Page 65 of Depths of Hunger

Renzo’s eyes flare, deep emerald and glowing, the intensity taking my breath away.

I run my hands over my breasts, feeling the bruises beneath my fingertips, and yet, the touch sends a rush of pleasure through me, my nipples tightening with need.

“Stop, Mia,” Renzo commands, his voice sharp.

“Don’t you want to touch me?” I ask. Deep inside, a part of me knows this is all wrong. Something fundamental about me has changed, and it terrifies me. But touching Renzo, feeling his skin on mine, is the only thing that will drown out the fear and anxiety clawing at my heart.

“Mia,” Renzo’s tone turns ice-cold, his face hardening. “You were running. You were going to disappear before you came to the Duomo. I found your packed bag with three passports, and Ralf was knocked out cold. You betrayed me.”

I shake my head frantically. “I didn’t leave. I didn’t do it. I was going to, but I stopped when I knew you were in danger. I couldn’t leave knowing you were in trouble.”

“But you were going to run. Disappear. Betray me and our marriage.”

The hurt in his voice slices through me, and I scramble for something—anything—that will make him understand. I never meant to hurt him. Renzo’s coldness sends a sharp pain through my chest that rivals the slice of the vampire’s blade. What will he do to exact his revenge? I realize with sudden clarity that I don’t want to leave—I never truly did.

“Renzo, you didn’t leave me a choice.”

His expression darkens, anger flickering in his eyes. “Really? And why is that?”

The rage coming off him stirs my own anger. This is my chance—the moment to tell the truth. If it costs me my life, so be it. Renzo will never let me run now, so I might as well be honest. “Because you cut me out of everything. Once I had a taste of running the family, I wanted more, and you wouldn’t let me in. I can’t live as just a trophy wife. I need more. I want a career. I want to rule my own domain. I’m ambitious, and I won’t be dismissed. But more than anything, I know you’re going to kill me, and I want to live.”

Renzo’s eyes turn cold. “Why do you think I’m going to kill you?”

“I’m not stupid, Renzo. I’m human, and you’re a vampire. You can’t have me aging beside you—it’ll only make everyone wonder what you are. It makes the most sense for me to die and for you to find another wife. As long as you replace them every few years, it’ll help keep your secret.” Jealousy claws at me so fiercely that I have to grip the duvet to keep from lashing out.

A slow smile spreads across Renzo’s lips, infuriatingly calm. “So, me killing you is less upsetting than the idea of me taking another wife?”

“Yes,” I snarl. I’m trembling with emotion, barely able to contain the storm raging inside me. The thought of another woman touching him, being with him, his cock pleasuring some other woman—it’s unbearable.

“So, you were planning to leave to save yourself, but you came to the Duomo because…?”

“Because I love you,” I blurt, my words sharp and desperate.What the hell is wrong with me?

“You want to live, but you love me more than life itself.” Renzo’s grin turns wicked, and it takes all my willpower not to slap it off his face. “And if I were to forgive you for running, but decided to take a lover on the side?—?”

I launch myself across the bed, and Renzo meets me in midair, flipping me onto my back. He pins me beneath him, his weight pressing me into the mattress. “Feel that jealousy burning in you?” hegrowls, his breath hot against my skin. “That rage? That’s exactly what I felt at the thought of you leaving me. If you ever think of running again, I will kill you. You will never, ever leave me, Mia. Not ever.”

I thrash beneath him, testing my newfound strength, but it’s still no match for his. “Are you going to kill me?” I demand, breathless with fury.

“You’ve healed from the sword. I’ve made small cuts on your skin, and they heal instantly. You’ll age slowly, like me. I can’t promise I’ll never kill you, but I plan on keeping you around for a long, long time. I love you, my sweet gattina, with the same possessiveness and ferocity you love me. We are bound to each other’s mercies. Always remember that.”

He captures my mouth in a fierce, claiming kiss, and I wrap myself around him, surrendering to the wild tangle of love and fear. I have finally come home.

Chapter

Thirty

Ibring my hand down hard on her ass, making a satisfying crack. “Does that feel good, gattina? Do you want me to do it again?” I rasp, my breath hot on the back of Mia’s neck as she is spread over my desk, her skirt up to her waist.

“Fuck you, Renzo,” she snarls but arches back against me. I smack her ass again and she lets out a whimper. I bury my fingers in her pussy and she’s wet. “You’re drenched for me, my little slut. Tell me what you want,” I demand.

She clamps her lips together and I laugh. Mia is always so determined to hold out but the two of us know there’s no holding out for either one of us. “Tell me,” I demand again as I squeeze her nipple until she whimpers.

“I want you to fuck me, Renzo. Hard. Fuck me hard.”

I slap her ass again and then rub my fingers through her slick folds. Her hips buck against my desk. I pull out my bottom drawer and pull out a vibrator. Turning it on, I ask, “Where do you want me to put this, baby girl? Do you want me to fuck your ass or your pussy?”

“Renzo,” she moans as I rub her clit. “Fuck my pussy,” she says.

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