Page 39 of Heavy is the Crown
“Who owns your soul?” I growl against her wet core.
She lets out a frantic sob, all rational thought gone. “You! You and Shadow!”
The satisfaction of hearing our names shoots to my chest. “Good girl. You may come now.” I swipe my tongue around her clit before sucking it into my mouth, while pumping two fingers roughly into her and stroking her inner wall.
That’s all it takes before she is soaking my face, drowning me in her release. Her screams bounce off the walls of the penthouse, overpowering the sounds of the storm outside. Her never-ending release continues on and on, and I let her ride it out on my face and fingers. My cock is painful at this point, but I’ll take the pain alongside the taste of her in my mouth. Because this, right here? This is my version of heaven.
The clock next to the bed reads 4 a.m. Lying on her back with her hair splayed out all over my pillow, this is the most relaxed I’ve seen her. Something has been bothering her, something beyond Shadow. But she hasn’t confided in me, not even after I broke her down tonight. We have never played that hard, she’s never let me edge her to the point of crying. Ava has kept control, always, until tonight.
I held her in the shower when we were finished, washing her hair and body before gathering her up and placing her in our shared bed. The tears were still coming down in silent tracks as she curled up under the covers. She never uttered a word as I held her, my hand splayed across that jagged scar, her anger long gone, faded into this quiet tempest of some unknown emotion.
Anger, I could deal with. But not this. This reminded me too much of Shadow, and history has shown me I have no idea how to help him.
I shift down into the bed next to Ava, pulling her body close to mine. Her lilac scent invades my nostrils. Her slim body curls into mine automatically, seeking my warmth. A content sigh escapes her lips as she nuzzles down even further into my arms. As if she can’t get close enough to me. My dragon practically purrs with the delight of holding her in our arms; it eases the anxiety of Shadow being missing right now.I need to text Kai to find Shadow.
Ava lets out a small moan, her brow furrowing, before she rolls again, disrupting my thoughts. Her leg moves over my hip, aligning us perfectly. I bite back a groan as her heat blankets my groin. My dick shoots to attention. Agreeing not to complete the mate bond until Shadow’s ready is getting old, particularly with her scent still clinging to my face. My dragon barely held it together as we feasted on her wet cunt. I attempt to shift her a little further from me, to ease the pressure.
Like a moth to a flame, Ava follows my body until she’s practically on top of me. I grind my teeth as her slim body molds itself over me, but when she lets out another content sigh, I can’t make myself move again. The torture of her lilac scent in my nose and her silky skin touching my own tattoo-covered body isn’t enough to ruin her sleep. And maybe that makes me a masochist, but I can’t bring myself to care. So, taking a long,deep breath, I reach out through the bond to Shadow and urge him to come home.
TWENTY-ONE
We set in motion what needed to be done. The flame dragon will either die or be placed with Alexi.
Either way, we win.
– Mori Family Grimoire
Shadow
The pain across my back feels like fire licking up my spine, every move I make another match against my skin. My dragon pushes against me, desperate to break free to slaughter the man who continues to hurt us. But I fight him back, begging him to remain hidden, reminding him what will happen if my father knows the truth. Knows how powerful we are. How brutal.
My father’s voice breaks through the haze. “Worthless piece of trash.” Another slash down my back with his belt. I grit my teeth against the continued beating.
One.
Two.
Three more, and the blood is weeping from me in a cascade of penance for my failures.
Four more, and my arms give out. My naked chest hits the stone floor with a thud.
Five more, and my resolve is breaking, my ability to hold the dragon back lessening. It’s pacing its cage like an angry tiger, testing the bars. Waiting for the moment it can rip free and rain down the carnage it's begging to let loose.
My father’s stale breath curls around my face as he looms over me, digging his clawed hand into my shoulder. Into the fresh lashes. “You disgust me. What a poor excuse for an heir you are.”
I gasp for air, coming out of the nightmare like it was drowning me. My back burns with the memory, the trauma of it imprinted on my body. My hands connect with grass and dirt, and I slowly blink away the disorientation. Overhead, the sky is cloudy, the dull gray blobs floating listlessly after last night’s storm. My body is sweat-slicked and hot. Garbage and sea water invade my sense of smell upon my next intake of air, and the sounds of seagulls and ship horns invade my mind.
Fuck. The harbor.A place I never wanted to return to after the last time. When we decimated the area, killing so many innocents.
They weren’t innocent if they were here, you know that. This place reeks of corruption, my dragon growls at me.
But I shake my head. Water-based witches took pride in their harbor, despite it being the main port used to traffic all manner of illicit goods. It had been beautiful before me. Before I reigned down terror and death. Now, the sea always seems to be dark and hazy. The beach and roads surrounding it collect trash, and the smell is overpowering. Shipping containers line the leftside of the harbor, many long abandoned, while others house the displaced. Eufori-addicted witches, vamps, and shifters hide among the skeletal remains of this old community.
Sitting up finally, I run my hands through my hair. My body is exhausted from the shift. The whole time flying, my dragon berated me for leaving my mates, screamed that we need to finish this. The pull to turn around, to go back to the penthouse, was so strong that I’m shocked I fought it. Shocked I'm sitting in this field and not at home.
Fuck, when did I start thinking of it as home?
The last time I had a home was in my mother’s arms. I will never forgive myself for killing her or allowing Ava to get hurt because I took an interest in her.What about Ciaran? All the things he sacrificed for you?
