Page 21 of Poisonous Savage

"Shit, woman, what is it?"Mygrip on her tightened. "Doyou want him?Isthat it?"Shewas mine, not his, not anyone else’s.Iowned her, every inch, every fucking tear she shed.

Hergaze flickered away, unable to hold mine, and that pissed me off even more.Shewas a puzzleIcouldn't solve, wrapped in the body of a woman who had become my obsession.Andfuck, how it burned.

"Answerme!"Ishook her, my world narrowing down to the quiver of her lip, the silent tears that began to track down her cheeks.Thosetears were a testament to my unrivaled ability to break anything good that came within my grasp.

"Please,I—" her voice broke, and the sound shredded the last bit of my control.

"Fuck!"Ireleased her abruptly, recoiling from the raw pain that flashed across her face.Thewalls closed in, and the air thickened with the weight of unspoken truths and bitter lies.Iturned away, raking a hand through my hair, trying to catch my breath, to catch my fucking bearings.Whatthe hell doIdo now?

"Can'teven say it, can you?"Ispat the words into the charged silence, the taste of bile rising in my throat.Shewas tearing me apart, andIhated her for it, hated her for making me feel anything beyond cold, calculating rage.Hatedher for being the perfect woman, the oneInever thoughtI'dhave.TheoneIjust broke.

Iseized her chin, forcing those dark eyes to meet mine.Thevulnerability there, the fear, it clawed at me.Ishoved it down, down where the darkness lived, whereIcould drown it under layers of fury and contempt.Shereached a hand out, a bridge, butImoved back a step.Couldn'tstand the softness of her skin against the hardness of myshield.Itwas wrong, as if she didn’t belong with me.Fuckmaybe she'd do better with someone likeMarco.Goddamn,I'dkill a man for her, but so would he.He'dalso give her everythingIcouldn't.Butshe was here; she was my wife, my charge, and fuck ifIknew what to do with her.

"Saysomething,Rosalind.Anything."Thecommand came out strained, my voice betraying the snarlIintended.Ipaced, cornered by the walls of my own making, the need to dominate, to control, gnawing at my insides.

Shejust stood there, a silent statue, her lips parting but no sound escaping.Andthat silence screamed louder than any confession, any plea.Ittaunted me, challenged me, andIloathed it.

"Ifucking love you, you know that?Imay be an asshole, butIfucking love you,"Isnarled, closing the distance once more, my shadow engulfing her.

Sheswallowed hard, andIwatched the delicate bob of her throat, her pulse racing beneath the surface. "God, you make me so..."Icouldn't finish, words failing me.Mycontrol slipped;Igrabbed her, my grasp bruising, desperate to shake the reality into her, to force her into submission.Icrowded her, my body a weapon of intimidation, my breath a hot gust against her face.

Hereyes flickered, emotions warring within, andIjust knew that whatever the fuck she was feeling would tear me apart.Westood there, locked in a battle of wills, the tension connecting us.

Asshe opened her mouth, her breathing finally steady,Imade my choice.Whateverthe fuck came from those lips wouldn't take her from me.I'dseal her in a vault beforeIlet her tear us apart.

ROSALIND

Iswallowed hard, the metallic taste of fear like a coin on my tongue.Ihad to tell him.IfIkept hiding,I'dnever find happiness here.Whetherhe killed me, imprisoned me, or let me down, it didn't matter.

"Hunter,"Istarted, my voice steadier thanIfelt, "there's somethingIgotta tell you.Andyou're not gonna like it."

Hestood there, inches from me, his breath hot against my face.Hiseyes, dark as a midnight storm, fixed on me with an intensity that could scorch the earth.

"IwantMarco, too, alongside you.Idon't want to replace you... or this.Believeit or not,I'vecome to understand you these last few weeks."Myheart thundered, butIstood tall. "Ilove you, even though you're a giant asshole, but there's this part of me, this tender side, that craves tobe loved differently.I...Idon't know if you're ever going to be capable of that.”

Theroom stilled, the air crackling with tension.Thenit shattered like glass.

"Whatthe fuck!"Hunterexploded, raw fury pouring off him like heat from a blast furnace.Heswept his arm across the nightstand, sending papers fluttering and a heavy, gold-framed picture smashing to the ground.Ourwedding photo.

"Mine!" he roared, veins bulging in his neck, face red. "You’refuckin' mine,Rosalind!"

Iflinched as his fist punched a dent into the wall, plaster dust settling on his stubbled jaw.Hisshadow loomed over me, a dark angel or a demon born from the very depths of hell.

"Never," he spat out, each word a bullet. "You'remy wife.Noone else gets to touch what's mine.Yougot that?"

Iheld my ground, my heart a wild thing in my chest, fighting the urge to shrink away from his towering rage.Ihad walked through fire to stand here, to speak these words, andIwouldn’t back down now.

"Orwhat, husband?"Ichallenged, my voice low, threading the needle between defiance and desire.Hewas sexy when he was angry, andIwanted him to hate fuck me, butIalso craved seeing his vulnerable side.Theside wherehe gives, andItake. "You'llkill me? 'Causewithout me, there's no balance for you.Withoutme, you're just the devil wearing a man's skin."

Hisnostrils flared as his chest heaved.ButIsaw it then, the flicker of something else in his nearly black eyes.Fear.Fearthat he might lose me to the softness thatMarcooffered.

"Thedevil?Maybe," he hissed, closing the distance untilIcould feel the heat radiating from his body. "Butyou’re the little one that tames me, aren't you?Thelight to my darkness.AndIain't sharing that light with no one.It'smine to stoke, to flame, to extinguish."

Iknew the stakes, the high-wire act of having fallen in love with a man who dealt in death.ButIwanted more.Iwanted the tender touch and the iron grip.Thelove that could crush and the love that could heal.AndIwould have it, no matter the cost.

"Thenwe burn together,Hunter,"Imurmured, having decided my next move. "Weburn together, or not at all."

Theglint of the blade caught the dim light asIsnatched it fromHunter’scollection, its edge sliding against my skin asIheld it to my neck.Myheart steadied.Therewas no fear in my choice.IfIcouldn't enjoy a slice of this life, this lifeIdidn't ask for, then no one would enjoy me.

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