Chapter Sixteen
Valen
I woke to the sounds of chains rattling above my head.
No, not chains.
Handcuffs.
The metal was cool against my wrists, pressing into the headboard above my head. For one groggy moment, my body tensed with anger. Every instinct raged for me to fight back, to tear apart whoever thought they could put cuffs on me again.
Then I saw her.
Seraphine.
She straddled me, her thighs gripping my hips in a vice. Her hair was wild and untamed, spilling over her shoulders to her bare breasts. I exhaled sharply at the sight of her. God, she was fucking stunning perched on top of me. Her chest rose and fell as she slid down my cock.
I gazed down to where we were connected. We’d fallen asleep naked, and somehow she’d managed to cuff me to the headboard. Her pussy was warm, slick as she rode me, her body rocking, painfully slow and deliberate.
The handcuffs dug into my skin when I yanked against them. It was useless. A growl left my throat as I clenched my fists. Pleasure and frustration rolled through me, knowing I couldn’t touch her.
“Little lamb,” I gritted through clenched teeth, “what are you doing to me?”
Her smile was soft, cheeks flushed as she bit her bottom lip. She lifted herself up, then slammed back down, both of us moaning. “God, Valen. I think you were right,” she murmured. Her fingernails dug into my chest, making me burn even hotter for her.
My hips jerked, wanting to fuck her the way I knew she liked to be fucked. But she wouldn’t let me. Instead, she rolled her hips slow and steady. “Right about what?”
“The somnophilia kink,” she gasped, throwing her head back. She slid down my cock, slower, wetter. “I was watching you sleep, and I thought, Damn, he’s so fucking beautiful, and then I remembered the handcuffs…”
The air left my lungs. God, she was fucking perfect. I wanted to break the cuffs, grab her hips and thrust into her. My body was burning to take control, to remind her that she belonged to me. But in the moment, it was the other way around, and I belonged to her.
And I fucking loved it.
“You gave your consent,” she moaned, slamming her hips down. She was so fucking wet, her pussy gripping me to the point I thought I would come at any moment. “You said you consented to exploring my kinks.”
I growled darkly, my head slamming back into the pillow as she fucked me. If she thought I had a problem with her tying me up and fucking me while I was asleep, she was dead wrong. “Fuck, Seraphine. You’re killing me,” I rasped.
I planted my feet on the mattress and thrust up, desperate to claim her. “You’re mine,” I growled. “Every fucking inch of you belongs to me, little lamb.”
“You’re mine too,” she gasped through parted lips. She leaned down, her lips finding mine. Her kiss was so fucking tender that I almost forgot how to breathe.
The taste of her consumed me—sweet, feral, needy. I strained against the cuffs, yanking with all my strength.
“Bad boy,” she whispered against my lips as she sank down on my cock, inch by inch until I thought I would lose my fucking mind. It was torture, but the most pleasurable kind imaginable. She kissed down my neck, biting softly, and I groaned as her teeth sank into me.
“Let me go, Seraphine. Let me fuck you how you need,” I rasped.
She lay flat against me, her hands in my hair as she picked up her speed. Her hips slammed down, and I could feel every slick slide, every single shiver that racked through her body. The entire bed shook as she fucked me, her moans filling the room.
“Don’t you fucking come, Seraphine,” I snarled against her ear. My body burned to take over, to consume her.
“Valen, please,” she moaned, a desperate note in her voice. “I’m going to come.”
Something snapped inside of me, and I yanked at the cuffs. My muscles strained, and the headboard groaned under the force. A second later, the wood made a cracking sound, and I pulled harder until the headboard split.
She gasped, her body freezing against mine as I tore free and flipped her over. Her eyes were wide, skin flushed and slick with sweat, I grabbed the handcuff key from the nightstand, and a second later, I was free.
My breath came out ragged, desire and need burning through me until I was shaking with it.
I pinned her wrists above her head with one of my hands, holding her there.
“You think you get to come without my permission?” I growled.
My other hand gripped her thigh, spreading her wide open for me.
“Hm?” I slapped her pussy gently, just the way she liked it.
Her whimper went straight to my cock, and I struggled to control myself. “No,” she moaned, shaking her head back and forth.
“That’s right,” I murmured against her ear as I slammed into her. She screamed out, her pussy gripping me, as I thrust into her again.
