Page 74 of Bleed for Me

Peeling my gaze from the convulsing man, I look back toward Paige. Her face is set in a grimace, exhaustion lining her features. Sensing my attention on her, Paige meets my eyes. Neither of us speak, the only sounds in the small space are Seth’s cries and gasps for air. I lift the hand holding the knife, raising an eyebrow. She glances at my hand, growing pensive. After several long moments, she sucks in a shaky breath and nods.

Turning back toward Seth, I savor his agony for a few seconds longer. “You’re in luck that I need to get my woman home.” I drawl, flicking open the knife. “If given the opportunity, I would torture you for every single minute you took her away from me.” He blubbers as the cool blade presses against his neck. “I would boil you alive so I could carve every inch of skin from your body. I would make sure you lived long enough to feel every agonizing second. And even then, it wouldn’t be enough.” I grip his hair again and pull back, the blade scraping loudly down his throat. I lean close to whisper in his ear. “If there is a hell, I will meet you there. So if I were you, I would pray there’s not. Because you’ve met the Blood Shadow as a human, just imagine me as a demon.” Seth gasps at my confession, no doubt very aware of my infamy.

I allow him time to fully grasp all I’ve said, all the promises I’ve made.

Once a shudder runs through his weakened body and he opens his mouth to say something, I swiftly slice the knife across his throat. Blood spurts forward, flowing down his body. Unable to attempt staving off the flow, Seth’s head falls forward.

Something in my chest loosens as I watch the life bleed from him. And, for the first time, I find myself wishing for an afterlife.

I have some promises to keep after all.

Chapter 37

Paige

He’s dead.

I can’t wrench my eyes from Seth’s body. I don’t know how long we’ve sat here watching the blood seep into the wooden floor below him.

None of it feels real.

The whirlwind of my life since Mick crashed into it feels like a fever dream.

A sudden need for physical proof that I’m awake overpowers me. I’m up and moving before making a conscious decision to do so. Mick turns to me at the sound of my footsteps, arms enveloping my body. I wrap my own around him, digging my nails into his skin.

“Shhh baby. It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Mick kisses my head, rubbing my back with his hands. The combination of his hard body against mine and low voice sounding in my ears pulls me from my panic.

I relax into his hold, my body threatening to give in to the exhaustion. Leaning back, I blink up at him with heavy eyes. Mick gazes back at me, eyes softened by emotion. Unhooking one arm, he gently strokes my cheek. My eyes flutter closed, a smile ghosting my lips as he murmurs,

“Let’s go home.”

The weeks following my return prove to be the most difficult adjustment following a kidnapping.

I was disappointed but not surprised when Brandi had not kept my job waiting for me. There’s only so many times you can disappear into thin air and a boss will look the other way. It didn’t help matters that I had to lie about what really happened.

For obvious reasons, I couldn’t disclose that I was kidnapped or who I had been with during my absence. Mick and I decided it would be best to alter the narrative.

The official story for my disappearance is I was overwhelmed from trying to adjust back to my life so soon after my previous captivity. The lie was bitter as I had to tell a distraught Taylor that I left to regain some control and process everything that had happened. It put a rift in our friendship that I’m still working to mend.

The only person outside of Mick and I that is aware of what really happened is Mick's friend Jesse. I’m grateful for his help in finding me, but concerned that he could turn us in at any time. He doesn’t know the full extent of what transpired but if the police were to open an investigation, our cover story would be flimsy at best.

Mick promised he would take care of it if needed before we ever got to that point. The sorrow in his eyes as he promised was enough to keep me from bringing it up again. We both knew what it would mean for him to “take care of it.”

It’s now been a little over a month and my worries have yet to prove to be more than that. I continue to hold out hope it remains that way.

The door flings open, pulling me from my reverie.

Mick strides through the doorway, his shirt clinging to his sweat soaked chest. I lick my lips as my eyes drift over him. A part of me still can’t believe this man is real. He’s so beautiful it hurts at times to look at him. Right now, he’s dripping in sex and sin.

Never breaking stride, Mick crushes his body to mine. Our lips seek out the others in a feverish kiss. I stretch onto my toes, clinging to his shirt. He slips his hands under my ass and lifts me up, my legs immediately wrapping around his waist. My heated core presses against the hard line of his cock. We both groan into each other, my hips rocking against him. Spinning, Mick stumbles toward the wall until my back is pressed firmly against it. The added pressure gives me more leverage to pick up the speed of my gyrations.

Mick breaks the kiss, trailing his lips down my neck. Bracing one arm under me, he reaches up with the other to grip my top and tug down the material. His mouth captures one of my exposed breasts, sucking my hardened nipple between his teeth. “Mick,” I moan, my head falling back against the wall. He bites down in response causing me to arch into him. “Oh god. Please.” My breathless pleas slip from my lips.

Mick chuckles, adjusting his stance to reach between us and unbuckle his pants. Once his jeans are unzipped, I help push them down with his boxers, freeing his cock. My hand wraps around the shaft causing him to groan. His fingers roughly push up my skirt, shoving my panties to the side. I move my hand to line his cock up with my entrance, our eyes meeting. We hold each other’s heated gaze as he slowly pushes inside of me. I brace my hands on his shoulders, entirely consumed by him.

Our need for one other hasn’t lessened, the intensity of our obsession overtaking physical desire alone. Each thrust of his hips is a love note. My moans mingle in the air with his grunts, the sound of our heavy breathing and skin slapping together building to a crescendo. Mick comes with his face buried in my neck, my name on his lips. I topple over with him into a toe-curling orgasm.

We cling to each other, catching our breath. My eyes are closed as I rest my head back. Mick lightly grips my chin, pulling my face toward him. I open my eyes, quivering under his gaze. His fingers stroke my skin as he stares at me like I’m the most important thing in the world.

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