Page 29 of Ashen Souls

He continued to kiss and torment my skin until he reached my lower stomach. He traced the very tip of his tongue just a fraction above my clit. I began to shake. I didn't know if it was arousal or raw terror. Likely both.

“You’re shaking.”

He broke the contact, his thumbs digging into my hipbones to quiet a tremor. That abrupt shift to restraint was infinitely worse than his brutality.

“Am I frightening you?”

“Yes,” I admitted on a ragged inhale. “And no.”

“Which?”

“Both.”

“Good,” he murmured, his grip locking me in place. “Fear just shows you where the boundary is, Aveline. Desire is what makes you cross it.”

“Is that something demons say?”

One of his brows arched, a hint of wicked delight flickering across his face. “Is that what you believe I am?”

“What else could you be?”

He leaned in, the coarse stubble of his jaw scraping along my cheek.

“For the moment? I'm your fucking devastation.”

With all his strength, he drove me flat against the mattress, his hand shooting up to clamp around my throat. He didn't cut off my airway, but for a second, I had to fight to draw breath.

“Spread your legs for me and show me your weeping cunt that's so greedy to be filled.”

My heart hammered. His stare pinned me, his fingers unyielding around my neck. “Now.”

I slowly began to part my knees. His free hand invaded the space between my thighs. He dragged his thumb along my cleft, torturing me with the delay.

His rough fingers slid into the wetness my body had betrayed me with. His thumb pinned my clit, teasing out a rising tension that pulled unfamiliar sounds from my throat. I arched into his touch as he thrust two fingers deep inside me.

“Feel how thoroughly you’re drenched for me?” His voice was dark with triumph. “Your mind fights it, but your body is a desperate fucking whore for my touch.”

He thrust deeper, stretching me.

“Yes. Take me in. Grip me.”

I clawed at the tangled sheets, every muscle pulled taut as he stroked inside me with ruthless, measured patience.

“More,” I begged helplessly. The humiliation burned, but I didn't care. “Please, I need…”

“You’ll take exactly what I give you.” His lips curved along my jaw. “And you’ll be on your knees thanking me for it when I’m done.”

He ground his thumb over my swollen clit, the punishing pressure ripping another sob from me as he pushed another finger deep, setting a ruthless rhythm.

In that moment, all rational thought abandoned me, and my starved body took over. I didn't care who Daeren was, whether he was real or just a sick fabrication of my twisted mind. My entire existence narrowed to the relentless motion inside me and the escalating wave of pleasure swallowing me whole.

He didn't look away. That unwavering focus felt just as intrusive as his fingers. I watched the dark satisfaction bleed into his expression with every inhale I took.

Just as the tension coiled tight, he stopped.

A pathetic whimper broke from my lips. My hips jerked up, chasing his hand.

“Wait,” he commanded. “Not yet.”