22: A Kingdom of Lies
22: A Kingdom of Lies
POV – Ava
"Because, Ava… you are not just mine. You are theirs."
Dante’s words rattled through my bones.
I stared at him, the weight of his confession suffocating.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “That’s not possible.”
Dante held my gaze, his silence louder than any answer.
I took a step back. “You knew.” My voice trembled. “You knew this whole time.”
His jaw tightened. “I was trying to protect you.”
I let out a hollow laugh. “By lying to me?”
Dante exhaled, his eyes dark and tormented. “By keeping you out of their reach.”
I couldn’t breathe.
The vampire elders—the same ones who ruled in the shadows, the ones even Dante feared—wanted me.
And Dante had known.
For how long?
And more importantly—why?
Dante pov
She was unraveling.
I saw it in the way she clutched her arms, the way her breath came too fast.
The way her eyes filled with betrayal.
She had every right to be furious.
But she didn’t understand.
She didn’t know what the elders were capable of.
If they got their hands on her…
I would never get her back.
I took a step toward her, but she flinched.
That small movement cut deeper than any blade.
“Ava,” I said quietly.
She shook her head. “Tell me the truth. Right now.”
I hesitated.
And that was all she needed.
She turned, storming toward the door.
Panic coiled in my gut.
I was losing her.
And I couldn’t let that happen.
\----------------------
A Punishment, A Plea
POV – Ava
I barely made it three steps before Dante grabbed me.
A gasp tore from my lips as he yanked my wrist, spinning me around and slamming me against the wall.
The impact sent a sharp shock through my body, my breath escaping in a ragged gasp.
I should have fought him.
Should have told him to let me go.
But when his fingers wrapped around my throat, pinning me in place, I didn’t resist.
Because I wanted this.
I needed it.
"You think you can run from me?" Dante’s voice was a dangerous growl, vibrating with fury and control.
His hard body pressed against mine, his erection digging into my lower back.
"You think you can doubt me?"
His lips brushed the shell of my ear, his breath hot against my skin.
I shivered, my thighs clenching.
He smirked against my neck. He fucking felt it.
"You don’t get to question me, Ava," he murmured, his grip tightening around my throat.
"You don’t get to doubt who you belong to."
My breath hitched. “Dante—”
His knee shoved between my legs, forcing them apart.
I whimpered, arching toward him, desperate for friction.
But he denied me.
He stepped back, stripping me of his robe, leaving me bare to the cold air.
"Turn around," Dante commanded.
My breath stilled.
"Now."
I obeyed.
Because deep down, I needed to.
My hands pressed against the wall, my body trembling in anticipation.
A sharp smack landed on my bare ass.
I gasped, my body jolting from the impact.
Another. Harder.
The sting spread like fire, burning and sweet at the same time.
"Count for me, little one," Dante ordered.
I sucked in a breath.
"O-One," I whispered.
Another sharp strike.
"Two."
Pleasure and pain blurred, making me ache.
My skin burned, but my pussy was soaking wet.
And Dante knew it.
His fingers slid between my thighs, parting my slick folds, teasing my swollen clit.
"Look at you," he murmured. "So fucking wet from being punished."
I moaned, pressing back against him.
"Say it," he demanded.
I bit my lip, shaking my head, refusing.
Dante chuckled darkly.
"Then I’ll have to make you say it."
He didn’t wait.
He grabbed my hips and slammed his cock into me in one brutal thrust.
I cried out, my body stretching to take him.
He was too big, too deep, splitting me open with a pleasure so sharp it hurt.
Dante groaned, his fingers digging into my hips, holding me still as he filled me completely.
"You belong to me," he growled, pulling out before slamming back inside.
I whimpered, my legs trembling.
"Say it, Ava."
I clenched around him, my body betraying me.
"You," I gasped. "Only you."
Dante grunted in satisfaction, his pace brutal, punishing, perfect.
I was nothing but pleasure, nothing but need.
When I finally shattered, he followed, filling me with his release, claiming me all over again.
And as I collapsed against his chest, wrecked and ruined, I knew—
I was his.
For better.
For worse.
For whatever was coming.
\------------------
A Warning in the Dark
Later, I lay breathless, ruined, tangled in his sheets.
Dante brushed a lazy hand down my spine, his body still heavy against mine.
But my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.
“You can’t keep me locked away from them,” I whispered.
Dante’s body went rigid.
I turned onto my side, studying his tense expression.
“Why do they want me?” I pressed.
Silence.
Then—his voice, barely a whisper.
“Because of your blood.”
My chest tightened. “What about it?”
Dante’s jaw clenched.
And before he could answer—
A soft knock echoed from the door.
Not loud.
Not threatening.
But calculated.
Dante shot up, grabbing his dagger.
I froze.
Because the last time someone came for me, it had been Aaron.
Who the hell was next?
Dante pulled the door open—and went still.
I sat up, my breath caught in my throat. “Who is it?”
His grip tightened on the dagger.
And then, a voice I hadn’t heard in weeks slid through the doorway.
“Ava.”
My stomach dropped.
Lucien.