He didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't breathe.
For three full seconds, nobody did.
Then he crossed the room in four long, terrifying strides—and that living room had to be at least ten feet long. I barely had time to register the blur of movement before his hand was wrapped securely around my throat. His fingers pressed hard into the sides of my neck, pushing me backward until I hit the wall. My head knocked hard against the plaster.
"Malachai—" Raziel started, stepping forward.
"Stay out of it." Malachai’s voice was a low, guttural rasp, but I could feel his hand shaking violently against my skin.
I looked up at him. Straight into those gray eyes I'd dreamed about every single night for three years. They weren't empty anymore. They were full of something chaotic and roaring. Maybe Maya was right. Maybe the robot had a heart now. But then again, maybe not.
He squeezed. Digging his fingers into my jawline until my vision began to swim at the edges.
He was really fucking choking me, his face turning redder and redder with a quiet, suppressed rage. I should have been scared. Instead, I was just tired. My temper rose with every passing second, overriding the lack of oxygen.
I reared back, my hand connecting squarely with the side of his face.
The sound cracked through the living room like a gunshot. His head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. When he slowly turned his face back to look at me, there was a streak of blood on his lower lip.
He let me go, but instantly swapped his grip and slapped me back.
I knew it was a warning because it wasn't hard enough to knock me down. Just hard enough to sting. Hard enough to remind me exactly who the fuck I was dealing with.
I gasped, my hand flying to my burning cheek. But I didn't look away from him. I locked my eyes onto his.
"I owe you that," I whispered, my voice ragged and breathless from his grip on my throat. "I did stab you. Might shoot your ass this time if you choke me again."
Something shifted drastically in his gray eyes. The anger didn't disappear, but something else joined it—something desperate, dark, and looking almost like profound relief.
Then his mouth was on mine.
The kiss was a violent collision. It was desperate and hungry, three years of agonizing loneliness pressed into one single, breathless moment. His hands gripped my waist like iron vices, pulling me completely away from the wall and crashing me into him. My fingers tangled frantically in his hair, knocking his head back so I could kiss him deeper, tasting the copper of his split lip.
Someone cleared their throat in the room. Kael, probably. Or Raziel. I ignored them entirely.
Malachai's hands slid lower, gripping my hips, pulling me harder against his frame. His hard dick pressed directly against my stomach through our clothes. His mouth left mine to trail a path of fire down my neck, his teeth grazing my pulse point, and I moaned before I could stop myself.
I remembered when he said he could give me teeth and pain. I remembered how I'd wanted it then. I wanted it right now. I should have kept him at a distance. Because the moment his skinhit mine, my body turned traitor. It recognized exactly who he was, and it hummed to life.
I missed him. It was hard to keep hating him when his hands were on me.
His hands were everywhere. One pressed flat on my back, arching me up into him, the other gripping my hip so hard I knew there'd be dark marks there by tomorrow. He rolled his hips against me, and a small whimper escaped my lips. Fuck.
"Malachai."
He answered by hoisting me straight up off the floor. My legs locked instinctively around his waist, my back hitting the wall again. The new angle was devastating. Nobody but me had touched my body in three years. He pressed hard into the cradle of my thighs, and I literally saw stars. His mouth found my neck again, teeth grazing my pulse, then biting down on that exact spot that turned me to liquid. My pussy was so wet. My head fell back against the plaster, a loud cry ripping from my throat. I panted, drowning completely in his scent—smoke, steel, and pure male.
His hands shoved roughly under my shirt, his warm palms burning my bare breasts. I writhed against him, needing more, needing it now. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, needing his skin. Needing to taste him.
"Malachai—" His name came out completely broken.
"Okay," Maya's voice suddenly cut through the heavy haze in my head. "If y'all fucking, know we got cameras in here and I will put you all on OnlyFans." She laughed, the sound loud and intrusive.
I pushed against his broad chest. It took way more effort than it should have; my muscles felt like lead. He let my legs drop, buthis hands stayed firmly on my waist, clamping down like he was terrified I'd disappear if he let go completely.
"We need to talk," I managed to get out, my chest heaving.
He nodded, his breath hot against my face. "We will."
