Destructive Embrace

by Robyn M. Pierce

  Apparently my face matched how I felt, because when Zeke’s eyes roamed across my expression, I saw a certain gleam in his eye.

  “Why, you’ve gone pale, Elyssa,” Zeke said. Nothing but false concern was in his voice, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you thinking?” he asked as he moved around the cell, gathering things he’d want to use in my beating.

  “I’m thinking that my wrists are going to go numb as I dangle here,” I said. My tone was carefully careless; who knew how easy it would be to set him off again?

  The vampire laughed at me. “Well, I don’t need you to have feeling in your wrists, so you’re fine.” Zeke’s voice was teasing, and I gaped at his back; did he think I was just playing around? I’m going to need to figure out a way out of this, I thought. Soon.

  My predator began to set things on top of the table in the cell, and I glanced them over to try to figure out all he had planned. One ordinary whip sat on the table, along with another which had three separate tips; a single vial which held a thick-looking brown sludge was also on the table. Good luck getting that down my throat!

  “Ah, before you get it into your pretty little head to kick me,” Zeke muttered, quickly ducking down to shackle my ankles. I cursed, realizing I hadn’t been thinking about my legs. I could have kicked him already. But it still wouldn’t free you, I reminded myself.

  The first strike came while I was lost in my own thoughts. The sudden biting pain of the whip digging into my ribs and stomach elicited a gasp from my lips.

  It stung more than I cared to admit, and I bit down on my lip hard. He hadn't hit me that hard during any session before this... What had I done by angering him this time?

  "Ah, so you aren't as tough as you would like for me to believe," Zeke taunted me, holding his whip at his side. The tip barely touched the floor. He lifted it, swinging it around carelessly. I watched it, trying to guess where he would hit me next. He noticed my gaze and launched forward, backhanding me once. "Whatever is going through that pretty little head of yours," he hissed, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at him, "stop thinking it. You're not going to be able to get out of this one, my dear."

  I ran my tongue out over my lip, tasting blood. Great. A split lip. "Oh, you don't like that?" Zeke asked when I glared at him. "Too bad," he bit out, grabbing my face once more. He forced my mouth open and jammed the opening of the small vial into my mouth, forcing the disgusting sludge down my throat. I tried to cough it up before it could all slide down my throat, but my torturer clamped his hand down over my mouth and held it there until it was obvious that I'd swallowed the liquid.

  "That's a good girl," he cooed. I snapped at his hand, baring my fangs at him angrily. He chuckled and hit me again, reopening the cut on my lip that had just finished healing. "Enjoy that," he said cheerfully.

  I was confused, until the cut refused to heal itself. My quick mind pieced two and two together, and four didn't look very pretty right then. "You bastard." I spat out some blood. "What the hell did that potion do?" I asked, fighting against my chains. Zeke shrugged, setting the plain whip down in favor of picking up the triple-tipped one.

  "It slows down the healing abilities of the one who drinks it. I usually never use it, since it allows my human toys to die faster, but..." He grinned. "Since you're a vampire, you'll last much longer. Now shut up and take what you deserve!" He slashed out at me with the whip, and the three tips cut into my stomach, chest and hip.

  The sharp pain of the hits took my breath away, but the dull aching as the wounds remained made me woozy. There was nothing worse than having the ability to withstand all of this torture and pain, I imagined. I clenched my fists, digging my fingernails into my palms. When I broke the skin and more blood spilled from me to trail down my wrists and arms, Zeke glared at me.

  "You are not allowed to harm yourself, you little bitch," he said, hitting me twice more with the whip. The lashes dug into my legs and torso and my grip weakened until my nails no longer dug into my palms. "Much better," he murmured, smiling. I glared at him and he clucked his tongue at me. "What?" he asked, shrugging. "If you're inflicting pain upon yourself, then you won't feel my lashes as much, and you deserve nothing less than to feel every biting hit I give you."

  His expression was serene, like nothing would relax him more than being in this cell, beating the life out of me hit by hit. I tried to read into his expression more, to see if there was any pain, any weakness that I would be able to take advantage of. But nothing showed through his mask, and I braced myself for more beatings.

