Page 14 of Claiming Sarah

“Yes!” I cry out, shifting my hips for more, each suck winding that tension within me tighter and tighter. His teeth scrape over my clit and my head throws back, screaming as pleasure slams into me. His mouth never relinquishes my clit, sucking me in swallows, prolonging the wave into an endless stream.

I’m a twitching mess beneath him, aftershocks running through me. When the last one fades, I slump to the floor, eyes still closed.

I can’t believe I let him do that. Again.

Slowly, as if reluctant, he removes his mouth from me, swallowing audibly. Tension settles between us, my earsperked, listening for whatever he does next. He promised to let me talk to my daughter. Sniffling, tears burn my eyelids.

How the hell am I supposed to talk to her after letting my kidnapper and potential stalker give me one of the best orgasms of my life?

Our last argument circled around her letting Xavier ruin her life, throwing away her career to run off to Mexico with him. I didn’t condone it, voicing my objections. But Lauren’s a grown woman, my protests falling on deaf ears. The more I argued against it, the more she sank her heels in, that stubborn child of mine.

Now, what do I tell her? Let’s swap stories?

“Sarah?” There’s a questioning note to my name and I shake my head, refusing to unburden myself to him, opening that door on Stockholm Syndrome.

“I’m fine. If you can put my pants back on and fetch a phone, that’d be great. We had a deal, after all.” A sour taste coats my tongue when the words fly from my mouth, diminishing what he did to me.

But I have to stay strong. If not for me, then for Lauren.

11

PROMISE NOT TO RUN

ZAIDEN

Her words send an empty feeling unfurling in my chest. Stomach roiling, my hands blindly reach for my mask, making sure her eyes are still closed as I straighten to pull it back on. Air saws in and out of my mouth.

A quick look reveals she’d tilted her face toward the wall, away from me, worsening that sensation behind my ribs. Shadows writhe and twist on the walls, tendrils threatening to brush my raven’s dark hair.

Before that happens, I re-dress her quickly, brows furrowed as I attempt to analyze the queer feeling she unlocked within me. Dr. Sarah Bell has altered my world in more ways than one, awakening a foreign hunger and igniting unfamiliar feelings.

What do I do with her?

“Keep her.”

She’s the key to uniting with my brothers, but I’m no longer sure I can release her. I want to hoard these newthings she’s exposed me to. Red and Blue are absent, offering zero guidance on what to do next.

But the shadows keep stretching along the walls, gaping maws snapping menacingly at Dr. Bell. Daniels’ Manor does not want the good doctor within its walls. The walls ripple and roll in waves. Closing my eyes behind my mask and relaxing my fisted hands, I inhale and exhale slowly.

“Do you promise not to run?” I ask her, hoping she doesn’t lie to me. I detest liars. She’s more likely to break an ankle, her feet punching through the weak floors to land in the basement in a broken heap.

“Ravens are liars.”And the Daniels’ are infected with madness, Mama.

Sarah’s eyes pop open, a quizzical expression gracing her face.

“You’re not bringing a phone in here?” she asks, almost petulantly. Did she not want to be in my presence any longer?

Relieved she can’t see my face, anger flushes my skin at the hint of rejection. She enjoyed it, so why does she act like this?

“No,” I snap, curling my hands into fists to avoid reaching for her, proving she enjoys my mouth. “Do you want to use the house phone or not?” I’ve no idea what I’ll do if she refuses me. I already know I can’t go without another taste of her, and accepting this bargain is an opening for it to happen again. And again. I’m hooked, wanting a taste every day of the week, imagining what I’m willing to bargain for tomorrow.

“You have a house phone?” Her eyebrows raise to her hairline. Narrowing my eyes, I try to understand why she seems shocked by that. Doesn’t everyone have a house phone?

“Yes. And you can use it so long as you follow my termsand don’t try to run.” A shiver of excitement runs down my spine, making me jump to my feet.

Do I want her to run?

“Yes,”Red supplies, appearing out of nowhere, lounging against the wall near Sarah’s head. I scowl at him, but also relief courses through me. I’m sick, but I don’t want to be cured, left alone within my mind.

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