Page 186 of Wrath of the Fae

‘You’re not going with them,’ he warns. ‘You’ll not go to your death.’

I look at him, my heart cracking under his stare.

‘I want nothing to do with that child,’ Cyrus insists. ‘And you know I’m speaking the truth. Nothing. I want nothing to do with her.’

‘You’re going to be a father.’

‘No. I’m not. I’m going to be your Mate. Maybe your husband if you choose to marry me. That is all I plan to be.’

‘You can’t just walk away-’

‘I fucking can. I haven’t slit her throat for doing what she did because she is your sister. I protected her and defended her all for you. But this betrayal is a betrayal to you too. And I will not forgive it nor be a part of it.’

A few steps, and he’s placed himself in front of me. He has to force me to look at him, and when I do, I see nothing but love and determination in his features.

‘What she did, she did without my consent.’

‘I know.’

‘I did things in the First that I wished I didn’t. Things that will haunt me until the day I die. But I swear I never betrayed you. Even when I was forced… when they made me… with another…’ Every word he tries to say gets sucked back inside him. Such pain marks his face. Such trauma.

‘I know!’ I bite back, tears and pain choking me from the inside. ‘I know what it’s like to be forced and blackmailed and made to do shit you don’t want to do, Cyrus. I fucking know. And so do you.’ I point towards the manor. ‘And now so does she! But the fact remains that you will have a baby with my sister.’

My words echo all around me. I turn away so he doesn’t see me cry.

‘I can’t face this, Cyrus. It’s not safe. I’ll kill her. I almost killed Reid.’

‘Reid’s fine. He’s-’

‘He was willing to die to make me stop. He would have given me all of his blood.’

‘Because he loves you. Just like I love you!’

I spin around to face him with furious tears streaming down my cheeks.

‘I don’t want anyone to die because they love me!’ I scream. ‘I don’t want anyone to love me at all! I never have because this?’ I slam my hand on my heart. ‘This is too painful!’

‘Well, that’s tough fucking shit!’ he bellows back, storming up to me and pointing an angry finger in my face. ‘Because you are so fucking loved by so fucking many, and there is nothing you can say or do to change that.’

‘Is that what this is?’ I shove him hard in his chest. ‘Is that what this nightmare is?’ Another shove. His mouth goes into a tight line as he tries to hold his temper. ‘Is this what love is, Cyrus? Because if it is, I don’t fucking want it!’Shove. Shove.‘I DON’T FUCKING WANT IT!’ I keep shoving as I start to sob violently. ‘It’s too painful,’ I cry, weakly hitting him as he takes everything I throw at him. ‘I can’t live with all this pain. Your pain. Their pain.’ I give another hit before lowering my head and breaking down completely. His forehead rests on mine, and his hands settle on my hips. ‘She betrayed you. How can I forgive her for doing that to you when I know what it is to have someone take advantage? How can I ever be her sister again?’ I look up at him. ‘How can you ever look at me again when I left you there? When my face is hers? She raped you, Cyrus. She’s having your baby.’

‘If she was publicly raped, and I stood by and did nothing, would you have ever forgiven me?’ he asks. When I stay silent, he tilts my head up to him. ‘Answer me.

We stare at each other for a moment.

I shake my head.

‘She should have spoken to me. I get that she was trying to spare me the pain of betraying you, but what she did was fucking wrong. Rest assured. If anyone else had done this, they would die slowly and painfully. But for you, I make exceptions. So I won’t kill your sister.’ He steps forwards, pushing me back a little. ‘I will not be that child’s father.’ He keeps walking, forcing me to step back again and again. ‘You can’t make me or persuade me otherwise. This is something I’m not willing to do. Not even for you.’ My back hits a tree. ‘I love you. I want you. That’s it. Nothing else. Not a child. Not an heir. Not a fucking throne nor wealth. You. My entire fucking world is stood before me, and if I lost it, I would lose everything, and I’m not the type of man that lets that happen. All I have and all I am is in your hands. Exactly where I want it.’ He yanks my trousers down. ‘You think I can’t look at you? You’re all I ever want to see.’ He pulls out his cock, not once looking away from me. ‘You don’t get to leave me.’ He kicks my legs apart. ‘You’re not going anywhere, Raven. You belong to us. Hate Rhea if you want, but you cannot hate me. Not again.’

He buries himself inside me with a forceful thrust and a feral grunt. I yell at the sudden intrusion, unprepared and stunned at how hard he impales me. I throw back my head and dig my fingertips into his shoulders, clinging onto him as he loses all restraint, slamming into me harder and harder.

‘Look at me when I’m fucking you,’ he orders, taking hold of my chin and holding it roughly in hand. ‘You look at me when I’m fucking your brains out. You look at me with those eyes we gave you.’

My mouth is open, and all I can do is gasp as he does precisely that. He fucks my absolute brains out.

‘Tell me you love me, Princess.’

‘I love you!’ I pant as he hammers into me.

---