Carl is giving her a choice…
But will she take it?
Alex made me feel when every part of me was dead on the inside. She was the link to my humanity, the one person who could look beneath my scars and see a person. The night I took her virginity, she was right.
I needed her.
All night I drifted in and out of consciousness, chasing one dream after another. After a while, they all blended, sweet dreams turning into my worst nightmares. I opened my eyes to see four tall men standing at the edge of my bed, wearing black, scaly masks.
The Serpents.
They dissolved into a black haze before my eyes, and I gasped, rolling onto my side to catch my breath. Moonlight crept in through the open French doors, a soft breeze from the bay blowing them open. I sat up and wiped the sleep from my eyes, wondering how the doors unlocked on their own.
Heavy footsteps tapped the hardwood floor. I followed the sounds, my pulse pounding in my ears, the blood rushing to my head. The room was pitch black except for the light coming in from the balcony. As I blinked again, a figure emerged from a dark corner.
“Luca,” I whispered.
No answer.
“Marcello?”
More silence.
“Roman?”
Not a word.
I slid off the bed and ran toward the ensuite bathroom, where I’d left my cell phone on the charger. Before I could close the door and turn on the light, someone pushed me into the room.
I grabbed the edge of the sink for support. “Get away from me,” I shouted.
“No,” he breathed against my earlobe.
“Luca?” I looked in the mirror and released a relieved breath. “Why didn’t you say anything? You scared the shit out of me.”
He clutched my wrist, squeezing so hard pain shot up my arm.
“Stop that!”
He lifted me by the hips, his fingers branding my skin as he slammed my butt down on the counter, making room for himself between my thighs.
“Say something! What’s wrong with you?”
I shoved my palms into his chest, hoping he would fall backward so I could slide off the counter. But he was too big and strong to overpower.
Luca grabbed my shoulder and held me in place, the heat from his body radiating off him. “Drea,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead to mine. “I need you, baby.”
“Luca, talk to me. What the fuck is going on? What happened?”
He tugged on my panties, ripping the thin fabric from my body.
“Luca, talk to me. Why do you look like you’re possessed?”
I fisted his dress shirt and shrieked at the liquid on my hand. A candle flickered on the counter. I’d lit it before I went to bed, so I could find my way to the bathroom if I woke up in the middle of the night. Even in the dark, I knew it was blood.
“You’re hurt.” I shoved his suit jacket off his shoulders. “Why are you bleeding?”
“It’s not my blood,” he said with a dead look in his eyes.
“What did you do?”
“Everything I do is for you.” He twirled his finger around my curls and whispered into my ear, “My Queen D, I won’t let anyone take what’s mine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Baby, please.” He kissed my lips. “Not tonight.”
Luca flipped me over, so my stomach was on the counter, my ass up in the air. He ran his palm over my bare ass and pinned my body to the marble. I squirmed beneath him, and he slapped my ass hard.
“This is your fault, D.” He spanked me again, and I yelped from the sudden pain working its way down my thigh. “You turn me into a monster. Do you have any idea how many men I have killed for you?”
“Luca, stop being so cryptic. Tell me what’s wrong.”
He ignored me, and by the fifth time he spanked me, the pain turned to pleasure. With each slap of his palm, a rush of heat coursed through my body, my wetness threatening to slide down my inner thighs.
I liked when he dominated me.
He scared the life out of me, and I wasn’t sure I could handle him most days, but it felt good when he touched me like this. My whines turned to moans, riding out an orgasm until the bitter end. After he fed his demons, Luca smoothed his palm over my backside to soothe my throbbing skin. I watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it onto the floor.
Blood streaked his chest.
At least it wasn’t his.
He stripped off his belt, and a surge of fear laced with excitement flooded my veins. I met his intense gaze in the mirror, daring him to keep going.
Luca doubled the belt in his hand and rubbed it along my backside. “You like getting spanked, baby girl?”
“Yes,” I choked out.
He covered my ass cheek with his hand, rubbing his thumb against my slit. “You’re so fucking wet.” He slid his long finger inside me and grunted as he broke through my inner walls. “Fuck, you’re still so tight. I missed you, baby.”