Fallen: (A Psychological Dark Romance) (The Dark Necessities Prequels Book 2)

by Felicity Brandon

  A trouble she was now being forcibly dragged toward.

  The entrance was empty as they stalked through it, and in that moment, the one remaining glimmer of hope available to Lily was extinguished. She knew nothing about the McManuses, but over the last few days, she had seen enough of them to know they were decent people. They would have helped her if she needed it. They would have helped if she’d been able to raise the alarm.

  “Don’t kid yourself, little one.” Ethan’s curt tone interrupted her thoughts. “They would have kept themselves to themselves. That’s what people do. They keep their heads down and stay out of trouble. That’s the British way.”

  He glanced down at Lily as he made the announcement, all the while dragging her in the direction of the room at the back of the building.

  “You’re wrong,” she muttered, straining against his vise-like grip of her wrist. “People are good. They want to do the right thing.”

  Ethan snorted. “I knew you were young, Lily, but I never took you for a fool.”

  Her brow furrowed as he yanked her toward the door. Lily eyed the thing with a new level of fear. She knew whatever he wanted to do to her—whatever retaliation he was concocting for her apparent disloyalty—began as soon as he got her behind that door, and as he fished in his pocket for the key, Lily began to fight with everything she had.

  “Stop!” she screamed, scratching at his wrist with her free hand as she pulled in the opposite direction. “Stop it, Ethan. I don’t want this. I don’t want to be here with you.”

  He forced the key into the lock before throwing her a contemptuous look. “Shut. Up.” He demanded in a low growl. “If you bring trouble our way now, I swear I will make you pay for it, Lily.”

  She panted at what she knew was more of a promise than a threat, yet still her instincts told her to fight—to pull away—to take this one remaining chance at freedom. “I don’t care!” she yelled, raising her voice intentionally in the hope one of the other rooms was still occupied. “I don’t care about your threats. You don’t scare me. You’re my husband now for God’s sake!”

  Ethan kicked the door open with his foot, before he wrenched her entire body forward. Pushing her against the door frame, he pressed his body against her.

  “One more fucking word.”

  His voice was low and almost a sneer. “One more fucking word from you and I swear it will be the last thing you say with that pretty mouth for a long time.”

  She gazed up into the fire of his blue stare. What had happened to her dashing groom, who just a few hours ago, had promised to love and cherish her so long as they lived? The intensity of his displeasure now made that moment seem like a lifetime ago, and based on the things she knew he was capable of doing, Lily began to wonder just how long their life together was going to be.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Ethan

  Ethan needed to get a handle on his rage, and fast. At the rate he was seeing red, Lily wasn’t going to make it through the next hour, let alone the rest of their lives, and even in his fury-induced mood, Ethan knew he didn’t want that.

  He loved her.

  Deep down, he loved her, and while he was angry that she would genuinely have gone to the police about Jody, that wasn’t enough to destroy everything they had. Everything they’d grown together over the last few weeks, and all the promise of a future their connection brought.

  It was, however, more than enough to make Lily pay handsomely for her perspective. Ethan had to show his new bride that her loyalty belonged to him every inch as much as her mind, body and soul.

  And it was a lesson he fully intended to teach.

  Her body trembled against him, but even now, in the darkest of moments they’d shared, there was defiance burning in her eyes. If there was one thing Ethan had learned about Lily, it was that she didn’t back down. He might be able to arouse her and drive her into a frenzy of submission, but he couldn’t recall a time he’d even seen her comply based on fear.

  “Better,” he praised in a tone that sounded ominous even to his own ears.

  She had, at least, remained quiet at his instruction.

  “Now, get into the room,” he ordered. “Do as you’re told, and earn yourself some mercy.”

  Ethan wasn’t sure if that was technically true. He wasn’t feeling especially merciful at that moment, but if anyone could lure that side of his temperament out of him, it was Lily. Anyone else would have been dead already. Weeks ago.

