18
Lucia
My lungs fill with fresh, cold air as I step out of the unguarded doors of the manor. Surprise flickers through me despite the anxiety clutching my throat. I’d been expecting to get caught already.
You can do this , I tell myself as hope flares inside me.
Small, polished stones cover a narrow pathway leading away from the front doors. Vast, deserted grounds spread out on both sides. The grass growing everywhere is tall and unkempt. Everything seems to be growing wild, cloaking the ancient mansion in its foliage.
Loose gravel pokes the soles of my bare feet as I start walking forward. My left foot still aches from being pricked in the heel. Can I run without any shoes on? You have to keep going , I tell myself, increasing my pace.
The narrow pathway seems to go on forever. I stop for a moment and look toward the woods in the distance. The leaves are already a beautiful shade of orange, pink, and red.
Next, I look toward the clear, blue fall sky. The afternoon sun shines down on me but the rays don’t warm my chilled skin. The light, loose dress offers me no protection against the cold breeze blowing by.
For a moment, I wonder if the path I’m on would take me to the main gates of the estate. If everything Lilja told me was true, the entrance points would be heavily guarded. It’s probably the only reason no one was guarding the manor’s doors.
I look toward the woods again. They’ll offer me protection and hide me well. I can stay there until nightfall and then, proceed toward the estate’s gates. It’d be easier to creep around at night than walking around in broad daylight this way.
Making up my mind, I change direction and run toward the woods.
My feet fly over the grass, taking me closer to my destination. My heart beats hard as I struggle to draw enough breath into my lungs, all the while keeping up my furious pace.
My mind goes to my three captors. By now, I’m sure Damien, Leon, and Mikhail are my childhood friends. My heart aches for the torture they suffered at Callum’s hands. All because they’d been close to me on that fateful night.
If I was a true angel or a princess as they called me, I’d have stayed back and atoned for the sins of my brother.
But, I wasn’t one.
I’m just Lucia Baldwin, an ordinary omega who’s spent the last seven years as a prisoner in her own home. Nothing matters to me more than my freedom.
I don’t want to be a captive to Callum or the Volkov brothers. My life is precious to me too and I want to use it to protect the only person who’ll die without me.
Dad, I’m coming , I think, hoping he’d hang on until I can get him away from Callum.
The thought of getting out of this place replaces all my concerns.
“Oww!” I cry out and come to a sudden halt. Something sharp impales my left foot, causing me to bite my bottom lip hard.
My breath rattles in my chest as I lower my body onto the ground. Fallen leaves crunch underneath my bare feet, sounding too loud in my ears. Checking my foot, I see a small, sharp twig sticking out of my heel.
“Not again,” I moan as a sharp pain shoots through my leg.
I’ve barely made it through the row of trees bordering the estate and I’m already injured. Blood trickles over my dirty sole as painful gasps escape me.
Gripping the twig, I give it a hard tug.
A groan escapes me as the splinter gets pulled out of my flesh. A trickle of blood seeps out from the wound. It hurts .
“I have to keep going,” I moan, forcing myself on my feet again. Breathless gasps escape me as I hobble forward, trying to be careful about where I put my feet.
Soon, it becomes evident there’s no point in going forward. The forest floor is littered with splinters and sharp rocks. Walking barefoot any further will cause me more injury.
“Are you done running yet?” A deep, familiar voice speaks from somewhere behind me.
Whirling around, I gasp at the sight of the man before me.
The scars on Damien’s face bunch together and twist as he gazes at me. A second later, I realize he’s smiling. His piercing blue eyes stab through me, pinning me to the spot.
How could he get here so fast? I wonder while my heart hammers in my chest. He hadn’t been behind me. I was careful, making sure no one was chasing me. Unless he can make himself invisible somehow, it’s impossible for him to be here without me noticing him.
Maybe he is a beast from one of the fairy tales I grew up reading. There’s no escaping him until I’ve paid the price for my brother’s sins.
In the story, the princess kisses the beast and turns him into a gorgeous, handsome prince. Would my kiss erase Damien’s scars? Not even in your dreams , my mind scoffs at me, spiking my terror.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I take deep, lungfuls of air, and force myself to move. My feet slowly retreat. The moment I feel like I can run again, I turn around and flee.
