Page 6 of Silverproof Damsel

Painstakingly slow, Rhys’ dark head turned back with the promise of violence hanging heavily in the air between us. The hair on my nape rose as goosebumps spread down my spine, then stretched over my flesh. His nostrils flared as violent waves churned in his azure stare.

“Keep your mouth away from me. I’ve no idea where it’s been. Not that I care. I only care that you keep it far away from me. Understood?” One of his hands lifted, cradling my jaw as his thumb trailed over the other side lightly. “Don’t.” The plea escaped on a broken sob before I could stop it from rolling off my tongue. Tears pricked my eyes at the tenderness of his touch.

“You forget. I can feel you, Remington. I know exactly what you want from me right now. What you need from me isn’t soft or sweet. Nah, you want to be fucked quickly and brutally. That’s what you crave, isn’t it? You see, it doesn’t shock me that you desire to be used like a little slut. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, now, did you? Nah. Can’t say I didn’t see that coming.” The violence festering in his azure precipices threatened to drown me. “Tell me I’m fucking wrong. You’re just like your mother.”

My hand lifted, fully intending to collide against his cheek again, but his free hand blocked it before he captured my wrist harshly. His other hand tightened its hold on my throat. The brutal bite of his thumb, forcing my jaw open, made a whimper escape from my swelling throat. Rhys’ grip on my wrist threatened to break the bone if I fought his hold. The brutal sound of his cold, callous laughter forced tears to trickle free.

“Which alpha are you currently fucking most in your little reverse harem? My bet is on the wolf. If I recall correctly, you couldn’t take your eyes off his prick.”

“Silly boy. I’m fucking all of them at the same time. I have three holes, after all. Plus, I’m a badass who can multitask when the rewards are worth it. Trust me, it’s so fucking worth it withthem. After all, I’m such a slut.” A lie, but one that rolled off my tongue easily enough. “Why the fuck would you care who I’m fucking, Van Helsing?”

The blue of Rhys’ eyes was swallowed by darkness. Thick, ink-colored lines spread from his eyes, then stretched down his cheeks as the veins filled with his demonic power. Blood drained from my face as his breathing became rough with each breath of air from his rattling lungs.

My mouth had run away from me. It would be the final nail in my coffin.

Why? Because I didn’t know when to leave well enough alone.

I couldn’t outrun him. I couldn’t fight him off. Not when I had no idea how to wield my magic without killing my intended victim. Until I could harness and sharpen my aim, I was screwed. I didn’t want Rhys to be dead or hurt. Okay, so I wanted to hurt him a little for what he’d put me through. What he was still putting me through.

Well, shit, Remington. You just had to go and bait the beast. Someday, you’ll learn to shut the fuck up. That day wasn’t today, though. A smarter person would’ve recognized how close to the surface Rhys’ demon was. They’d have shut the hell up and not continued poking it. Knowing that if they continued, it would erupt.

This was how I died.

Chapter Three

Thequickeningofmyheart thundering within my chest drowned out whatever it was he said next. Rhys’ smirk turned into a cocky grin as his dark head fell forward. Lips skimmed the flesh between my throat and collarbone. With a purring sound, he nipped the sensitive flesh.

The instant his mouth grazed my skin, it eradicated all intelligible thought, evacuating everything from my mind. Magic surged from his mouth, expelling anger and erupting into a burning lust at my core. My thighs tightened together, craving friction as his hand released my chin.

He moved it to my waist, rubbing his palm against the small swell of my abdomen. The sound he issued was pure arrogance. I didn’t move as he leisurely explored the proof of what we’d created, which was cradled in the womb he caressed.

“Mine,” he growled out roughly, then dragged one finger up my chest, through the valley between my breasts. It stopped beneath my chin, forcing my eyes to lift and collide with pools of obsidian reflecting my alarmed image within the dark, shimmering surface. “Do you fucking hear me now?”

Fighting back the urge to drive my knee into his balls, I shut my eyes. Inhaling oxygen deep into my lungs, I fought to recall everything Nyota had revealed about Rhys’ demonic half.

Rhys was the most formidable incubus demon known to the immortal world, allowing him to bypass his older brothers to take his place as the head Van Helsing alpha, ruler of their house.

The black swallowing the azure of his irises warned me of who was sitting in the driver’s seat. Either his demon had full control, or Rhys was struggling to keep it from him and was obviously losing.

Nyota had warned me repeatedly to never argue or provoke Rhys when his demon was close to the surface. She’d told me the gentleman he had allowed me to see before wouldn’t be the same man I faced now.

Rhys’ kind, chivalrous mien allowed the world to see him in a brighter light. He’d permitted them to see his calm demeanor, so they would lower their guard. It made them not suspect that there was a monster lying just beneath the cool, indifferent visage they looked at when they saw him.

“Don’t lie to me, Love. You’re forgetting a vital fact. I’minsideof you, same as you’re inside of me now. Our souls are linked as one. It means I fucking feel you and know you. Do you honestly think I’d allow them to live if they’d fucked you?” His tenor held the promise of violence and sin humming in every word he uttered.

Swiping a thumb across my trembling lips, he snorted, then turned his head as if he were listening for something. With a disgruntled sound, Rhys brought his mouth a hairsbreadth from my lips. It caused him to brush against my lips as he rasped out with a low, guttural ‘fuck-me’ tone.

“I knowexactlyhow badly you need to be fucked right now.” Releasing his hold, he pressed his nose against my ear. “Be agood girl. Don’t fight me. I won’t fight fairly. Start a war and I’ll chain you to the wall and play with you nightly, never allowing you to find relief from the ache throbbing between your thighs.”

His husky words sent a shiver rushing from my head, stopping at my toes. His dark, whiskey-drunk laughter told me he was very aware of what the shiver meant. I didn’t need him to elaborate on how easily he could manipulate my system.

Rhys had told me before how he couldn’t make me want him. The messed-up part was he didn’t need to do anything to make me want him. My body didn’t care if he was a cruel bastard who’d shattered my heart. It didn’t care about him tossing us aside like trash.

The only thing my body knew was that it had been constantly left in a state of need. Rhys wouldn’t have to try hard to torture me right now. Incubus demons could heighten and play on your needs. They fed from fucking. That meant he’d take whatever he needed or wanted from me.

“Don’t worry, Silversmith. I’ve no intention of fucking you. Honestly, once was enough with you. The rest was a matter of convenience.”

Pain lanced through my chest as his words stabbed through my heart. How was it possible to want him, while also wanting to remove his balls through his throat?

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