Consumed: A Dark Paranormal Romance Read online

  “That’s it. Tease yourself for your master.”

  And I did. I brought myself to the edge and back, never bringing myself to completion because he hadn’t given me permission just yet. Desire pulsed heavy, deep in my core and I trembled under its power. He moved closer to me, leaning over my body, but never truly touching me. He was careful not to.

  He held himself above me, his arms strong and steady.

  “Your cheeks blush so beautifully when you’re ready to come,” he mused, and I shuddered at the dark seduction in his tone.

  “Please,” I whispered.

  “Not yet, little warrior. You’re not ready,” he answered.

  His fingers drifted across my neck, his touch light as he skimmed over the place where he had bit me once. The scabs had long healed and he growled low in his throat with disappointment.

  “Turn your head. Give me access to your pretty neck.”

  Breathlessly, I did as he bid, stretching my throat out for him. He sighed happily and my pussy spasmed with arousal.

  “Is it going to hurt?” I whispered.

  “Yes, but you like it that way, my Kassandra.”

  I didn’t answer, but I knew he was right. Even at just the threat of pain under his hand, my body betrayed me and responded, every single time. He had spanked me with his hand, his belt and he’d whipped me. My wetness had seeped down my thighs and the pleasure that he’d given me afterward had been so incredibly blissful, even if it had been so shameful. He knew what I needed, and he was going to give it to me, whether I wanted it or not.

  I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that I was starting to need it too.

  “You will come at the exact moment that my teeth pierce your beautiful, pale skin. Not a second before. Not a moment after. Do you understand?”

  I moaned. I wanted it. I needed it all.

  Even if that meant that I had to give him my everything. Even if that meant he was going to take my blood.

  My fingers worked my clit furiously, fueling the fires within my core impossibly higher. He kissed my neck and it felt as though he was branding me with his heat.

  Hot. Needy. I wanted to come so badly.

  But I had to wait. He said I couldn’t come yet.

  I was delirious with pleasure and my body demanded release, but I held myself back. I forced my body to obey the forces in my head, just as Markos licked the vulnerable skin of my throat. I moaned softly, my body vibrating with passionate fire.

  “I’ve been wanting to taste you again, my love.”

  “Please. I’m yours,” I answered, my voice hardly above a whisper. I sounded husky and tortured, even to my own ears.

  “I know, pet. You’ve always been mine.”

  The moment his teeth pierced into my flesh, my entire world fractured into countless shards of sharp pleasure and pain. I came harder than I ever had. The combination of ecstasy and agony rendered me immobile, desire slicing me into pieces and wrecking me completely. I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand closed over it, blocking my sounds from escaping my throat.

  I welcomed it. Desperate keening sounds echoed in my head, wild and primal, like a rabid feral animal.

  Only, I was the one making those sounds.

  My neck pulsed, and the edges of my vision grew slightly dim, the feel of him drinking from me hypnotic and arousing. It hurt, but it felt good.

  My heart undulated in my chest, strong and powerful and I wondered if the force of it would cause it to slam out of my body. I felt like I was going to splinter into a thousand pieces and Markos would have to put me back together once again.

  My fingers forced shockwaves of pleasure to simmer over my small frame, holding me captive in each powerful wake. He didn’t tell me to stop, so I didn’t dare take my hand away. I came again and again as he drank deep, until finally, he pulled away and a strange warmth dribbled down my throat.

  “You’re so beautiful when you bear my mark.”

  I sighed contentedly, and his lips lifted up in the tiniest of smiles.

  “You’ve done well, Kassandra. I am pleased with you,” he replied, taking a hold of my hand and circling it with his own. My leave to pleasure myself was over and now, he’d taken back full control. His hold was powerful and intense. I thrived under it.

  Ever since I had met him, far away in the confines of his villa, I had felt his pull. I had wanted to find him and when I did, it had grown all the more powerful. I had thought it was strong after he’d fucked me in his office, but now it only seemed to amplify in intensity.

