Page 5 of Empire of Wrath and Ruin
The shadows tightened around me, holding me in place as he devoured me. I could feel his satisfaction through our bond, his primal pleasure at having me at his mercy. It should have terrified me, should have disgusted me, but instead, it fuelled my own arousal until I was writhing beneath him.
"I can feel how close you are," he said, his voice dark with promise. "Give in to it. Give in to me."
I didn’t want to submit to him, but the dual sensation of his mouth and his fingers was too much. The dam broke, and pleasure crashed through me in waves that seemed to go onforever. I screamed his name, my body convulsing against the shadows that held me down.
He didn't relent, drawing out my climax until it bordered on pain, until tears streamed from my eyes and I was begging incoherently. Only then did he lift his head, his pale eyes meeting mine. His lips glistened with my arousal, and he made a show of licking them clean.
"Mine," he growled, the word resonating through the small cave.
The shadows finally loosened their grip, allowing me to collapse fully onto the furs. I rolled onto my front, pushing myself up onto my hands and knees to crawl away from him. When I heard his deep growl behind me, I knew I’d made a mistake.
His hands were on me in an instant.
His hand clamped around my throat from behind, fingers digging into my skin as he yanked me back against his chest. I gasped, feeling the solid wall of him behind me, his erection pressing hard against my backside through his leather pants.
"Running from me?" His voice was a dark whisper against my ear, his breath hot on my skin. "There's nowhere to go, Little Flame. No escape."
I struggled against his grip, but his hand only tightened, not enough to cut off my air but enough to remind me of his strength. His other hand slid around my waist, pulling me firmly against him.
"Please," I whispered, though I wasn't sure what I was begging for.
"Please what?" he growled, his teeth grazing my earlobe. "Please let you go?" His hand slid lower, fingers dipping between my thighs, finding me still slick from his earlier attentions. "Your body says otherwise."
I whimpered as his fingers stroked me, my body betraying me with each touch. The hand around my throat loosened slightly, allowing me to turn my head. His lips found mine in a bruising kiss that tasted of my own arousal. I should have been disgusted, should have fought harder, but instead I found myself responding, my lips parting under the assault of his.
Despite everything, my body responded, wetness gathering in anticipation. I hated myself for it, for wanting this, for craving his touch even as my mind rebelled.
"Tell me you want this," he demanded, his hand still wrapped around my throat. "Tell me you want me."
I remained silent, unwilling to give him that satisfaction even as my body betrayed me, my hips pressing back against him of their own volition. His cock pushed between my legs, sliding against me in a delicious form of torture.
"Say it," he growled. “I won’t take you otherwise.”
"No," I choked out, though every inch of my treacherous body screamed otherwise. "I won't say it."
His laugh was dark velvet against my ear. "Stubborn little imperial." His hand released my throat, only to tangle in my hair, yanking my head back sharply. "Your pride will break before I do."
I gasped as he positioned himself, the blunt head of his cock pressing against my entrance. He held me there, suspended on the edge of penetration, waiting. The anticipation was maddening, my body trembling with need even as my mind fought against surrender.
"Last chance," he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Tell me you want this."
I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, refusing to give him the satisfaction. In response, he pushed forward just enough to breach me, then stopped again. I couldn't suppress the moanthat escaped me, my body clenching around him, hungry for more.
"Stubborn," he repeated, his voice strained with the effort of holding back. "But I can be patient."
He withdrew completely, and I nearly sobbed at the loss. “I want you,” I cried out, cursing myself as I did.
"Yes," he growled, and drove into me with one powerful thrust.
I cried out as he filled me completely, the sensation overwhelming. His hand returned to my throat, not squeezing but holding me in place as he began to move. Each thrust was deliberate, almost punishing in its intensity, driving me forward on the furs before pulling me back against him.
"This is what you've been needing," he said, his voice rough with exertion. "This is what the bond demands."
I couldn't deny it. My body sang with each thrust, pleasure building in waves that threatened to drown me. The mate bond between us pulsed with energy, feeding the connection, making each sensation more intense than it should have been.
"Every part of you should have been mine from the beginning," he said. "Every touch, every kiss, every sigh—mine. Tell me their names," he demanded suddenly, his pace never faltering. "The men who touched what was mine."
"No," I gasped, trying to focus through the haze of pleasure. "I won't—"
