Page 64 of Ruin

“Ava,” I say quietly, staring down at her, clinging onto me like I’m her lifeline.

It fills me with a heady sort of power. And I hate that we have to leave here. But I can’t stay here any longer. I just need to get away from everything.

“I’m going to cut this chain off,” I rasp, eyes angled down on her, but I don’t dip my chin. “And you’re going to sit still, whilst I do it,” I pause, making sure she’s taking in what it is I’m telling her.

She nods, and I know it’s not because she cares about the chain. She just wants to please me. I squat down before her, coil the length of heavy metal links around my hand, pulling it taut away from her face.

“Hold this here,” I show her how to hold the chain in both of her hands, and she wobbles a little at first. “You have to stay still, Baby Bird.” She nods again and my dick is so fucking hard, I can hardly concentrate.

I raise the cutters, bringing the blades of them to the O-ring on her shackle.

“Tilt your head back,” and I watch as she does, moving it as much as the shackle will allow.

Obediently and somewhat blindly trusting me, even though I definitely don’t deserve it. But I think that’s why it pleases me so much when she follows orders. I thought I’d prefer her fight, violence is the guaranteed thing to get me off, but her submission,fuck,it tastes so sweet it could crack my teeth.

She swallows as I line up the cutters with the first link in the chain, but she doesn’t move, keeping her eyes on mine. I don’t want to look away, lose those gorgeous eyes that fill every thought inside my head, but I need to concentrate on not snipping the flesh of her neck and killing her before our… whatever this is, has even really begun.

Muscles bunching in my forearms I widen the mouth of the cutters, get the thick link of metal between its jaws and she moves.

“Ava,” I scold, a cracked whimper catches in her throat, “I’m not removing the shackle.”

I’m not sure why I voice it. It feels like the right kind of thing to say, like a reassurance. She is slightly territorial over her cage, not wanting to leave its bars, despite never being told not to. I broke open the fucking gate. Yet, I always place her back inside of it when I leave, like an automated action, and now I wonder if there’s some sort of comfort in the heavy iron that shackles her pretty little neck.

She blinks those large eyes, staring up at me, and without looking at what I’m doing, despite it being really fucking risky, I hold her gaze. Keep her comfort and snap the cutters closed. I almost squeeze my eyes shut as I do, but I don’t tear my gaze from hers, and then she blinks again. One, long, slow blink, and she looks down, the slithering sound of heavy chain coiling onto concrete draws my own eye. She drops her hands, fingers uncurling as the chain glides free of her palms.

And she just stares at it.

And I, at her.

Her chest heaves and she doesn’t blink again, her fingers reach up, towards the shackle still locked tight around her throat, but she doesn’t touch it. Her fingers merely dancing lightly in the air, as if she’s wondering what to do now. I imagine it must be better, the weight not constantly forcing her to strain her neck and shoulder muscles.

I stare at her, my teeth, bloody indents in the space between her neck and shoulder, another in her upper throat. I know I should wash them properly, probably apply some sort of antiseptic cream but all I can think about when I look at them is sinking my canines back deep inside her muscle, see if the tips of my sharp teeth can scrape bone the next time.

A strangled, cracked sound seems to rip from her throat, and it startles me so much I physically jolt. Dropping to my knees before her, sweeping the chain aside with my hand, grabbing her chin with the other. She bites her lip, tears clinging to her bottom lashes threatening to fall and my cock fucking jerks, weeping at the tip, pressing against the tight leather of my trousers.

Using my thumb and forefinger on her chin, I drag her attention to me, her eyes lowered, hidden beneath her thick lashes, gaze on the offending metal. She reaches up then with her suspended hand, the one that was just twitching close to her throat without touching. She grabs the ring on her shackle, a choked, heaving sob wrenching out of her mouth.

“Baby Bird.”

I grip her harder, tilting her chin up, base of her skull crunching on the metal around her throat. My other hand goes to the side of her throat. Thumb beneath her jaw, I dip my chin, lift my eyes, cock my head.

“Ava,” I rasp, louder, sharper, and she finally lifts her gaze to mine.

Her eyes are so blue, the ring of brown around the edge almost black and her pupils are deep and wide and pitch. Wet. Tears run in rivulets down her cheeks now, big, heavy beads, dripping from her lashes and splashing against her bare thighs, the concrete between us.

I groan, low and deep in my throat, the sound vibrating its way all the way up from my chest.

“Oh, my pretty little Ava,” I crack the words out, thick with lust.

Leaning in, my lips brushing over hers, she stills, tears still rushing down her gaunt cheeks. Fuck, I thought she was pretty before, but now, like this, big wet eyes, her bottom lip quivering. I think this must be what love looks like.

The flat of my tongue runs up the length of her cheek, the tip of it catching the salty liquid hanging in her lower lashes. Pressing my nose to her cheekbone, my lips wide, bottom one pulled down, teeth against her jawbone, I shift, moving so I’m crouching right over her, holding her face. She breathes hard, her fast, hot pants against my bare chest, prick goosebumps across my skin. I palm the side of her neck tighter, lazily lap at the skin of her cheek, collecting her tears on my tongue.

I mouth her other cheek, sucking and plucking at her pale scarred skin. Biting along her jaw, tasting her, filling my mouth, exciting my tastebuds with just her. I’m breathing hard too. Panting breaths blowing down across her bare chest, pebbling her nipples. Goosebumps rushing out over her skin, I lift my eyes to hers.

“So pretty, my little Ava,” I whisper over her mouth, and shocking me, her eyes big and round on mine, she snags my bottom lip between her teeth, biting,hard.

I groan as she sucks my lip into her mouth, rich copper tainting and electrifying our kiss. Our teeth clash as she mauls my lips, the bottom then the top, biting and suckling, and fucking eating me. I grab both sides of her throat, palming her neck over the thick, wide shackle, thumbs pressing into the hollow underside of her chin.

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