  I bit my lip.

  “Now, you’re going to leave here. You’re going to run.”

  The door to my chamber clicked and swung open, just a little bit. I watched it with a sense of wonder. How the hell had he done that?

  A soft caress to my cheek turned my gaze back toward him.

  “Go down the hallway and take the stairs. Run, my little warrior and fight your way out. When you reach the roof, I will tell you what to do next,” he said softly. I nodded. I trusted him. He was going to get me out of here. He was going to save me.

  Slowly, he sat back, and I slid off my small, twin-sized bed. I pulled my pants back up around my waist, but my inner thighs rubbed together, slick with the remnants of my orgasm. I could feel the bite at my throat throb gently, but I didn’t touch it.

  Slipping on a pair of socks and then some sneakers, I tiptoed toward the door. Looking back at him one final time, I smiled.

  “You’re going to be mine forever, Kassandra.”

  My heart leapt into my throat and I shivered with pleasure. I couldn’t wait.

  I slipped down the hall undetected. The walls were barren, sickeningly clinical and I was suddenly awash with the intense desire to get away from this place. I’d been placed here against my will and any manner of consent had been torn away from me. It was time to change that. When I reached the stairway, the door clicked open just as I reached for it. The hallways were silent, except for the random scream of a mental patient behind me.

  At least that’s what I thought it was.

  Perhaps it was a real person. Or maybe it was the voices in my mind again.

  I shook my head. It didn’t matter.

  Rushing up the stairs, I took them two at a time. The sounds of heavy boots climbing up the stairs from below me sent me into a panic. I ran harder and faster and sprinted right into what felt like a wall, only it wasn’t.

  It was a man. A security guard.

  “What the fuck? How’d you get out of your room,” he grumbled, reaching for me.

  This though, I had trained for. I was ready. Markos had told me to fight my way out and I was going to do just that.

  I swung backwards, using the hand rail to steady myself. Quickly, I brought my knee up hard in the places he was most vulnerable, and he crumpled. He hadn’t been ready for me. Thrusting my body forward and up, I leapt high in the air, encircling my legs around his neck. I squeezed hard, cutting off his air supply, and he thrashed beneath me.

  The sounds that came out of his mouth grew increasingly angry and desperate. His hands pawed at my thighs, trying to pry them apart, but it was no use.

  Within moments, I could feel him weakening beneath me and I crossed my ankles over one another. Several flights down, I could hear the boots coming toward me and I squeezed the guard tighter. Staggering, he swayed back and forth and not seconds later, he collapsed to his knees. I clocked him hard in the side of the head and finally, he went down.

  I maneuvered free of his heavy weight, pushing him down the stairs. I watched him roll away and then, I sprinted up the final few flights of stairs. Not far behind, men shouted, and hefty steps slammed down on the cement stairs not far away.

  I slammed into the rooftop door, and it was locked.

  “Please, Markos,” I begged.

  The door clicked, and I burst through it, swinging it so hard that it rattled the wall behind me. The night air was chilly with a late spring breeze and I shivered.


  What now?

  I raced forward, toward the edge and that’s when I realized I was in a freaking skyscraper, and a good twenty stories from the ground below. I furrowed my brow, trying to come up with possible escape routes, but nothing came to mind. I ran around the building and I saw another close by. The distance between buildings was maybe about twenty feet.

  I’d jumped that distance before. I’d run track in high school and had exceled at the long jump, but I didn’t know if I could do something like this. I looked down and the lights shimmered, shadows moving across the asphalt far below. There was no ledge on either side. With a good solid sprint, I could make that. At least, I thought I could.

  I was strong, but this was reckless. I could fight most men with ease and I could win. I could lift heavier weight than any other woman I knew. I’d beaten countless men and women in competitions, but I had never done something so crazy.

  “Markos, you can’t want this,” I said, my voice shaking with fear as the wind whipped up around me. I prayed I was wrong. I hoped for something else instead.

