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A tortured sound ripped from Hugo’s throat as they deepened their kiss, and relief and joy gushed through Seraphina’s veins as he gripped her closer and took them both down to the bed.

“Tell me,” he begged between kisses as he parted her thighs with his hips.

“Tell me if I need to stop.”

“I promise,” Seraphina breathed, feeling the tip of his cock line up perfectly at her entrance.

Despite the ferocity of the evening, Hugo sunk into her with a startling gentleness. At first, Seraphina clenched her teeth and hissed at the discomfort of his size. Even going slow, his rigid manhood made her walls stretch to discomfort and her sex spasm with pain. But she clung to him, whispering, begging him not to stop.

Hugo’s hips then began a hypnotizing undulation, thrusting inside of her as kept his eyes on hers and seemingly read every small convulsion and reaction. There was a battle raging inside of him; a clashing of monstrous need and the want to be gentle, which only fueled her own desire.

And then, as if magic settled between them, Seraphina’s pain stopped, and pleasure filled every part of her being. Her hips began to rock with his, her clinging fingers turned into gripping claws at his shoulder blades, and she moaned in ecstasy.

The carnal sound seemed to release something within Hugo, and he responded with his own guttural moan as he sank deeper. Seraphina’s lashes fluttered and closed as she felt the beginning of another orgasm swell within her.

“Don’t close your eyes,” Hugo moaned, capturing her throat. “Look at me. Only at me.”

Seraphina obeyed, fighting the heady urge to close her eyes to the deepening pleasure and locked her focus on him. Hugo’s thrusts grew faster, harder, and soon he was slamming his hips against hers, taking everything she was offering him.

“I can feel you clenching me, milking me,” he gritted out, his voice deep and thick with arousal.

“I can’t help it,” she breathed. “Hugo, I will—I’m about to–”\

“Fight it,” he commanded, his grip on her throat growing tighter. “I want you to release with me, together.”

She nodded weakly, doing her best to calm her raging body down as he brought her closer and closer to ecstasy. No matter how she fought it though, it grew. Hotter. Tighter. Until she was gripping his shoulders with all her strength and every taut tendon in her body trembled in agony.

“Hugo,” she begged, unable to fight it much longer.

“Now.” He commanded raggedly, pumping into her with abandon, “Come with menow.”

Seraphina’s scream of pleasure ripped from her throat as Hugo’s hips suddenly locked into her, and bestial growl roared from his chest. Her slick, tight walls clamped down possessively over his pulsating cock as his release swelled and tunneled through her and their trembling bodies froze together.

For a moment she could not breathe, could not think. Seraphina could nothing but feel as their hands and bodies locked tightly together. And then a kiss, tender and sweet, brushed across her lips, and she drew in a deep ragged breath as she came back to life.

“God in Heaven,” Hugo moaned, collapsing on top of her.

“Praise be to him,” Seraphina laughed softly, tunneling her fingers through his hair as he kissed and lapped at the sweat gathered on her neck. And then, before she could speak or think anything else, she passed out.

Hugo drew in a ragged breath as he bolted upright, his chest heaving as the bloody images still played in his mind. In his nightmare he could feel the fists of his father, knocking into his temple, his jaw. Could feel the burns of his cigars over his torso as he was forced to stand still and not make a sound.

Then the nightmare shifted. He wasn’t small anymore. And instead of being the victim he had become the beast. Beating and lashing until the person beneath him was a mess of bloody pulp, gasping for air and barely hanging on to the thread of life. Only it wasn’t a man this time. It was Seraphina.

Hugo jerked quickly, terrified of the possible reality, and searched the bed for her. His heart shuddered and nearly stopped when he found her lying peacefully not far from; her eyes closed, her soft, heavy breath escaping in small whimpers as she slept on her side; her long hair fanned out among the pillows.

For a moment he was overtaken with relief, but then the memory of their union- and the many others that came after her short rest- came rushing back, and so did his fear. Carefully, notwanting to wake her, he pulled the sheet away from her naked body, and in the dim light of the moon, began to inspect her.

His teeth had left small, red indentations on her neck. He found another mark, deep purple with similar red dips on her arse cheek. He traced the bruise with his fingertips, feeling as if he was going to be sick. Hugo then shifted his gaze, looking for more evidence of his assault, and grimaced as he saw her wrists. Bruised and red from the tightness of his grip.

Thiswas what he had been afraid of. Why he’d pushed so hard against taking a wife. The same beast that lived within his father now lived within him, and it fed off pain. It was why he’d waited so long to take lovers. Why, even after he had, he’d never slept by their side. He’d nearly killed once when lost in his rage; his passion to keep Leah safe. What if he did it again.

Mine,a deep growl erupted from Hugo’s mind as he looked down at Seraphina, and then a sweeping currant of need passed over him again.

“No,” he muttered aloud, drawing away from her.

She wants me. Understands me. Mine.

But she didn’t. Not really. She understood what Leah had told her, but Leah didn’t know the entire truth. She didn’t know the details of the war that raged within him; only what had spilled onto the surface.