Chapter 20
Clara
Excitement and fear are battling inside of me. My chest is tight, but the anticipation is blocking that out. Holding the blade in my hand, I study it. Such a mundane instrument that can be used to kill a human being is interesting to me. I’ve never been one for death and blood but then again, I’ve never really seen it up as close as I am now. I look up at Alexei and his eyes are sparkling. He likes this. He likes me intrigued by all that he does. And I am intrigued.
“Is it a matter of where you stab?” I ask clearly wanting to know. I don’t have a purpose other than pleasing Alexei. There’s something so deep inside of me that dances with delight when he looks at me the way he does when I please him.
“Why would you simply stab?” I don’t understand his question. My head tilts as I wait for more. Just the sound of his voice sends me spiraling out of control. I don’t know how one man I crave yet also fear can make my knees weak with just his words.
“Isn’t that the point?” He shakes his head and grabs my wrist pulling me in front of the dead man that hangs from the rafters. I should be disgusted and a part of me is, but the other part wants to know more.
“You see this wound?” He asks pointing at the man’s stomach. I nod.
“This wound is only a stab wound. Not in an area that would kill him but enough for him to lose a lot of blood. He would survive this wound. This one,” he says pointing the man’s neck, “Obviously he wouldn’t survive.”
“There are certain parts that will kill, yes?” I ask watching the way his eyes light up.
“Yes, that is correct. Here,” he says pointing to the man’s neck, “He would bleed out instantly. Whereas here, it would take longer. In torture, you want to prolong the death as long as possible.”
“So, you choose the points that wouldn’t instantly kill,” I say connecting the dots. His smile widens as he nods his head. He almost looks proud of me at this moment and that’s something that sets me on fire. Alexei may be different and darker, but I find that I crave that side of him. At first, he was almost the perfect lover. He would give me just what I needed but that changed and now he takes what he needs as well, and I find myself liking every bit of it.
“If you’re being attacked, you want the kill. You don’t want to give them the opportunity to come back after you. If you don’t kill and you turn your back, they could kill you,” he tells me as I watch him. I look from him to the bloody body and wonder what it would feel like to cut someone. Alexei must see the look in my eyes because he moves in, taking the knife from me and tossing it to the floor. His lips crush mine in a frenzied kiss that leaves me breathless and panting for more. I don’t know what he’s doing to me, and I’m almost afraid to find out. But the more I get a taste of him, the more I want, and I’m greedy. When he pulls away, his heated breath dances across my skin.
“What are you thinking?”
“I want to know what it feels like to cut someone. To hurt them the way they hurt me,” I say as a tear slides down my cheek. Alexei leans down and licks the tear from my face before pulling back to look at me.
“You want to learn to fight? Defend yourself?” He asks. I nod my head and he laughs. His smile is gorgeous, and I find myself drawn to it.
“Will you teach me?”
“You have no worries of ever being attacked again now that you’re mine. I won’t let anyone get that close to you, Clara.”
“I’d still like to learn. Maybe Dmitry could show me.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. His eyes flash to the darkest of blacks that I’ve ever seen. His movements are quick, grabbing my shoulders and moving me across the room until my back collides roughly with the wall. A whimper escapes my lips and Alexei grins that dark sexy grin.
“You want another man’s hands on you? Is that what this is?” The anger practically vibrates off him and slams into me. It nearly knocks the air from my lungs.
“No.”
“No? You say no yet you want Dmitry to teach you to defend yourself? Do you want him sliding into that sweet pussy of yours too? Do you want his come dripping down your thighs?” My insides burn from his words. This man, this beautiful man that bought me, saved me from the grasp of Timur, is slowly ripping me apart inside only to rebuild me. He’s hurting me more than Timur and any of his men did, but this time I love it.
“I want your come dripping out of me. I want your hands on me, Alexei.” His eyes move quickly between mine, a hunger so deep it’s nearly terrifying flickers over his features. His mouth slams against mine roughly, his teeth drawing blood from my lip. His hands move down my body searing me with fire as they go. His touch is rough and heated, hard and unforgiving as I arch into him. What is he doing to my head? How is he making every single wrong feel so right inside of me?
He pulls back, and I cry out from the loss of him.
“Turn around and put your hands on the wall,” he says, his voice pained and heavy. I turn and do as I’m told waiting for whatever he’s going to give me. His fingers slide into the top of my jeans. Not bothering to unbutton them, he forces them down my hips and legs along with my panties. He moves back, his hands rubbing over my ass causing chill bumps to form on my heated skin. And then he does something unexpected. His large hand comes down with a crack across my ass that both burns and tingles. I cry out from the contact, my knees quivering.
“You challenge me like no one else ever has воробей. It both excites me and maddens me at the same time,” he says with another crack against my ass. My body is on fire, sparks racing through my veins. I’m already wet for him and that alone should be concerning but it isn’t.
“Alexei, please,” I beg needing to feel him inside of me. He’s ruined me in the time that I’ve been with him. I’m ruined from the inside out craving him and the depraved things he does to me.
“Please, what sparrow? Tell me what you want me to do to you?” His hand moves over the spot he just hit, and I find it soothing and erotic all at once. His pleasure is my pain.
“I want you inside me, please, Alexei,” I beg once more.
“You’ve been testing me, Sparrow. Why?” Another slap across the other side and I’m a panting mess. I gasp for air as swat after swat comes and the immense pain does little more than stoke the fire in me.
“I want you to break! I want you to come undone!” I scream and before I can react he’s thrusting inside of me. The way he stretches me burns but I love it. I’ll gladly sit in the flames if it means he will never come out.
“You want me to break? Is this broken enough for you?” He grabs my hair and yanks until my neck is straining and sore. His hips pound into me, without a doubt marking me all over again. Feeling him moving inside me, stretching me is the most perfect sensation. Alexei growls when I thrust my hips back into his. His hand leaves my hair, nails raking down my back. I can feel the burn and welcome it as he takes his aggression out on me.
“You want to fucking break me? You can’t break me! No one can!” Alexei leans over my body, his teeth sinking into my flesh. I scream his name and my pussy clenches and pulses around him. I come hard, harder than I ever have before with him and my legs begin to quiver. His body slams into me a few more times before I feel him filling me so full. His seed hits deeply and I gasp every time his cock twitches and jerks inside of me. His sweat drips onto my back burning the scratches that he’s left in his wake, but it’s a welcome feeling. As I slowly come down from the high, I was on, my body begins to give out. Alexei pulls out of me, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me. Cradling me in his arms, I lay my head on his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his heart as he walks us out of the basement. We get a few glances from his men, but they all look away quickly. It isn’t until we make it to his room that I realize he was as completely naked as I am. He walks us into the bathroom and starts the shower, stepping in with me still in his arms. Water rains over our heated skin but Alexei doesn’t set me down, in fact, he pulls me closer.