Alli shook her head. Surely he couldn’t mean...not Ferken and Daffed. They hadn’t done anything but be her friends! “What did you do, Kian?”
“To your boyfriends?” His thumb bit painfully into her jaw as he pinned her in the corner. “I made them suffer, little rose. At first I kept them alive, unharmed. They told me they’d done nothing to help you escape, and they seemed earnest in their appeals. So I let them live, for a month, six weeks, eight weeks after you ran from me. I’m not a patient man, Allianna, you should know this. You didn’t come home despite all my attempts to coax you back, so my frustrations were taken out on...others.”
“Fucking asshole,” she hissed. “They didn’t do anything but be loyal to you.”
“That may be, but someone had to pay the cost of your rebellion, and you were not there, were you?” He gentled his grip, shook his head like a father unsure what to do with his wayward daughter. “Come home, Allianna. We’ll collect your things and be back within the realm in seconds. This can all be put behind us before the hour’s up.”
“You killed my friends for no reason, kept me prisoner for years, and want to fuck me full of child to further your status,” she growled at him. “Not because you love me, not because I’d make a fucking fabulous queen of the goddamn realm, but because you want to trade your title of Lord for a Kingship. So no, Kian, go find yourself another precious blooming rose to fuck.”
She shoved past him, skirting around him and hurrying down the sidewalk at a brief clip, head down and eyes, ears and heart open for another surprise from the Lord.
I’m coming for you, Allianna. When the shadows draw near and there’s no one to hear you scream, you’ll be strapped to my bed and my cock will plunder that tight cunt until I see fit to stop. Making me angry was a stupid, stupid move, little girl.
If making him angry was on her agenda, she’d certainly succeeded. He spoke this way to the realm whores; she’d heard him over the years as the women simpered and wailed, and Kian’s orgasm heralded through the chambers like an avalanche’s roar. His mouth was dirty, his cock rough, and his attitude to sex a combination of both.
For a long time she’d wished it was her on his bed, her beneath him with the headboard knocking imperiously against the wall in a frantic rhythm and her whines filling the chamber to the rafters. It had been a goal, a fantasy she’d clutched to her adolescent breast and pulled out whenever she saw him sweeping down the hallways in his black attire, a fierce and proud warrior on his way to conquer and destroy.
Light will burn the shadows away, my Lord. What will be left of you when it does? She fired back as she darted up the back stairs to her tiny apartment. Her feet hammered on the metal fire escape, the bag rustling as it jostled in her tired arms. I’d have given myself to you freely once upon a time, Kian. Your actions have ensured that will never happen in my lifetime.
She fumbled with her keys, eyeing up the last of the sunlight drifting away. There were only a few moments to get inside and set her precautions before darkness fell and opened Kian’s playground. The key jammed in the lock, making her curse ripely, then she kicked the door a third of the way up, yanked the handle, and tried again. It popped open with a screech of hinges thirsty for sustenance.
His dark chuckle reverberated inside the apartment. For a moment she froze, eyes scanning the small space until she found his eyes gleaming at her from the darkest corner of the room. “Messed up, Allianna. Forget to leave your usual light burning.” He gestured to the lamp beside the ratty tartan chair she’d picked up from a sale for five bucks. “Three months of being such a diligent girl, and then you fuck it up royally on the day you piss me off. Bad, bad idea.”
“Get out, Kian.” Leaving the outside door open, she set the groceries on the table next to the door and tugged the keys free of the lock. If he made a wrong move, she could be gone and over the fire escape before he reached the door. “I’ve had a long day and I’ve had enough of you for one night.”
He laughed and sent something electric skating over her skin. From the shadows he stepped, no longer the imposter but the beast of a man her heart still yearned for. Stupid fucking thing. The only part of her not onboard the idea of surrendering to him was her brain—even her body had softened slightly, his dark otherworldly scent and the pull of dominance flipping her switch from warrior to woman.
