Page 55 of Where the Dark Things Bloom

She loved me. I knew she did. And I was too selfish to let her. I had to ruin it first, destroy us, believing somehow that in all the wreckage, everything would still be okay.

She was my little stepsister. I was supposed to protect her. But how could I protect her from anything, when I couldn’t even protect myself?

I lifted her into my arms, and carried her out of the room, closing the door behind us like it had never existed. I took her to her bedroom, and closed that door, too—like the world might come crashing in before I even had the chance to worship her the way I always meant to.

I laid her down on the bed. She wore only the oversized shirt I’d dressed her in while she slept. Now, I pulled it off her. Her nipples were hard—so achingly hard. I leaned down, cupped her breast, and took her nipple between my teeth.

Nothing was like it had been before. Tonight, I didn’t want punishment. I just wanted to let her love me. The way it should’ve been all along.

I could always punish her tomorrow.

She knelt before me, her blue eyes staring right through me, like she could see my soul. She braided her hair into two pigtails,one on each side. And when she was done, she reached for the zipper of my jeans. She pulled it down and tugged my pants low.

My cock sprang free, already hard, already hers. She knew exactly what she was doing. She always did. This wasn’t about innocence or shame. It was about forgetting the ghosts that haunted both of us.

She wrapped her fingers around my cock, guiding him to her mouth. She teased the tip with her tongue, slowly, then took him in—deeper and deeper—twisting her tongue along the underside of my shaft. One hand played with my balls, gently. The other pulled my cock deeper down her throat.

My eyes rolled back. I moaned, grinding my teeth, staring up at the ceiling like there might be a trace of salvation hidden in the plaster.

There wasn’t.

There was only her.

She quickened the pace, gagging softly as she shoved me deeper. I looked down—saw a tear slide down her cheek—and caught it with my thumb before it fell.

Then I took her face in my hands and thrust into her mouth, relentlessly. Her eyes started to roll back. She gagged, struggling to breathe.

I slapped her cheek. “Take it all the way, little stepsister.”

And she did. I felt her throat tighten around me—and then I pulled out, making her choke. I grabbed her neck and pulled her up to face me. I kissed her, deeply, tasting myself on her tongue. Then I twisted her around and shoved her down onto the bed, her back arched, her ass in the air for me.

I slapped her ass, spread her open, and pushed her inside.

She gasped.

“No mercy,” I said, watching her.

I drove deeper, harder. Her head tilted back, her mouth falling open in a silent cry.

“Love me harder,” she whispered. “Show me.”

“Love you?” I laughed, grabbing her by the pigtails and pulling her head back, her back still arched, her body trembling. “I’m going to fuck you like no one ever has. I’ll love you later, Trouble.”

And I did.

I pounded into her, her ass slapping against my hips, the sound echoing through the room. She was already tightening around me, and I hadn’t even begun. I kept going, relentless, as her moans grew louder, filling the space between us.

Each thrust went deeper than the last. Her eyes fluttered shut, her mouth falling open, screaming my name between gasps—sharp, consecutive, desperate. She was getting tighter around me, clenching harder, and just as I felt her near the edge, I pulled out.

I saw another snake coming from under the bed, coiling down my leg like it had been waiting for its turn.

This house was full of them.

I pushed Lenore back onto the bed, my voice low. “Lie down. Don’t move.”

She obeyed. Arms stretched above her head, body spread out, her hair tangled, half-braided, half-loose.

I picked up the snake from the floor and placed it gently on her chest.

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