by Adria Wade
My body, oversensitive to his touch, was singing with pleasure. He practically owned me. He knew exactly where to touch and how to do it. He was the master of my emotions as they stormed all around me at once. As he grabbed my face and met my lips, his fingers cooled my burning cheeks, and I shut my eyes, getting lost in the bliss that poured down on me like heavy rain from a long awaited thunderstorm.
I felt immobilized as my heavy breathing was like an echo to his own. I knew he was watching me, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes. I felt sick with exhaustion, yet I could feel his need for more flowing inside me, and it took total control of me, playing with my emotions as my hunger to have him once more grew. Despite what little strength I had in me, I was in for so much more until his need was satisfied and I would be left destroyed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
His fingers smoothly ran down my neck and over my chest as goosebumps spread over my body. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as the feel of his hands gliding over my skin sent waves of pleasure crashing within me. He gave a satisfied smile as his red eyes watched my reaction, enjoying the affect he had on me.
His had found the outside of my thigh, gently moving over my skin as he leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I like watching you. I enjoy seeing what I can do to you.” He nipped my earlobe, and my breath hitched as pleasure shot within me.
The simplest touch made by him was an overwhelming sensation that dominated my body, sending me to that blissful state where I would remain until he touched me no more and I would come crashing back down again.
As his lips brushed against my neck, he kissed and nipped his way to my mouth. With my hands pressed against the back of his neck, I slipped my tongue in his mouth, and as our tongues met, my starving hunger to taste him melted away. Our bodies moved against each other and I felt it building; the need, the desperation to be satisfied until my insides exploded in pleasure.
****
I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him. His humming filled my ears as he walked about the room while I stared up at the ceiling, trapped in a daze and barely able to focus. My heart was pounding, vibrating through my chest with every beat as I tried to steady my breathing. I felt weak; so weak that I barely had any control over my limbs, and my stomach was beginning to ache with the same stabbing pains that I had to endure last night. I feared that I was withering away, but there was nothing that I could do. I was powerless against him. His allure was too strong to resist. He had a hold on me. Even though he wasn’t physically touching me, my body was aware of how near he was. It was as if our bodies were linked together, in tune with one another, and despite the growing pain, I was aching for his touch.
It took everything that I had to roll over on my side and bring my legs up to my stomach. I drew in a breath and wrapped my arm around my legs, hoping the pressure on my abdomen would relieve the ache.
There was a smile to Ambrose’s lips; one that filled his face with glee as he paced the floor. His eyes were casted down as he muttered something under his breath and snickered. His masterplan was going smoothly. He knew he had won the bottle. There was nothing or no one that could stop his sinister ways.
He then stopped and looked at me. “I can feel your distress. It’s making my body tingle.” His smile broadened as he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. “What a rush.”
He took his time walking toward me. All of the excitement that once showed disappeared as it was replaced with a much more serious look. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized that he was deranged. He knelt on the bed, hovering over me. His fingers gently ran down my cheek before he gripped my shoulder and pushed me on my back. I whimpered as the pain strengthened, exploding throughout my body, torturing me within.
“It hurts, I know…but what pains you brings great joy to me. Soon, though, your suffering will come to an end.”
I opened my mouth to talk, but I couldn’t find the strength to do so. The pain was far greater than last night. Ambrose’s face became nothing but a blur as my eyes filled with tears.
“You look pale. Would you like some water before we continue? Maybe it will help a bit.”
He got off the bed, only to return a moment later with a glass of water in hand. He gripped my arm and pulled at me, and I cried out in pain as he forced me to sit up. I closed my eyes for a brief second as my head grew fuzzy with dizziness.
He cupped my chin. “Open your mouth.”
As my lips parted, I welcomed the cold drink as it filled my dry mouth and slid down my throat. He set the glass on the floor before he gripped the back of my knees. He leaned down and moved his face close to mine. His eyes, blazing with want, gazed into mine. My breath hitched as he brushed his lips on mine—a feeling I just couldn’t seem to get enough of as my heart accelerated.
