Chapter 349
Chapter 349
I’ve given him some details, but I never mentioned who actually gave them to me. I rack my brain and come up empty—I don’t remember telling him, or anyone, except Apple and Scarlette. And worse, I could’ve just sent him a mind link before leaving. That thought hits me like a slap.
I press my palm to my face, dragging it down as my composure finally collapses. “I’m so stupid,” I choke out, tears spilling again before I can stop them.
“Damn right you are,” Jerry says without hesitation. Not cruel, just brutally honest. “Even if he’s someone you see often, that still doesn’t explain why you couldn’t tell him where you were going. You have a habit of disappearing or doing things without warning anyone. You need to remember he’s your mate, and even if he doesn’t always show it, he’s scared shitless of losing you… alright, he does show it, but you get my point. Just try to be more considerate, yeah?”
“I’m trying,” I wail, the words breaking halfway through.
“And he knows that,” Jerry adds, his tone softening slightly, “but right now he can’t control his emotions. Whatever he says, whatever he does… just forgive him.”
I sniff hard, palms pressed over my nose as I try to breathe through the mess in my chest. He’s not sugar-coating it—he’s saying it’s my fault, and the worst part is I can’t even argue. I should have told Drix. I should have left a trace, a message, anything. Even if I never expected to look dead to him and everyone else, that doesn’t change what it did to him.
My head drops onto Jerry’s lap as I break down properly, the weight of it finally crushing whatever was left of my restraint. I cry into his leg, exhausted by guilt and the hollow ache of separation. I keep thinking about how often I do this—how often I vanish, how often I act first and explain later. I’ve got too many bad habits to count and I can’t even decide which one is the worst.
Normally, Zinnia would’ve been on me about it, forcing me to think before I act. But she’s been too quiet lately, and that silence leaves me unchecked in ways I don’t like admitting.
My thoughts drag me somewhere I don’t want to go—into Drix’s perspective. I remember when he went to see the witch without telling me. I remember how it felt, that sudden drop in my chest, the fear that came with not knowing. I felt awful then. And yet I’ve done the exact same thing to him, over and over, leaving him behind in situations that make it look like I’ve died.
I already knew I wasn’t perfect as a mate. But now that truth doesn’t just sit there anymore.
“Sapphire.” I jolt upright, frantically scanning the room for him. “Sapphire,” I realise it is only in my head.
“Here,” I say timidly. Silence fills the bond, but I can still sense his heavy presence. “Are you still angry? I am sorry.”
“Come to my room,” he replies coldly. A shudder runs through me. His tone freezes the breath in my lungs.
I stand, wipe my face, and head for his room. It used to be ours. The door stands open, so I walk in, nervously fiddling with the hem of my skort. The moment I move further inside, the door slams shut behind me.
“Eek!” I scream, jumping and spinning around. Drix leans against it with his arms and legs crossed, his face set in a thick, icy mask.
I gulp and laugh nervously, my heart racing. “Hi.” I give a small wave.
“Do you know why I am mad at you?” he asks, fingers tapping on his arm.
“I did not tell you where I was going,” I reply sharply, my pulse hammering in my throat.
“And?”
“I put myself in danger by following a ghost, and I never told you I could see my father.”
“Do you think a simple apology will calm my agitated wolf and my troubled heart?” My stomach twists with nerves and I shake my head frantically, fingers curling into my skort. “So what must you do to calm us down?”
I tilt my head, thinking it over even as heat crawls up my neck and my breathing turns shallow. If I can settle Alaric, Hendrix will follow. There are only three things that usually work, and the first is clearly the best option right now.
I loosen my braided side ponytail and ruffle my hair, then strip off my clothes piece by piece until I stand completely naked before him. In the next breath, he speeds across the room, scoops me up, and throws me onto the bed. The mattress is firmer than the one in our room, so the landing jars my back. I groan, pushing up onto my elbows.
“I am furious right now, Jewels, so you will have to bear my rage,” he says, ripping the buttons of his shirt open with sharp tugs. The raw display sends heat pooling low in my belly. I should be scared by the savage lust burning in his eyes and the cold edge to his stare, but instead my nipples tighten and fresh arousal slicks my thighs. It is like watching a gorgeous, furious boss man lose control.
I beam at him innocently. “I am getting terrified.” Normally he would catch my playful tone, but this time he does not.
He grabs my ankle and yanks me to the edge of the bed while his other hand shoves down the rest of his clothes. “I am not stupid, Jewels. I will not go too far.”
“So says the guy who fucks me until I pass out.”
He does not bother preparing me. Dry or wet, this is my punishment. Unfortunately, I am aroused but not nearly wet enough. “If I took you with this much rage and lust, I would hurt you for real,” he growls, rubbing his thick cock along my entrance before ramming in hard and fast.
“Damn! Ow!” I scream. The stretch burns like a lesser version of losing my virginity.
Drix grips my hips and lifts my entire lower body off the bed, then starts bucking into me with powerful, punishing strokes. It feels different—slightly painful, strange, and intense, my body still adjusting to the force of his anger.
“I am starting to understand the whole rage thing,” I gasp between thrusts. “Is this supposed to be angry sex?”
“It does not count as angry sex when I am the only one fuming.”
I groan, lips twisting in a scowl even as heat coils tighter in my core. “Does it? Because this pain feels angry enough to me.” The discomfort slowly fades as my slick coats him, easing the glide. His thrusts stay relentless and powerful, stripped of their usual affection. Still, I do not hate it. The pleasure builds hot, leaving me suspended between ecstasy and exhaustion.
Drix flips me over, pressing my face into the mattress and driving into me from behind. My body stays suspended, only my face and hands touching the bed. The pressure coils tighter in my belly and my walls start to flutter around his cock. “Can I ask a question?”
“Seriously?” he asks, in utter disbelief.
“Seriously,” I squeak as he suddenly pinches my clit, sending a violent tremor through me. “It is… it is really im…portant.”
“What is it?” he snaps, voice impatient.
“Is there a reason why I am not getting pregnant despite all our carelessness?” I rush the words out. His rhythm falters for a moment and his breathing changes. I expect him to ignore it, but he does not. He resumes his brutal pace and grunts with pleasure.
“Persephone’s blessing kills every life except yours and anything that could form life inside you. It is acting as an omnipotent contraceptive. And no, you are not barren.”
I tug Zinnia’s attention to it, but she looks away. She already knew. Relief washes through me, but it is short-lived. Minutes later my body reaches its limit and I feel like I might pass out from exhaustion.
Drix is nowhere near finished. He lifts me, wrapping my legs and arms around him while standing, and the real punishment of begging and apologising begins.