Lucian’s Reign

by Mason, V. F.

  No need to antagonize the beast.

  “My torture lasts longer, gatita, than forty minutes.” I still at this admission, swallowing hard, and he chuckles again. “Paul is fine. Why would I hurt my friend who did exactly what I wanted?” He must read confusion on my face at this statement because he elaborates. “You asked him for help, and he did. The safety of my family should come above our friendship, always.” I blink in surprise, never expecting this from him. “You’re very precious to me, Esmeralda.” He extends his arm and taps on the filter, letting the ash drop on the road.

  Thousands of emotions rush through me, all more hectic than the last, because none of them make sense to me, but his words create twisted webs around my rational mind, polluting it with doubts and inconsistencies.

  Doubts and inconsistencies that urge me to discover his secrets and understand this man who now is my husband.

  How is it possible to fall in love with the charming prince he presents in my company and despise the villain he truly is who commits such hideous crimes?

  But like Mom said, you can never fight against someone who is stronger than you, and if I don’t find peace in this relationship, he will crush me.

  Whining and then acting like a victim won’t help me either. And besides, that’s not the route I long to take.

  There must be more to his deeds and the past, and I intend to discover what’s going on around me, because a man cannot have such duality.

  Not Lucian.

  Not when he has people who support what he does and still love him.

  However, one question remains that somehow I think holds all the keys to this situation.

  “Why did you marry me?” I ask, and since he ignores me, continuing to play with his cigarette, I snatch it from his mouth and throw it outside, glaring at him. “Answer my question!”

  The energy changes at my order at once, transforming to dangerous and wicked as his brown orbs flash in warning, while his body tenses and the air hitches in my throat.

  The screen rises, separating us from George, and my yelp reverberates through the car when Lucian grabs my hand and yanks me onto his lap as my skirt flaps around us and his jacket slips from my shoulders, dropping on the floor.

  Placing my hands on his shoulders for balance, I settle my ass on his lap, against the bulge pushing at his zipper while his arm wraps around my waist, trapping me in his embrace, keeping me in place when I try to scoot back.

  His splayed palm settles on my rapidly beating heart, and I still, our gazes clashing while the scorching heat billows between us. The damned desire rears its head again as he glides his hand up to my neck, brushing his thumb against my pulse and murmuring, “Mi amor, su nombre es Rebecca Esmeralda Cortez. Do you know what it means?” His deep and husky voice causes goose bumps to rise on my flesh as he cups my neck, shifting me closer to him. My nails cut into his shoulders while his nicotine-filled breath floats between us. “Power. Money. Status.” He laces his fingers in my hair, titling my head back and exposing my neck for his hungry mouth. “Whatever you want, you will get. All the riches this world has to offer belong to you. Just wish for them, and they’ll be yours.” He skims his lips over my skin, and my hold on him tightens as lust awakens, along with shame. This man doesn’t deserve my capitulation, but self-loathing has no power right now. “And if someone so much as looks at you wrong, I’ll destroy them.” His lips travel upward, nipping on my chin before swiping his tongue over the surface, soothing the sting while the timbre of his voice deepens. “Porque tú eres mi esposa.”

  A shiver runs down my spine at him calling me his wife, possessiveness coating his claim while the hand on my waist flexes.

  “Except my freedom. You won’t ever let me go,” I whisper against his lips as they brush mine, barely grazing them while my hands fist his shirt. “You’re condemning me to a lifetime with a murderer.”

  “What scares you more, mi amor?” He bites my lower lip, tugging it a little before sucking it into his mouth and leaving his mark there. “The idea of being married to a murderer—” Our raspy breaths mingle between us when he presses his thumb on my jaw, opening my mouth wide for his invasion. “—or your body coming aflame under his touch?” My eyes close, the chaos inside me growing at his question, because it has so much merit and with that, resentment toward him mixes with the desire rapidly spreading through my veins.

  My whole body burns, demanding he soothe the fire he started yet despising him for uncovering the truth I wanted to stay hidden.

