Page 116 of Ruthless Desire
Her eyes fly open, stormy grey and glittering with unshed tears. "Who says you've won either?"
A rough laugh escapes me. I trace the seam of her kiss-swollen lips with my thumb. "Oh, my cruel little bird. We both know I won them the moment you stepped into my web." I trail biting kisses down her throat. "Just as surely as you've ensnared mine in turn."
Natalie makes a noise somewhere between a sob and a curse. I frame her face in my hands, forcing her glassy eyes to meet mine. "Do you accept it?" I demand. "My corrupt heart? My eternal devotion, steeped in blood and shadow?"
For a suspended moment, we stare at each other, stripped to our battered bones. Then -
"Yes," Natalie chokes out, the word cleaving her open. "Yes, Dante. I accept it all."
Triumph roars through my veins. I claim her mouth again, fumbling with my zipper. Then I'm inside her in one brutal thrust, swallowing her broken cry. I set a punishing rhythm, the heavy desk rattling beneath us.
"Fuck, solnyshko," I grind out, driving deeper with each thrust. "Gonna fill this fertile little cunt. Breed you so full with my cum..."
Natalie comes with a wild keening noise, her body clenching around me like a vice. I follow her over the edge with a guttural roar, spilling myself deep inside her. As the aftershocks ripple through us, I offer up a silent prayer that my seed takes root.
I gather her trembling form in my arms, cradling her against my chest. "It's done, moy voron," I rasp into her hair. "No going back now. You belong to me in every way."
Her lips find my thundering pulse. "And you're mine," she whispers. "My monster. My twisted heart."
Joy, black as pitch and twice as potent, detonates in my chest. I tighten my hold on her, marveling at how this beautiful, damaged creature has brought me to my knees.
"Sleep, wife," I murmur, even as my mind whirs with vicious plans. "Tomorrow, I crown you in front of gods and monsters alike. And after..." I palm her belly, fingers tensing. "After, I fill your womb with my child. The shackle you'll never break."
As Natalie drifts off against me, I smile a smile that would send demons fleeing. Our wedding will be a dark circus, an unholy spectacle to make the world tremble. And on that black velvet bed, I'll fuck a baby into my bride, the fruit of our corrupt love.
Natalie Corleone is mine now, and even Death itself won't part us. We'll rule this blood-soaked empire until the very stars fall from the sky. Lord and Lady of eternal midnight, a force of ruination unrivaled in history.
And the sad, pious world?
The world will fucking burn.
As I hold Natalie, drunk on the intoxicating mix of triumph and possession, a nagging whisper creeps into the back of my mind. Something isn't right. The transition was too smooth, her surrender too complete. My Natalie, my fierce, defiant queen - broken so thoroughly?
I push the thought away, burying my face in her hair. But the seed of doubt has been planted, taking root in the fertile soil of my paranoia.
In the shadowy corners of the room, I catch a flicker of movement. My head snaps up, eyes scanning the darkness. Nothing. And yet...
A chill runs down my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I've survived this long by trusting my instincts, and right now, they're screaming that I've missed something crucial.
As if sensing my unease, Natalie stirs in my arms. Her eyes flutter open, and for a split second, I see something in their depths that makes my blood run cold. A calculating gleam, quickly masked by adoring submission.
"What's wrong, my love?" she murmurs, her voice honey-sweet and dripping with concern.
I force a smile, stroking her cheek. "Nothing, moy voron. Just eager for our new beginning."
She nods, settling back against my chest. But as she does, I feel the almost imperceptible tensing of her muscles, like a predator coiling to strike.
In that moment, I realize the truth that's been staring me in the face all along. The game isn't over. It's only just begun.
And I might not be the one holding all the cards after all.