Page 39 of Rise of the Witch
“Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it,” I snapped, clambering to my feet and glaring up at him in the darkness. “You were going to shoot Anthia. You’ve probably been waiting for a good opportunity to shootmejust so you could see what those fancy bullets would do to creatures like us. All because daddy gave you a new toy.”
A smart man would have dropped to his knees and begged for his life, but not Nox. His huge hands wrapped around my shoulders in a vice grip as he herded me backward, hissing in my face, “Do you want to know when I was planning on shooting you, bitch? The first night we were here. Isawyou. I saw you get down from your bed and creep over to my friends like some sort of monster. Those fucking claws of yours came out, and I saw it in your face—you were going to kill them and then kill me afterward.”
I choked on a gasp, but he continued, unrelenting, his voice dangerously low. “You thought I was asleep, but my gun was trained on you, aimed right between those pretty eyes of yours. If you’d made one move, your brains would have been all over that shitty hut, just like I’d promised.”
The rough stone of the altar caught on my skirt as he backed me against it. “I couldn’t do it,” I whispered, defeated by the realization of how vulnerable these men had made me. “I wanted you all to just disappear—wanted to continue living my life—but I couldn’t bring myself to kill them. They belong to me…”
“No, they fucking don’t!” he barked in my face, making me flinch. “None of us do. You’ve done nothing but come between us andlieto us anduseus. All because you wanted to spread your legs for some cock you care nothing about. You’re no better than that fucking Rusalka feeding on her prey.”
Even though I could barely see him in the darkness, I shut my eyes, not wanting to even catch a glimpse of the hatred surely written all over his face. This wasn’t how finding my Riders was supposed to be. They were supposed to be my missing pieces, the conduits for accessing my full power, and my fiercest protectors. The bonds between us were meant to be deep and unbreakable, but here I was, fighting my own emotions, and this man would rather see me dead than touch me.
But he’s touching you now…
Again, my deeper knowing spoke up. I paused, noticing that Nox was indeed still touching me, his grip on my shoulders not a painful assault but a solid presence, as if he were steadying himself. Taking a deep breath, I eased myself onto the altar, opening my eyes just as lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the man standing inches away from me.
I gasped as I caught sight of Nox’s face. Where I expected to find unbridled rage, I instead saw utter devastation. His long hair had come undone and now clung to his face, perfectly framing the wild look in his dark brown eyes. For someone who usually appeared either annoyed or detached in my presence, he looked dangerously close to breaking—to shattering into nothingness. Lightning continued to dance through the heavy clouds swirling overhead, ensuring I fullywitnessedwhat was happening before me.
“What. Are. You. Doing to me?” Nox gritted out, thumbs digging into my skin as he leaned closer. “What kind of spell have you put me under?”
“I’m not doing anything,” I rasped, hesitantly placing my palms against his broad chest, steadying myself as the earth seemed to tilt on its axis. “I don’t have any more control over this situation than you do.”
He lowered his forehead to mine, enormous body blocking out the rain—blocking out the entire world—as I was enveloped in that pine and sea scent of his. “I am not yours,” he growled, enunciating every word.
“I know,” I replied, claws lengthening of their own accord, catching on the fabric of his shirt as it clung to his chest.
Breathing raggedly, he tilted his head, running his nose down my cheek and along my jawline before brushing his lips on my neck.
“So, why do I want to mark you up? Make you bleed?” Nox snarled, lips curling back, teeth scraping my skin. “Why do I need to possess every inch of you?”
I swallowed hard, dragging my claws over his shoulders to the back of his neck, tangling in his long hair. That all-consuming desire he was describing was exactly how I felt about Asa when I dominated him, how I felt about Tan when I could form coherent enough thoughts through the pleasure he expertly wrung out of me. How I could possibly feel about Nox himself if he were to allow it.
IfIallowed it.
Nox must have sensed my hesitation as, without warning, he growled and sunk his teeth into my neck.
Chapter 32
Nox
Vasi squeaked as I bit her neck, and if I wasn’t already rock hard, that would have gotten me there. Her curvy little body was shaking in my grasp, claws digging into my skin, that infuriatingly intoxicating scent of hers fogging my brain until all I could think about was how to get inside her.
There’s only one way this is going to work...
I bit down harder, and Vasi moaned, legs spreading to accommodate my much larger body as I pressed against her, knowing full well she could throw me off with a flick of her finger if she really wanted to. After a tense moment where I wondered if those claws would indeed shred me to the bone, she relaxed in my hold—surrendering to me completely.
Smart move, little witch.
The rain poured down my back as I released her neck, firmly licking the hurt area and tasting blood on my tongue. I moved my face back to hers, close enough to kiss her but having no intention of doing so. Every time lightning flashed above us, I could see the desperate need in those gorgeous eyes of hers, but she waited, knowing I was the one in charge here.
Although my cock was straining in her direction, even though I was dying to fuck her, face down in the mud until she shattered around me, I forced myself to take a steady breath. I wasn’t interested in losing myself in this woman the same way Tan and Ace had. At least one of us had to keep our head on straight.
But I still can’t seem to stop.
Wrapping one hand around the back of her neck, I possessively slid the other down her chest, inhaling sharply when my thumb brushed over a peaked nipple and I realized she wasn’t wearing anything resembling a bra. Continuing my path, I ran my palm down her thigh, reaching the hem of her already bunched skirt and wrenching it up higher. The tiniest gasp escaped her as my hand slipped underneath, and that noise combined with the feel of her soft skin almost made me lose all resolve.
Easy Nox. If you fuck her, she wins.
It was my turn to moan when I discovered that not only was she not wearing any goddamned underwear, but she had a full bush waiting for me. The chicks I fucked usually left little more than a landing strip of hair if they left anything at all, so this was new, although not surprising. And I fucking loved it.