“Now, I must satisfy my thirst for your body,” he whispered so seductively against my lips, then claimed them.
His lips were running so smoothly over mine, igniting the burning flame of lust within as his tongue slid into my mouth, and I could feel the coldness of his power pouring into me, taking from me, and claiming my soul a little at a time. He broke the kiss, and I gasped as he tilted me backward and I fell back on the bed. The sheet slid over my skin as he took his time pulling if off my body before climbing on top of me. He was like a cat who liked to take his time playing with its prey before going in for the kill, and his sex games were all it was…slowly killing me with sensuality.
****
Everything became a blur after a while as he came back for more repeatedly, and each time the sensations intensified, so did the ache that burdened my body. I was tortured by the pain, yet pleasured by his touch. I didn’t know how much more I could take. I couldn’t keep my body from shaking, and the hot flashes that spread through me were relentless. I was slowly slipping away. The damage was done, and as much as I would have liked to be hopeful, there was no saving me.
He pressed his hand to my sweaty forehead, his face glowing with happiness as he hovered over me. “You’re a fighter, it seems. Most of my victims are ready to be claimed by now, but no, not you, which means you have so much more to give me.” He then kissed my neck. “So I’ll keep taking until I have all of you.”
A chill spread over my body as his breath tickled my neck. Just as he was about to kiss my lips, he paused, his brows pinching together. “Something is wrong.”
“Paige!” It was Eli. His voice echoed throughout the room, and even with the distance between us, I felt an urge to go to him.
“Paige, you have to wake up!” The distress in his voice worried me. I could hear the panic and the desperation as he begged me to come back to him.
I wanted to go to him. “Eli,” I whispered.
Ambrose’s face turned into stone as his venomous eyes glared down at me. “No; don’t listen to him. Stay with me!” His fingers dug into my skin as he gripped my arms so tight. It was a welcoming distraction from the pain that ripped through my insides. “Paige,” he said through clenched teeth, but I wasn’t listening to him anymore.
My focus was on Eli. Darkness began to slither over my eyesight until the room faded out of sight and I could see Ambrose no more. I felt a light weight on my shoulders as my body shook back and forth. The taste of copper filled my mouth.
“Paige,” Eli said.
I felt a light tap on my cheek, and I groaned, forcing my eyes to open. Eli’s worried, tired face filled my sight. I felt warmth trickle from my nose. I could barely keep my eyes open. The pain was far more excruciating than in my dream. It felt like a million sharp knives were ripping through my flesh all at once.
“Silas is going to help us.”
I burst into tears. I couldn’t stand it. I just wanted the ache and pain to stop. I felt bile rise in my throat. I brought my hand up to my mouth as the bile spilled out of my mouth, but as I looked down, I saw red dripping from my hand and realized that it wasn’t vomit at all. It was blood. My breathing sped up as panic flowed through
me.
Eli’s lips parted, taking in a sharp breath as he stared wide-eyed at the blood. “Oh, Paige.” His voice was laced with sadness.
“Eli, you have to get her out of here. He’s waking up!” Silas yelled.
“I don’t feel well,” I said.
“I know,” he said softly.
He grunted as he scooped me up into his arms, and his legs shook from the weakness in his body. I could hear the struggle behind Eli. A fight between brothers. As Eli turned to walk to the bedroom door, I saw Ambrose punching Silas in the stomach. I heard the painful grunts that escaped Silas’ body. I gasped as he struck Silas in the chest, his claw slicing into his skin so deep, running them across his chest, shredding his flesh as blood poured out of him.
I looked behind me while Eli took me farther away. Somehow, Silas managed to get a hit in. Ambrose had just caught himself from falling when Silas stabbed him in the heart, his claws sliding all the way through and coming out of his back.
