Page 50 of The Price Of Possession

“I love you.” Her soft voice thrums against my chest. I freeze, unable to respond. Her words sink into my flesh like daggers. My skin burns. No one has ever loved me. Hell, I almost didn't recognize the emotion entirely until Zain explained it. I love her, too. A weakness on my part, one I can't reciprocate until this is over. If anyone has a reason to use her against me, the Elites will. For now it's safer the Elites assume she's my plaything; a temporary distraction. My fucked up head instantly searches for ways to exploit her open emotions for my own gain. Letting her believe I do not love her is safer for her, but not my heart. Having her hatred is better than having nothing.

“We are going back to Grimshaw tomorrow. You're going to class like normal. Ya got me? I'll handle Mortensen. Do you trust me?”

She hesitates but isn't pressing this lovey dovey bullshit. Thank fuck. She clouds my vision, and I know if she goes soft again, I'll lose my shit. I release her from my grip.

Those sapphire eyes drag me down. “Yes,” she whispers.

Fuuuuuck. Who knew how sweet her complete submission would taste on her tongue. I snatch her wrist and drag her toward the door a little more forcefully than necessary. “We're gonna stay at Grey's for today, I'm gonna handle shit. I'm gonna be taking you to each class. I'll be by your side as much as I can. You'll be safe.” It fucking kills me to let her out of my sight at all, but I can’t let my father sink his claws in her.

I can't be held accountable for the ungodly shit I would unleash. She reluctantly complies; I am completely enthralled with her emotions geared toward me. It's clouding her judgement, and that's scary as hell. The last thing she should ever do is put her trust in me fully. Hell, I don't even trust myself, but I'm too selfish to ever let her go. I wish I was more of a man, a better one for her.

I escort her out of Roland's estate without so much as a goodbye to anyone else. I pull my phone out and shoot a text to Grey. I am close to Silas and Val, but knowing they've fucked her still sets me on edge. The past is the past, but I'd rather keep her away from them. Grey allows us to use his guest house for the night in an understanding that I owe him one. The motherfucker never does anything out of generosity.

Tomorrow when classes start the entire student body will see us together, until then I need time alone with my Nightshade. I'm not proud of the choices I have made and will continue to make, but I don't deserve her love. My memory is clouded by my thoughts of her. Her smile. Her touch. Her cunt. The urge to drown in alcohol creeps into my chest. I stole Zain's keys to his Lincoln. He can bite my head off later.

She doesn't say a damn word the entire drive, and neither do I. Her sweet scent fills the car, testing my willpower. I want nothing more than to drown in her body. I'm sick in the head, I know it. My hands clench the steering wheel. Her hand creeps toward my thigh. The tips of her fingers feather along my jeans. I hold back a curse, because fuck this woman is a tease. My insides coil tight like a spring. I want nothing more than to slam on the brakes, pull over and fuck her until she saturates into my being. My resolve is dissolving.

Her tank top hugs her tits perfectly. The swell of her breasts teases me. “If you don't stop, I'm going to fuck you until you cry for your God, and sweetheart, he's not gonna save you.”

Her hand stills along my jeans. She changes the subject entirely. “What if Mortensen takes me back to the Void?” Her blonde hair falls over her frown, but she can't hide from me. I take one hand off the wheel and thread it through her strands forcing her eyes on me. “Nah, I'll never let him touch you. You are mine. Got it?” I reassure her. I'm not used to giving a fuck about what she feels, but something about those sad eyes pull at my cold heart.

I weave through the traffic in silence. When I look over, her little body is curled against the passenger window. After all she's been through her body is in desperate need of repair. Wrought iron gates emerge in the distance through the fog. I punch in the gate code. The car coasts around to the back of the sprawling estate, like Mortensen, the Elites love their flashy shit. Rows of sculptured statues, fountains, and lamp posts line the entrance. I'm not worried about his old man finding us, he's too far plugged into the Void, getting his cock sucked, to give a fuck what happens in his own backyard.

Still, I cut the headlights just in case. I don't need anyone else getting involved with this shit right now. We’re playing a dangerous game and I won't hesitate to keep her safe at any cost. I'll pay any price to ensure she remains at my side. I cut the engine. Fuck knows how long I let my inner turmoil eat away at me like a corrosive acid. I stare at her like someone's going to rip her from me again. Her soft exhales fog the window.

My head settles against the headrest. She fucks with my emotions. All I want is to be able to control myself, something I've always lacked. She threatens to undo me. Her ocean eyes sink into my depths, laying her anchor in my heart. Finally, I get out and carry her into the guest house. It's a simple building nestled poolside. Inside I settle her onto the bed. My body sinks beside hers. I kiss her lips tasting her sweetness, unable to get enough. Without her, I fall apart, only she makes me feel alive.

“I love you, Nightshade,” I rasp along her temple knowing exactly what I need to do.