  Before my eyes, he appeared on the rooftop of the other building, as though he was waiting for me to come to him.

  My pussy spasmed at just the sight of him.

  Behind me, the door burst open, the metal frame clanging against the wall. I turned quickly, the air rushing from my lungs and I whimpered indecisively. A group of men emerged, and they became a small, pointed formation, all focused on me.

  They had fucking guns.

  A dozen little red laser points centered on my chest, sniper rifles by the looks of them, and panic made my stomach tighten into knots. I could hardly breathe.

  “Markos,” I whispered. “What do I do?”

  I backed up a step and nervously looked behind me, the edge of the building coming closer with every inch. Markos said nothing. I watched as the guards began to move toward me, never losing formation, their faces hidden behind dark masks.

  They were the real deal. Either they were trained in SWAT maneuvers or they were ex-military, but this group of seven men meant business. I turned desperately to Markos, as my world quickly spun out of control.

  He reached out his arm, beckoning me to come to him. I swallowed nervously and shook my head. I couldn’t jump from one building to the next. It was too far, too high up, too utterly careless and insane. If I didn’t make it, I could die.

  “Come to me, Kassandra. Come to your master.” He spoke quietly, but every word pierced my heart. Something dark and ravenous billowed up from the very depths of my soul, like fate was demanding that I comply and jump for my life.

  The guards stopped moving, gesturing for me to return to them.

  “Come back, Kassandra. We won’t hurt you. Just come away from the ledge,” one of them shouted loudly, enough to be heard over the roar in my ears. Slowly, I stepped toward them, closing the distance between us and the one who had spoken smiled with relief.

  But then I pivoted and sprinted hard toward the ledge. I ran hard, with everything I was worth. My feet found purchase on the gritty, sandy cement below my sneakers and I surged forward. I felt strong, like the warrior Markos had branded me. I would make him proud. I’d reach him and then we’d run off together, forever.

  Using all my might, I hurdled off the ledge, continuing to run in midair, propelling myself forward.

  The sound of gunfire echoed around me and everything went numb.

  Markos reached for me and I reached for him, and then, I started to fall.

  I tried to focus. I tried to move.

  My vision wavered, shadows of blackness taking over my sight and I struggled hard, feeling the air rush by me.

  Cold. Chillingly cold.

  I felt his fingers on mine, blazing hot and I held on tight.

  “Save me, Master,” I whispered.

  The darkness enveloped me then and I fell into shadow.

  Chapter Six

  Kassandra

  When I finally came to, I felt cold and groggy. My body felt heavy, all of my limbs feeling as though they were made of stone. Keeping my eyes closed, I took stock of my fingers and toes, moving them each gradually, one at a time until I was sure I was still in one piece. I took a deep breath and then let it out. I couldn’t feel any pain then either. That was good. I hadn’t been hurt and I sighed with relief. I opened my eyes, blinking slowly. Tentatively, I blinked once again, and my vision slowly cleared. I was surrounded by dots of light. I gasped at what I saw once the entire picture came into focus.

  It appeared as though I was inside a huge domed room, bound and shackled to a slab of some kind. Beneath my fingers, the texture of the table’s surface felt cool, like wood of some kind. All along the walls were shelves of tall red candles, little lights of flame flickering this way and that, casting the room with an ominous glow.

  What the actual fuck?

  I tried to move, but when I moved my head to look down at myself, I saw that I was bound with tight strips of fabric up and down my body. I was entirely naked underneath the sheer, gauzy cloth. Strangely, only my bare breasts were exposed, and I swallowed nervously.

  Was this a dream? How did I get here?

  Behind me and outside of my field of view, Markos cleared his throat.

  “Kassandra,” he began, “finally, you are mine.”

  My body flared with pleasure at his words.

  His footsteps brushed against the grit on the floor. I wondered if it was stone. Maybe I was back in Greece, deep underneath his villa. I hoped I was and that this wasn’t some sort of weird sacrificial ritual.

