Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
"Get away from me," he snarls.
"No."
"Leave. Now."
"Not without you," I hiss. "I've been fighting to see you. Please, just talk to me. I love you, Master."
"Don't say that," he groans, looking away.
"Why not?" I frown.
"You'll regret it later."
"What's later? When you're out of here?"
"I'll never be out of here. You've lost your mind if you think they'll ever let me go."
"You're not their prisoner, though."
"Then what am I?"
"Mine," I say, kneeling on the dirty, damp concrete.
The dogs lie down in front of the cage while I fumble with the keys. I fit them in the lock one by one, but none of them work. I keep trying until one of the keys breaks off.
"Fuck!" I groan in frustration. "None of these goddamn keys fit."
"It's no use," Xavier mutters. "What's the point of letting me out for a few minutes? They'll just throw me back in here. I'll never get out now. Not unless I agree to your parents terms."
"What terms?" I whisper.
"An eye for an eye," he laughs bitterly.
"I don't understand."
"They want my child," he tells me, and the words hit me like a punch to the gut.
"Our child," I hiss.
"My son, because he'll be just like me. He'll never belong to us, Tallulah. This is the end of the road. The only way out is to agree to their terms."
"Then agree," I hiss. "Do it."
"But our future children..."
"We'll get them back," I assure him. "You don't have to worry. They'll never keep us from them."
"You've always had a lot more faith than I have."
"We can do it," I nod. "We'll raise him to hate them. And when he's old enough, we'll get revenge."
"I'm not agreeing to those terms, angel," he mutters. "Never. I'll talk to your father soon. I have another idea."
I want to ask him what it is, but he finally looks at me, and I'm rendered speechless. Xavier has always looked much younger, but it seems like he's aged five years in the past few hours. His hand reaches out through the bars, touching my hair softly.
"You've always been mine," he murmurs. "No matter how many times you ran. Or how far. I'll always find you."
"I'll never run again," I whisper.
"Yes, you will," he says, a sad smile forming on his lips. "Just like your mother. Always running."
"Master..." I manage, reaching through the bars, desperate to be closer to him.
"Don't call me that, please."
I've never hard Xavier beg before. He sounds so broken, like his spirit's been crushed.
"I love you," I whisper, and tears start flowing down my cheeks.
"I know," he says, leaning his forehead against the bars. "God help me, I know."
"We'll find a way out of this," I assure him, although we both know it's a lie.
"Of course, we will."
I kiss his palm and then his fingers, and he touches my hair, his other hand reaching through the bars and cupping my face. I'm so desperate for his touch I lean into his tentative hands before grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him closer to the bars.
"Kiss me," I plead.
"Always," he says, leaning forward, his lips claiming mine. He tastes salty and bitter and sweet and sour, all at the same time. He tastes like my everything.
He tastes like love.
His lips are hungry and eager, his tongue probing and deep. I moan, and his hands grip my neck, and then they're pulling me closer and closer and closer, until there's nowhere else for me to go.
"Xavier," I moan into his mouth, and he kisses me harder.
The bars are still separating us, but there's just enough room to push the top half of my body through, and he does, his arms wrapping around my waist. His strong, powerful, possessive hold on me is exactly what I need.
"My wife," he growls. "Mine. Always. Forever. Mine."
I nod fervently, losing myself in his kiss. The bars are clenching me and I struggle to get more comfortable until my husband pulls back, gently wedging me free, his palms lingering on my skin.
"I love you," he whispers, and my heart shatters into a million pieces.
"Xavier, please..."
"I have to protect you."
"By sacrificing yourself?"
"Yes," he says simply.
"I'll never let that happen."
"You won't have a choice."
"Yes, I will. You'll be free," I tell him firmly.
"I'm going to get you back, angel. Even if it kills me."
I shake my head and stare at him. His finger absent-mindedly stroke my cheek and he pulls me close again, the bars digging into my skin.
"We'll find a way out. Together," I promise him.
"I won't risk our future children," he murmurs.
"Enough of this, please," I manage brokenly. "I just want you back. Kiss me. Fuck me. Love me."
"You want me to make you cum right here?"
"Yes," I whisper. "That's all I want."
He smirks and then his lips are back on mine, his tongue probing into my mouth, and I moan into his kiss, my hands gripping his shoulders tightly. I need him to ground me. To keep me from floating away. To stop the pain.