  He swallows my moan when he places his lips on mine, slipping his tongue inside and gliding it against mine, inviting it into the familiar dance, hungrily possessing my mouth and claiming it all over again after a long absence.

  Passionate. Dirty. All-consuming where nothing but him remains. The buzzing in my ears rings, urging me to rip his shirt open and run my palms over his carved muscles, sinking my nails into them so he will wear all my marks too.

  The kiss becomes more heated, our mouths moving in tandem, where he demands my surrender to his silent command, and I freely give it to him.

  A relieved sob escapes me, and I palm his head, gluing myself to him, not leaving even an inch of space between us. He tugs at my hair harder, deepening our kiss, and sucks my tongue, lightly scraping it with his teeth.

  Pain and pleasure combine, awakening every hair on my body while spreading through me in waves. My core dampens when he puts his hand on my thigh, sliding it up to my hips, taking advantage of the slit.

  When he separates our mouths, my protesting groan echoes through the space and I throw my head back while he nibbles on my collarbone and bites on the mounds of my breasts.

  “If you hadn’t run away from me, we’d already be in bed.” He grips my hip, his fingers digging into my skin, and a gasp escapes me. “You’d lie on my satin sheets with your legs spread as I traced my tongue over your pussy, feasting on your flesh.” My breathing speeds up at the images he creates in my head, and my core clenches, silently begging him to continue. His fingers glide to my panties, pushing them away and his knuckles scrape my walls. “I would slide one, two, three fingers inside your tight little hole, stretching you wide for my dick.” His thumb flicks over my clit, and I jerk in his hold, threading my fingers in his hair. Our lips meet again in a toe-curling kiss that lasts forever before the need for air becomes stronger than his tongue caressing mine. “You’d whimper and whine under me, begging to come, and I would deny you the pleasure until I’m thrusting into you and feeling you clamp around me, squeezing every drop of cum from me.” He bites on my earlobe and whispers, “You shouldn’t have run, gatita. For your body and soul are forever mine.”

  My whole body buzzes in awareness; lust consumes me while self-loathing and guilt ride me hard, flashing in my mind all the despicable deeds this man has done, down to blackmailing me into this marriage. But my body welcomes him every single time, unable to refuse him.

  As if he holds the key to my resistance and resolve and masterfully uses it to his advantage.

  “I hate you, Lucian Cortez,” I whisper, resting my forehead on his while my fingers grip his hair, catching my breath, as the rain still taps on the car. The lack of movement announces we have arrived at the mansion.

  “If that’s your hate, mi amor, I don’t need your love.”

  “It’s primitive desire. It means and changes nothing,” I hiss in his face, sliding back onto the seat and adjusting my skirt before fleeing from the car past a surprised George who holds up an open umbrella for me.

  Shaking my head at it, I clench my skirt and race toward the door, my heels splashing water on the asphalt. In short strides I fly inside, only coming to a halt when I notice how hundreds of candles light up all the hallways and the entire first floor, creating a romantic atmosphere that includes rose petals spread over all the marble.

  Complete silence greets me, and then I notice a small note on the nearby table. I snatch it up and read it.

  Everyone is sleeping in
the guesthouse tonight.

  We won’t be back until late morning.

  Harold

  Heat surrounds me before his scent envelops me, and in the next second he stands right behind me, peeking at the note. “Harold always has harbored a romantic soul in that heart of his.” Amusement dances at the edge of his tone, and I crumple the note and throw it away while marching to the stairs. “Where are you going, gatita?”

  “Upstairs.”

  “It’s our wedding night.”

  I look over my shoulder. “Then enjoy it by yourself.”

  He clacks his tongue while unbuttoning his vest and putting it on the handrail. “I don’t think so.”

  This man is impossible!

  Gritting my teeth, I will all my self-control into my palm and somehow keep my voice calm, even though a storm is brewing in my veins. “What happened in the car was a mistake. Please accept it and don’t bother me tonight.” He promised not to force me, right? So he has no leg to stand on, and although he flaunts his mysterious persona, he will never go back on his word.

