Page 50 of The Fearless Witch

Goddess, I had forgotten what coming undone felt like. I wanted more, I needed more.

“I know,” Mathias purred, and when I forced my eyes open, I found him hovering over me. The look on his face was the one I remembered from our first night together, full of lust and not a hint of violence. Eager. Content. Desperate. It stole my breath away and pulled on my body like it was wrapped in invisible strings, so before I knew it, I was running my palms over his chest.

His pelvis pressed between my legs, and he rubbed his length against my center. ‘I want it inside of me,’ I thought, surprise and mortification filling my head when the smile on his face spread from ear to ear.

“I know,” he said again, pressing his finger on the top of my dress and running it down to where it was gathered around my waist. The fabric fell apart like it was made of dust, leaving me entirely naked beneath him. I tried to cover up on instinct, but he caught my wrists and pinned them beside my head this time. The way he bit into his lip while his eyes roved over my body pulled on those invisible strings again, making me rub against him in search of more of his touch.

I didn’t notice his own clothes vanishing until his hot, bare skin brushed against mine, rekindling the fire that was just starting to die down.

“Mathias…” I whispered, but I couldn’t decide whether to tell him to stop or keep going. Leaning in close, he ran his tongue over my mouth and when I didn’t open it, he tsked. Without warning, he buried himself so deep that I screamed at the sharp pain that came with the invasion. His tongue collided with mine, coaxing it into a distracting dance while he started to move inside of me.

The clarity that had come after my first orgasm slipped, and before I knew it, I was kissing him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck when he released them, meeting his thrust and moaning just as loud as him. His hands were everywhere, his mouth relentless in its exploration, as if he wanted to taste every inch of me. Arching my back so I could take him deeper, I dug my nails into his ass and he groaned. He stopped, the muscles beneath my fingers tensing so much, it had to be painful. I used his distraction to flip us over until I was on top of him.

His surprise lasted only a second before he gripped my hip, urging me to ride him. His other hand cupped my breast, squeezing it tightly while he brushed his thumb over my hard nipple. I let my body take over, rolling my hips while delicious tension coiled in my stomach until I was ready to explode.

His hand slid to my neck, and he pulled me down, kissing me and thrusting even harder. There was something… intimidating about it, something almost sweet and genuine in the way his arms held me close and his heart raced almost as fast as mine. The thought slipped away when my orgasm took over, and a few seconds later, he followed.

I slumped over his chest, panting heavily. He held me close even as my panting eased and my legs stopped shaking. It felt strange, laying in the arms of a man you hate, a man who could destroy the world on a whim. Even more striking was the gentleness with which his fingers caressed my lower back or the deep, labored breaths he took. It made him so human, so… normal.

With clarity came the shame, so I quickly redid my mental wards before he could read me again. I couldn’t feel him in my head anymore, not even prodding and poking at my defenses until I wanted to scream and cry. He lay beneath me, quiet, his thumb dancing over my skin like this was the most natural thing in the world.

But it wasn’t. This was anything but normal because I didn’t choose this, just like I didn’t choose it the first time. And he… he only did it to mess with my mind. After getting me this weak and vulnerable, he was no doubt waiting for his moment to coax me into releasing him. I had expected him to. I wanted him to so that I could loathe him and loathe this experience.

But he didn’t. Why didn’t he?

Moving my hand to his chest, I pushed myself up. I could still feel him inside of me and I couldn’t wait to get away, but I needed his guard down until I said the words.

The expression of solemn contentment on his face took me aback. Licking my lips, I was just about to speak when he wrapped his fingers around the hand I was still resting on his chest. I wasn’t sure what he was planning next, so I gathered all of my magic, all of my power and strength, and sent it over the bond that tied us together. His body jerked and his eyes widened, but before he could do anything, I was already issuing my order.

“You will leave this house and go back to the cabin and you will not make contact with any witches without my permission,” I enunciated every word, glad that for the first time in weeks, my mind was crystal clear. The soft look vanished, replaced by the cutting ice I was painfully familiar with.

I gulped when his hand squeezed my throat and he flipped us over, trapping me between the bed and his body. I could still feel him inside of me, but I refused to get distracted by the way he got harder with every passing second. Instead, I focused on the runes that formed on his neck and forehead and the pain shining from his eyes.

“You will do as you’re told!” I choked out even as his grip tightened.

“You just made a huge mistake,” Mathias hissed in my face. “You could barely… issue one order and deal with the fallout!” Red veins spread through his eyes, his skin paling as the runes branded themselves deeper. “You’re not powerful enough to… sustain two for long! Nobody is! Not even Regina and she was… one of the strongest witches alive!”

The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils while the runes continued to burn as he fought against their command. His hand started to shake, and he finally released me, jerking back like touching me was what brought him all this pain.

“This could have been… so much different, Samara. If only you’d… fucking listen to me!” he hissed again, his magic turning the room so cold, my breath came out in a cloud of steam. “Enjoy your suffering and when your order fades… I’ll be back for you. And then—”

“Leave!” I shouted, sending more of my power through the bond until he screamed. In the next instant, he was gone. The cold air freezing my lungs warmed, leaving me gasping for breath.

When my body stopped shaking, I rolled out of bed and stumbled toward the dresser. I wanted to shower and scrub the memory of him out of my mind, but I didn’t have time for that. Unwittingly, he had just given me an idea of how to deal with this whole mess, and I needed to find out if it could be done. For me, and for my family. For everyone.

I jumped into the first pair of pants I could find, throwing on a shirt on my way to the door, when someone knocked. I found Paula standing impatiently outside while a tall, handsome man in jeans and a T-shirt looked around curiously. The moment his bleary eyes fell on me, he licked his lips, giving me a wistful smile.

Bile rose in my mouth as I held his hungry gaze. It should have been him. Anyone, really... He would have fucked me and left with vague memories of a fun night while I would have forgotten he ever existed. It would have been easier that way.

Why did Mathias have to show up? Why did he have to do these things, touch me like that, confuse me like that? Why did he have to be born a monster destined for disasters? Why did he have to be so…

“Here you go, darling,” Paula smiled, stepping aside, so the stranger had access to the door. When I didn’t move, he cleared his throat and offered me his hand in greeting.

“Hi, I’m Harry. I…”

I pushed past him, ignoring their confused looks.

“Get him out of here before something happens to him,” I said as I stormed down the corridor. I needed to create a tether so I could translocate, so I had to find something of mine to pour a piece of my soul into.

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