Promised in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 2)
Promised in Blood: Chapter 25

Ophelia blinks at me, fluttering her eyelashes and feigning innocence when she knows exactly what she does to me. I brush the back of my knuckles over her cheek, and she presses her face into my touch like a puppy desperate for affection. I have been rough on her these past few weeks, and whilst that has been a necessity, it still weighs heavily on me. I wish we had more time.

“Ready for lessons, little one?”

Her shoulders droop, and she drops her head with a heavy sigh. I felt the excitement buzzing through her when I called her to my office. She has already partaken in all of her lessons today, and perhaps it is expecting too much of her to do this as well, but she is much stronger than she was when I first claimed her in here three weeks ago.

And it is time. I can wait no longer. Placing my finger beneath her chin, I tip her head up and force her to look at me. “You will enjoy this one more. I promise.”

She narrows her blue eyes like she cannot quite believe me, but her lips curve. “I will?”

I rub the pad of my thumb over her full bottom lip and pull it down, parting her mouth and imagining sinking my cock inside its warmth. “Yes.”

I guide her across the room and take a seat, positioning her on the edge of my desk directly in front of me so she is perched between my spread thighs. After sliding my hands up the supple skin of her legs, I reach beneath her skirt until my fingers curl around the waistband of her panties. When I tug them down, her pupils blow wide, and she sucks in a shuddering breath.

“I think I am going to enjoy this lesson,” she says with a sexy laugh that warms me from the inside.

Suppressing a dark laugh, I tug her underwear over her boots and stuff them into the pocket of my pants. “I know I am.”

She presses her lips together and hums. The scent of her arousal is already thick in the air, making my mouth water to taste her. I roll my chair forward a few inches, spreading her thighs wider with my shoulders. “So wet for me already, Ophelia.”

Her cheeks flush the same shade of pink as her hair. I slip my hand beneath her skirt once more, glide it up the soft flesh of her inner thigh, and drag the tip of my thumb through her dripping center.

She shivers, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she tries to stifle a groan. I sink a finger into her tight heat, and her back bows, her head tips back, and her loud moan fills my office. She plants her palms on my desk and rocks her hips.

“Look at me, Ophelia,” I command. She lifts her head, and her gaze fixes on mine as I slowly inch out of her before easing back inside. She sucks in deep breaths, her chest heaving with the effort. “Today, you are going to learn to control your emotions when in a state of high arousal.”

The slope of her throat thickens as she swallows, and I continue working her gently, her eyes locked on mine.

“The ability to control your emotions when in a state of intense fear, anger, or pleasure is one of the most difficult lessons to learn, agápi mou, but before we leave this office today, you will have mastered it. Do you understand me?”

She gives a single nod of her head. “Sounds like a lot of fun.”

With my free hand, I trace my fingertips over her cheek. “Oh, it will be.” I add a second finger to her heat, and she mewls with pleasure. “For me, anyway.”

Her lip trembles as her orgasm builds quickly and urgently. The skin on her neck turns a deep shade of pink. The air crackles with energy. “Find your light, Ophelia.”

She sinks her teeth into her pillowy lower lip and nods. I grind the heel of my palm against her clit, and her legs begin to shake along with the desk.

I ease out of her slowly, leaving her teetering on the edge. “Focus!”

Pressing her lips together, she gives me another nod, and I sink my fingers inside her once more.

“You get so beautifully wet for me.” Her pussy squeezes around me. She moans my name, so close to the edge now it makes her whimper with desperation. “Do not come, Ophelia.”

“I c-can’t help it.” She pants out each word.

I slow my movements, gently massaging her sensitive flesh. “Yes you can. Focus.”

Her chest rises and falls with each heavy breath. A single flame licks along the edge of the bookshelf.

“Ophelia!” I growl. “If you set my office on fire again, I will edge you like this for the next ten years.”

She squeezes her eyes closed, and the flame is extinguished.

I sweep the tip of my finger over the sensitive spot inside her, and her back bows. A husky, satisfied moan pours from her throat, and it is enough to have my cock aching to be inside her.