Six-five, shoulders like a Highlander. The black vest he wore beneath the matching suit jacket drew her eyes to the width of his chest, the outline of his muscles and the strength barely contained in the material. His black trousers hugged his thighs, fell to the highly-shined boots on his feet, and again caressed every muscle from his waist down.
His hair was the color of hers, only without the purple streaks. His was all natural, a direct contrast to her usually radiant white-blonde, and was cropped in a smart, businessman-like cut. Throw in those wicked green eyes, full lush mouth, and the knowing quirk of his eyebrow, and her body was prepared for him in an instant.
“Come away from the door, little rose,” he crooned, stalking toward her across the tiny living room. “Close it and come to me. Once the shadows are complete, the portal will open at my behest and we can finally go home.”
She edged back, prepared to make the leap. “The Shadow realm is no longer my home. You are no longer the man I thought you were, or the one I wanted to be with.” She read the intent in his eyes a split second before he acted. She launched herself through the doorway, had a hand on the metal railing and her feet off the ground for the vault when his fingers closed swiftly around her throat and yanked her back inside her apartment.
She’d forgotten how fucking fast he could move when he wanted.
He kicked the door closed behind them as he carried her effortlessly to the couch and threw her down, leaving her to choke and cough quietly, rubbing her sore neck. “I can smell you from here, Allianna. You’re no longer in bloom; you’ve blossomed. You have a choice—come with me and I’ll fuck you on satin sheets until pain is nothing but a memory and orgasm is the only sensation you need. Or your first time can be over the arm of that shitty couch, your screams sucked into the sagging cushions, and I’ll take your ass when I’ve finished putting my son in your belly.”
Scare tactics, she told herself. Kian knew she wouldn’t give in easily, and anal sex was an unknown quality—even more so than normal sex, which was bad enough. Breathing hard, she linked her hands at her waist and steadfastly ignored the dark prince prowling like a caged animal in a zoo, his eyes on her.
“As you wish, my Lord.”
Chapter Two
What the fuck was she doing living in this shithole? Shimmying like some pole princess for a load of grubby-handed, loud-mouthed, small-dicked assweasels, when she could be safe in his chambers, tended to day and night, serviced by him at any point simply by crooking her finger?
And what the fuck had she done to her hair? Enraged by that one simple change above all others, Kian snarled under his breath as he paced, trying to subside the goddamn erection he couldn’t pacify. That stunning waterfall of palest blonde so rich it was almost white, was now a sleek black tail streaked with pale roots and purple explosions.
He hated it.
Almost as much as he hated that calm, sweet voice essentially giving him permission to rape his mate, the woman he’d damn well nurtured and finessed into the perfect queen.
A fucking serene queen, sat perfectly unflustered by his threats on a threadbare couch the color of a dead mushroom, gently rubbing her throat where his temper had collared her. But her eyes, that unearthly blue from her sire’s side, were calm. The only signs of nerves were the quick flutter of the pulse in her neck and the slow, shuddering exhales she thought she was hiding from him.
Kian wanted, quite desperately, to see that serene façade shatter into pieces. He glanced around the pathetic room she called a home and shook his head in disgust. She left the opulence of his realm to live in this squalor? There was no TV, her bookcase—he knew she loved
to read, he’d procured enough for her to know her tastes in literature—was nothing more than four short planks of wood balanced on blocks, and the books themselves were tattered and ripped from what he could see.
She had a little plant, some bonsai thing, on a dish on the windowsill, and a few...no, more than a few candles around the room, which was a fucking fire hazard in a place like this. If she sneezed wrong, the apartment was so full of dry rot it would go up like a bonfire doused in gasoline.
A flat rug with all the threads dangling and unwoven. Curtains that would probably be the start of the great apartment fire. A pile of clean clothing on a rickety chair in the corner and a basket of dirty ones—nearly empty—beside it.
Un-fucking-acceptable.
Allianna was about to find out just how unacceptable this lifestyle was for a woman who belonged to him down to the fucking soul. By the time he was done, she would be crawling back to the Shadow realm on his heels, her ass glowing like a pissed-off firefly, and she would belong to him completely before the night was out.
