by C. M. Owens
His hand grips my throat, and it’s so fucking hot when I feel his fingers curling around almost tight enough to hurt. The erotic adrenaline burns like Hale as it slithers through me, and my heart quickens just as hard as my insides. The spawning inferno between our rapidly crashing bodies forces a dripping sweat, and I grip the sheets tighter when I feel the third best feeling of the night.
The powerful, mind-blowing, and unfathomable gathering of lust and desire surges through me as I scream out in ecstasy. I feel his warmth spreading inside me again when my glass-shattering wails become his undoing. He falls to my side, and this time he fortunately doesn’t stay inside me.
“I could live inside you,” he breathes, and he starts to move back to me.
“I think we just crossed a line,” I murmur guiltily, and he pulls me to his body in such a wonderfully affectionate embrace.
“We didn’t cross anything. You were still under the effects,” he murmurs into my ear, and then his lips trail up and down my neck. “We both still are. It’s not like it just disappears as soon as you get off,” he crudely adds, and I have to stifle a laugh.
“I should hope not considering that happened pretty early on the first time for me,” I grumble.
I can feel his lips smiling triumphantly against the back of my neck, and I start to get up when I realize my bare body is driving him mad.
“Please don’t leave yet,” he pleads. “I’m not fully out of the woods over here.”
I look to see the pain stinging his eyes. I know how excruciating it can be for someone to leave while you’re still feeling the intoxicating need for their body close to yours after a blood fuck.
“I’m just going to steal one of your shirts, and then I’ll be right back. I’m not over the need for closeness either,” I say softly, and he smirks as I wrap up in the sheet to deter his wolfish mind from scheming.
“This reminds me of the time I asked you to marry me,” he sighs.
I cringe lightly at his elation ringing out clearly, and I’m worried the intimacy we just thoroughly shared has fucked with his head. I know it has fucked with mine, and now the confusion I had has only been multiplied by infinity.
“Which time?” I joke lightly to keep the mood soft instead of heavy.
“All fifteen of them,” he snickers out, and I return while buttoning up a long-sleeved black shirt that drapes just barely long enough to keep me covered up. “I really wish you had put that on before we were done,” he growls as he stares at me in his shirt like I once wore all the time after sex.
I almost smile, and I quickly wipe it from my face before he reads too much into it.
“You kept asking me to marry you directly after a blood fuck when all senses are aroused, and every emotion is heightened,” I murmur softly while returning to the previous conversation.
He pulls me back into his arms, and I allow him to find the closeness he needs. He was the last to draw blood, so it will be affecting him for longer than it does me. I have to be empathetic to that. Or is it just an excuse to stay in his arms?
He kisses me lightly, and then he pulls my leg to be across his waist before deepening the kiss. The effects are still haunting him terribly bad, and his hand strays to be under my shirt.
“Easy boy. No more tonight,” I murmur against his lips.
“I could do more than just fuck you,” he breathes, and his soft, daring lips begin trailing down my body to the inside of my leg.
My mouth waters as his tongue lightly grazes the most sensitive spot on my body, and I fight the pulsating pain as I rip away from the seduction.
“I’ll leave if you don’t stop,” I gently caution.
“I can’t help it. You know how I get directly after a blood fuck,” he breathes as he grips my hips and jerks my body to his.
I’m not getting out of here without another fuck. Damn it.
“You have to. This was supposed to be about healing me, and you swore it wouldn’t complicate things. I’m still engaged,” I huff.
“Tell me you don’t still love me,” he whispers as he strokes my lips with his while his erection presses against me through the thin, rebellious shirt that wants to be pulled out of the way.
“Please don’t do this. You swore,” I whimper, and he sighs against me.
I feel the head of his erection barely pressing into my walls, and the surreal sensation is almost unbearable. He presses in just a little deeper, and it’s all I can do to try and fight as the pounding presses on. Finally, he’s completely inside of me, and I gasp as he pulls it out.