Eli began to run, picking up speed as we made it outside. I rested my head on his chest and squeezed my eyes shut, a whimper escaping from my throat as I breathed through the pain. That was all I could do. There was no helping me through this. Ambrose took too much from me. Death was, indeed, in the air as I struggled to stay alive, fighting against the inevitable.
****
Everyone crowded around me as we entered Bram Manor. Their worried faces stared in horror as Eli pushed past them to get to the staircase.
“What the hell happened? We thought you guys were upstairs this whole time,” Athena said.
Their feet stomped on the staircase as they followed behind him, keeping up the pace.
The blood was coming again. I could feel it rise up into my throat, spilling out of my mouth and soaking Eli’s shirt.
“Oh, man, Eli. This is really bad,” Kyle said.
“Chelsea, you need to call Taylor and tell him to come here right now.” His voice shook with sadness.
“She’s not going to make it, is she?” Chelsea asked, her voice weak with sorrow.
Silence filled the air for a moment before he finally spoke, and when he did, it was a torturous, miserable voice. “No.”
I heard him sniffle as he stormed through the hallway and entered the first bedroom he saw. He placed me in bed. The soft mattress felt good to lie on, but it didn’t do much to soothe my discomfort. He pulled the covers over me, and then kneeled beside me. I closed my eyes as he ran his hand over my hair.
“Silas did this, didn’t he?” Athena said.
“She wouldn’t kill him unless she saw that he was evil, so I went along with her to protect her. Ambrose, an enemy from my past, attacked me. Silas is his twin, and he was in on the plan to get revenge against me, only Ambrose’s plan revolved around taking Paige’s soul.” He exhaled. “They took us. They chained me up and injected me with something laced with ash leaves. I was so weak that it was a struggle to lift my own damn arms. He fed off her and made me watch as she suffered. He targeted her because he found out that I loved her. This is all my fault,” Eli cried.
“Hey, don’t you ever think that. It’s not your fault. What matters now is that you got her away from him, and now we can find a way to save her,” Kyle said.
“Why wouldn’t you come to us? We could’ve helped so that this wouldn’t have happened,” Athena said.
“She didn’t want to scare him off. I thought I could protect her. I had no idea Ambrose was waiting for us, and I sure the hell didn’t know that Silas was his twin.”
“How did you escape?” Demetrius asked.
“Turns out, Paige was right; Silas is good. He actually did fall in love with her, and that changed his mind about the revenge plan. I think he’s lost. I think he’s stuck between being loyal to his twin and wanting to protect the one that he loves. He left the room so that he wouldn’t see her suffer, but he couldn’t stay away. He unchained me and fought Ambrose off while I got her out of there.”
“He fed off her, which means he was bonded to her as well. He couldn’t claim her…he’ll be coming for her,” Demetrius said.
“We need to break the bond,” Eli said.
“She isn’t in any shape to carry out a ritual. She isn’t strong enough. I’ll get my amethysts. If we place them around the bed it will keep him from claiming her,” Violet said.
Eli stood. “Wait, Vi. You looked into her future, didn’t you?”
“I see death, but it can change. Like I’ve always told you, though, it’s up to you to change it,” Violet said.
I cried out as a shooting pain so unbelievably powerful and deep tore through my stomach, spreading to my chest and arms. The pain was like waves crashing to the shore, some of them far stronger than the others were, and I had a hard time tolerating the stronger ones.
“I want it to stop,” I said, breathless yet barely able to even get the words out.
Eli shushed me and climbed in bed beside me; our noses touched as he pressed his forehead against mine.
His fingers found my hair once more, gently massaging my head. “Just try to relax.”
