Page 29 of Monstrous Grave

When I try to push him away, he only kisses me harder as his hand finds my neck, anchoring me in place. His thigh presses against my clit above the skirt, igniting a wave of pleasure that makes me lose myself as I forget about my surroundings. Pure pleasure washes over me in ways I never wished for, a primal hunger within that begs to be touched and devoured, as the depraved piece of my soul has wanted. Though I resist returning his kiss, when he bites down on my lips again and leaves a stinging sensation, I’m compelled to surrender my soul to the devil before me for the taking.

Moving his thigh, he rubs against my throbbing clit, almost causing my eyes to roll back, but I quickly recover. For a second, I swear I feel him smirk against my lips, but I dare not open my eyes, afraid that this daydream will end.

Without a second thought, too lost in myself, I find myself recklessly grinding against him while seeking that tiny piece of pleasure I haven’t felt for years. A subtle—ever so silent—hiss of breath escapes me, which only spurs him on.

His hand spans my stomach, slowly moving downward teasingly slow, as though committing me to memory. Then, his hand lifts my skirt, sliding my panties to the side before his cold fingers touch my aching clit once more, igniting a fire in me.

As his fingers breach my entrance, each deliberate thrust brings me to the edge of pleasure. It takes everything in me not to fall over from how my legs are trembling, leaning against the wall as if it were a lifeline. I cling to a semblance of strength, refusing to allow everything I’m feeling to show in my expression.

This is utterly fucked, but I can’t seem to get away.

“You like this, don’t you?” he breathes against my ear. “Your body betrays you. You’re going to come now like the little devil you are. Come for me.”

His last word is a growl, and before I know it, I’m coating his fingers with wetness, making them slick as I come undone, surrendering to the intoxicating sensations taking over my body. My limbs are trembling in the aftermath, the act causing me to pant heavily as I try to catch my breath.

As the haze of desire begins to lift, shock brings me back to reality. The fantasy I was momentarily lost in shatters, replaced by a torrent of anger radiating deep within.

My heart plummets to the pit of my stomach, and without a moment’s hesitation, I push him away with all my strength. Taken aback by the force of my action, he staggers back. The palpable intensity of my fury fills the air, evident like fuming waves.

“What the fuck was that?” I shout.

At this moment, I don’t care about the risk of anyone overhearing me. All I care about is confronting him, challenging his audacity for thinking he has the right to come into my fucking territory and do things like that.

The first intimate moment I’ve ever shared with someone since him.

The realization of it claws at my chest, making me want to tear out my chest because of it. My heart feels like a broken mirror within my chest, without any chance of saving.

Viper merely smirks in response, backing off with a promising glint in his eyes—a promise of retribution and something more sinister yet to come.

Despite the uneasy feeling gnawing at me, I can’t figure out what he’s up to. But I know that whatever it is, it’s deemed to be foreboding.

Chapter 12

Arcane

The silence of the night wraps around me like a shroud as I leave my bike a few blocks away from the docks, deciding to walk the rest of the distance. With a gun safely tucked into my back pocket, easily accessible if the need arises, I tread cautiously, moving as quietly as the world around me.

It’s one of those nights where the silence in my head is louder than any thoughts, screaming out their void and impeccably doubting feelings that disturb the peace. For years, I haven’t had anyone who could understand me. Once, there was one, but he didn’t stay by my side. He was a liar and a thief, stealing my heart and leaving me incapable of loving anyone else. Oh, if only he understood how hard it is to breathe when the air is too thin around me.

Beautiful crime, I think as I traverse the empty streets, memories flood my mind unwantedly. He committed a beautiful, tragic crime when he left me to fight alone in a world where women are too often regarded as disposable pawns in men’s games of power and dominance.

Will things ever change? Is the world condemned to be a place where one gender holds dominion? It’s a realm tarnished by judgmental stares, where women face prejudice simply for their gender, and men dismiss them for merely existing.

My feet pound against the asphalt of the sidewalk, a burner phone pressed to my ear with Alec’s voice crackling through the other line.

“Father announced that Viper wants to meet you by the docks to discuss a drive he found,” Alec says, voice betraying a hint of tension. He’s choosing his words carefully, lying to me as if I didn’t already know that Viper told him that during yesterday’s conference meeting.

Suppressing the urge to confront him about it, I reply. “Got it. I’ll be there soon.”

“Good, we need to extract as much information as possible. Use whatever tactics necessary to coax it out of him if he doesn’t voluntarily reveal anything of importance. We need to get to the drive before he does and destroy it.”

His words only mean one thing—the Valentis don’t fully trust the García family like I initially thought. They’re only using them for valuable intel. Relief washes over me. I never liked them, anyway.

“Don’t worry, Alec. I got this under control, trust me,” I tell him, ready to end the call before remembering a question that’s been brewing in my mind ever since yesterday. “By the way, what happened to Louis García? Why isn’t he the one leading the communication?”

I’ve pondered that question ever since I saw Viper taking the boss’s position yesterday.

“Didn’t you hear? He was killed in a gang war between the Ivanovas and the Garcías, forcing Viper to take over.”

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