“Please, can I⁠—”

“No!” I add a second finger to her dripping pussy and have to stop my own eyes from rolling with how good she feels gripping me the way she does.

“B-but—I c-can’t …” She holds her breath, and the air becomes thinner like it is being sucked from the room by a vacuum.

I slip my fingers out of her. “Breathe,” I command, and she sucks in a breath that allows air to fill the room once more.

She opens her eyes just in time to see me unfasten my belt. A hungry expression claims her face.

I free my aching shaft from the confines of my zipper and grunt with relief. “Is this what you want, little one?”

She nods, and a shy smile spreads across her face, making her eyes sparkle. I find it adorable that she thinks me teasing her with my cock will be any more tolerable than using my fingers. What I do know is that it will be much more pleasurable for me. I am burning up with the need to be inside her.

“I would like you naked for this next part.” I pull her tank top off and over her head. Her bra and skirt quickly follow until her clothing lies in a pile on the floor beside my desk. I grab her hips and pull her onto my lap, hissing out a breath as her bare pussy skims the head of my cock.

I growl and yank her down, seating myself fully inside her in one smooth stroke. She groans out a plea, begging me to allow her to come.

I rest my mouth on the shell of her ear and lick my lips as the scent of her blood calls to my soul. It is not the time to bite her. Not yet. As soon as I sink my fangs into her sweet flesh, I will be done for and the lesson will be over. She could shake this entire building to dust, and I would not care enough to stop her.

Instead, I fuck her, repeatedly bringing her close to her climax and easing her back down each time her powers threaten to overwhelm her.

Every cell in her body vibrates with pent-up energy. Her hair is stuck to her forehead, her skin coated with a thin sheen of perspiration. Her eyes roll back, and she shakes her head. “P-please, no more.”

“Almost done.” I ease myself inside her once more. “And you are doing so well.”

She buries her head in the crook of my neck, her hot breath rushing over my skin. “I c-can’t.”

“You can, Ophelia.” I lift her head and have to maintain a firm grip on her jaw to hold it upright. She is beyond exhausted. “Look around. Nothing is on fire. The air is as it should be. The walls are not shaking. There is no rain or any hint of a storm brewing. You can do this because you already are.”

She sniffs, and a single tear rolls down her flushed cheek.

“One last test, little one.” I rub a finger over her throbbing clit, and her body spasms before it melts into mine. I release my grip on her jaw and allow her to rest her head on me once more so that I can press my lips against her ear. “Would you like to come?”

“Yes,” she whimpers.

“Are you going to be a good girl and not incinerate me or my office when you do?”

“I’ll try.”

I growl. “No, Ophelia.”

She groans. “I won’t burn down your office.”

I band one arm around her waist and place my free hand on the back of her head, crushing her body to mine. “Focus on your light. Do you see it?”

“Yes.”

I rock into her, sinking my cock deeper and maintaining a firm pressure on her sensitive clit. “What do you do now?”

She takes a deep breath. “Channel everything into the light.”

“Good girl.”

She whimpers at my praise, her walls fluttering around my cock as I bring her closer to the edge. “What if I can’t?”

“Then we will keep practicing until you do.”

She wraps her arms around me, clinging to me like I am the only thing tethering her to this earth.

I rest my lips on the top of her head. “Are you ready, agápi mou?”

Her pussy squeezes my cock in a death grip. “Y- yes.”

“Then come for me, Ophelia.” I pull her down onto me and sink my teeth into her neck. Her orgasm implodes inside her core with the force of a neutron bomb. She screams my name, and like a chain reaction, that sets off my own release. The force of both our climaxes renders me immobile for several long moments. Her taste floods my being, and the smell of her surrounds me. A series of moans soothes all the fractured slivers of my soul.

Her body is molded to mine as she comes down from the aftermath of her orgasm, every inch of her shaking. I glance around the room and note the lack of damage. Whilst my entire world just rocked on its axis, she did not in fact make the walls or the ground shake. There is no sign of rain in the cloudless night sky, and my breathing is fine, albeit labored from my exertions.

You did it, little one. I speak through our bond to save my much-needed breath.

I did? She burrows her face deeper into my neck, and I rub a soothing hand over her back.

