Chapter 18 TOO CLOSE TO THE FLAME
Varkos
I had snapped humans into bits for daring to breathe when I didn’t want them to.
That was the first thought that returned to me—sharp, and ugly as I stood alone in my chamber, staring at nothing and everything all at once.
She had stared me right in the eyes, and dared to threaten me…in my own freaking house! As if she already knew the consequences and decided it wasn’t enough to stop her…she
No one did that to me in Bleeding Rose.
No weak human lived long enough to try.
My jaw tightened as I poured the whiskey into a glass cup and sipped it once, the glass cracking faintly beneath my grip.
Part of me wanted her punished, brutally, for her to be reminded of what happened when humans forgot their position in this town.
Fucking bitch—
KNOCK!
A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, then the door opened without waiting for permission as Ginnie stepped inside.
But then she froze the moment she saw me, her fingers tightening around the cleaning cloth in her hands the moment her eyes met mine across the room.
“I—” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t know you were here.”
I said nothing, my gaze piercing straight into her without looking away for a second. She shifted, clearly calculating that I was in no mood to see her face, “I can come back later.”
Then she turned, about to walk away when my hand closed around her arm, hard enough to stop her breath short, as I yanked her back against me before she could take a second step.
She gasped, stumbling to steady her grip as the door slammed shut. “What are you doing?” She demanded, but the words shook despite her effort to sound calm.
Without saying a word, I locked the door, and the sound echoed loudly in the room. “That’s what I was about to ask you,” I leaned closer, lowering my voice.
Her chin lifted in defiance as she tried to pull away, but I didn’t let her. “Let me go!” She snapped.
A bitter and cold laughter escapes from me, “Where did it go?” I asked, my grip tightening around her arm. “That courage you found so easily the other day when you were throwing threats at me, where is it now?”
She parted her lips to speak but I didn’t let her, I tightened my hold just enough to silence her. “No,” I murmured, “You won’t dare speak unless I allow it.”
I stepped closer, so close that there was no inch of space between us, “Disappointing. You raised your voice at me the other day…and now you can barely breathe in the same room.”
Her breath hitched.
“I asked you something,” I went on, enjoying the way she struggled against my grip. “Where is that fearlessness now, Ginnie? Where is the woman who forgot she was human for a moment?”
“I was protecting—“
“You fucking challenged me.” I cut her off before she could finish, forcing her closer to me. Her eyes finally met mine—wide and furious, refusing to lower.
“There it is,” I said quietly, “the fire in your eyes… still burning, even now. You think you can speak to me in that way,” I continued, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “And walk away untouched?”
I released her arm suddenly, and she staggered back, clearly preparing for the worst that was about to come. But instead, I just stood there, watching her as she steadied herself.
Her hands curled into fists as she lifted her eyes to meet mine, even knowing what I was capable of when she dared to look a high-ranking Lycan in the eye.
“You should be afraid, “ I told her calmly. “You should remember who you are in this place, Ginnie..but yet,” I added, tilting my head slightly to observe her. “For some stupid reason, you just keep forgetting.”
I took another step towards her, “And now,” I said slowly, “I’m going to teach you a lesson so that you will never speak to me in that manner again.”
Before she could react, my hands clasped around her neck. She stumbled back, but my other hand caught her waist, tugging her back to me.
She groaned as my lips forcefully crashed into hers, seizing her lips in a brutal force. Her eyes gaped wider as she felt my hand grab her butt squeezing it too tightly while I kissed her so hard she could barely breathe.
When my mouth finally tore away, she gasped, dragging air into her lungs as quickly as possible only for me to shatter it again when my tongue flicked against her throat, hot.
My hand stayed firm around her waist, pinning her, while the other slid lower, cupping her as if I already owned every secret part of her. “Answer me,” I growled against her skin, my teeth grazing the hollow of her collarbone. “When I ask you a fucking question,” my fingers pressed harder, “You better answer. Before I snap you in half!”
She flinched at the sound of my voice, but I didn’t give her the time to reply as my mouth claimed hers again, until I couldn’t tell where her breath ended and mine began. I lifted her effortlessly and tossed her down onto the bed.
The mattress dipped beneath her weight, but before she could catch her breath, I was looming over her while stripping my shirt away in one fluid motion.
“V…varkos, please. Don’t do this,” she begged, but her plea was nothing but music to my ears.
“Don’t act shy now, Ginnie. You think I don’t know that you dream of that night every single day?” My hand slid up her thighs, making her pulse stutter. “Every time you look at me…you were imagining this.”
“No,” she whispered, so faint that I couldn’t hear it. But the gleam in her eyes said something else.
“I’m sure your body hasn’t gotten over how I fucked you that night,” I murmured, my lips brushing the shell of her ear, “but I’m going to fulfill your wish again. Now spread those legs for me.”