  Zeke stared at my chest with an amused expression and I glanced down, groaning when I saw that he'd once again shredded a shirt of mine. "You know, for someone who detests me, you seem to quite enjoy ruining my clothes. Before you know it, I'll be running around the castle wearing nothing at all," I said.

  "You should know, Elyssa," Zeke said, grinning at me, "that the thought of that doesn't bother me one bit. However, Olivia may not like it if you spend time with her Mate in your birthday suit. I'm just saying." He shrugged and I glared at him. He looked away from my glare in favor of studying my chest once more.

  "You're such a pervert," I muttered. My face heated, and his gaze snapped up to my face once more. He appeared puzzled.

  "How do you have enough blood to still blush?" he asked softly. "I suppose I'm being too soft on you." With that, he hit me three times more, the whip digging into my flesh three times for each hit.

  I screamed as the tips dug into wounds from previous hits, and Zeke's expression brightened. The tears in my eyes blurred my vision, but I could easily see the grin on his face, as well as the happy light in his eyes. "You screamed," he said, voice wondrous. "Such a lovely noise..."

  I clenched my eyes shut, letting the tears spill so that when I looked at him again, I could see him clearly. "Shut the hell up," I growled. I expected him to hit me again for my backtalk, but instead he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his hip against the table. Silence followed.

  My whole body was in pain as I dangled from the wall. It burned to breathe, and each rise and fall of my chest aggravated the wounds there.

  We’d been staring at one another for a few solid minutes. I couldn’t figure out why he’d stopped beating me; not that I was complaining. He half-sat on the table, perched there like he had all the time in the world; his expression was unreadable.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked me suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest as he tilted his head to the side. His quiet behavior threw me off; going from beating me to a pulp to gazing at me thoughtfully kind of scared me.

  “Didn’t you ask me that already?” I chuckled. Zeke continued to stare at me silently and I sighed. “I’m not really thinking anything in particular,” I told him. He nodded once, slowly. When he rose from his place on the table, I tensed, immediately expecting the flogging to resume.

  However, Zeke brought himself to stand before me, gazing down at me with the most curious of expressions. I tilted my head back to hold his stare.

  Zeke lifted his hands, place one at my waist as the other travelled to my face. As he trailed his hand up my body, he lingered an extra moment at my throat before cupping my cheek tenderly. I winced at the contact as a stinging pain hit me – his backhanded hits were no joke – but he didn’t let up on the small pressure.

  “What are you –”

  His lips on mine cut me off; the hand cradling my face slid around to fist the hair at the nape of my neck, pressing me into the kiss with an urgency I’d never felt before.

  Through the pain, a fluttering in my stomach registered to me and I widened my eyes, staring at Zeke’s closed eyelids as he kissed me. It felt like a vulnerable, all-in type of kiss, and my lack of a response caused Zeke to press against me more.

  I gasped in pain as he wound his arm around my waist and pulled me flush against him. He took advantage of my weak gasp and slipped his tongue into my mouth.

  As I was beginning to give in, his expl
oration took a decidedly playful turn as he teased my tongue with his, and I let out a hiss as I leaned my head away from his. “Zeke, what –”

  “Shh.” He touched my lower lip with his thumb, brushing it over the spot where it split from an earlier hit. His gaze was clouded with countless emotions. I parted my lips under his touch and turned my head to kiss his hand.

  Looking into his eyes once more, I saw no trace of Zeke’s usual self. He’d suddenly morphed from his usual woman-beating self into a man with feelings for the woman before him.

  Warmth spread through me unexpectedly, and I sighed. Before I could say anything, Zeke leaned back in to kiss me, moving forward so my back was once again against the wall. I strained against my chains.

  At the sound of them clanking, Zeke snapped away from me. He seemed to remember what we were doing in the cell; I held my breath as I waited for the beating to resume.

  A devious smirk appeared on his face, and I braced myself. “Why are you suddenly fighting against your chains?” he asked. “Are you craving more than a kiss?”

