Page 54 of The Price Of Possession

He stalks forward. “Payback for the good times, Father.” He cackles and drops the match along his father’s vest. The room is thrown into a chaotic blaze. Water sprays out through the sprinklers, dousing everyone like a cleansing. A cadre of Elites swarm Kieran. His eyes sink to me. Blood covers his body like war paint, deranged and untamed. He uses all his strength to overpower them. Everything happens in slow motion. Like a deer in headlights, I can't compute what is happening. Arms stretch around my middle, dragging me carelessly out of the office, away from my other half.

The room grows warmer as the flames grow larger. “Don’t fucking touch her!” Kieran vociferates in defiance. The tendrils of his blood stained hair stick to his skin and all I want to do is soothe him. Val, Grey, and Silas fight in the corner, their manic cries piercing through the rabble. They're thrown against the wall. Zain bucks wildly, going berserk the second an Elite lays his hands on Vesper. She doesn't even try to fight, submitting. What I've done is a crime. What's worse is I implicated everyone else.

“Kieran!” my voice unleashes a dying cry. He turns animalistic. Somehow he breaks free, thundering toward me with pure bestial rage. His core ripples with each booming, savage growl. His fist starts connecting with anyone and everyone in his path. Masks crack and shatter. Blood gushes. Adrenaline fuels his caged rage, and now the beast is free. Zain follows suit. One of the masked Elites fists cracks against Kieran's jaw, sending his head spinning.

Blood steadily drips from his mouth, his teeth are stained a deep, crimson red. His eyes are bloodshot and bruised. Still, he uses every ounce of his strength to dominate. Smoke rises, clogging my lungs. Hell breaks loose. Val, Grey, and Silas are bloody knuckled and struggling to fight through the flames. I elbow my captor in the stomach, bracing myself for his retaliation.

“Bitch!” he spews, bowling over. I sink down to my knees and suck in a breath of fresh air. Vesper frees herself, dropping to the floor with me. The hard stone digs into my knees. Elites trample through the room dousing the flames. I brace for impact. Kieran's gun catches my attention on the floor through the pandemonium. My internal struggles are just below the surface making me want to retreat, but I remember I'm fucking strong. I'm somebody. I matter. I can do this. Vesper follows my line of sight.

“Don't,” she heeds, coughing. It's do or die. On shaky knees, I make a beeline for the gun. Each second that ticks by, I could lose him. I weave through the madness of flying fists and swift kicks. I know I'll sustain bodily injuries. Without a second thought I press forward. The sole of a heavy boot slams down on my fingers. Crack. Instantly, a sharp pain zings through my nerve endings. Tears prick at my eyelids.

Don't stop. Ignore the pain.

My legs move on their own accord. I crawl forward another few inches just to have the pain radiate deep into my marrow. Each movement tests my resolve. A knee connects with my ribs. I inhale sharply, breath stolen from my lungs. The room turns a cloudy gray as the fire slowly dies out from the sprinkler system. Stars blacken my vision. A steady stream of tears now falls freely down my cheeks. Focus. Stay on track, Clara. Finally, the gun is within my reach. I'm so close I can smell the finish line. I've always been really good at making bad decisions. But not today. Today is the day I'll be worthy. I'll rise above.

I stretch forward. My aching ribs pulse. My hand connects with the barrel. “Kieran!” I shout. His head snaps in my direction. His devilish smirk—all toothy and bloody—makes my insides soar. I use the last of my strength and courage to toss it into his direction, hoping, no, fucking praying he catches it. It lands in his palm smoothly. He spins and shoots the Elites in quick succession. He's a machine. Their bodies fold over and collapse onto the floor. The room goes silent as each bullet casing tickles against the flagstone floor.

“I'm taking what's fucking mine!” Kieran roars. His voice cuts through any uncertainty. His heaving chest is uncontrolled and chaotic, just like him. His murderous glint refuses to extinguish. My beast. Heads snap toward him. Everyone is focused on him.

“I'm taking control,” he announces, leaving zero room for challenge.” He slowly turns to me. “You're mine. The Void is mine. This fucking school. All. Fucking. Mine.” He snaps his attention back to the room. “I AM YOUR SOVEREIGN. YOU WILL OBEY. I AM YOUR GOD.”

I rise to my feet, speechless. “Back to the Void. Now,” he barks. The Elites obey reluctantly, shuffling out of the room. Val, Silas, and Grey are bruised, lacerated and bloody. Zain's hair and skin are singed. They are transfixed, hanging on Kieran's every word that erupts from his mouth. The syllables they never thought he would utter from his lips freely soak into their cerebral cortex. Mine too. He chucks the gun across the room. He stalks toward me, stepping through the pools of blood and charred bodies.

Vesper shuffles toward Zain, burrowing into his side.

His eyes pull me in. All things unspoken come pouring out of me. “You break me down. Weaken me, but I fucking love you. I need you.”