His fingers worked on the buttons of his vest with careful precision. No rushing, no fumbling. She needed a firm, dominant hand and so she would get one. “Stand up and strip, Allianna. Everything off.”
Those blue eyes blinked once, dropping to his hands as they moved down his buttons. She swallowed nervously, once, twice, and hesitantly stood up as he shrugged off his suit jacket, followed by the vest, then simply yanked his undershirt off over his head.
When he looked again, her lips were parted, and her eyes were wide and dilated. He breathed deep, enjoying the subtle, sweet aroma of a ripe flower ready for the plucking. But his naughty little rose was nowhere near naked, and he wanted to see—up close and personal—what fragile blossom he had trapped in his grasp.
“Allianna, for every moment you delay obeying, your ass is going to pay a price. On it or in it, whichever I deem appropriate for your reluctance.” Deft fingers attacked his belt buckle, sliding the leather free with a luxurious hiss that made his virgin bride-to-be snap out of her stupor and glower at him. “You’re up to six already, little rose. Get to twelve and I’ll fuck it after I whip it.”
God, she aroused him. Her lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl as she petulantly pulled her hoody and shirt over her head and dropped them. But her hands were shaking as she fought with the bra clasp and her jaw tightened. A few moments later, the plain white garment smacked him in the face, still warm and scented from her body.
“Eight,” he muttered, but clutched the bra in his free hand. “Good girl, Allianna, now the rest of it. Show me why the Queen of the Shadow realm never needs to be embarrassed of her body.”
This time she growled, toeing off her sneakers and kicking them away, grasping the waistband of her baggy workout pants in her hands. They were an eyesore, they really were, he realized as she shoved them down her legs to reveal lean, toned limbs. What moron designed clothes to conceal such a figure?
“That’s nine for the growl,” he told her, setting the bra to one side and running the belt through his hands. “Ten for the panties not being on the floor.”
For a few wonderful seconds, Kian thought she might actually beg. For what, he wasn’t sure. For the spanking to begin, for her sins to be forgiven. The words were on her lips, then her lip was clamped between her teeth. Stubborn little minx.
She pushed the simple white panties down her legs, stepped out of them with a sneer, then stood with her legs crossed and her arms folded over her breasts. “Now what?”
Perfect. “Now that makes twelve,” he said ominously, snapping the leather against his palm and making her jump. “Hope you have some lube in here, sweet girl, otherwise what comes after the lashes is gonna stay with you for a while.”
Color dropped from her face, but her eyes lit with vengeful fire. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t snap your neck here and now. I could lead the Shadow realm myself without chaining myself to dead weight called husband.”
Kian lifted his eyebrow. “I’m bigger, stronger, faster, and my belt would be wrapped around your throat before your hands circled mine. I’d use it as a collar, as fucking leverage, Allianna, to hammer my cock into your virgin ass so deep even the thought of trying to kill me will make your stomach cramp. Still want to try?”
Savage blue eyes darted from his hands to the door, back to his hands. When they met his, the challenge rose between them, and damn if she wasn’t going to rise to it.
Rise to it? Fuck, she stepped up to it, her hands on her hips and that luminous fire in her eyes all but singeing him down to the bone. Excitement raced through him at the glimpse of submissiveness she was stubbornly keeping buried beneath her nerves and humiliation; once he had that thread of sweetness wrapped around his hand like a leash, Allianna would kneel at his feet and be the epitome of grace and poise.
“Think long and hard,” he murmured, slapping the folded leather against his palm lightly as she focused on it. He could feel her vibrate, her body ready to leap and grab for it. “You earned this punishment, Allianna; I’ll double it without a qualm.”
Her head tilted to the side, just a fraction, and he watched the calculations run through her quick and clever mind. She sighed softly and relaxed her edgy stance, but Kian wasn’t fooled into complacency. Quick and clever summed her up exactly, and she wasn’t going to like the lick of his belt on her untried flesh.