I run through the maze of trees, leaping over the leaf-covered ground. Branches whip at my face as my breathing gets louder and more labored. Fear throbs through me, making me forget about the pain in my injured foot.
“Chasing you is more arousing than having you chained up,” Damien’s husky voice sounds right behind me.
“No,” I moan, trying to run faster. My running is igniting Damien’s predatorial instincts, adding a thrill to the chase.
My foot catches on a stray root, sending me flying forward. My world seems to tilt on its axis as I land on the hard ground with a heavy thud. The fall disorients me, making it difficult to get back on my feet again.
“I told you not to run,” Damien whispers in my ear. “All you’ve done is tire yourself when I’m only getting started.”
A startled scream escapes me as my head whips around and finds Damien kneeling beside me.
Pushing him, I try to run but he grabs my arm roughly and slaps a hand over my mouth. I struggle against him but he shoves me back on the ground.
He lowers me further, forcing me to lie on my belly. Straddling my legs with his thighs, he uses his weight to pin me down. My face brushes against the moldy leaves on the forest floor as I inhale the scent of wet earth and dried grasses.
“Stop fighting me,” he growls, biting the back of my neck.
Writhing underneath him, I cry out. “Let go!”
“You thought it’d be easy to run from me?” He grates through clenched teeth. “How dare you even try ?” His hand reaches between us and fumbles with the hem of my dress, hiking it up.
A cool draft skims over my exposed ass cheeks. “Stop! Please,” I whimper.
“This is probably a good position for you, Lucia,” he says in an icy tone that sends my terror spiking. “This way, you won’t be disgusted by my ugly face.”
“Please, stop,” I sob as he thrusts two fingers into my pussy. The wet, squelching sound they make has me squeezing my thighs tighter.
Rough chuckles escape him. “You were always so sweet and innocent, Lucia. Who knew you’d grow up to be such a sexy, little masochist who enjoys pain and fear?”
My eyes widen with realization. It explains why my body keeps reacting this way to him and his brothers’ cruelty.
Damien’s fingers are rough as he spears them inside me. I squirm, struggling to hide my body’s arousal but the wet, squelching noise my pussy makes gives me away easily. My scent mingles with the cold air, leaving no doubt about what it needs.
“Please, stop!” I shout, twisting my body to throw him off me. He wants to wrench my pleasure out of me, more to humiliate me than anything else.
I claw at the leaves and dirt underneath me. Fear and desperation run through my veins like icy water. I’m barely able to breathe with his heavy weight on me, and yet, I can feel the delicious tingling of pleasure pulsing through my core.
Focusing on the pleasure will give me an escape but doing so will be a sign of my surrender. No matter how much I owe him, I don’t want to submit to his cruelty.
I twist my body in a bid to make him shift his hand away from my pussy but he just laughs at my effort.
“All this struggle has gotten me hard, Princess,” he whispers in my ear. Something stiff prods against my naked ass cheek. “Do you feel that?” he asks. “I feel like I’m going rip through my pants.”
My core tightens at his words. My pussy sucks his fingers in deeper as I grind my hips against his hand like a greedy bitch in heat.
My climax hits me like a tsunami wave, erasing every thought from my head. My walls squeeze against his fingers while my body shudders against him.
Tears of humiliation run down my face. My body loves what he’s doing to me but my mind hates him for it.
The sound of ripping fabric breaks me out of my thoughts. Damien tears my dress apart and throws the pieces away, leaving me completely bare to him.
“This is how you like it, don’t you?” he says in a low, husky voice that thrums through me. His hand slithers down my back to reach the end of my spine and cups a buttcheek.
Why did his hands have to feel so warm? My cold body arches into him, greedily soaking up the heat that seeps through his clothes.
“Oww!” I gasp as his hand cracks against my left ass cheek.
“Don’t move,” he commands, proceeding to lay a few more slaps on my ass. The soft, sensitive skin burns. A cool draft blows by, making it sting worse.
