By the time he’s stopped his punishment, I’m panting, my skinslick with sweat, and more aroused than I’ve been in a long time. Aroused in spite of the thought that I have a killer in my bed. Or maybe because of it.
He drags his tongue over my abused folds, and I whimper, the wetness feeling good on my throbbing skin. At first, I hate myself for the way the walls I’ve erected melt under his touch. But soon, I’m too needy to do anything but succumb to my desire. His tongue darts over my clit, pushing into me and licking at the spot deep inside that drives me frantic. He keeps his mouth latched onto my throbbing bundle of nerves, his tongue thrusting out to tease my clit and then pushing into me again, lapping, thrusting, sucking at me hungrily. The pressure builds fast and hard until I come, spasming uncontrollably under his firm grip, my burning skin making the pleasure so much better.
He rewards me with one last stinging smack to my clit, and the surprise of the renewed pain, just when my body had sagged backward in a blissful post-orgasm state makes me actually yell.
Then he lies back on top of me, but although his chest is crushing mine, I can breathe surprisingly well. I haven’t thought a single second of Alice’s terrified scream as she was pushed out of the plane, and the spiraling thoughts that seem to have taken hold of me since Damien first told me about his plans for our future have left me. I gaze up at him, my heart full with secret love.
That love is buried too deep for him to discover, but he reads the rest of me, as he always does. “Looks like the answer isn’t a therapist after all, is it?” he smirks. “I think you need to be punished more frequently. But I’m up for the task.”
He kisses the tip of my nose, then lifts me up in his lap. “We’re going to land soon. Let’s go.”
He carries me into the main cabin, and as the plane slowly descends, I realize for the first time that I haven’t the least idea where we’re going.
17
Damien
Ikeep Seraphina firmly in my lap, and as I breathe in the flowery scent of her shampoo mingling with the irresistible smell of her, I allow myself to sink into thoughts of punishments, past and future, smoothing over my aggravation.
She doesn’t believe I love her. She barely believes Iwanther. I do find some relief at the thought, realizing that maybe shedoescare for me after all, and is merely trying to protect herself. At the same time, it’s deeply frustrating. Especially since she seems to hold onto the belief that I once meant to kill her… and probably wonders if I’ll try again.
Oh, well. Today, she’ll be mine, in every way, including legally. It won’t matter what she thinks, or what she wants, or what her fears are. I’ll possess her entirely.
And we’ll live in the goddamn country, whether she wants to or not. I’m done being soft. I’m going to fix her, once and for all.
She gasps, and I realize I’ve been practically squeezing her to death absentmindedly. I loosen my hold over her, just slightly, smiling at the thought of the bruises probably forming on her arm. I’ll make sure the wedding dress doesn’t hide them.
Suddenly, I’m feeling thankful that we’re not going to the bridal boutique after all. I don’t want her to get used to making decisions.Imake the decisions. She only follows them.
It took me a very short time on the plane ride over to select the dress I wanted her to wear and the flavor of cake, making my choices among the selection that the still-loyal Vincent sent over. It may be a quick, small wedding, but I do want her to havea taste of a traditional celebration. Don’t all girls dream of cakes and dresses?
But who knows, with her. She’s such an odd thing.
I help her down the steps of the plane and into a waiting car. Buckling her seatbelt, despite her muttered protests, I keep an arm around her as I send messages to Logan. He’s confirmed again that Alicewasthe rat who told Noel of my plans for today. She was at Devil Tower when Seraphina escaped, so she was involved with it, even if she wasn’t directly in contact with Seraphina. Vincent has been busy hacking into the electronic devices she left at her home, and he found all her communications with Elias and Noel. It does reassure me to know that I didn’t just kill an innocent woman.
I have absolutely no qualms, however, about killing a guilty one, especially one who endangered my girl.
Now, they’re hard at work tracking down the second rat. I was certain that only Alice knew of the bridal boutique and the church I’d previously booked, and which I’ve since cancelled. But this other rat… what information could it have?
Who helped Seraphina escape? I can understand why she won’t tell me. I admire her silence, in a begrudging sort of way. I know she wouldn’t hesitate to kill to protect me, because she’s done it before, but she has a sense of honor. Still, it’s driving me crazy. She’s the one person who stands in the way of her own safety.
We’ve been driving through the countryside for a while, large auburn trees on either side of the small road bending back and forth in the wind. In the distance, purple mountains are nearly lost in the fog. Her eyes are fixed out the window, her face blank, and I have just enough time to wonder what she’s thinking before the car grinds to a halt in front of a small church. Her eyes widen as I help her out.
“Are we… going in there?” she whispers.
“I won’t go up in smoke, you know,” I tease her, then nudge her toward a small dwelling beside the steeple. “Come on.”
“Oh.” She exhales. “I thought for a second…”
She blushes a pretty pink, and I wonder if she was hoping for that church, or dreading it.It doesn’t matter, I tell myself harshly.She’ll do what I tell her to.
We enter the small living room, and she gasps. A beautiful white dress is on display. It’s made of white satin, trimmed with delicate lace and rhinestones. This probably wouldn’t have been my first pick, but I remembered the pink sparkly dress she once shoplifted at the Devil store, so I chose a dress encrusted with glittering stones.
She claps a hand over her mouth, and I read a thousand conflicting emotions in her eyes. Joy, surprise, thrill… anger.
That last emotion seems to win out and she turns to me, her eyes sparkling almost as much as the gown.
“No.”
