Page 17 of Obsession

Riot shoved me against a damp brick wall, and my breath caught in my throat. Was this the end of the line? My eyes were wide, as I watched Riot reach for one of his blades.

“Please,” I whimpered, “I’ll do anything. Anything you want. Just don’t --”

Riot’s cold, dark eyes met mine and there was a flicker of… something. Confusion? Interest? I couldn’t tell, and it wasn’t the time to decipher the psychopath’s thoughts.

Suddenly, with a swift motion, Riot turned and glanced down the alley. I saw the mayor waiting with another woman. He shoved the poor thing into the alley and Riot left me long enough to grab her.

Dragging her closer, he slammed her against the wall beside me. With his gaze locked on mine, he held out his hand. I didn’t have a choice but to place my palm against his. He tugged me closer, placing me in front of him, facing the other woman.

She cried, but I saw the look of resignation in her eyes. Riot put the knife in my hand, and I nearly dropped it.

“Time to show me you can live in the dark with me, Hollis,” he said. “Because if you can’t, then maybe she can.”

I sucked in a breath as his meaning hit me. He wanted me to kill her? And if I didn’t, then he’d make her the same offer? What the hell?

“Riot, I…”

He wrapped his hand around mine, pressing my fingers tighter into the hilt of the knife. “It goes in just like you’re slicing butter. Easy as can be. Come on, Hollis. Show me you have what it takes to be mine.”

He nuzzled the side of my neck and I swallowed hard. Closing my eyes, I thrust the knife forward and felt it sink into the woman. She screamed out in pain, and I quickly released the handle and backed farther into Riot.

“Not a bad start,” he said. He moved me to the side, but where he could keep me within sight.

With his gaze locked on mine, Riot stuck the blade into her stomach. Not once. Not twice, but three times. As she gasped and sputtered, trying to cling to life, he dragged the knife across her throat. Blood sprayed the opposite wall, and my screams mingled with the poor girl’s gurgles.

The Butcher, the monster of Raven’s Vale, had just spared me.

I slid to the ground, trembling in shock as Riot wiped his blade on the dead girl’s shirt. I didn’t understand. Why did I have to be the one to stab her first? What if I hadn’t? Would he really have killed me and taken her home instead? He’d said I was the only one to make him curious about something other than murder. Now I had to wonder if it had been a lie.

He prowled closer to me, caging me against the wall with his massive body. Leaning down, his lips crushed mine in a dominating kiss. I had no choice but to surrender to him.

When he stopped, he dragged me from the alley and back to the mansion. We didn’t slow until we’d entered his room once more.

My breathing was ragged, and my heart raced as I watched him grab a dirty shirt from the floor. With one menacing glance, he wiped the bloody knife on it before throwing it onto a pile of other weapons.

“Do you know why I spared you?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “You have the prettiest fucking body I’ve ever seen. And you’re mine. The only woman to ever interest me in something other than killing.”

My heart thumped against my chest as he towered over me, his gaze burning into my soul. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was nod in agreement.

He grinned wickedly. “Good girl.”

He dragged me by the hair and pulled me closer to him. Our bodies were pressed tightly against each other, and I could feel the heat emanating from him.

Without warning, he slammed me against the wall, pinning me there with his massive frame. His free hand reached down to grope my ass cheek, squeezing it roughly through my clothes. I gasped at his sudden roughness but couldn’t help the wave of arousal that washed over me.

His lips met mine again, this time even more forceful than before. His tongue plunged deep into my mouth, claiming it as his own while he pushed his hips forward, grinding his hard length against my soaked pussy.

“Please,” I moaned into his mouth, arching my back to get closer to him. “Fuck me, Riot.”

He pulled away slightly, looking down at me with dark lustful eyes. “Not yet.”

He ran a callused finger down my cheek.

I felt his rough hands on my hips, pushing my skirt up and exposing my bare ass. Riot groaned in approval as he spanked it, leaving a burning heat on my skin.

“I let you live, and now you’re going to pay me… with your body.” His hot breath tickled my ear. He quickly stripped out of his clothes, then picked up the knife again. He cut my clothes from my body, and I stared at the remnants, wondering if I’d have anything left to wear if he kept doing that.

He took my hand and led me over to the bed, pushing me down onto it. His body hovered above mine, his hard cock pressing against my stomach. He trailed his fingers across my sensitive skin, tracing random patterns that sent shivers down my spine. He brushed his fingers over his name, where he’d etched it into my skin. He hadn’t gone deep enough to leave a dark scar, and the way I saw him eye it the other day made me think he might cut it a little deeper before too long.

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