  With this, I rush upstairs and quickly reach the master bedroom. I groan inwardly when I see the same decor welcomes me here. The only difference is that they’ve cleaned up from earlier, dumped the petals on silky white sheets, and a small table has different snacks on it—from strawberries to melted chocolate, and a bottle of champagne stands inside a bucket full of ice.

  I hear his footsteps echoing in the hallway and spin around as he leans on the doorjamb in all his dark charisma. Several buttons on his shirt are already unbuttoned, showcasing his tan skin. “A mistake, mi amor?” he asks lazily as his fingers slide to another button, and I raise my eyes to his, his brown orbs sparkling in lust.

  “Yes.” I straighten up and grab the door. “Just basic desire. Any man would have done.” The minute the words slip past my lips, I know I’ve made a horrible mistake.

  His entire demeanor changes as the air around us electrifies by a thousand, and his eyes darken in anger and something else, sending prickles of awareness through me and alerting me to the upcoming danger as the beast within him didn’t appreciate my carelessly thrown remark.

  I try to shut the door in his face, but he blocks it, and it bounces against the wall. I take a step back. “Lucian.”

  “Anyone would have done, mi amor?” He finishes unbuttoning his shirt and then moves to his wrists, removing the cufflinks.

  I take another step back as he takes one forward. “You’re a murderer,” I repeat like a broken record, more for my ears than his. Thunder echoes in the sky, quite fitting to what transpires between us right now. “How can you expect me to accept that?” I take another step back, carefully avoiding the candles spread around the perimeter while my heart beats wildly in my chest. Especially when he drops his shirt to the floor, his muscles coming into view, and betraying desire sinks into my bones, demanding I run toward him… so I do the exact opposite.

  I take several steps back and gasp when my spine connects with the hard wall, reaching a dead-end from where there is no escape as the man approaches me slowly. His powerful presence almost freezes time where only his actions remain.

  Fury comes from him in waves, slamming into me, because I dared to suggest my body would have responded the same to anyone.

  When in fact it craves him, always him, only him.

  “You’ll deal. You’ll learn to accept it.” He reaches me in three short strides and splays his palms on either side of my head, caging me in. “I kill who deserves it. I will never hurt you. This should be enough for you.”

  “It does not make it right!” I shout at him, slapping his chest, but he doesn’t even budge under my assault. “How can I accept it without knowing anything? Tell me. Explain to me. Do something to change my mind about you!”

  “No. Accept me as I am.”

  He wants everything from me but offers nothing truly meaningful in return. How can we even have a relationship without trust?

  Men who deserve it?

  If that’s the case, why did he lie before the wedding when I asked him the question?

  “This is madness, Lucian!”

  “We do not live in a perfect world, mi amor. Mine is dark and hideous, yours is safe and bland.” He leans his hips into me, earning himself a groan when his hard-on pushes against my core. “Yet we fit perfectly together.” I stare at him as he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Your light gives me reprieve in my darkness and my darkness—”

  “Scares me,” I finish for him, exhaling heavily. “It scares me, Lucian. I cannot trust a villain.”

  Even if the villain is obsessed with me and acts like a madman who’ll never let me go but protects me like the most precious thing to his nonexistent heart.

  “My darkness unsettles you and doesn’t let you live in a protective bubble where emotions don’t exist. Mi amor, you are alive when you’re with me.” He wraps his hand around my neck, sending heat through me, and leans closer, pressing his forehead against mine. “And despite my past and all the other shit, you still want me. Admit it and accept that fact. Settle your mind.”

  The love blooming in my chest toward a handsome villain doesn’t settle anything, but instead, it pushes me down the abyss to where I’m flying rapidly, not knowing what awaits me at the bottom.

  And despite the darkness and the murders and whatever else he harbors in his shattered soul, I’m still willing to take the leap.

  But how can I say it out loud?

  “You’re a curse I can’t break, Lucian. A beast that will never be a prince because your heart is too dark and damaged for love. Wanting you is maddening, and hating you is exhausting,” I whisper and gasp as his mouth slams on mine.

  His tongue slips inside to engage mine in an all-consuming passionate kiss, and when they finally touch, lust floods through my veins and replaces all common sense.