  “Where am I?” I asked nervously, my gaze searching around the domed room for clues. The walls appeared to be made of rock, a gray stone lined with dark veins. It almost looked alive. I shook my head. I must be losing it.

  “Everywhere. Nowhere. What does it really matter?” he answered.

  “I want to know,” I pressed.

  He growled in warning and I shut my mouth.

  “It’s not time yet, my little warrior. I haven’t even begun what needs to be done yet.”

  What the hell did that mean? I furrowed my brow in confusion, trying to figure it out. I knew better than to press him now though. I had just gotten him back and I didn’t want him to leave me again. He’d tell me when he decided I needed to know. I had faith in that.

  “Master, please,” I begged, “what’s going to happen?”

  He moved to my side and in his hand was one of those red candles. It was wider than the others and looked as if it had been burning for some time. Just beneath the wick was a pool of liquefied wax. A veritable red ocean that drew me in. It was so bizarre that I found myself questioning if it was real or not.

  Slowly, he held it out over my breasts and I stiffened anxiously. What was he up to? I stared at the flickering flame, a small light in the darkness and gradually, it calmed me. An overwhelming power washed over me, and at once, my fears about where I was, how I got here, and what was going to happen to me fled away, dissipating into a cloud of ash. Instead, I solely focused on Markos and myself.

  We were together again. That’s all that mattered. That gave me relief, at least for now.

  His hand tilted more. The red ocean rippled slightly, undulating back and forth almost threateningly until, at last, melted wax tipped over the edge. I held my breath, watching as it fell toward my body, almost in slow motion. One drop, then two and I gasped as it landed directly between my breasts. A warm, pleasurable sensation drifted over me and I sighed quietly. He did it again and my pussy clenched, hopelessly bound and covered by my fabric prison.

  The wax felt entirely too good. Sensual, heated pleasure passed over me and I was helpless against it. My nipples hardened into tight little peaks, wanting more of whatever this little game Markos was playing with my body.

  He moved from side to side, painting little drops above and below my nipples. My breath grew hotter with tight little pants and then, he brought his hand closer to my body. He tilted the candle agai
n.

  Each drop felt hotter this time, but not unbearably so. As they met my skin, there was an initial hot sting of pain, but then it quickly faded as the wax dripped down the curves of my breasts. I angled my head to stare down at his handiwork.

  The wax looked like blood.

  I drew in a hot breath and then, he moved his hand closer once more.

  “Yes. Please,” I begged.

  More wax dripped down. Drop after drop trickling onto my skin.

  Hotter. More painful, but still as arousing as ever.

  My heart pulsed and my core throbbed, desperate intense pleasure building up deep in my belly. Each drop reminded me of his power over me and my body reacted to it, heating with every last one. Desire rattled me, straight down to the depths of my soul.

  All around us, flames began to dance. A massive circle of fire enclosed around me and as each drop of wax pelted against my naked skin, it burned hotter and the blaze grew bigger and higher. I drew in a shaky breath.

  This was crazy, right?

  It couldn’t be real.

  Maybe I was back in the asylum again. Maybe this was another vision, or maybe this was my own personal hell.

  I didn’t know. There weren’t enough clues. I couldn’t piece together a story.

  The candle descended lower and Markos chuckled, the sound low and menacing in his throat. I stared at it, watching as the flame on the wick grew larger until it consumed my vision. Everything around me grew hazy. Nothing else mattered other than the candle and the rising passion within my body.

  I trembled, trying to quell the desire racing through me. I couldn’t lose control. Not like this.

  His fingers trailed over the thin, gauzy fabric that bound me and I moaned low, feeling gooseflesh rise across my skin. His touch felt like the fire burning before my eyes, hot and painful and I was powerless against it. Each drop of wax, each trace of his finger, burned hot like a brand, causing me to cry out in initial pain and then pleasure as it cooled.

  Over and over, he did this, until I was breathless with need.

  My pleasure was held tight in a little ball, intense and painful and begging for release. The intensity of it was driving me insane, senseless with want.