“Tell me you don’t want it, and I swear I’ll stop,” he mumbles into my mouth, and he starts the painful teasing all over again as the head just barely pushes in.
“Stop, please,” I whine, and he presses in deeper once more until I feel his base pressing against mine.
“Tell me you don’t want it, and I will. I swear,” he growls, and then he pulls out once more before thrusting into me with an ungodly force.
I moan as the pace starts back up, and I grip the back of his neck as he continues his bashing assault I can’t ask him to stop again. Have I now crossed the line?
He doesn’t stop, and my hips rise to counter his thrusts. His lips move to my ear, and he groans as he forces out more power against my quivering, exhausted body. I haven’t been fucked like this since him.
“Tell me you want it, baby,” he growls.
“Yes,” I whimper, and tears start to fall from my eyes as the moment of surrealism begins to grow once more.
“Tell me,” he commands.
“I fucking want it,” I cry out, and then my screams echo through the room, telling the world of my climax, and then he explodes into me.
He falls to my body, and I tremble horribly from the awakening night. His head is face down into the pillow to muffle his pants as all his weight presses down on me. He finally slides to the side, and he kisses me so softly as my tears drip into our kiss to flavor it with guilty salt.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, and now I can tell his sanity has returned - though my fucking sanity is still in question.
“It was my fault,” I say through the sobbing.
“No. I pushed you. I’m the one who wouldn’t just stop,” he says with guilt pouring out. “I shouldn’t have done that to you knowing-”
“Knowing what? That’s it’s a hybrid’s nature to never walk away from a good fuck?” I scoff, and more tears fall out.
“That’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say, knowing our history together. I know how much you loved me, and I know how hard it was for you to leave me when you thought I didn’t return the same amount. I shouldn’t have pushed you that far. I’m sorry,” he murmurs so sincerely. “You didn’t do that because you’re a hybrid because you wouldn’t have done that with just anyone. I know that, and so do you.”
“I shouldn’t have done it all. I should have just fucking bled to death. I wanted you, and now I’m going to have to tell Brazen what I’ve done,” I cry, and I turn over to sob away from him. “He’s going to be devastated.”
“Does he know that you and I are-”
“No,” I blare in interruption. “And he’s not going to. I think he’s got enough shit on his plate, and after tonight, I’m probably going to be one less burden for him to bear.”
“You could always come back to me. You know I love you, and I’m not just saying that because of the blood fuck,” he murmurs gently, and his lips begin stroking my shoulder.
“No I can’t, Hale. You keep acting as if I can just forget the damage done. I can’t. Even if things end with Brazen - or when they do - I still can’t move past the trail of tears you had me leave behind,” I strain out, and then I climb free from the bed.
I stare around at the destroyed room, and I shake my head when I stagger from the sexual overexertion mixed with the high that has just plummeted back down to reality. The reality is, I just cheated on Brazen.
“Let me walk you back to your roo
m,” he sighs out with reluctance when he decides not to push me any farther.
“No. I think we’ve spent enough time together for one night,” I huff, and I pick up the dress to toss it into the trash can.
“It wasn’t a request. I’m walking you to your damn room. It’s the least I can do,” he strains out with a pained tone.
I don’t say another word as he pulls on a loose set of track pants to follow me out. I peek outside the door to check for anyone that might be passing by, and I sigh in relief when I see the hallway is clear.
As soon as we start making our way down the hall, a man walks out of a room and halts to salute Hale.
“Captain,” the man says, and then he passes on when Hale salutes back.
I’m frozen in my humiliation when the man lets a smirk escape, and I turn to see Hale blushing lightly while unsuccessfully stifling a smirk of his own.
“Great. Now everyone in here will know I’m a cheating slut,” I grumble.
He jerks me around to face him, and his hands grip me at the small of my back as his eyes narrow at me.