  My face heated and I scowled at him. “I was taking advantage of your moment of weakness,” I lied. The reality of why I’d fought against my chains was as Zeke guessed: letting him kiss me wasn’t enough. I bit my lip and shook my head in denial.

  He laughed quietly, moving toward me once more. Zeke placed his hands on my hips and smirked down at me. “All you ever had to do was ask, love,” he said. I frowned, hoping he meant that all I had to ask for was my release, but was certain that he didn’t mean that.

  Zeke bent over to unchain my ankles, and I gasped. Maybe I was wrong.

  “Zeke…”

  Zeke

  “Zeke…”

  The whisper of my name sent a wave of warmth through me. I set my hands on her waist and lowered my face to her neck.

  “Let me down,” Elyssa breathed, tilting her head to the side. She fought against the chains and I chuckled.

  “Ask me nicely,” I told her, nipping at her cool flesh. She shivered, but shook her head, defiant even though her need was apparent.

  “Just one small word, Elyssa,” I breathed, trailing my hands up her sides to brush the pads of my thumbs against the underside of her breasts before stepping away.

  Elyssa’s eyes snapped to mine quickly, and her body sagged back against the wall. Blood had rushed to her face and chest – a sight I’d grown accustomed to since her arrival at the castle.

  The indecision on her face reminded me that she wasn’t some heartless tramp who would screw anyone around. She was important…

  I placed my hands on either side of her slender neck again and leaned down to capture her lips in a soft kiss. I slid my hands across her shoulders and along her arms to where her wrists were shackled.

  As soon as the clank of metal signified her release, her arms were around my neck, holding my face to hers urgently. I laughed into the kiss at her frenzied actions, and wrapped my arms around her waist to lift her off the ground. Her legs clasped around my waist and I carried her to the table in the main part of the dungeons.

  I backed up to the table and sat down on it, holding onto Elyssa so that she was straddling my lap as I sat. She was raised slightly above me on her knees, the fabric of her jeans barely brushing against mine. Elyssa leaned down to kiss my neck.

  I released my hold on her, sliding my hands under what was left of her shirt. I felt goosebumps rise beneath my fingertips and sighed. Elyssa lifted her head, a curious expression on her face.

  As she opened her mouth to speak, I captured her mouth once more, delighting in the startled gasp that came from her.

  The skin of her back was astonishingly soft. I ran my hands along the length of her back as we kissed, trapped by the smoothness.

  Her petite hands traveled up my torso at a painfully slow pace; I felt goosebumps trail after her caress and gripped her tighter, digging my nails into her skin. Elyssa hissed, pulling away from me. She tugged on my bottom lip with her teeth as she moved away, and my arousal grew uncomfortably hard. It caused the fabric of my jeans to rub against her leg, and a smirk lifted the corner of her mouth upward. My eyes rolled back in my head as Elyssa scraped her fingernails along my scalp. I tilted my head back and she ducked down to trail kisses along my neck once more.

  I was supposed to be in control, I realized as she began to grind against the bulge in my pants. But the friction was so delicious…

  I brought my hands around to her front, letting them dance up her stomach to cup her breasts through her bra. She inhaled sharply, pressing her chest more firmly against my hands.

  “Kiss me,” I demanded softly. Elyssa nipped at the flesh of my neck for a moment longer, before lifting her head to look at me. Her face was red, eyes half-lidded with desire. Slowly, she brought her face to mine, kissing me once; the barest brush of her lips to mine. It still sent a jolt of electricity through my body.

  I slipped my hands out from under her shirt and gripped her thighs. “Hold on,” I told her. She complied, arms winding around my neck. I kissed her once more as I lifted us off the table. My grip was steady as I lowered us to the floor.

  “Here?” Elyssa questioned breathily. I grinned and slammed her down on the floor. She hissed, arching her back in pain.

  I knelt above her. “Stop questioning me, pet,” I whispered, leaning over her to kiss her neck. She lifted her hands to thread them through my hair and sighed. I reached behind my head to grasp her hands and held them over her head against the floor.

