But probably not.
Fragrant steam billowed out from the open bathroom door to perfume the air of the hallway and the bedroom. He inhaled deeply as he pressed her back onto the bed.Sweet and earthy.It lingered on his tongue; the taste of everything he wanted and more than he deserved.
Zia clutched at him when he stood up, a soft mew of protest escaping her throat as her hands skated down his chest. Harlan gave her thighs a soothing stroke before he curled his fingers around her knees and pushed her legs up and out.
His breath left him on a long, pained groan when he caught sight of the mark he’d left. The twin puncture wounds were framed by a swirl of soft purple bruises — like a blooming rose hovering just beneath her skin.
“My pretty anchor,” he grated, tearing at his shirt, his belt, his slacks. His eyes bounced from Zia’s flushed face to the soft swells of her breasts to her glistening cunt and back to his bite in a dizzying circle. Gods, he wanted to see all of her at once, to worship every inch of her for as long as he could.
He was gratified to see Zia watched him just as greedily. Her eyes slid over his naked skin, taking in his patchwork of scars, many of which he earned before he was even a man, until they landed on his cock. She tensed, fingers flexing in the duvet until her knuckles turned white, and then melted again. Her legs fell open a fraction wider as her breathing sped up.
“Harlan,” she whispered, trepidation and awe giving her voice a husky quality, “are you going to put that monster inside of me?”
Gods willing.He dropped a hand to give himself a hard squeeze. The night before, just the taste of her blood had been enough to make him come. That would not be happening tonight. He had to be in control. He had to bepatient.
His voice came out like cut glass when he answered, “Yes. You’re going to take it, and everything else I give you, pet.”
Zia’s lower lip trembled when she sucked in a breath. “Are you going to bite me when you do?”
Fuck.
Harlan squeezed again. His cock didn’t give a shit about the almost painful pressure of his fingers, though. Pleasure streaked down his spine as sweat broke out over his chest and back. “Yes,” he answered again. “I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to bite you. I’m going to fuckinggorgemyself on you. And then you’ll get dressed and you’ll let me spoil you.”
Her heart raced. The beat pounded in his ears, loud enough to drown out good sense and raise the monster that lurked in his soul. Harlan’s lip lifted in a snarl, showing her the twin blades he’d use to feast on her until he couldn’t take another drop.
A flicker of naked fear passed through her expression. It was stark, animalistic — the kind he’d seen in the eyes of so many people just before he pulled the trigger, or sliced through flesh.
That fear might have stopped him then and there, if only Zia’s hand hadn’t crept down to slowly slide her fingers through her reddened skin, slick and plump with her arousal. Her confession from the previous night rang in his ears.
It’s like I want you to scare me.
His soft little anchor got off on being afraid. If the gods were kind, she would love a touch of pain, too.
Harlan firmly brushed aside her glistening fingers. Keeping his eyes locked on her expression, paying attention to even the slightest shift there, he used one hand to gently spread her. “This,” he explained, “is mine now. All of you belongs to me. Do you understand?”
Zia bit her lip and nodded, her hips tipping upward, seeking more.
He clicked his tongue against his fangs. “I’ll hear it, pet.”
It was riveting, watching his witch flush from chest to hairline. Zia squirmed under his unyielding stare. “I… I…”
Her voice trailed off with a small moan when he trailed the tip of his thumb’s claw down to her entrance. He pressed the pad of his thumb there, savoring the heat and slickness that greeted him.
“Do you understand that you’remine?”
Again, she hesitated, giving him the perfect excuse to test another boundary. Rumbling low in his chest, Harlan gave her no warning before he brought the tips of his fingers down onto her sensitive flesh. One quick, stinging slap.
Zia nearly bolted upright. A cry tore out of her throat. Her flush darkened as her hips moved under his hand, rolling hard. “I understand!”
A little fear and a little pain,he thought, astonished at his luck.My perfect anchor. I’m never letting you go.
“Good, pet,” he murmured, soothing away the sting with delicate, teasing touches. She whimpered, thighs trembling, when he bent down to lick a path down her neck to her breasts. “Rule number one, sweet little anchor, isalwaysdo as I say.”
Zia’s thighs spasmed. “There… there arerules?”
“Yes, pet.” He breathed against the taut skin of her nipple. “Do you like rules?”
There was not even a moment of hesitation before she answered, “Iloverules.”