“It wasn’t over. The effects were still in play. You’re eyes were still dilated. You were trying to fight it, but you can’t. Don’t call yourself a slut ever again because you’re not,” he admonishes.
“I’m a hybrid. We’re all sluts,” I huff, and he jerks me tighter as his eyes continue to scold me.
“No we’re not. I could have fucked a hundred or more girls these past three years, but I didn’t because I love you. You could have fucked anyone you wanted to at anytime, but you didn’t. You’ve been dedicated to one person, just like you were dedicated to me. Fucking someone while you’re under the effects of their blood doesn’t count as cheating, and it sure as hell doesn’t make you a slut. We’re better than they think we are, and you’re a hell of a lot better than you’re giving yourself credit for. Don’t tell him, and I swear you’ll have nothing to feel guilty about. I’ll never breathe a word about this unless it’s in your defense. I just want you to know I’m yours if you ever find a way to forgive me, but I would never do anything to take something away from you. If you love him - and I mean really love him the way you did me - then I won’t stand in your way,” he asserts. “The problem is, I don’t think you do. I think you just found someone to be the opposite of me, and now you’re trying to find a way out. If you need a way out, then come back to me. Like I said, I’m yours,” he says softly, and his lips threaten mine as he pulls me to him.
I almost give into the wonderfully promising kiss after hearing his gentle, soft, and perfect words that seem to have put my mind at ease, but then another man’s voice interjects.
“Captain Banner, Sir. I was just on my way to tell you of the damages, Sir,” the trembling voice announces.
Hale tightens his lips that never reached mine due to the interruption, and he turns to face the man while stepping in front of me to hide my skimpy attire.
“And?” Hale asks impatiently.
“The hybrids and full bloods have been healed, and the humans have been medically attended to without further fatalities, Sir,” the man obliges.
“Thank you, Private,” Hale murmurs, and the man offers a salute before walking away.
“I’ll see you later,” I sigh, and I walk over to the door that holds the cold promise of guilt once inside.
“I love you, Araya. I mean that. I’m here for you, always,” he murmurs.
“I’ll always love you, Hale, but I can’t be with you again. It’s too painful to worry about the future, and I would question every move you made. I’d read something into everything you said, every time you were gone too long, and every time we fucked instead of talked. Tonight… it was surreal. I won’t lie about that, but I can’t take the rest.”
His eyes show his resistance, but that’s just Hale. He never has been good at hearing no.
“Do you need me to stay with you until Brazen gets back. You haven’t really talked about Javeline,” he murmurs thoughtfully, and his thumb strokes my lower lip that has started to pucker upon the mentioning of my destroyed home that I’ve known for the past three years.
“No. I just need to be alone right now. Yet again, we fucked instead of talked,” I grumble.
“We were under the effects,” he exasperates. “I just told you I’m here for you. Sherry was your best friend and your partner that brought you to Javeline when she wanted to move there. I know you need someone to be here with you right now.”
“I don’t,” I whimper. “I just really need some time alone.”
“I understand,” he sighs out, and his eyes hold secrets behind them like they always have.
He hasn’t changed a bit. He has never told me everything, and he’s still holding back.
“Goodnight,” I sigh out, and I hear him leaning against the door when I close it.
I touch the place I know he’s standing behind, and I feel the tears starting to fall when he finally walks away. I need a shower. I look like hell and smell like Hale. I need to call Clay, but I don’t have a phone. I need to… sleep.
My tears fall feverishly, and I drown out my sobs on the pillow as I crash to the bed. It’s too painful to think about everything I’ve lost in a matter of hours, and what’s left to lose if Brazen ever finds out. Can I not tell him?
My burdened eyes close shut before I can think too much, and I feel the tears still seeping out as I curl up like a scared child in a parentless bed.
Chapter 4
Whiskey Breath and betrayal
The cold room is iced with a new frost when I wake up to the empty bed. Brazen still isn’t back.
