Chapter 21 Chapter 21
Anya’s POV
At the exact same instant, his hands fisted in the delicate, pale pink silk of my dress—the one I had just put on—and with a single, violent motion, he tore it from neckline to waist.
The sound of the expensive fabric ripping apart was as loud as a scream in the silent room.
He pulled back, his eyes black with a desire that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the cure. He was breathing hard, his fangs partially extended, his hot breath ghosting my lips.
"The mating ritual is in thirty days," he growled, his voice a strained, "We have to prepare our bodies."
He licked his lips, his gaze dropping to my exposed skin. "And you... you will tell me to stop... before I lose control."
He didn't wait. He shifted, pushing me back onto the bed, his body following.
The furs swallowed me, soft and yielding beneath his hard, demanding weight.
He began at my feet, his lips and tongue tracing fire up my ankles, making my muscles clench. He moved slowly, like a predator savoring its prey, tasting the tender skin of my calves, the sensitive curve behind my knees.
My breath hitched, ragged and shallow.
Every nerve ending screamed, a terrifying symphony of fear and a bewildering, shameful awareness of his touch. This was just a practice—a deal. Nothing would happen.
I clung to that lie like a lifeline, even as his mouth reached my thighs, teasing the soft skin, leaving a trail of wet heat that made my core ache with a sensation I couldn't name.
He moved up to my waist, his hands spanning my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh as his tongue circled my navel.
I whimpered, a lost, desperate sound.
His touch was igniting something deep inside me, a terrifying fire that warred with my profound fear. This wasn't supposed to feel like this.
Then his lips found my breasts, his tongue swirling around my nipples, the rough rasp sending a jolt straight through me.
I arched involuntarily, a muffled moan escaping. My body was betraying me, responding to the lewd demand of his touch even as my mind screamed in terror.
He suckled, pulling, biting gently, claiming me with his mouth, leaving behind burning trails that felt like marks.
Up my neck he trailed, teeth nipping, tongue laving, until he finally reached my lips again.
He captured my mouth in a deep, passionate kiss, his body pressing me hard into the furs, leaving no space between us.
His erection was thick and insistent against my stomach, a shocking, undeniable presence.
"Anya," he growled, pulling back just enough to whisper, his voice thick with desire. "Tell me to stop. Now."
But the line had blurred. The fear was still there, a cold knot in my stomach, but the suffocating, overwhelming sensations were choking it.
He was too much. His touch was too much to handle!
Then, his control snapped.
The shift was sudden. His kisses became ravenous, less coaxing, more demanding.
His fingers, which had been exploring, suddenly dug into my hips, lifting me, angling me against him.
He was no longer gentle. He was aggressive, rough, pushing into me with a force that made me cry out, a sharp, searing pain ripping through me.
"Stop!" I screamed, the word tearing from my throat, the pain shocking me out of the haze. "Kai! Stop!"
He froze, his body stiff, his breathing ragged.
The golden-crimson glow in his eyes flashed, warring with the burning desire of hunger.
I scrambled away, pushing him with all my strength, my body screaming in protest.
I didn't care about the torn dress, about the cold.
I snatched up the remnants of my clothes, clutching them to my chest, and scrambled off the bed.
I stumbled, my legs shaking, and fled into the bathroom, slamming the heavy marble door shut behind me.
I slid down the cold marble, sobbing, clutching the ripped fabric to my chest, the fresh pain in my body merging with the terror and humiliation.
The sounds of his ragged breathing, his low growls, seeped through the thick door.
I pulled my knees to my chest, burying my face, and cried until exhaustion finally claimed me, and I fell into a restless, dreamless sleep on the cold floor.
The morning light, stark and unforgiving, filtered through the high bathroom window.
I woke slowly, every muscle aching, my body stiff and cold. My eyes fluttered open.
And a pair of intense, golden eyes were staring at me.
Kai was sitting on the edge of the tub, watching me with a predatory stillness.
My heart leaped into my throat. I instinctively scrambled to cover my chest with the torn remnants of my dress, but it was useless.
He just watched, a slow, knowing, utterly unrepentant smirk spreading across his face.
"How's my virgin human?"