Page 127 of Cruelly Bitten
Three hours later, he was still silent, his gaze on the road as we entered former-day Bologna. He was making good time with this car yet driving at a slower pace than I would behind the wheel.
However, we didn’t appear to have anyone tailing us.
So I let him continue on our path while I observed from the back seat.
I’d taken off my suit jacket to wrap it around Ismerelda, her head resting in my lap, her eyes closed. She hadn’t stirred at all, my darling queen having locked herself deep within her own mind. I wanted to coax her out, but to do that, I needed to understand her. To understandus.
Thus, my focus shifted between our surroundings and her memories.Ourmemories. Memories I might never experience for myself.
How had I become this male?I kept wondering, confused by how softly I’d treated Ismerelda. She’d been my own littleporcelain doll, a beautiful being I’d been too afraid to hurt. Hence, I’d left her on this untouchable shelf and had done everything in my power to ensure no one and nothing could harm her.
Had I not noticed the lioness lurking in her gaze?Perhaps I’d been too blinded by my heart or too scared to lose her to focus on anything other than protecting her.
But at some point, I’d lost sight of who she could be. Whatwecould be.
I’d left her in the care of another male—alycan—and run off to save the world without her.
What an arrogant and selfish thing to do.
Nothing should have mattered to me more than Ismerelda’s life. Yet I’d abandoned her for everyone else. Put the fate of humanity over the fate of myErosita.
Perhapsselfishwasn’t the right term. Yet it felt that way.
I’d put my own purpose—my owngoal—above my relationship with Ismerelda. I hadn’t asked for her input. Hadn’t treated her as an equal. I’d just… acted.
She harbored some resentment toward me for it. However, that resentment was riddled with guilt.
Because she didn’t want to fault me for my decision. She understood it. She even wanted to commend me for it.
But deep down, she was hurt. Angry.And scared.
That sort of decision had required a conversation. Yet there hadn’t been one.
I’d simply cut her off.
And disappeared.
I ran my fingers through her knotted strands, my throat working as I continued skimming through her mind, learning more about our history, aboutus.
Most of it felt wrong, like I was observing a past that belonged to her, not to me. Which I was in a way. Except all herrecollections featured a man who looked exactly like me.Dark hair. Blue eyes. Chiseled jaw. Straight nose. Muscularly lean. Tapered waist. Fine ass.
Her descriptions of me rolled through my mind, causing my lips to curl in amusement.
She might hate me when she woke up, but part of her would still want me. Just as she had all week.
Although, thinking of that had me hearing her mental distress—something I’d entirely missed while lost in her sweet pussy.
She’d been miserable.
Ecstatic at points, too. But overall…broken.
Which had led to her current state.
“Fuck,” I breathed, rubbing a hand over my face as her thoughts and memories rushed over me, the heat of them searing my heart rather than my groin.
She’d enjoyed what I’d done to her, all while hating it at the same time. Because I’d treated her like she’d meant nothing. A toy to be fucked.Someone I didn’t know or respect.
Ismerelda wasn’t wrong.