I start to sit up, but I gasp when I see the pale eyes almost glowing in the dark with their night vision.
“Brazen?” I whisper.
“Yeah,” he snaps, and I hear the sloshing of the strong liquor I can smell rather than see in the pitch black air.
“Why are you sitting over there? Come to bed,” I murmur warily.
He doesn’t usually drink enough for me to smell it on his breath, and I can smell it dousing the room with its heavy toxic warning.
“I think I’ll pass,” he says very coldly.
I creep up a little better, and he stands to stagger across the room. I can hear him bumping into shit, and it’s not because he can’t see. He’s fucking wasted, fury radiating from his body.
“Brazen, you’re scaring me,” I almost whisper.
“Am I?” he asks with an ominous tone. “I’m sorry, Araya. It’s not like I can fucking hurt you or anything.” He stops to turn his eyes into mine, the glowing wrath scaring me all the more. “You have the big bad exploding gift, and the fact is, you’re more than capable of destroying me in every way fucking possible!” he blares.
“Please tell me what’s going on,” I murmur with a skittish tone.
“Really?” he chuckles out, and the lights almost blinds me as he flips them on. “I get back, and I’m worried to fucking death about you because I’ve been calling nonstop. No one could get through to the fucking compound because Hale wasn’t answering either. We finally got a hold of Wendy, and she couldn’t find you. Hale was busy, so she didn’t want to bother him. He was banging some girl because we could hear the vicious, wild, and savagely carnal sounds over the phone through the fucking door. I should have known something very obviously telling when Clay’s face went white beside me, but I thought there was no fucking way it was you,” he eerily releases, and I swallow hard when I realize what’s playing out right now.
“I’m thinking you’re hurt, or you’re tending to someone hurt. I’m thinking you’re devastated over your home being blown to pieces and you’re hiding out to find solace in solitude. Then I get here, and you’re in the bed asleep. I sigh out in relief to know that girl wasn’t you. My girl is in bed with tears staining her face, but then I smell him. He’s all over you. Then I see the man’s shirt you’re wearing, and it sure the hell isn’t mine,” he blares louder.
“So, A
raya, as you can see, I’m pretty fucking pissed to know I just heard my fiancée fucking her ex while I’m trying to get here to comfort her and make sure she’s safe,” he screams, and then the whiskey bottle shatters against the wall when he throws it beside my head.
Holy… fucking… shit.
“Brazen, please calm down. Let me explain before you do anything rash. I-”
“Rash?” he screams out in interruption. “Don’t do anything rash she says,” he chuckles out. “No, baby. I’m not doing anything rash at all. I realized tonight that I spent two years making love to a woman who just wanted to be fucked. You’re no different than the rest of your fucking kind,” he says in disgust, and the fuse that hasn’t been lit in a really long time suddenly bursts into flames.
My head tilts to the side as I stare at him like a lioness views her prey just before she goes for the throat. The small, thin thread that keeps my dark secret at bay has just snapped under his words.
“My kind?” I ask with a chilling tone, and the walls rattle lightly to emphasize my fury for his cutting, belligerent words.
His eyes begin to sober as fear pops into them, and he takes a step back when he realizes the dangerous zone he’s in.
“I didn’t mean it like that, baby. I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to do this like this,” he babbles out.
“Of course you didn’t. Not now. You think my kind is savage, don’t you?” I rumble out, and the thunderous promise of the walls crumbling threatens him all the more.
“No. I’m not scared of you, baby. Calm down. Talk to me,” he murmurs softly, and now I feel like a rabid animal caught in a cage that he’s trying to coax out.
It’s enough to bring back some of my sanity to break free from the dangerous trance, and I stagger backwards gasping for air.
“Stay away from me,” I warn in my own, terrified voice.
“No. Talk to me. Why did you go back to him?” he pleads. “Did you fuck him because of the thrill you got from the fight, or did you just do it to get out of marrying me?” he cries out.