Page 17 of High Stakes

“I can’t,” she sobs and grips the neck of my shirt in her fist. “I can’t abandon them.”

“Your parents are gone, Little Bird. Diego is gone,” I say gently, and hold her tighter as she lets out a sob at Diego’s name.“They wouldn’t want you to drive yourself to madness like this. Let them go.”

“I can’t,” she whispers again and inhales sharply. “I can’t just leave them dead. I want them avenged.” Her body shudders with silent sobs.

“I know you do. Right now, let’s just breathe and get through this. Then we can work on everything else later. You can’t be all snotty and plan a grand mob-style throw down.” I brush her hair out of her face and she lets out a weak giggle followed by a few deep breaths. My eyes meet hers and she rests her cheek against my palm. My entire body goes taut as the air between us shifts.

Emelia wipes the tears and smeared mascara from her cheeks and pulls away with a sigh. “Thank you,” she whispers. “You’re the only one that ever sees me like this.” She waves her hand in the air. “Weak and vulnerable.”

I let her stand and straighten out her clothes, considering for a moment if the idea in my head is as bad as it sounds. Fuck it. “Allow me to return the favor, ma’am,” I say, adding a drawl to my already thick accent. I walk over and pick up my guitar, strumming a few chords to warm up. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t speak. I sit down on the desk and my fingers glide across the strings, playing a rhythm that I memorized a long time ago. Then I clear my throat and sing the first few verses.

“Through your darkness, my beautiful witch,

Your wicked words cast a spell.

You’ve got me captivated, my beautiful witch

Your enchanting words, I can’t dispel.

You’ve bewitched me, my beautiful witch

Your wicked words cast a spell.

I’m powerless to fight,

For your sinfulness I fell.”

Her eyes widen even further and her mouth parts in an adorable little ‘o’ as I play through the first verse. Then she smirks as I finish off the last line. “Do you think I bewitched you?” she asks softly, and steps closer to me as my fingers dance across the strings, her sparkling eyes never leaving mine.

I shake my head and sing another line. “You’ve got my heart, little witch, within your grasp. You’ve got the power, little witch, you just have to ask.” My hand stills and the last notes fade into the silence of the room. We stare at each other for what feels like an eternity, like we’re willing the other to break the silent spell between us. I sure as Hell am not going to kill this moment.

Emelia steps forward and takes the instrument from me, leaning it back against the desk. Her eyes drop to my lips as my teeth sink down into my lower lip, trying to keep a hold on my self-control. I’m about three seconds away from just throwing caution to the wind and claiming her lips with my own. I wonder if she tastes as sweet as I imagine, or if she has that viscous bite that is uniquely her.

“Do I bewitch you, Hector?” she repeats and the way she says my name has my cock standing at attention in a heartbeat.

And then I snap.

Fuck it all the way to Hell and back.

I slide my fingers up the back of her neck and grip the hair at the base of her skull. “Like a fucking sorceress,” I growl, and pull her between my open thighs, claiming her lips in a bruising kiss.

Emelia arches against me and nips at my lower lip, sinking her teeth into the skin hard enough to draw blood. I shiver and move my tongue against hers, letting her fill all of my senses. She tastes like blood, tears, and sin. I know I shouldn’t crave her like I do because she belongs to them, but dammit if I don’t want a piece of her dark soul too.

My hands drop to her waist and pull her hard against me so that she can feel every inch of me. “I want you,” I growl in her ear and smile as a shiver snakes down her spine.

Her lips drop to my neck and she peppers light kisses across my skin before sinking her teeth into my pulse point. “Hayden and Declan,” she says breathlessly.

“Will share you with me,” I state pointedly, and reclaim her lips. “I’ve always been yours,” I whisper to her, and grind against her again. “And I will always be yours.”

A small moan escapes her as her tongue traces across my bottom lip. “Have you?” she asks breathlessly. “Prove it.”

I lean back and pull a small dagger from its sheath under the sleeve on my left arm. I flip the dagger in my hand so that I have the blade pinched between my thumb and forefinger with the hilt presented to her. “Mark me,” I whisper, and feel my cock throb in anticipation.

Emelia wraps her fingers around the hilt and grins wickedly up at me. “I can’t tell if you’re brave or stupid. Either way, you know I’m deadly with this.” She taps the flat edge of the blade against my chest, right above my heart.

“Make me bleed for you,” I whisper and rip my shirt over my head, revealing my bare chest. My pants are stretched so tight over my cock that it’s painful, but there’s no way in Hell that I am moving a single muscle. “Cut out my heart,” I urge her and nod toward the blade. “It’ll still beat for you, Little Bird.”

She traces the tip of the knife from one scar to another across my chest. I close my eyes and let out a low groan when I feel it knick my skin right above my left nipple. “Will it?” she breathes, and pushes the knife in further.

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