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I heard him yelling at my mother, dragging her back down the hall. I heard the sound of breaking plates, her bones bouncing off the wall, his voice rising with every curse.

She whimpered, begged, pleaded with voices only she could hear. She sang, off-key, words jumbled and frantic.

The dark pressed in. I saw faces in the shadows—hers, mine, strangers I’d never met. I saw hands reaching out, clawing at the air. My mother’s whispers bled through the walls, calling my name, calling for help that never came.

My father’s rage was endless, a storm that never stopped. His rules were carved into my bones. Don’t talk, don’t look, don’t breathe unless he says so. My mother’s madness was contagious, a fever that crept under my skin.

I lay in bed, fists pressed to my ears, rocking, humming her sad lullaby under my breath.

Don’t let the dark in. Don’t let the dark in.

The night was endless, the screams and sobs twisting together, a symphony of terror and grief that never, ever stopped.

The sun never came back.

Chapter 9

My Caged Bluebird

Malakar

She was so angelic while she slept. I watched her from the shadows, eyeing her like a predator. I stepped forward with a rag, soaked in chloroform. I didn’t want her to be awake for this. Sometimes I just wanted her to be a dead thing, so I could pleasure her how I wanted, so I could feel her warmth without a fight.

I leaned over her shape and pressed the rag to her nose and mouth. She gasped and squirmed, like a dying animal, then fell limp.

Perfect.

I licked my lips and pet her hair. It was so soft, like a blanket. Kneeling on the bed, I unbuttoned my pants and yanked them down. Her clothes came off next. Would she get wet for me in her sleep?

Only one way to find out. She was laying on her back, so it was easy for me to access everything. I rubbed my finger over her cunt in slow motions. She didn’t move. I tried again, and moved my finger up and down. It was dry at first, but I soon discovered wetness upon my fingers.

Groaning, I rubbed her faster. The wetness pooled between her thighs. I wondered what she tasted like. Leaning down, I positioned myself in front of her most sacred area. My tongue flicked out and licked her. I did it again, and again, and again. Licking up and down, exploring her, devouring her.

Even in her unconscious state, her legs trembled for me, her lips exhaled a moan for me. Fuck. She must want me. Her body was giving her away, reacting so deliciously for me.

I wanted to savor her, to consume her. She was sweet on my tongue. Soft, ripe, helpless. The way she tasted made my heart stutter and ache. I was starving, every cell of me screaming to take, to own, to ruin.

I let my tongue linger, dragging over her folds, soaking up her wetness. The more I licked, the wetter she got. She was leaking now, pooling, like her body knew I was meant for her.

Her chest rose and fell, helpless, lost in the dark and the dreams I gave her.

I circled her clit with my tongue. Her hips flexed, seeking more without even realizing it. My cock strained, desperate to split her open. But I wanted to give her pleasure first, wanted her body to remember me, to want me, even while she was lost.

That was power. That was control.

I slipped two fingers inside her. She clenched around me so tight I wondered if I’d break her. I moved slow at first, savoring the way she gripped me, the heat and wetness swallowing me up.

I kept licking, working my tongue in rhythm with my fingers. Her body knew. Her body remembered. She arched for me, even in sleep. I growled, low and deep in my chest, letting the sound vibrate through her cunt.

She moaned, shuddered, but she never woke up. Chloroform kept her in the lull, floating, lost. I grinned, wiping drool from my chin with the back of my hand.

I couldn’t wait anymore. Not another fucking second.

Her skin was so soft, so defenseless. I climbed between her legs and ran my cock along her cunt until I glistened with her need. The tip nudged against her entrance. I pushed in.

Fuck, she was tight. Her body pulsed, then squeezed, fighting every inch I fed her.

I wanted to tell her—see how much you love me? See how you blossom around your monster? You were born for this, little bird. You were born for me.