His gaze roamed over her, all lean muscles and porcelain skin. She obviously hadn’t been eating as she was accustomed to—the sweet curves she once bore had whittled away over the months, leaving her honed, toned, and with hints of ribs and hips showing. That displeased him almost as much as the hair disaster.
Her breasts would be just right to fit in his palms, he decided, weighing them by sight alone. While he wanted to fondle and arouse the soft flesh, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from tasting, mauling her. The demonic side of him demanded it.
But the real prize lay hidden beneath the neatly trimmed mound of very fine, white pubic hair. Had she groomed herself for him, knowing he was coming for her? That he would find her and claim her? He hoped so.
“Turn around, set your hands on the back of the chair and hold on,” Kian ordered, subtly adjusting his cock in the confines of his pants when she obeyed. If he wasn’t careful, his first ejaculation of the night would be wasted in the most undignified manner. “Get that ass up, present it.”
This was the part he loved most, he mused as Allianna obeyed uncertainly. He didn’t shout at her to hurry up, only waited patiently for her to figure out what he wanted from her, how he wanted her positioned. And she presented his target exceptionally well.
The most divine canvas. Never touched, never spanked, never marked. She’d been a diligent child, constantly seeking his attention and praise. He hadn’t been given a reason in his long memory to punish her. Until now.
Smooth globes that would bounce with just the right tension when his belt landed across them. Unblemished skin he had high hopes would welt and turn the most appealing shade of red.
Oh yes, he was looking forward to her groveling for forgiveness when the weapon in his hand lit fires over her ass. “How many strikes did I say you’d get, Allianna?”
The muscles down her back tensed and her fingers gripped into faded tartan material like claws. But she didn’t look at him, didn’t address him with an honorific. She just braced for the worst.
Well, Kian was happy to oblige.
“Twelve,” she muttered.
“Normally I’d warm a nice pert bottom like this up with a spanking before we started,” he said casually, taking his mark behind her and testing his swing. This was one part of his kink, one he was adept at to a monstrous level, and it took him only a minute to find his rhythm. “No counting this time, little rose. I think you’ll have enough on your plate trying not to scream.”
The first blow struck dead center of both cheeks, raising her straight onto her tiptoes. Calf muscles, thighs and
buttocks quivered in an effort to control the pain as the most wonderful red welt bloomed. But her hands never left the chair, and his desired scream was not forthcoming, only a hissed breath between clenched teeth.
The next line overlapped the first, and the third strike lined the second until the lower curve of her ass bore six remarkable red stripes. He’d gotten her sit-spot well enough—his little rose would suffer some discomfort for a day or so if the bruises budding beneath the puffy flesh were any indication.
She was trembling now, no doubt in shock, and her knees were unsteady as she braced herself again. But there were no sobs, no tears he could see, no fucking screams for forgiveness, for abusing his hospitality, for fucking leaving him.
“Halfway done,” Kian told her, his voice harsh with frustration. How was he supposed to teach her a lesson, the most important lesson, if she wasn’t willing to learn and let the punishment in? Take the pain, associate it with the consequences of her actions, and refuse to disobey him again. It was easy, wasn’t it?
Allianna flinched at his words, obviously somewhere far beyond the fires he laid across her flesh. Was that her trick? Submerse herself away from him, from the kindness he lavished on her, and let the lessons go unlearned?
Growling in annoyance, Kian stepped forward and cupped between her thighs without warning. Oh yes, she was back with him now. Body rigid, she straightened and swung in one fluid move, knocking his hand away from her vulnerable pussy before smashing her fist into his cheekbone.
Breathing hard, eyes haunted blue fire, Allianna leveled Kian with a look worthy of any queen throughout history. “Do that again and the Lord of Shadows will be minus his hand.”
The demonic part of him grinned at the challenge, and Kian felt the wicked expression slide onto his face. “I’ll be doing much more, little rose, and soon. That sweet little cunt will take every inch of me and beg for more.”
King Of Shadows: The Shadowcrown Duet Page 2