She arched against me, whimpering for more, but I pinned her down, forcing her to take me deep.
“So fucking greedy for my cock, Seraphine. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you stuffed until you’re begging me to stop.” Each word was matched with a brutal thrust, her moans filling the room.
She cried out, her body clenching around me like she was trying to milk every ounce of come out of my cock. I released her wrists and gripped her thighs, forcing her open wider for me. “You’re mine,” I rasped, slamming my hips into hers over and over.
“Yes,” she sobbed, her nails digging into my back so hard I knew she was drawing blood. But I didn’t care. I would gladly bleed for her. Kill for her. Die for her.
“Say it louder.” I picked up my pace, my thrusts growing more punishing. “Let the whole fucking world know who owns you, owns this pussy, owns your soul.”
She screamed my name as she came, and I fucked her through it, her body trembling as her orgasm ripped through her.
I didn’t stop, thrusting deep inside her, chasing my own release.
Her body clung to me as she hung on. I growled against her throat, spilling into her as I held her down.
My entire body shook with the force of it.
It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
She was my everything, and I was consumed by her.
My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest at the intense feelings running through me.
I collapsed, rolling us until she was on top of me again.
I weaved my hands in her hair, tugging her down until our lips touched. I was gentle, soft, letting her come down from the high. “So perfect.”
She pressed her forehead against mine, smiling against my lips. “You’re the perfect one, Valen. Perfectly mine.”
*** ***
The scent of cedar filled the air as I worked the plane across the wedding arch. The wood was responding beautifully, like it was alive beneath my hands. I’d been working on this piece for over two months, carving roses and ivy with a careful precision.
A wedding arch.
Something that stood for hope. Something I’d never thought I’d have again.
Seraphine sat on the floor near my workbench, a canvas propped up in front of her. It had been two weeks since I’d killed Michael, and they had been some of the best weeks of my life. It wasn’t just when we were fucking, which happened often; it was all the quiet times in between.
How she curled up to me on the couch and asked questions about wood grain like she genuinely wanted to understand how it all worked.
How she left little sketches and paintings around the cabin, some of them hilariously crude.
How we talked for hours about everything and nothing, like we were a normal couple on a winter vacation and not planning to murder my brother any day now.
It was intimate and frightening all in the same breath. The fear of losing her clawed in the back of my mind, and the only way to stop it was to drag her into bed and fuck her mercilessly.
She sat there on a cushion, humming along with the radio, absorbed in her painting. The sight of her looking so content was doing something dangerous to my heart.
“What are you working on?” I asked, dropping the plane and walking over.
“Sunflowers. Well, a field of them.” She grinned and leaned back, letting me see. “I’m trying to remember the way they looked in Tuscany. I went with Sylvie’s parents a few years ago.”
“Looks beautiful.” I grinned and kneeled, planting a kiss on her cheek.
“It was.” She nodded, leaning into me. “Maybe I’ll take you one day. Oh, we can take a pasta class.” Her eyes lit up, and I chuckled at the memory of what had happened the last time she’d tried to make pasta.
The music cut off, a news bulletin coming through.
“This is Q-Rock FM with a breaking news update. The FBI have confirmed two more bodies were discovered at University Village College, bringing the total number of new victims to seven in what authorities are calling a copycat killing of the Sorority Slasher.”
I went still, a chill running straight through me. Seraphine gripped my hand, and I squeezed back, trying to reassure her even though I knew the news would only get worse.
“A witness reported the scene was gruesome, the violence more extreme. College students in New York are cautioned to be vigilant and be on the lookout for suspicious behavior. The suspect is considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached. We’ll keep you updated, New Yorkers. Stay safe and keep rockin’.”
“He’s not stopping,” she whispered. Her canvas tipped over, smearing the beautiful yellows and greens, making a mess.
My jaw clenched, and I stood, turning off the radio. “He’s growing impatient.”
She paced around the space, running her hands through her hair. I hated to see her like this. She looked terrified and angry. “He’s not going to stop, Valen.”
“I know.” My fists balled at my sides because I knew what she wanted to do. Knew what she was going to say. And even though we’d talked about this so many times before, the fact that it was about to become a reality made bile rise in the back of my throat.