He lets out a muted grunt. His bloody, soot covered tattered hands weave through my silken strands. “Nah, you've always been my downfall, Nightshade. You're deadly, fucking lethal even. No high will ever amount to the euphoric haze you offer me. You and I together are a pestilential duet. Cataclysmic even. You're the fucking bane of my existence, but I need you close to me. I'm a selfish fuck. I won't apologize for the shit I've put you through, you needed it as much as I did.” His gruff voice sinks into my being. His forehead falls against mine. A rare vulnerability shines through the tough exterior. This is him. Raw. A jagged bleeding truth. Complete devotion.

“Together. Always,” I murmur against his blood-tinged lips. He growls hungrily. Kieran turns a fraction. “Get the fuck out,” he warns the rest of the room.

“You need to address the Void,” Zain urges. Kieran lets out a hot, breathy sigh.

“I will,” he confirms. His head snaps over to Val. A dangerous smirk grows on the corner of his lips. “Call a fucking meeting tonight. All junior and senior Elites. Tell em’ they're gonna meet their new sovereign and his queen.” he squeezes me close.

Necessary evil. A toxic necessity. My mutual ruin. Kieran is all these things. I allow him to strip me bare, just to piece me back together into something stronger. For all his cruelties, he inadvertently built me into a queen fit to rule by his side. Of course that was never his initial intention. He wanted to concentrate and focus all his emotions on my annihilation. It's all he knows. Destruction. Pain. To cause widespread chaos and devastation. His havoc is his synergy.

He dragged me through hell, and though I should have regrets, I am thankful he showed me the world through his eyes. Some may think it's unhealthy, but I am finally fucking healing in my own way. This will always be who we are. Volatile. Capricious. Bonded by trauma. His need to break, own and destroy me will always overpower all else. Just as my desire to punish myself will always reign supreme.

His lips breach my mouth, tangling with my tongue. His hands hastily snake behind my backside. His fingers sink into my skin leaving flames in their wake. His bloody body presses along mine. I'll crave his touch the rest of my days. “Feel me raw, Nightshade. No drugs.”

Once. That's how many times he's fucked me sober. My body is still sore from his inhumanity. The pain is a welcome distraction from the dangers awaiting us in the Void. Part of me still wonders if they'll accept an impure female as a leader. Am I even fit to lead? Will I live up to Kieran's standards? To the Elites? Will Kieran be able to salvage their trust?

“What's going on in that pretty little head?” he nips along my earlobe. His breathy words hang in the air like a weight. I waver. “Will I be accepted? Will you keep me?” He lets out that maniacal laugh that sets me on edge. “Keep you? Nightshade, you will be my wife. My queen. You belong to me.” He follows my gaze toward Mortensen's burnt corpse as the sprinklers subside. Our clothes are saturated.

He grasps my chin, keeping it locked on the remnants of our destructive chaos. “Look around, sweetheart. This was for you. All this shit. This was our war.” My eyes clock the dead Elites surrounding us, littering the small office like a battleground. Inky meres of red spilled across the floor. Pure blood spilled in my name hits me like a stone wall. He did this for me. He could have walked away. Left it all behind. He fought for me. For us. Their dark, vital fluid spreads to our feet, surrounding us.

His tongue licks my salty tears. I hadn't even realized my eyes turned misty. Our lips smash together in a fight for dominance, one he will always win. He hoists me in the air with a low growl. My legs automatically hook around his blood-soaked middle. Blood trickles from his bicep.

He winces but doesn't once complain. His tolerance is resolute to match his tenacity. I pull back but he grips me closer. His bulge settles against my skirt. My head falls back. He cradles me in his arms, but he's holding back from unleashing his dark side. Is he going soft on me? “On your knees,” he moans. He sets me on my toes. His eyes hold all his secrets. As much as my body screams at me to obey, I need him to give me more, to open up. “I'll obey each command if you tell me the darkest parts of you.”

His eyes turn hollow. He's never been challenged in this regard. His jaw sets. His eyes darken. He hesitates. For a moment I think I've made a grave mistake, his husky voice interrupts my thoughts. “My useless sperm donor used to burn me with lighters. It's why I love playing with fire. Literally and figuratively.”

He smirks as his eyes rove over me. Any other man would be terrified of the flames, but not Kieran. He let the abuse strengthen his resolve. He watches as I sink to my knees like I promised. He palms his hard cock straining against his stained jeans. I lick my lips tasting the salty remnants of his kiss.

His control is slipping. He definitely isn't used to not getting his way. I will teach this man patience. “Crawl to me.” His velvety timbre stokes something within me. I cock my head and raise a brow. He growls, relenting. “He would lock me in the basement of our estate and the Void for days to mold me into the perfect leader. He had the stone walls secured with chains . . .” His ocean eyes sink into me. I can see the pain just beneath the surface. He masks it so well. “Crawl. To. Me,” he enunciates each word with a sharp bite. I swallow and slink closer to him seductively. I sway my ass with each movement, giving him the show he desperately desires. He unzips his jeans but leaves them over his hips as he continues to rub his pulsing member through his boxer briefs.

My pussy throbs at the sight. “Pull my cock out,” he says in a testy tone. When I don't move fast enough, he grasps me by my crown. “So deadly.” His voice is a commanding sibilant bark escaping his lips. “Your turn,” I reply smoothly.