Page 39 of Cruel Crown

“Bend your legs,” he demanded as he gazed down at me, and at that moment, I wanted to know his every thought. To see if his emotions mirrored my own, but most of all, I wanted to know if he hated me.

Without breaking eye contact, I did as he asked, and without being told, I spread my legs wider.

Gideon’s eyes traveled down my body leisurely until he got to the apex of my thighs, and his nose flared, his chest rising and falling.

His hand struck out and grabbed me by my throat, making it hard to breathe. “Did you even care about killing me?”

He didn’t loosen his grip so I could answer. I saw his hand reach behind his back and pull out a small scalpel. He removed the hand on my throat and made a small cut across my throat. I felt the sting of pain followed by the warmness of blood coating me. Then he thrust inside me. My body arched with the feel of him. I was soaked, and he was so mad he didn’t even gloat about it anymore. Incoherent whimpers left my lips as he fucked me harder with each thrust.

He was here, he was alive, and this might be the last time I ever thought of him as mine.

Gideon bent and licked the blood off my neck. “He almost killed me.”

My legs wrapped around his, giving up trying to resist him, and the moment I did that, he froze above me. He pulled back to look at me, and then he bent so his forehead pressed against mine. Our chests rose and fell in synch as our bodies were connected.

“That right there, Petal, is why I can’t kill you,” he said, referring to how wet I was. “I made you kneel.” His hand ran down to my knees, rubbing circles on them. “I humiliated you, and you still fucking want me.” He cupped my cheek. “But for you, it was so easy—”

Having sex came easy for me. There was no intimacy anymore; it was like doing a chore, but that all changed the moment Gideon came into the picture.

I flirted with danger on a daily basis, teased death at every chance I got, seduced my enemies to the point where I made myself believe I was invincible. And Gideon, he was a reminder that I was human. He was a blessing and a curse. So it made baring my soul to him ten times harder than giving him my body.

Tentatively I brought my hands up to cup his cheek, cutting off what he was going to say. I opened my mouth, but the words I wanted wouldn’t come out. It was like trying to push an antidote past the venom that resided in my mouth. I leaned up and kissed the scar.

“Leaving you in Colombia is how I learned why they teach us not to fall in love.” I whispered the words against the scar.

Gideon pulled back, his whiskey eyes dark, alluring, and I was getting lost in them. He bent his head and kissed me as he had never done it before—and it killed me on the inside a little bit more.

My hands wrapped around his shoulders, touching every inch of skin I could find. Our lips moved in harmony for the first time since I met him; there was no longer a battle to see who would bend. Gideon let go of my mouth, and I moaned in protest. He smirked at me, no longer angry but playful. He removed my shirt and brought his lips to my neck, his mouth worshiping every scar until he made it to my breasts.

I rocked against him as he sucked the pebbled nipples, and I moaned, not caring if they could hear me across the castle.

“Gideon.” I said his name like a curse. He thrust faster, his hands coming to my waist and his fingers digging into my hip bones.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

When I came, he took my mouth more forcefully and swallowed my moans. He rested his forehead on mine as he finished inside of me, both of us panting, trying to catch our breaths. “Thanks for that, love. I really needed it.” He grinned, and something about it felt off, or maybe I was just paranoid.

I brought my hand up and ran it through his hair. “I meant what I said—we can’t be together.” He glared at me and pulled away. I immediately felt the loss of our connection. “I don’t want to be forced to watch as Damian kills you to get to me, nor do I want you to watch me get used in any way that might cause you pain.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he got up and put on his pants. Then he pulled out a cigarette and smirked at me when he took out the lighter.

I watched him take a hit as he put on his shirt. Meanwhile, I sat up, hugging my knees to my chest.

“I meant what I said, Daphne. You don’t do as I say, I’ll go and tell Damian everything. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Francesca is probably waiting for me.”

“You’re going with her?” I asked in disbelief.

“Actions speak louder than words, love, and your actions have always been painful. This was just a fuck, because you are nothing to me, but make no mistake, love, I own you now.”

My chest hurt. Worse than any stab or bullet ever did. It felt like it was cracking open, and I couldn’t breathe. I watched him walk out, but before he did, he turned around and looked down at me with an evil grin. “What, you didn’t think I’d forget about you trying to kill me, did you?”

He closed the door, and I hugged myself tighter as the cold started to spread over my body, and tears fell down my cheeks.

The worst of all was that I understood where he was coming from. You cannot set a foundation based on lies because once revealed, you have nothing.

***

Sleep didn’t come easily last night, and I knew I was going to pay for it in training today.

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