  “Stop,” I murmured, bringing my gaze up to meet her green eyes. She looked away and I released her hands and she let them slowly migrate to my shoulders. Her stunning eyes met mine again, and I held her gaze as I let my hands wander up her shirt again. I took my time, fingertips pressing carefully against her skin, and lowered my mouth to hers as I finally cupped my hands over her supple breasts.

  Elyssa kissed me back eagerly, pressing her soft tongue to my lips. I opened my mouth to allow her entrance, and met her tongue with mine.

  I broke the kiss so I could pull her tattered shirt over her head, and met her mouth again hungrily.

  Elyssa hiked her legs up over my hips and held on tight, raising herself up to grind her center against my arousal. I didn’t want an over-eager romp though.

  Prying myself out of her hold, I shoved her down roughly. I pressed my hand against her throat, and growled. “Knock. It. Off,” I hissed, baring my fangs at her.

  She narrowed her eyes at me and hissed back, before I pressed down on her windpipe. The passageway squeaked as she tried to breathe, and I smirked. “Good girl,” I whispered.

  I lowered my head to her chest and, releasing her throat, pressed her bra out of the way. I kissed the valley between her breasts before darting my tongue out to run it along her skin.

  She gasped and gripped my shoulders, her nails biting into my skin through my shirt. The fabric prevented her from piercing my skin, but I was certain that bruises would form if she held on for too long. I pulled away from her, letting the cold dungeon air touch her skin where my lips had previously been. A whine left her lips and I chuckled.

  “You’re going to leave marks on me, my sweet,” I told her quietly, prying her hands off my shoulders with little difficulty. Elyssa was very compliant under my touch; whether she was distracted by our play or that she just didn’t want to hurt me, I wasn’t sure.

  Her look was apologetic, and she snaked her hands up to dangle loosely from my neck. The tips of her fingers toyed with the ends of my hair. Having my freshly cut hair played with felt nice, and I sighed. Suddenly I remembered who I was supposed to be, and shook my head. Having her so close, within my grasp and so ready beneath my touch, was heady.

  But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to drop my defenses for a short while, to spend time with her. The woman you love, I reminded myself.

  I set my hand against her face tenderly, staring down into her eyes. The idea of baring all of my emotions was terrifying, but for Elyssa, I mi
ght just be able to do it.

  There was just something about her that attracted all of us. Well, all of us, with the exception of Wyatt, the oldest, most boring of us. But the rest of us mere men fell victim to her charms. Like we were the humans and she was the cunning, irresistible vampiress.

  In reality, she'd captured us all before she was even turned. There was just something about her eyes that drew me in. The way she carried herself added to it, but the main cause of me falling so hard for her was the way she showed all of her emotions whether she meant to or not. There was nothing hidden from me when I stared into those emerald-colored eyes, and there wasn't anything I couldn't read about her just by watching the way she carried herself and how she behaved around others.

  It wasn't as though I was privy to her interactions with others on a regular basis, though. Most of what I learned came from spying on her, when I was uncomfortable with the idea of outright spending time around her. She was unpredictable to a certain degree – and that degree was almost outside my reach.

  "Elyssa," I whispered, leaning down to touch my mouth to hers. It was a chaste kiss, something schoolboys would steal from the girls, but it was perfect. It conveyed everything that I needed to get across to Elyssa. Or, I felt that it did. If she was unable to feel it all, she was more dense than I'd ever imagined her to be, and therefore she was undeserving of the feelings I had for her.

  I held back a chuckle. It was impossible for me to lie to myself, especially in regards to Elyssa... I adored her no matter what, regardless of how dense she might or might not be. Even if her brilliant eyes couldn't quite manage to see my feelings, she was still perfect to me, still the one I would love for a long time coming.

  I was startled out of my thoughts when she tugged my head down and began to nibble on my lower lip. She didn't do it with the intention of getting me all riled up once more – it was more of a tentative nip, like she wasn't sure if I would allow her to act on anything she wanted – but the effect was the same as if she'd sensually taken my lip into her mouth with the goal of making me ravage her on the spot.