363- Desperate
POV Seraphine Valerian:
It was still early, so the center was emptier. The building’s reception was too. I went straight to the second floor, stopping in front of the office door to breathe and wait for my heart to stop pounding so fast.
I knocked lightly, and his voice told me to come in. I held my breath and did.
I expected to find other people there, but the large room was empty as the door closed behind me. Viktor emerged from another room, drying his hair with a towel. He stopped when he saw me.
Barefoot, wearing dark pants and an open white shirt, slightly wrinkled, he had just come out of the shower. He hadn’t shaved again, and the dark shadow gave him an aggressively masculine look that left my legs weak.
“I… came to bring food and some clothes. Daciana asked me to, in case you wanted to shower. But I see you already have.”
My voice came out hoarse, and I felt like a foolish girl enchanted. Irritation returned as I remembered he liked kissing she-wolves around the village.
“You can leave it on the table.”
His coldness only made my anger worse. I looked away and did so.
I set the bag of clothes on a chair, taking out the containers and bottles from the other, placing them on a corner not occupied by the large open map.
I felt like throwing the sandwiches in his face
Viktor approached slowly, his clean, pleasant scent filling the room, affecting my nerves. I wanted to run away, but something kept me rooted to the spot.
I placed the last package on the table, and my eyes wandered to the monitors showing parts of the forest. On one of them, people moved around in what looked like a camp.
“Is that how you know where they’re going to attack?”
“It’s impossible to cover the entire area, but I can observe most of it.” He stood beside me, stirring the energy between us.
I felt that he was looking at me, not the images.
“It seems calm now. But Daciana said there was an attempted invasion during the night and explosions.”
“There are several mines activated around there. And it gets worse the closer they get.”
I gathered the courage to look at him. That was my mistake. I couldn’t think straight, with that need to admire him pulling me toward him with invisible force.
I did everything I could not to focus on his tousled hair, darker from the dampness. Or the muscles of his chest through the open shirt. Nor on the fact that he filled my entire vision—large and powerful.
And to think he became even bigger when he transformed!
Fear and desire coiled in my belly. My heartbeat rose to my throat. My nipples hardened, reacting to his aroused body.
Viktor didn’t move, very attentive, his nostrils flaring slightly. Could he smell me? What I was releasing for him, with my hormones in turmoil?
I stayed frozen, searching my mind for something to say to disguise it. With effort, I looked back at the screens. My voice came out hoarse:
“And Adelina? Have you had any news from her?”
“Yes.”
Surprised, I looked at him again, turning fully toward him.
“Is she okay?”
He furrowed his brows, anger flashing in his eyes. My fear increased.
“She spoke to me on the phone,” he finally said. “She seemed happy, but she doesn’t know the danger she’s in. Lucian has her as leverage. And he will use her.”
“I’m sorry.”
I saw his anger and sadness churning, disturbing him. He must feel overwhelmed with so much at once, having to make decisions, plan strategies, worry constantly.
“You’ll manage. I know you will.”
I took a step toward him, raising my hand automatically to touch him. His dark gaze sharpened in warning, taking on a burning golden hue. His voice came out hard, a sharp order:
“Don’t touch me.”
I stopped, my hand in the air, my breath caught. I felt rejected again, and anger rose, along with everything bottled inside me.
“Or what? You’ll hit me? Throw me out of here? Pretend I don’t exist?”
“Seraphine…”
“Is this normal for you? Taking a woman’s virginity and then treating her like she doesn’t exist?” My eyes filled with tears, and I felt ashamed of losing control. “You really are a beast! Taking whatever you want, waging war against everyone!”
Furious, I turned to leave before I said anything else.
I let out a broken cry when he suddenly grabbed the back of my neck and pushed me onto the table, so fast and forceful that when I realized it, one side of my face was pressed against the map, him covering me from behind.
“Is that what you want?”
“Viktor…”
“You do everything to bring out the worst in me! Do you like seeing me out of control?”
I gasped, shaken by his strength and easy domination, his scent and body pressing me down on that surface, aware that he was hard against my backside.
Fear and anger turned into desire, leaving me weak and aching.
He froze, sensing the change, breathing heavily near my ear.
“You slept in my bed, and now you come here to drive me insane…” he growled low, his erection already showing how affected he was too. “Do you want to provoke me until I tear your panties and push inside you all at once?”
I lost all sense, heat pooling between my legs, throbbing with need. I wanted him to do exactly that—take me like an animal, hurt me, mark me until I was his in every way.
His large hand gripped my hip, his lips brushing my neck. I melted, breathless. He paused, groaning low:
“Fuck, I can smell how wet you are…”
I lifted my head slightly, wanting to press closer, to feel more. Then he suddenly released me, pulling me around to face him, his eyes so golden they looked like molten metal piercing mine.
“Don’t come back here, Seraphine. Or you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
He let me go but stayed close. I trembled, also from shame. Before he stepped away, I murmured:
“You don’t know what I want.”
“To get fucked.”
“You’re the one who wants to fuck! With that hard cock all the time. Or do you get turned on by anyone?”
“Damn it…”
“That’s why you kiss Katarina! You kiss everyone!”