Chapter 30

Chapter 30
Rhea.
Sleep was impossible. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't force my eyes to stay closed and remain that way.

It'd been a while since I was curled up beneath the blankets. I had tossed, turned, and pressed the pillow over my head until the feathers threatened to smother me. I honestly thought if I suffocated to death, maybe, just maybe I would finally get the rest I couldn't get here on earth, but I was wrong, very very wrong.

None of it worked. My skin still hummed with the ghost of his touch, my lips still stung from the kiss that never came, and the worst part? I craved it more than I had anything in my life. My body was wound tight, aching in ways I hadn’t known were possible until he showed me.

And I hated him for it.

Every time I shut my eyes, I saw his smirk, I heard the smooth venom in his voice as he whispered how much trouble I was in. He’d left me in that room like I was some chastised child, but my body wasn’t chastised. It was thrumming, desperate, restless and wanted more.

More what though? I asked myself even though deep down I knew the answer to the very question I was asking myself.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed because I refused to check. Doing that was only going to prove that that weasly vampire brat had managed to worm his way into my mind and stay there even though I wanted no part of it.

“Goddammit,” I hissed, throwing the sheets back. Without thinking, I got out of my bed. It was usually soft, but tonight, it felt like a hard rock against my back.

I paced for a while, hoping movement would bleed it out of me, but the bond kept tugging, a taut string that thrummed every time I tried to ignore it. That’s when I noticed something strange. Every sharp flick of my pulse, it wasn’t mine alone. A shadow of it echoed, like I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

I froze, dread prickling my spine. Could he feel this too?

I wasn’t sure, until the heat pooled lower in my belly again and the bond seemed to thrum louder, thicker, like it was feeding on it. A horrifying realization struck me. Alaric hadn’t just tied us together in pain. He could feel this as well.

The thought should’ve terrified me, should’ve snapped me into some kind of self control. Instead, it lit something darker in me. If he could feel this, then maybe I could use it, maybe I could frustrate him, make him suffer for once too.

That was the lie I told myself when I sat back on my bed. It was the same thing I whispered to myself as my hand slipped beneath the waistband of my shorts.

It started as an experiment. Just a brush of my fingers over the slick skin of my stomach, but the bond responded instantly, tightening until I gasped. I didn't stop there, so I inched lower, making sure I touched at least the entrance to my core.

My heart was slamming ferociously in my chest at this point, but not out of fear, but rather in want. My entire body was telling and tempting me to go further, and after what seemed like forever, I did.

A finger traced the slit in between my entrance, and I was shocked at how slick my folds were. I ran my finger in a circular motion, with my stray finger closing in on my clit and assaulting it mercilessly. As my movements became frantic, I finally pushed one finger inside, and the pleasure that ran through me was almost too much to bear.

I didn't stop pumping as I curled my finger around my sensitive spot, my walls clamping down against the skin of my finger. I shuddered, but it didn't stop me as my free hand rose almost instinctively to my breast, kneading, and pinching until my back arched.

And then, God help me, I heard him.

Not in the room, but in my head. His voice, velvet and commanding, slid over my thoughts like he’d always been there.

“Touch yourself for me, little dove.” his voice was almost soothing, coaxing me into a release that was only around the corner. “Don’t hold back.”

“I'm not….” I threw my head back, the pressure slowly building in my lower belly. “fuck, Alaric…”

“That's it, you're a good girl.” He edged me on. “Imagine my fingers deep inside you. It feels good, doesn't it?’

Hell yeah, it did. I pressed my eyes shut and somehow, I could see Alaric at the foot of my bed, his fingers working my clit like that was his life mission on earth. His eyes didn't leave mine, and he was as good as devouring me without even touching me.

“That's it, little flame.”

A shiver tore down my spine at his words. My thighs clenched. I tried to tell myself it was just imagination, some trick of my overstimulated brain, but when I pushed my fingers deeper, the bond pulled tight, as if he was watching, and savoring me all at once.

My breaths turned ragged, echoing in the quiet room. I spread my legs wider, working myself harder and faster as I chased that dizzying high. My nipple throbbed beneath my fingers, my body arching shamelessly into my own touch.

I was so close, heat coiling tight, the edge right there, when the door opened.

“Don’t stop on my account.” My entire body jolted like I’d been caught stealing, and my fingers stilled. My gaze snapped up, and there he was.

Alaric leaned against the doorway, composed, infuriatingly calm, like he’d known exactly what he would find. His eyes gleamed, dark and hungry, fixed on where my hand was still buried between my thighs.

My stomach plummeted, my face burned but he was quick to act. He pushed off the frame, slow and deliberate, stalking closer.

“You thought I wouldn’t feel it?” His voice was low and dangerous, but thick with amusement. “You thought you could use the bond to tease me?”

I yanked my hand out from between my legs, but the scent of my arousal clung to the air, traitorous, undeniable. Call me crazy or whatever, but I could swear the bad man took a sniff of the air, and only smiled when he had my smell sitting pretty on between his nostrils.

“Did I interrupt something?”Alaric stopped at the edge of the bed, looking down at me with that same infuriating smirk he’d worn earlier.

“Get out.” My face was flushed, so flushed I wouldn't be surprised if I was as red as a tomato. “Haven't you heard of the word, privacy?”

“I like to think the concept of the bond kind of overrode that.” He was smiling, but it didn't match the dark look in his eyes. I parted my lips to speak, to say anything, but before I could get the words out, he leaned in so his breath was fanning my face.

“You have no idea what you're doing Rhea “ goosebumps raced down my spine at the sound of my name. “You think you're spiting me? You're just digging us into an even deeper hole.”

“Get out.” I snarled, even though it was less ferocious than how I'd planned it. “Leave now.”

I knew for a fact that my outburst did nothing to faze him, but he straightened, before heading out again. His footsteps were literally silent, but he paused at the entrance to my room.

“You’re in far deeper trouble than you realize, Rhea.” were his parting words bef
ore he left me in my bed, and the stupid thought of chasing that high I almost got.

Fuck.