I blinked and we were suddenly clear on the other side of the bar, moving down a dark hall I hadn’t taken any notice of. The further we went the quieter it became, neon lights fading until they were almost non-existent, and only darkness was left.
We went around a corner and through a wide-set door marred with various symbols that I felt as if I’d seen before.
Woah. My eyed widened as I looked around at where he’d brought me. The inside of the room was like an entirely different realm, bathed in red light with more memento mori carved into thick beams and dark woodwork.
A hefty piece of tufted furniture was in the middle of the room, centered within a circular symbol. It could’ve been an ottoman or maybe a sofa. It didn’t look like it belonged to this era. The wooden spindles holding it up had been carefully crafted into curved wooden claws.
Glass display cases were positioned on the left and right walls, within them were human bodies in various states of disfiguration with masks of infamy covering their faces.
They looked incredibly lifelike. Some were still covered in what was meant to be fresh blood. My mind twisted reality to the point I thought I smelled the coppery scent on my next breath.
Nico tugged me further into the room, repositioning my body once we reached a large piece of furniture. He let me go and placed his large body directly in front of mine. I couldn’t do anything but watch him, watch me.
The sensation of being outside my own body was almost overwhelming. Nothing was inside my head but this moment between us, nothing else mattered or existed.
Had I been in my right state of mind I wouldn’t have been here, alone in this strange room with all these ominous markings on the walls.
He moved closer and I instinctively breathed him in, subconsciously confirming the aroma of honey and tobacco had been coming from him. It was a heavenly scent I wanted to bask in.
Suddenly compelled to touch him, I brought my hand to the side of his face. Nico held perfectly still, making no move to stop me. The moment my fingertips touched skin I was struck with a flurry of sensations. Something shifted within my mind, allowing me to see so much more than I could a mere few seconds ago.
His other eye wasn’t entirely black, it simply didn’t glow as brightly as the other.
Skimming from his cheekbone towards his mouth, I marveled at how flawless he was.
The skin free of the mask looked as if it were smooth as butter. It felt that way too, the texture almost like velvet, unnaturally so. Reaching the very top portion of what should have been just as smooth, I came to a complete pause.
Real…
This is real.
My heart rate spiked, a sliver of awareness pushed to the forefront of my mind, vanishing beneath another sedative of bliss when Nico touched me.
His expression became predatory, perceptibly sinister. I remained amenable, allowing him to wrap his hand around my throat without a struggle.
CHAPTER
I should have been terrified.
I needed to run screaming for help but all I wanted was to be consumed by the dangerous man holding me hostage body and mind.
It could’ve been the drugs.
I think it was him.
Maybe I was wrong, and it was a combination of the two.
Nico’s grip was firm but non-threatening, more assertive if anything. He wanted me to understand who was in control.
He studied my face closely.
“You have always been beautiful, much more so when you don’t hide away from the world.”
Always? “How do you know that?”
Five words I managed to speak, and each was heavier than the last.
“I know everything about you, Angeline. I’m disappointed you’ve forgotten about me.” Cool breath fanned across my skin as he spoke with that hypnotic voice that should’ve been illegal. “Let me help you start to remember.”
I inhaled deeply, pulling more of that comforting scent into my lungs. He released my throat and dropped his hands to my waist, pulling me flush against him.
Free to move my hands, I flattened my palms against his chest He was solid in all the ways a man should be. I smoothed over his blazer to his shoulders, wrapping my arms around him.
When he brushed over my brow, I grabbed the sides of his face and redirected him to my mouth. His lips were otherworldly, full and soft, commanding. He teased me with a slightly textured tongue, the feel of it had me opening up for him.
As soon as he slipped inside, I moaned softly, pressing further against him. A low growl rumbled through his chest in response causing my thighs to clench.
The sharp point on one of his teeth nicked the tip of my tongue as the kiss deepened. Blood welled, flooding my mouth with a taste of metal for all of two seconds. Nico gripped a handful of my hair near the crown of my head, angling my head backward. His tongue entwined with mine and he began to suck.