Page 46 of The Blood of Gods and Monsters

The absence of warmth against my front alerts me to Kiera’s movements and I drop my hand to my side as she backs up a step and shakes her head. “I’m tired, Kalix,” she says. “Whatever you’re doing, I don’t?—”

Reaching out, I latch on to her wrist and drag her back into me. Her chest slams into mine as I round the back of her neck with my other hand. My head descends and my lips slant over hers in an instant. Her frozen body is rock hard against mine, unyielding, but I’ve learned what it takes to get what I want. Even if I don’t understand it, I know what she needs.

I part my lips and tease the seam of her mouth with my tongue. “Open,” I command.

She doesn’t. Not right away. Kiera remains still in my arms, against me, as I pry her lips apart and delve inside. My shaft strains against my trousers. She tastes of darkness and shadows and wickedness.

When, after several beats, she doesn’t soften up or return my affections, I pull away and arch a brow down at her placid expression. “Now is really not the time for this,” she says, glaring up at me.

I offer her my most pleasant smirk. Usually, it makes others scramble away from me, but not this one. Not my little liar. She merely hardens her stare.

“I can think of no better time.”

Her hands plant themselves on my chest and push back. I don’t move, but she does. “Go to bed, Kalix,” she snaps. “And I’ll?—”

Enough is enough, I decide. I don’t let her finish her statement as she turns away from me, I whip her back around and lift her, hauling her smaller frame over my shoulder. Pivoting to the end of the stairs, I leave behind the main room and start walking.

“What the fuck!”

“The others are sleeping,” I remind her, though it doesn’t matter all that much to me if she wakes them. They’ll get their turn with her when I’m finished and not before.

When she next speaks, though, her voice is lower, though no less angry. “Put. Me. Down.”

“Of course,” I agree, pleasantly as I take the stairs two at a time, hurrying now that she’s in my arms and more than ready to unleash my plans.

“I mean now,” she snaps, punching my lower back. I pause and reach out with a hand to grip the railing. Pain flares against my kidneys as she punches it again. My teeth sink into my lower lip as I close my eyes and relish in the heat that spears through my groin.

Faster. I need to get her to the room.

I open my eyes and race the rest of the way up the stairs, not stopping even when she protests and curses me until we’re in my room and the door is shut behind us.

“Sssssssssss…”

Kiera’s body goes rigid over my shoulder as the sound reaches her ears. “Kalix…” The word is a warning, one I don’t listen to. She hasn’t tried to fight me off, yet, not truly. Not like she had in the baths. I release my hold on her, letting her body slide slowly down mine until her booted feet hit the floor.

Her muscles bunch and jump beneath her flesh, pulled tight over bones so small, I wonder how she hasn’t shattered before now. Will she break if I use her too hard? I want to find out.

One of my braver snakes unfurls from the nest they’ve built upon my bed and slithers over the side of the mattress. Dropping to the floor, the creature chances moving closer, slinking across the stone floor until it’s upon us, curling around her leg and making her entire frame jolt at the sensation.

Wide eyes turn up to meet my gaze. Shadows haunt her. Anger. Wrath. It practically vibrates off her in waves and she has nowhere to unleash it.

Lifting another strand of her hair, I rub it between two of my fingers, wondering what it’d feel like wrapped around my cock. “We’re not doing this.” Despite her words, her voice is breathless. I almost chuckle aloud at them, but somehow manage to keep the bark of laughter back.

“We already are,” I remind her, releasing her hair to reach for her tunic. I don’t bother pulling it off her head, instead, I grip the neckline and rend it down the middle. The sound of tearing fills the room and at the sharp noise, the serpents waiting begin to move faster, curling over each other, hissing and rattling as they sense the incoming storm that bubbles in all of our blood.

The under corset that had been hidden beneath her shirt makes me scowl, but she doesn’t stop me when I reach behind myself and remove a blade from the hilt at my lower back. I cut through the laces with brisk, sharp movements until that too becomes useless. The shredded remains fall to the floor.

She doesn’t bother to cover herself, making me smile, but just because she doesn’t pretend modesty like many others would, doesn’t mean she isn’t annoyed. The little v that forms between her brows smooths out after a moment and when it does, I narrow my eyes. She takes a step back and bends. The snake circling her ankle hisses and though she pauses at the sound, it’s only for a brief second before she lifts her pants leg and withdraws a blade of her own from a hidden sheath.

If it were possible for my cock to harden any more, it would. It fucking does. An image of her dragging that blade of hers over my flesh, up and down my chest, my arms, holding it to my throat, makes me want to sink inside her.

“You’re a fucking asshole, Kalix Darkhaven,” she bites out as she uses her own knife to cut my tunic away. The end of the blade grazes my abdomen. I can feel a bead of precum slip from the head of my shaft.

I lift both hands and part my fingers. The dagger I’d been holding clatters to the ground, leaving her the only one with a weapon.

“Take your anger out on me then, little Thief,” I challenge her.

Gray eyes narrow further upon my face as if she’s trying to decide if I mean my words or not. I’ve never meant anything more than I do right now.

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