  His bad deeds, my doubts, and everything else vanish, leaving me alone in the powerful storm that has no mercy for me and shows me no reprieve from the onslaught of emotions crushing me one by one, demanding my surrender.

  My moan echoes between us while his hands sneak inside the plunging V of my dress. His fingers brush over the mounds of my breasts and raise goose bumps, which make me shift restlessly as electricity travels straight to my core.

  Tilting my head back, I let him deepen the kiss, owning my mouth in ways I’ve never experienced before. Every stab and brush of his tongue signals his power over me and reminds me I married a villain tonight.

  A villain who wants to collect what’s rightfully his.

  His wedding night.

  My lungs burn from lack of oxygen, so I grip his hair hard and pull him away, gulping for a deep breath. His lips skim lower, nipping on my chin before sliding to my neck where he opens his mouth wide, sucking on my skin so hard prickles of pain envelop me, only highlighting the pleasure spinning its twisted webs on me. “Do you know what I wanted to do the minute I saw you in this dress walking down the stairs, mi amor?” he whispers, kissing the abused flesh and moving farther, cupping my breasts through the cloth and squeezing hard. My peaked nipples ache as he tugs at my dress, exposing the rosy buds to his hot mouth. He bites on a breast and I jolt in his arms. “To push you against the nearest wall, hike your skirt up around your hips, and fuck you so hard the entire house would hear you scream for me. For the man who is a monster, yet you crave him anyway.”

  The air hitches in my throat, and my fingers scrape his scalp. When his teeth graze the tip of my nipple, the sensation cascades through me. Instantly he flicks his tongue over it, soothing the sting. Then he moves his attention to the other nipple, repeating the action. I pull him closer, needing him to lavish them in ways only he knows, while the blazing pool inside me grows by the second, threatening to erupt at any moment.

  My mind screams at me to stop this madness, to run away from this addiction. His every touch is a deadly drug that might get me killed if I’m not careful, but my heart…

&n
bsp; My stupid heart controls my body and urges me to trust the villain, to believe there is more than meets the eye with this man, and that deep down in his soul, goodness resides.

  Goodness that he might not show to everyone, but it’s there and everything female in me reacts to it.

  His soul might be scarred, but it’s not beyond saving.

  His shifts lower, sinking to his knees while his mouth trails over my stomach. Then he lifts my leg and rests it on his shoulder, the dress’s slit giving me the freedom to move. His fingers run over the outer skin of my thigh, up and down, creating a restlessness inside me and causing me to whisper, “Lucian.” Lacing my fingers tighter in his hair, I sway my hips forward, seeking his mouth as I feel the hot breath on me. My core clenches in anticipation, and I throw my head back, pressing it hard against the wall.

  “Because you are mine,” he says. He places his hands on my core, and I moan when he fists the panties and rips them away, opening my dripping core to his view. “Ah, mi amor. Your pussy is so wet, begging for your husband to fuck it until you forget your own name.” A loud cry escapes me when he thrusts his tongue inside me, swirling it deep, while his fingers dig into my ass cheeks, clenching them and keeping me still for his onslaught.

  The combination of the scorching heat traveling all over me and the sting drive me insane, craving to reach the high he is capable of giving me. I rock my hips in time with his movements, welcoming every stab of his tongue roaming between my folds and leaving invisible marks on it.

  He moves upward, licking me from bottom to top, circling around my clit before trapping it in his mouth, sucking on it hard. I groan, pulling at his hair, needing him to be even closer, too afraid he might change his mind and abandon me with this unbearable ache.

  His tongue presses on my clit, creating tremors rushing through me while intense sensations envelop me. My core is demanding his hard cock to fill it to the brink and stop this madness consuming me with each second.

  One of his hands drifts to my core as he sucks on my lips, one by one, the smacking sounds echoing in the room. My moan and his groans mix together before he slips his tongue deep inside me again. His thumb brushes against my clit in time with his movements. Desire lights a fire within me that spreads rapidly through my blood, threatening to burn me right along with everything else.