  Lily blinked at him. “I don’t want to go in there with you.”

  Her voice was even, despite her labored breathing. “I love you, Ethan, but I don’t like you when you’re like this. When you seem to get off on scaring me.”

  He couldn’t resist the grin that painted his face at her description. As ever, his woman was pin-point accurate about him. In fact, her intuitive analysis was almost starting to scare him.

  “I know you don’t,” he replied in an eerily low voice. “But that’s what you’re going to do. We’re walking inside together and we’re not creating any more of a scene.”

  Her shoulders tensed. “Sir, please.”

  Ethan liked what Lily was trying to do there. Using his title as a last minute ploy to gain favor was a smart move on her part, but it wouldn’t be enough to save her from her fate.

  Not this time.

  “In.”

  It was only one word, and he didn’t even shout it, but Ethan saw the moment she conceded, the green gaze of her gorgeous eyes revealing everything he needed to know.

  “Are you going to p-punish me?”

  Ethan glowered down at her, and in his mind, he counted from one through ten in an attempt to cool his growing irritation. “What part of the instruction didn’t you understand?”

  Lily’s eyes flitted toward the open door, before returning to his face. “But, are you?”

  Her voice was imploring, pulling at what remained of his heart-strings.

  Ethan lowered his face as close as he could to her, his stare unwavering as he replied. “You bet your life I am, Lily.”

  Lily

  It was funny how things turned out. Six months ago none of this would have seemed possible. The idea of having a lover at all would have been laughable to Lily, let alone one as mature and sexually experienced as Ethan. Even this morning, when they’d set off to make their vows, Lily could never have seen this coming. Of course, she’d had a good idea about the man she was marrying. She knew he’d done horrendous things to women who didn’t deserve his anger. Lily had never asked for specifics, but she had garnered enough about his crimes to know they made nausea swirl in her belly, and up until that afternoon, she still couldn’t relate those crimes to the man she loved. Even the man who stripped and leashed her wasn’t a monster. Depraved perhaps, yet he was no more debauched than she was for wanting him to do those things—for consenting to them. But this version of Ethan—this version was an unknown quantity, and when he flashed that grin at Lily, she saw more than just desire in his eyes. She saw the devil.

  “In.”

  The command resonated around her head although Ethan had barely whispered the word.

  “Are you going to p-punish me?” she stammered, though the answer was already more than apparent.

  Ethan was fuming that she’d found out about Jody, and even less happy that she’d threatened to go the police. There was no doubt that he wanted to make her pay for that, and while she had always loved his edginess, Lily wasn’t sure how much of this darker side of her husband she’d be able to withstand.

  “What part of the instruction didn’t you understand?” he muttered.

  “But, are you?”

  He lowered his body until their faces were little more than an inch or two apart. “You bet your life I am, Lily,” he assured her. “Now, get your pretty little arse inside, or I will pick you up myself and throw you in there.”

  Ethan shifted his weight back a little, just enough for Lily to catch her breath, but not enough for her to mo
ve back toward the entrance. There was literally nowhere to run.

  “Okay,” she ceded in a long breath. “I’m going—on my own, sir.”

  She raised her hands in a conciliatory gesture and watched as one dark eyebrow rose.

  “I’m waiting,” he replied, eyeing her intently as finally Lily’s feet began to move right past the threshold of the room they shared.

  As soon as she shuffled inside, he was right behind her, one arm closing in on her middle as the door slammed behind her. Lily braced, expecting some sort of immediate retribution. Her eyes squeezed closed, and she held her breath—waiting—but, when, after a moment, there was no pain, and not even a harsh word, she twisted to find Ethan’s face.

  He stared down at her, that tantalizing brow still arched. “What are you doing?” he demanded in a tone that was almost amused.

  “I thought you were going to hurt me?” Lily could barely even get the words out, but as she did, Ethan just smiled.

  “Not like this, Lily,” he assured her, though she wasn’t clear if the point was reassuring or not. “I would never hurt you like this. You are going to pay little one, but in the way we both love best.”