His finger slides along my pussy lips. “You're soaking wet, Princess,” he says in an appreciative tone.
Next moment, I hear the sound of clinking metal against leather, followed by the shift of fabric. He presses down on me harder, making sure I stay still underneath him.
The thick head of his cock prods my entrance. A moan escapes me as it pushes through my tight folds. I lie still, hungry for his hot, pulsing cock to fill me up.
Damien thrusts into me with one hard, vicious stroke, slipping into my tight channel. Pulling back, he plunges in again, impaling me deeper than I’m prepared for.
I cry out, my body bucking from the painful intrusion, but he holds me down with sheer force.
“Shh,” he whispers against my ear as I whimper. “It’ll be okay, darling.”
Grabbing my hips, he lifts my ass. The slow pace allows me to get used to his thick girth, allowing me to feel pleasure from the hot friction of his cock. Damien tightens his hold on my hips and drags me onto his cock.
I moan out from the thrust and rise on my elbows to support my weight better.
“You’re never running from me again, Lucia,” he says, starting to thrust into me with long, hard strokes. “You belong to me now. Do you understand, darling?” He yanks me over his cock just as I attempt to get away from him.
“Answer me,” he growls, pistoning inside me.
“No,” I mutter stubbornly.
“Fine by me,” he grates through clenched teeth. “I don’t mind doing this over and over again either.”
I cry out, both from my distress and the pleasure invading my body.
“Keep fighting me, Lucia,” he says, plunging into me. “It just makes my dick harder for you.”
I try staying still and quiet. Obeying him will stop me from feeding his sick fantasies but I fail at that too. Obscene noises escape me as my core tightens and pulses around his hot cock.
Damien’s cock wrenches out orgasm after orgasm, leaving my body deplete of any energy. While I’m starting to tire out, Damien keeps going like he’s some supernatural beast. Being surrounded by these dense woods, my darkest fantasies come alive.
My knees must be badly scraped by now but I feel no sting. My whole mind is focused on the ecstatic sensations zinging through me.
Eventually, I let go. My body revels in the feeling of complete submission, of being used with absolutely no regard to my feelings or willingness.
Maybe I am a masochist , I think as my mind turns hazy with lust.
Damien’s hold on my hips tightens almost painfully as he comes to a sudden halt. Next second, his body shudders against mine while his cock twitches and jerks inside me.
Blistering hot cum rushes deep inside me, filling me to the brim. He thrusts into me a couple more times while my walls squeeze his cock, making sure he sheds the last of his seeds inside me.
A low grunt escapes him as he gently pulls out of me and finally lets me go.
I have all the opportunity to run from him but my body feels battered and exhausted in the best possible way. There’s barely any energy left in me to even move.
I roll over on my back. Patches of the blue sky peek at me through the gaps in foliage and tree branches. My breaths come out in low, shallow pants as my body slowly cools down.
Damien forces my thighs apart and slides between them, covering my body with his. Hovering over me, he gazes deep into my eyes.
Surprise flickers through me as I meet his searching gaze. Damien’s scars don’t bother me anymore, allowing me to stare at him without flinching.
He leans down, making me think he’s going to kiss me.
“Oww,” I moan out as his teeth sink into the apple of my right cheek.
“Mine,” he growls before moving off me.
My cheeks heat up at the look of pure appreciation in his gaze.
“No one has the right to look at you right now,” he says with a groan. Next moment, he unbuttons his shirt and shirks it off his broad, muscular shoulders.
Leaning down, he pulls me into a sitting position. As if I were a child, he puts my arms through the sleeves and buttons up the shirt for me.
“This’ll do for now,” he mutters to himself. With a sudden move, he hoists me off the ground.
A squeal escapes me as I rush to throw my arms around his neck to avoid falling.
My bare feet are crying tears of gratitude to not be walking on the splinter-covered forest floor. His warmth seeps into me, making me unconsciously tighten my arms around him.
“I can walk,” I lie.
He grunts in response and looks straight ahead.
My head falls against his chest. I don’t even care I’m seeking comfort from the man who just forced himself on me.
There’s no doubt about it. I am a fucking masochist.