Page 11 of Veradel
“Such a greedy little thing,” he murmurs happily before working his lips and tongue up my inner thigh. That word—greed—has always felt likea transgression, such a break of the Cardinal Rules. But with Lucan, here, right now, it feels undeniablyright. “You’re going to let me protect you? Keep you safe?” I nod, fisting the sheets as he rewards me with a swirl of his tongue. “You’re going to give me all of your depraved thoughts? Secrets?”
“Yes,” I breathe out.
“No more walls,” Lucan demands, pressing his middle finger into me. “No more rules.”
I almost cry out from that alone. How a single finger of his could fill me this much has sent me into other-worldly delusion.
“Fucking hell, baby.” He drags it out. In. Curls. “So wet for me. So sweet. Can you take two?”
“Lucan,” I plead. “Yes.”
Yes. Yes.Yes. I could say that one word forever and never tire of it.
Another finger slides in, stretching me perfectly.
His tongue drags across my clit, and this time, he doesn’t stop. His fingers and lips and tongue and teeth all work in tandem, building pressure and pleasure, mixing hints of pain and ache.
Lucan’s rough hums vibrate against me, adding to every one of my electrified senses. My fingers braid through his hair. My hips grind unapologetically against his face.
Higher and higher, I keep climbing, to a point I never thought was possible. Where I don’t have to do it myself. Where the man kneeling before me can’t get enough ofme.
He smiles between my legs, a dark, villainous, upward tilt of his lips that has me falling.
“Come for me, little nightmare. Show everyone how good the Monster devours his prey.”
I scream his name.
Until I see black.
“I have no clothes now,” I sigh.
It’s been over fifteen minutes since Lucan crawled up my body, lay beside me, and let me collapse onto his chest to recover.
Now, he lets his eyes roam hungrily up and down my naked body, gleaming with flickering firelight. “I can’t say I’m bothered by that predicament.”
“You’re going to keep me naked forever?” I raise a playful eyebrow. “Let your friends see me like this?”
I mean it as a joke, but a vicious growl rips from Lucan’s throat, and in one fluid motion, he flips me around onto my stomach and straddles my thighs. “I don’t share when it comes to you.”
His erection—disappointingly still in his pants—digs into me while one of his enormous palms skates down the groove of my spine.
“Well, I can’t stay in your bedroom forever,” I taunt, eager to explore this possessive side of him… but also testing to see what his possessiveness looks like. Will he lock me away in the same way Arad did, keeping me from the rest of the world?
“You can stay in this bedroom forever if you want,” Lucan begins slowly. “Forget everything and let me worship your body for the rest of our lives.” He pauses, brushing his lips down the same path his hand just took. “Or you can run far away from here, wander and explore the world you never had the chance to know. But if you do run away, Saskia, mark my words.” From the corner of my eye, I see his expression darken. “I will chase you. I will catch you. And I will continue to worship you.” He lets out a breath against my spine. “But it’s your choice where that takes place. In here or out there or anywhere in between.”
My chest squeezes with the significance of those words. Before I can form an adequate response, the weight of his body releases me as he plants both of his feet on the floor.
“Where are you going?” I turn my head and settle my other cheek down against the mattress.
He opens the door next to the bed to reveal a closet, showcasing a variety of female clothes. Brown and black pants, cotton shirts, leather jackets, elaborate dresses, and simple dresses all hang from hangers in two deep rows. After a jolt of unease, I remember how he told Vivian to fetch me some outfits and marvel at how quickly she followed his command.
“Do you…” I clear my throat. “Do you control your pack like how you controlled me in the bathtub?” A flush crawls up my neck at the memory, but the answer feels important, somehow.
Lucan turns to look at me, cocking his head at the warmth in my face. “No. What I did to you in the bathtub was more of a strong,strongsuggestion.Since you were willing, I was able to guide your hands exactly where I wanted them, but it wasn’t actual control. Trust me, little nightmare.” His jaw tenses. “If I could truly take over someone’s willpower, I would have made Arad slit his own throat every time he put that necklace on.”
The air chills at his words, and I shiver as I remember how he threatened to battle me for my own mind to keep me out of trouble in the Blood Moon Palace. He seems to track my trail of thoughts now and massages his temples.
“It was an empty threat, and I never should have made it. I was just so pissed off and terrified that you were going to get hurt, I thought maybe I could accomplish the impossible and force you to change your mind. But in the end…” He lifts his head back up. “What you do with your free will is why I l…” He trails off and restarts. “It’s what makes you you. Even with my pack members, I have no desire to actually take control like that.”