Having him so close was the comfort that I needed, but I had a hard time relaxing. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to make me comfortable until the time came, and knowing that left my heart sinking deep into my stomach.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The world was spinning. Even with my eyes closed, it was never ending. I thought back to when I was a little girl playing outside with Tessa and Sean. They were playing tag and running circles around me as I looked up, and with my arms outstretched, I spun around while leaves from the trees fell all around me. The crisp breeze brought a fresh smell to the air as fall quickly approached. When I fell, the trees that towered over me, continued to move without me. It was amazing how my head, sick with lightheadedness, could trigger the most precious memory of my childhood as I lay dying.
I heard talking, hushed voices swirling around the room, careful not to be too loud in fear of disturbing me, but the aches and pains were disturbing enough. My mind had stirred from my sleep a little while ago and I quickly gathered that I passed out from the pain, but I had yet to open my eyes. I was too tired to do so. With my arm wrapped around my stomach, I whimpered as my body shook in agony. As a sharp pain stabbed through my abdomen, spreading to other parts of my body, I tore my eyes open, crying out as my tears soaked my cheeks.
“Make it go away,” I cried.
A hand brushed against my hair. “It’s okay,” Taylor’s soft voice filled my ears.
He was finally here. He must have come when I was still unconscious.
I panted and balled my hand, squeezing the life out of the covers as I fought through the torment.
“Hey, do you need anything?” Taylor asked, his voice shaking with sorrow.
I looked up at Taylor’s miserable face staring back at me. He sniffled. His cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes were puffy and red.
“It just hurts so badly,” I cried.
I heard a growl. “I can’t handle this. I don’t want her suffering anymore.”
“It’s going to be okay. Violet is making her potion. It should be done shortly. It will numb her pain,” Lucas said.
I rolled on my back and looked down at the end of the bed where Eli paced the crowded room. His worn out face sagged with grief as he raked his hand through his hair. He was restless and helpless, suffering along with me as he was forced to watch me slowly slip away from him.
“Tell him to leave, Taylor,” I grumbled.
Eli stopped pacing and scowled my way. “I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s okay if you do.”
“I’m fine!” he said in a stern voice.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn’t have the strength to fight him on it.
Oh no. It was coming. The blood. I could feel the pressure building in my chest as it made its way up my throat. I winced as I tried to sit up, but I was too weak to do it on my own. I grabbed Taylor’s a
rm to pull myself up, but it was too late. Blood came spilling from my mouth, soaking my face, neck, and hair, but it didn’t stop. The blood just kept coming. I gasped for breath, hearing the gurgle in my throat. Realizing then that I was choking, Taylor gasped and pulled me on my side as more blood fell from my mouth. He hit on my back as I coughed, yet tried to catch my breath all at once. I rested my head on the bed and shut my eyes as I panted.
Taylor brushed the hair from my face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize until I was too late. You need to be cleaned up.”
“No, I’m okay. I just want to sleep. I’m so tired, Taylor.”
“You can’t stay in your blood,” Taylor said.
“I’ll do it. Everyone is going to have to leave, though. I need to undress her,” Eli said.
“I’ll get her clothes,” Chelsea said.
“Her bag is in my room,” Eli told her.
Taylor stood up from the bed. “I’ll be waiting outside the door. Yell when it’s safe to enter.”
Eli pulled the covers from my body and gently pushed me on my back. I grumbled and forced my heavy eyes to open. I pushed his hand away as he unbuttoned my pants.
“No. Leave me alone.”
I didn’t want to be bothered. I was hurting too bad.
“You’re covered in blood. You can sleep after I get you cleaned up.”
“I’m dead, anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Don’t you say that!”
It was true. He knew, only he refused to accept it. I stopped fighting and let him undress me. I tried to remain impassive and not wince as much while he took my clothes off as gentle as he could, but even the slightest movement affected me. I was simply falling apart as the longest hours of my life slowly ticked by.
He left me for a moment while he went to the bathroom and turned on the water. I groaned as he lifted me from the bed and took me to the bathroom, carefully placing me in the tub. The hot water soothed my cold, shivering body, and I relaxed as much as my body would allow me to.