Chapter 14
Arcane
A tangible fear coils down my spine like a hungry beast. I can’t do anything to fight the paralysis keeping me immobile. There’s no saving grace, only the haunting presence lurking somewhere inside my room.
I try to breathe steadier, seeking refuge in the rhythm of my heartbeat, yet it proves futile. Especially as I sense someone drawing nearer in the darkness blanketing the room.
It’s as if I’m hurtling over the edge of a deadly cliff, chasing the end of the world with the speed at which I descend. I cannot tell whether I’m awake or not. A twisting figure appears, hovering above me with an aura of danger, a mask obscuring its features.
“I’m sorry, devangel. I never wanted to wake you.”
The words are a chilling brush against my skin, frosty tendrils reaching out to devour me. My heart pounds hard in my ribcage, and I struggle against the paralysis that binds me. Even in my confusion, I want to believe this is a state of limbo where reality blurs with nightmares. Though I know better.
That voice is all too familiar, achingly so, piercing through flesh and bone like a sword. It’s not merely the voice that renders me motionless, it’s that goddamn nickname. It’s unsettling, dredging up memories I would rather bury, of him calling me devil and angel, combining the two and coining the nickname ‘devangel.’ Yet, my mind stubbornly refuses to understand who it’s coming from.
That voice shouldn’t know that nickname. It doesn’t make sense.
All oxygen is gone from my lungs. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to wake up from this torment.
The crashing of waves against rocks, violent with no source of remorse or mercy, is a reminder of reality. With mounting dread, I strain to break free from the grip that holds me captive in a vortex of hell.
I manage to open my eyes and am met with the sight of the figure hovering above me. With a surge of dread, I jolt upright when the paralysis releases its hold on me.
My relief is short-lived when I realize I’m bound, hands tied above my head, restrained by what feels like a silken band. The figure before me remains silent, their breath the only sound in the room—a gentle rhythm with an enigmatic weight, as if they’re in agony.
A gentle touch trails along my thigh, inching closer to where the fabric of my sleeping shorts ends. My heart races as I remain bound, offered like a lamb to the gods above, awaiting a sacrifice for justice to unfold. A finger draws near my most intimate area, sending electric pulses of anticipation through me that make my breath hitch.
Incoherent words escape my lips as another touch grazes my cheek, tender yet unsettling, as if I’m something precious. A lover’s touch. The other hand slips underneath my sleeping shorts, igniting a fiery passion even as I try to resist.
My eyes adjust to the darkness, and the masked man becomes clearer, causing my blood to run cold like a bucket of ice.
“Shh, go back to sleep.” The voice is soothing, rocking me back to an endless sleep that wants to drag me down.
Viper.
He’s here, he came for me. His name echoes in my mind, a chilling reminder of how I disobeyed his command. My mind screams at me to get away as fast as possible, tendrils of fear slithering down the pit of my stomach. The other part of me —my body—yearns for his touch and craves the forbidden pleasure he offers. Wasn’t this what I wanted before when he fingered me inside the conference room? All the longing, raging gazes between us would eventually lead us down this path.
But where the fuck am I?
No matter how much I squirm, his hand stays firmly on my cheek while the other trails to my clit, applying gentle pressure. In the dim light, his eyes seem to darken, like two slits of shadows, watching me unravel beneath his touch.
Something penetrates me, bringing out pleasure like no other as I’m torn between intoxication and the nagging sense of unease. I fight against the invisible leash ensnaring me, but it’s pointless.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, it feels as though I’m tumbling over that cliff once more. My eyes spring open, my stomach and clit pulsating with conflicting desires. Instead of falling, I’m soaring toward the clouds, only to plummet when waves of immense pleasure overtake everything. Gasping for breath, I realize my mouth is pressed against a pillow, my body convulsing in euphoria. Every instinct rebels against it, yet an undeniable pull draws me toward the forbidden euphoria coursing through me. Fingers plunge inside me, finding that sweet spot with precision.
Lost in the maze of my mind, a moan betrays me as those skilled fingers curl. I try to form words, to beg him to stop, but everything is too much. In my half-conscious mind, his fingers slip deeper, plunging into me over and over. I’m engulfed in an overwhelming ecstasy, sending me into a sublime bliss.
Unwanted moans mingle with fear, intensifying the sensation. Before I know it, I’m grinding my hips against his fingers, riding the crest of pleasure. With each tantalizing caress, he coaxes forth sensations of arousal, and I crave more of his sinful touch.
A deep, growl-like chuckle emanates from him, forcing me back into reality, but his fingers are still inside of me, and I’m teetering on the edge of surrender. With each added finger, the ecstasy consumes me completely. I try to stifle my moans, but his hand slides to my throat, squeezing. Eventually, I’m forced to release those moans wanting to tear from my throat, almost drowning out the relentless sounds of the waves outside.
He brings me to another orgasm—unyielding to the irresistible sensations overwhelming me, letting him feel me as I come undone.
I’m in a dizzy haze of not comprehending anything, ensnared in a web of desire and uncertainty as the realization crashes over me.
I just came from being fingered, all while half awake.
As I begin to wake from the surreal dream, I expect to find myself in the comfort of my bed. Yet, the sight before me is unfamiliar—a window revealing clouds outside, dark and raging with the threat of an oncoming storm.
I’m not at home.
The gentle touch against my face continues, a touch so tender it makes my heart slow down its pace as if recognizing the move, yet it’s not the contact of skin that meets mine. It’s a leather glove assaulting my senses.
“Where I am?” I mumble incoherently.
No reply. One hand glides against my thigh again, causing goosebumps to spread over my body. I can’t remember much, but I remember falling asleep in my bedroom, with only silence soothing my screaming mind.