My brain short circuits. Soft, languid lashes flick along my slit. Soft, desperate moans leave my trembling lips. My eyes snap open. Kieran's hulking form looms at the foot of the bed, his cock straining against his jeans, his face buried between my spread thighs. His eyes are hazed and drunk. He wears that charismatic smirk that is my undoing. My beast. His eyes stay trained on me. Dark and dangerous. His tongue slowly works my pulsing clit, teasing me the way only he can. “Kieran,” a choked whisper leaves my throat. I wiggle my ass, needing to escape his devilishly tantalizing touch. If this is his form of an apology, I accept!

He growls like an untamed beast, applying pressure to my stomach forcing me to remain trapped within the confines of the bed. “Fuckkkk, I wanna fuck your cunt so bad.” His callous hands wrap around my thighs before moving to cup my asscheeks. Like a starved man he laps along my pussy, getting every nook and cranny. Lightning jolts through my system. I'm saturated. My fluids stretch along his tongue from my sex. My head swims violently. Stars paint my vision. I want release. The need to come overrides anything else. “Don't stop.” I shudder. I reach for his curls, fisting them. “Harder.” He purrs against my cunt with a ferocity. His frayed edges start to unravel. He feasts as if this is the last time he will taste me, lingering on my pulsing mound. Farther, I creep toward the edge ready to unleash. My hips lift involuntarily, suffocating him with my arousal. Then I lose it, exploding in a haze of ecstasy. He transports me to another world. Wave after wave of pleasure pulses through my body from my head to my toes.

He chuckles darkly. “You're intoxicating.” He licks up my pubic bone in a display of ownership.

He crawls up my limp body, nipping at my skin, letting his teeth trail up my limbs. His inked hand wraps around my throat, but he doesn't squeeze. His lips brush mine. “The sweetest Goddamn high.”

I hum. “Where are we?” I ask in a post-orgasm haze. I slip my fingers through his soft curls. He groans against my lips. “Grey’s.” Clarity slowly returns, and all the realities of the danger we find ourselves in settle in the pit of my stomach. I untangle myself to search his eyes for truth. He wouldn't bring me here without reason. I figure pressing my luck isn't the best course of action.

“You know, I really did think I got into Grimshaw on my own,” I murmur, still stroking his hair. Changing the subject makes it feel less real. I can, for the moment, escape reality and pretend he actually loves me.

He bristles. Those beastly eyes fall to me, drawing me closer. “Doesn't matter. You're smart as fuck. Fuck that place.” He crawls forward and nips along my collarbone. His skin against mine is intimate. I crave it. He's a distraction I really want to welcome, but just . . . cant. I jolt upward. Kieran does, too.

“How can you say that? Of course it matters. I told you how I've had to fight like hell to give myself a better life. I thought I had finally done it on my own. I had made something of myself. Do you have any idea how big of a blow this is? For once I'm fucking scared,” I admit, wincing.

He sighs, drawing back on his knees. His hands fly forward. “Nah, I don't. What the hell do you want me to say? We struggle differently. I fucking get that, but you gotta know your worth. You're not stupid. You would have had this shit in the bag without Mortensen in the mix. Can we not do this shit right now?”

I take a deep breath and remind myself, Kieran is fucked up too, this is new territory for him. All I want him to do is ease the ache, but his emotional skills need work. He still struggles offering me parts of him he doesn't show. I nod. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

The reluctance in his eyes tells me something is going on much deeper than he's willing to let on. Pushing him would be senseless. Kieran can't be cornered or coerced into opening up, it'll only further strain him. Strain us. He has enough on his plate; I don't want to add to it. Mortensen has been living rent free in his head for far too long, it's time he frees himself of him. I know him and I were never meant to last forever, but for now I can pretend and help him as much as I can.

He slides off the bed. “I'm taking you to class soon. Get ready,” he replies coldly. I struggle with the urge to not spill the tears making a home along my eyelids. Patience, Clara, patience. His mood swings give me whiplash. Just fifteen minutes ago he feasted upon me, leaving his chaotic, addicting mark on my heart.

We drive to Grimshaw in silence. I hate it. I'm not at all sure what to expect. Kieran has been on edge the entire drive, his jaw set into a tight line. His deadly eyes turn clouded. It's plausible he is about to go on a rampage. I wouldn't put it past him to go insane and shoot up the entire school just to break the chains. His way of handling shit is identical to Zain.

He eats, sleeps, and breathes violence. His reckless behavior is something he will never shake, it’s who he is. Fear rises, making my heart race, but not for what Kieran will do, but for how our ending will play out. Whatever plan he's concocting, I worry he won't come back to me and not by his own volition. An anxiety attack is on the rise, making my skin burn. I do my best to keep my emotions tampered, hiding who I am, what I am. Despite his distance, he is receptive.

“Breath, Nightshade.” He breaks the silence. His eyes stay glued to the road. His body is still rigid. I envy the way he can handle the unparamounted stress. I grip the edge of the seat. “I'll never let anyone hurt you again.”