  Lily panted at that, wanting to ask exactly what he meant, but there was no time for clarification. Ethan was already moving back toward the bed, and the arm at her middle was ensuring her compliance in going with him.

  “Sit down and wait.”

  Ethan emphasized the final word as he flung her in the direction of the bed covers.

  Lily glanced back toward him, already stalking to the door and locking it with the key, which he slipped into his pocket. Her heart pounded as she watched her only realistic chance of escape slide into his trousers, her belly clenching with renewed anxiety. Ethan turned to fix her with an intense stare, and as Lily pulled in a shaky breath, the perilous question echoed throughout her mind.

  What was he going to do to her next?

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Ethan

  Ethan finally had Lily where he wanted her—back on the bed and reasonably compliant. Of course, it wasn’t a perfect plan. Being here with the McManuses wasn’t what he’d have liked ideally, but it was the best option in the short term, and anyway, the owners knew of their plans to marry, so it was likely they’d leave them alone for the remainder of the day.

  “I want you naked,” he ordered striding past Lily’s quivering body toward the drawer beside his side of the bed.

  That was the place he’d taken to keeping their favorite equipment—Lily’s leash, collar and gag, plus the lengths of rope he’d bound her with when they’d arrived—and of course, Lily knew that. Opening the drawer, he reached in and collected the soft black ropes. By the time he glanced back in Lily’s direction, he was pleased to see her impromptu wedding gown pooled at her feet,

  “You looked beautiful today,” he murmured as he wandered back toward her. “A picture, actually. It made me want to pick up a paintbrush again. And that’s the first time for a while.”

  Lily’s eyes widened at the unexpected compliment, but the way she shrunk at his approach told him she wasn’t fooled by it. And neither should she have been. Lily was beautiful, but she was still in trouble.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He nodded at the appropriate response, offering her his palm as she stepped out of the dress. He’d decided she didn’t need underwear for the occasion, and she now stood nude before him once more.

  “You’re going to bind me again?” She sounded positively exasperated by the idea.

  “Oh yes,” he told her in a matter-of-fact tone. “And that’s just for starters. Get on the bed.”

  “May I use the bathroom first, sir?” she asked. “Please?”

  Ethan arched his brow at her. “Are you stalling for time again, Mrs. Reilly?”

  Though he’d addressed her as Mrs. Reilly before, this was the first time the title was actually valid. In spite of the lust and betrayal that was swirling around his body, he smiled at the sound of it.

  She was Mrs. Reilly now. His wife—all his.

  “No, I swear it,” came her small breathy reply. “I’m sorry I hurt you with my words. I just… need to go.”

  Lily gestured toward the en-suite bathroom behind him, and he sighed at the admission. It had been hours since she last used the facilities, so he supposed her request was reasonable. The problem was, Ethan wasn’t feeling very reasonable.

  “Fine,” he hissed in response. “But I’m coming with you.”

  Her brow furrowed at the idea, but wisely, the little pet didn’t protest. Instead, she turned, her attention back on the bathroom again.

  “And that’s not how pets walk, is it?”

  Ethan’s heart raced as he called to her, his cock throbbing at the wide-eyed expression she gave as she turned.

  “But, I just need to use the b-bathroom?” she countered.

  He frowned at her. “That’s not answering my very simple question, is it, Lily?”

  She bit her lip. “No, sir.”

  “So, I’ll make it even easier for you.” He took a step in her direction, the rope still grasped in his hand. “How do pets walk?”

  He saw the way she gulped at that.

  “On all fours,” she admitted in a soft whisper.

  “Get to it then,” he commanded, pointing toward the floor by his feet. “I’m going to need some obedience from my wife if she wants to convince me of her loyalty.”

  Lily’s mouth fell open, the look of it making his cock pulse further. He was going to fuck that mouth again—as many times as he liked—just as soon as he got her tied to the bed.

