Page 28 of A Kiss From a Revenant
A wicked thought flows through me as I stare down into her trusting eyes. What if the reason I have not earned her confession is that she has become too comfortable in our routine? There is no more mystery between us—the sharpest edges of the monster I used to be have been dulled by her. What if I need to show her the depth of my devotion so she is encouraged to meet it with her own?
I’ve been playing by her rules this whole time. Going wherever she bid me and doing whatever she said—and I’ve enjoyed every moment. What if I no longer gave her a choice? What if I took her deep intoThe Woodsand fucked her endlessly until her confession came out as a broken sob of pleasure?
The image of her shaking and desperate—vowing to be mine in no uncertain terms—makes me burn hotter. I’m lost to the depraved fantasy as we leave the alley and quickly travel back to her cottage. It is wrong—I couldn’t do something like that…could I?
With the old oak door swinging shut behind us, I watch Nory hang her cloak by the fire. Her green eyes find mine. Exhaustion weighs her down; if I were to take her, she’d hardly fight me.
With a yawn, she leans against the wall.
“As much as I am glad to have helped these women, I’m happy it’s over now. Doing two in one night definitely took a toll.”
I nod, unsure that if I open my mouth, I won’t confess to wanting to steal her away. If I took her now, she would be mad—but would she really fight me for long? I can give her pleasure in my embrace and protection from the dangers of this world. Even as I think it, maybe it would be wise to talk to her.Nory has always managed to surprise me. If I told her of my wish to take her away, maybe she would go willingly.
Our time together is coming to an end. This may be the only chance I have to take her from this stagnant environment and thrust her into one where there is only me. If she understands how desperate I am for her, it could be just the thing to break through any final barrier keeping her confession at bay.
And if it’s not, I will spend our final hours together in total bliss. My primal nature stirs after a deep slumber at the thought of keeping her. Even if she tries to flee, I’ll capture her and pin her beneath me until she is begging for my cock once again.
I shake myself and decide to go with a reasonable approach.
“Nory,” I say, crossing over to her and taking her in my arms. She comes willingly, and that gives me enough hope to press on. “I’ve been thinking…we should leave the Snowlands. Together. We can make a home—just the two of us. Somewhere far away from here. You have more than enough money to leave this all behind. I do as well—enough to get us a house deep inThe Woodswhere I am more powerful and can protect you better.”
Her lush mouth parts. Blinking green eyes up at me, she is quiet as a dozen emotions flash across her face. My hands tremble along her back as hope dances through my veins.
Only to be shattered in an instant.
“No.” The word is said so softly I barely hear it. Before she says anything else, she’s pushing away from me and taking a step back. “No—I—I couldn’t. My life is here—I just killed all those men to keep it. Not to mention my responsibilities. Here I have a purpose. What would I have if I left?”
“Me.” I reach for her, but she sidesteps me. “You would have me. Don’t you want that?”
Desperation claws at my stomach. With the distance she’s putting between us, I realize that I’ve played my hand wrong,and if I don’t act decisively now, I could lose her forever. Have I truly misread her so completely?
There is a brief moment of hope as a look of longing dances in her eyes. Silence stretches as if she is considering it despite her quick refusal. Then, as if a sheet of ice has encased her, all warmth leaves Nory. Her skin turns paler as her eyes turn stoic.
“I always expected you to leave. Especially with our bargain complete.” Her voice is odd—breathy—not that of the confident woman I’ve come to know. “Now I have the means to live my life the way I wanted to before my mother’s passing—alone.”
My eyes roam over Nory as I stare at her. I’ve heard her words, but they don’t make sense. These past weeks together could not have been a lie—she promised me forever every time I touched her. Now she is claiming otherwise, that our time together was fleeting. I’ve felt her heart and tasted her soul. Nory is mine.
With the undoing looming, I have no choice but to give in to my madness. A desperate male will do anything to secure the thing he wants most in this world. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want Nory. I let the mania devour me, and the monster I am floats to the surface. Her body jerks as she watches the change come over me.
While I may look the same, the male before her is different from the one she’s come to know. He can taste her lies and will stop at nothing to have her.
A dark chuckle permeates my chest. Nory backs up a step, but I quickly come upon her.
“You can’t mean that.”
A stubborn tilt to her chin and the defiance in her eyes is the only indicator that the real Nory—my Nory—hasn’t been devoured by her icy denial.
“I do,” she spits.
Another chuckle leaves me as I grasp her upper arm.
“You expect me to believe you’ve been biding your time—waiting for me to go—with my seed still drying on your thighs.” I inhale deeply, licking my lips and delighting in the faint trace of her I find there. Her cheeks darken as she tries to free herself from me. “I know you, Nory—better than you know yourself. I’m the only one who’s seen the real you—tasted her too.”
She trembles as I lower my face to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Licking up her throat, my lips find their way to her ear.
“Maybe I just need to fuck you again so you remember.”
Nory rears back, fire burning her eyes. Her chest rises and falls. The hard peaks of her nipples bead along her dress. I can scent the delicious state of her pussy. Her anger is real, but so is her desire. Good, I’ll just?—
