Chapter 28 #2
When we finally reach his bedroom, Leon strides inside, kicking the door shut behind us. The moment it closes, the world blurs as he throws me across the room.
I hit the hard marble wall with a sickening crack. Dazed, I blink up at him from the floor.
He doesn’t pause, his breathing heavy as he hauls me up by my hair. I scream, and more pain sears against my skin as he slaps me.
“Shut the fuck up!” He roars.
My mouth snaps shut, and my hair feels like it’s being ripped from my skull as he holds me suspended off the ground.
What is it with this man and my hair?
“I’ve been patient. I’ve given you time to accept your fate on your own time.
And still, you fucking dare go to him? You are mine!
” Spit flecks my cheeks as he screams, “I warned you what would happen if you acted out. Your disrespect will not be tolerated. Bind yourself to me. Now,” he orders, and the mental leash tugs.
Nothing happens.
Despite the agony lancing through me, I grin and give him the finger.
Leon bellows, and once again, I’m airborne. This time, I manage to protect my head.
“Tell me how you are resisting the leash!”
I use the wall for balance as I pull myself up to standing. A mocking laugh bubbles up inside of me, and I don’t bother keeping it down.
There’s no more room for plans. I’m going to die here, but at least I’m going to die telling the truth.
“Because mate bonds cannot be coerced. They must be freely given. And I. Don’t. Want. You.”
It feels so good to say it.
When I come back as a ghost, I’m getting the words tattooed on my forehead – just to make sure Leon sees them.
His eyes narrow, but to my dismay, his rage simmers to a cold, calculating expression. “I wonder how long I’ll have to punish you before you change your mind?” He gives me an insidious smile.
I lift my chin. “I will never want you.” I infuse the words with disdain, trying to push him to lose control – to end this once and for all.
Instead, he leans against the wall, crossing his arms. “Oh no, Vivian. You’re going to want me.”
With the words, I feel a sharp tug on the mental leash.
No. Fuck no.
“You will want me as badly as I want you. You will be devoted to me and blindly obey me. You will live to fucking serve me.” His excitement grows as he takes in my horrified expression.
The leash snaps, and I scream as something devastatingly familiar settles over me.
The fog is back.
Every one of my thoughts is wiped away, and I gasp as the only thing I’m left with is pure burning need.
“Leon!” I manage to choke out.
I search for him through the haze, frantic until I spot him, still leaning against the wall.
He cocks his head, smiling smugly.
Without thought, I surge forward, desperate to feel his lips on mine. He catches me easily, pulling me flush against him, and my dress rides up my thighs as I wrap my legs around him.
“About fucking time,” he mutters, and then his mouth meets mine.
I kiss him frantically, needing to feel him, to please him. Grabbing my ass, he walks us to the large, four-poster bed. He sits on the edge of the mattress, letting me straddle him.
“I can fucking smell him on you, pet. I have to cleanse you, replace his scent with mine, until you’re pure for me again,” Leon hisses, and his teeth graze across my collarbone as he shifts to undo the fastenings of his pants.
I nod, desperate to be better for him. “Yes! Please, Leon, I need you to erase him from me.”
He licks across my shoulder. “Fucking mine,” he growls. “Isn’t that right, pet?”
“Yes,” I moan, my eyes closing in bliss.
The fog in my mind presses closer, but somewhere in the distance, I can hear screaming. I frown, confused, trying to place the sound.
Through heated touches, I realize it’s my voice. But there’s someone else there too. It takes another heartbeat to recognize the sound of Cassandra’s memory.
But why are we screaming? The question feels like it’s floating through the haze, drifting further out of reach.
Fingers shove my underwear aside, and the screaming in my head grows deafening. The sound is accompanied by the briefest flash of reverent gray eyes.
Sin… this isn’t Sin.
My eyes snap open.
“NO!” The sound is wrenched from my lungs, and without thinking, I throw a blast of Reaper energy at Leon. My power surges as I pour the full force of the screaming voices into it.
The links on the mental leash shatter.
The blast throws Leon back against the bed, but he doesn’t release me. The shock in his expression only lasts for a second before it contorts with fury. His grip on me tightens, and he tries to force himself inside me.
Still screaming, I claw at him, but his grip is unrelenting, pinning me against him.
“Fucking mine,” he whispers against my ear, sounding as though he’s won.
Anger replaces fear, and I twist, sinking my teeth into his ear. Cartilage cracks and tears. The taste of iron floods my mouth.
Leon screams, trying to shove away from me, but I don’t stop. My own grip tightens around him, and my teeth dig deeper. Finally, something gives, and Leon manages to wrench himself away.
There’s only a gaping, gory hole where his ear should be.
Blood drips down my chin as I grin back and spit his ear at his face.
His roar is the last thing I hear before he slams my head into the marble wall.
Everything goes dark.