m right here. I won’t let you fall.”
He kneels again, lifting both my legs over his shoulders, his eyes locked on mine. He holds my gaze until my breath finally returns, then his mouth is on me.