Yes. Would you like me to take you home now?

No more lessons?

Not tonight.

Will you stay with me?

I press a gentle kiss to her temple. Always.

I mean⁠—

I know what you mean, and yes, I will stay with you tonight.

Did Ophelia just …? Did you make her come? Is the curse lifted? The voices of all three of my boys come at once.

Yes. She was incredible.

We need to celebrate, Malachi says, and both Axl and Xavier voice their agreement.

They begin to make plans for how they might do that, and I listen for a moment, allowing their elation to sit in my consciousness before I block them out once more.

She smiles against my skin. I really did it?

Take a look around and see for yourself.

Gingerly, she lifts her head and scans the room. A slow, triumphant smile spreads across her face. She still has no idea how truly powerful she is, and a part of me is honored that I get to be the man to show her. But the rest of me … that part is terrified to have such responsibility sitting upon my shoulders.

I dressed a still-trembling Ophelia and carried her home to my bed after her lesson was done. Now she lies contentedly beside me, her head nestled in the crook of my shoulder and her arm draped over my chest.

“I can’t wait to tell the boys that I’m allowed to have orgasms again,” she says with a yawn.

“I think we should keep it to ourselves for now, Ophelia.”

“But why?” she asks quietly.

“In case your powers are not fully controllable yet. What you did was incredible, but we still need to exercise some caution.” The ease at which I lie to her concerns me, but I do not wish to spoil the boys’ plan to mark the occasion. “Just for a day or two,” I offer as reassurance when sadness clouds her thoughts.

That seems to satisfy her, and she sighs contentedly.

I trail my fingertips along her spine and suppress a satisfied smile when her resulting shudder presses the soft curves of her body farther into mine. “I know that I have been hard on you.”

“Understatement,” she huffs, and her warm breath dances over my skin.

I am amazed by how much I enjoy her feisty side. I cup her chin and tip her head back, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You understand why it is necessary for me to push you so hard?”

She nods. “Because my powers could be dangerous if I don’t control them.”

Is that what she thinks this is? Her being a danger never crossed my mind for even a fraction of a second. “No, Ophelia.” I sit up and pull her with me so she is straddling my thighs. “This is to protect you. Everything I do is to protect you. Do you not understand that?” She flinches at my tone, which comes out sharper than I intended. “You must know why I push you. Why all I desire is to keep you safe.”

She blinks. “Because you love me?”

Love? How ill-fitting a word. “I do not love you, little one.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and the sharp stab of pain that lances through her chest is like a dagger to my own heart. She can feel everything I feel; how can she not know the truth? I draw a deep breath and try again. “I do not simply love you.”

“I don’t understand.” She wraps her arms around herself as though she is trying to make herself small and disappear.

I untangle her arms from her torso and drape them around my neck. Her shining blue eyes bore into mine as I brush a lone tear from her cheek. “Love is not enough.”

She blinks, still confused. I pull her close and press my lips against hers. And as always, I find immense pleasure in the way her mouth yields so easily to mine. This is so much more than love, Ophelia. More than a bond. More than I have ever felt. Love cannot endure a thousand lifetimes. It forgets and it fades. You and I are eternal. You have conquered my heart and stolen my soul. Do not insult what we have by calling it love.

She whimpers, and I swallow the sweet sound. But love is all I’ve ever wanted.

Her taste overwhelms my senses, scrambling my thoughts until she is all I can see, taste, smell, hear, and feel.

I would give her anything. Then I will love you for eternity.

But we can’t have eternity. The light and the dark, remember? Another tear rolls down her cheek, finding a home on her soft lips.

I lick it off with a swift flick of my tongue before resuming our kiss. I will either burn in the light or drag you into the dark, little one. And whenever Death should come for you, I will offer Him one thousand souls in return for yours so that you will remain in this mortal realm with me for the rest of time.

Her heart thumps against my own, reminding me of the powerful ambrosia coursing through her veins. Forever? The word is full of hope, and perhaps it is cruel to promise what I have no hope of delivering.

Or perhaps it is crueler still to admit the truth.

So I tell her what we both need to hear. Always.