Where the hell am I?
It’s cold in here, causing my nipples to pebble against the fabric of my shirt. Soon after, the hand grazes my sensitive buds, pinching them. I don’t want to like it, but my depraved mind does.
Panic claws at my insides, ripping me open as I fight with everything I have to get away.
“Stop fighting it, angel. I’m never letting you go now.”
His hand tightens around my throat, fingers digging into my skin. My pulse races erratically beneath his touch, a concoction of anxiety, panic, and fear blending through my veins.
No, no, no, I chant in my head, willing myself to wake up from this nightmare. It can’t be him. It can’t fucking be him.
But of course it is. I defied his orders, and now I’m facing the consequences.
As my shorts slip off my legs, a warm breath brushes against my entrance, sending goosebumps all over me. I instinctively try to squirm away as the pleasure wreaks havoc on my body when I feel something meet my clit, and an involuntary moan escapes my lips.
This isn’t a dream. Viper is behind me, tongue teasing my sensitive spot. Confusion makes me struggle to differentiate between nightmare and reality because I know it’s his voice coming from behind me, pressing me toward the bed and preventing my movements.
“What?” I voice, only causing him to chuckle once more.
It’s a sound I’ve grown accustomed to during all the times I tried to ignore him during our encounters leading up to the heist.
Where am I now? I’m sure as fuck not in my apartment. Has the fucker kidnapped me, taken me against my will, and now he’s…licking me?
“You taste like the most delicious meal I’ve ever had,” he growls, his voice too erotic in my intoxicated mind. “I told you to meet me at the cliffs, but you were a bad fucking girl, Arcane.” He takes a deep breath. “So, I brought you to them instead.”
His touch sends shivers down my spine, but I refuse to succumb to the pleasure he’s coaxing from my body. What is Viper doing here? More importantly, why?
My mind is in a daze, unable to grasp the situation as he licks me. Curses and worries fly out the window the minute I reach my climax, and he drinks in every single ounce of it.
The moment the pleasure dissipates, I summon a final surge of energy to break free, scrambling up the bed. Dizziness overtakes me, the room spinning, but before I can confront Viper behind me, to see his face clearly, he forcefully pushes my head against the wall, leaving me with no choice but to oblige.
“Now, now, little angel. You’re not allowed privileges.”
I move to scream, needing to put as much distance between us as possible despite being tied to a fucking bed. He is the enemy, for fuck’s sake, the harbinger of death from a rivaling family who has come to take me.
Oh God. What have I done?
The moment he must feel I’m about to scream, his glove-free hand covers my mouth, preventing the sounds from escaping.
A growl tears from his throat. “Scream all you want. There’s no one for miles to hear you.”
Slowly, he eases the pressure on my head, and I turn toward him as the silken bands dig into my wrists, seeing his eyes full of conflicting emotions. He’s right; screaming won’t get me anywhere, mainly because of the waves crashing outside, their echoes plunging the world into a terrible wonder. A storm is brewing, coming to bring death and destruction, as two descendants from rivaling families meet.
He assesses me, his words whispering against my ear. “If I untie your hands, do you promise not to scream?” He gives me a serious look.
I look at him, then nod, allowing him to untie the bands holding me captive to the headboard. As soon as my other hand is freed, I sink my teeth into his palm pressed taut against my mouth. It makes him groan as he recoils, waving his hand as if to alleviate the pain. Using the momentary reprieve, I slip my remaining hand from its silken restraint and bolt toward the door, hastily pulling up my shorts. My heart is a relentless beat in my chest as I reach for the handle.
Before I can grip it, his voice cuts through the air like razor blades, freezing me in place as if a wind from the Antarctic has swept through the space.
“Running won’t save you, Arcane,” he sneers. “You’re mine, and there’s nowhere you can hide from me. Nowhere in the world where I wouldn’t find you.”
He advances toward me, and I turn to face his mask-covered expression, my hand still reaching for the door handle. My thoughts are scrambling, trying to figure out the situation.
“Why am I here, Viper?”
Somehow, as he hears the name, his body flinches—a slight motion that I would have missed had I closed my eyes. It makes my brow furrow, waiting for his response, analyzing his reactions as he scrutinizes mine.
We’re like two predators, trying to figure out who is the most dangerous one, who’s going to attack or flee first.
He takes another step closer, yet still far away, even as the interior reveals itself to be a cottage of some sort—not solely one room.
“I’ve already told you, you’re mine,” he merely states, a simple sentence yet laden with so many unspoken words.
“It doesn’t make sense. None of it makes sense. We’ve met, what? Like a few times. Are you fucking insane?” My voice takes on a higher tone, and I watch as the anger slowly, gradually comes forth within him.
He clenches his fists, veins and mouthwatering tattoos prominent as the hoodie slides up his arms. He’s the same height as me, yet in this moment, it feels as if he looms before me while stalking closer. With uncertainty gripping me, my hand gravitates toward the handle, slowly turning it.
He seems to contemplate my words for a few seconds. “Devil angel,” he says, a silent warning and a reminder, causing my heart to crash inside me.
Those words are far too familiar, words I don’t even want to remember.
“You killed all those guards. You’ve been following me. I don’t belong to you. What the fuck, Viper?” I scream at him.
Anger radiates from me in waves as I desperately try to forget those two words he uttered. My breathing becomes labored.
“I did it because you’re mine ,” he roars. “I will kill anyone who touches you.”
“You don’t even fucking know me!”
My throat stings from the shrillness of my voice, and I clench the handle behind me even tighter, the sensation of metal cooling my palm.
An amused smirk stretches his lips, his anger evaporating from his demeanor with no trace of it, as if it were never there to begin with.
“Oh, how wrong you are, little sister.”