  Ethan watched in satisfied silence as Lily fell to her knees in front of him, shifting to crawl by his side as he strode toward the half-open bathroom door.

  “Better,” he praised. “In you come.”

  He pushed the door open, smiling with glee as his wife crawled past his feet onto the tiled floor. She made it to the toilet, pausing to glance back over at her shoulder.

  “Can I use the toilet now?”

  Lily blushed at the query, and he folded his arms in response. Having her ask for permission for such basic needs was every inch as scintillating as he imagined it would be, and Ethan wanted more of it. A lot more. And now that Lily had pushed all his buttons, he had every excuse—and right—to do so.

  “Go ahead,” he told her in a stern voice. “And then back on your hands and knees.”

  She lowered her gaze at his order, but rose to her knees all the same, perching on the edge of the seat before she eyed him warily. “I don’t know if I can go with you watching me, sir.”

  Ethan smiled wryly. “You’d better learn then, or else you won’t be going at all.”

  There was a low sigh from Lily and a long pause before she was finally able to relieve herself. Ethan ensured his stare drilled into her the whole time, even as her face flamed red with embarrassment. He watched as she finished up, flushing the chain and then falling to all fours again.

  “May I wash my hands, sir?”

  She didn’t even look at him this time, but Ethan grinned nonetheless. He’d not really given much thought to his wedding day, but even in his headiest dreams, he’d never contemplated one as good as this.

  “You may,” he replied. “But consider the fact you’ll be on the floor, or the bed, from now on anyway.”

  She sniffed at his explanation, but moved the short distance to the basin nonetheless, rising to her knees as she washed her small hands.

  “Better?” he demanded softly as she fell back to her hand and knees.

  “Thank you, sir,” she answered, her gaze falling back toward the horrendous tiles that decorated the floor.

  “Look at me.”

  Lily responded to the command with characteristic haste, but those green eyes were burning with emotion as they met his gaze.

  What’s on your mind, little one?

  He sent the thought directly into her thoughts, exhaling as he saw the question re
gister in her mind. Are you angry with me, afraid, or just fucking horny about what I’ll do next?

  She blinked at him swallowing before he heard her reply in his head.

  Maybe, all three. Sir. But you forgot to include sad, too.

  “Sad?”

  Lily pulled in a deep breath. “For Jody.”

  He shook his head as he closed the distance between them. “Forget Jody,” he warned her. “You know she’d have happily fucked me that day, don’t you? Your so-called best friend?”

  “I know she wasn’t perfect,” she replied, the hurt obvious from her quivering tone. “But I loved her all the same. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I love people despite their flaws.”

  That made him stop, and for a long moment Ethan just stared down at the woman at his feet. Lily was right. She had loved him—wholeheartedly—for all his fucked-up flaws. It was the first time he’d known real, unadulterated love since his mother had died. Kitty loved him of course, but that was different. A sibling’s love was always different, but what Lily offered was pure and wholesome.

  Or, it had been. Until Ethan had torn straight through it. Now, they were both flawed. Flawed and fallen—he’d dragged little Lily down into the depths with him.

  “You do,” he agreed after a lengthy pause. “And I’m going to test that theory to even greater degrees than Jody.”

  Lily nodded, her expression melancholy. “Yes. I think you are, sir.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Lily

  Lily crawled back to the bed soon after the exchange in the bathroom, climbing onto the covers at Ethan’s request and waiting on her back. His earlier appraisal was eerily accurate, and as he secured the collar at her neck, and tied first her left and then right wrists to the bedstead with the black ropes, she mused on the concept. She was afraid. It wasn’t something she was comfortable admitting—being scared of her own husband—but it was the truth, yet worryingly, she was also still aroused by him. His authoritative persona still affected her in the same way it had right from the start. Just like the ropes and the humiliation, and while Lily didn’t truly understand the psychology, she couldn’t deny it either. Her responses were real, her pussy dripping with desire at the way he’d denigrated her in the bathroom even now.