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“You’re mad at me,” I point out. “You were furious.” Meaning bringing me here, into his private domain, doesn’t bode well with me.

“I was,” he concedes. “And you were a raging ball of emotions. You calmed down, I calmed down.”

“So we feed off each other’s emotions now?” This is news to me.

Quickly Rowan dismisses the idea. “No, Keres. I care about you. I am fucking pissed that you went to the Cliff of Embers without telling anyone. I’m pissed you were taken from here, your home. I’m fucking raging that the only emotion you seem to be latching onto as your system regenerates those emotions is the guilt and despair caused by your actions that weren’t in your nature. You were twisted into something built for war, but it is not you. And I will remind you until my dying breath you are worth the pain and the sacrifice to be here, worthier than anyone else in any realm, including me.”

Tears prickle the backs of my eyes but I refuse to cry anymore. Even though he’s angry I went off alone, determined to do as I please despite all the insistence of being able to make something better of myself if I continue to live, Rowan slays a part of me I didn’t know existed. Where a place of belonging, of deep affection threatens to splinter apart my perceived anger and pain. He’s unraveling me the longer I stay here in his realm.

Before either of us can come up with something else to say, I slant my mouth across his, not yet ready to impart my own desires and wants to him that go beyond the physical. I pour everything I am into the kiss, fusing our lips until they bruise.

Rowan’s tongue boldly strokes my own. I may have initiated the kiss but he’s owning me; body, mind, and souls. He doesn’t move, still clutching my thighs so there’s no escape as he continuously sinks his tongue into my mouth exploring everything inch. His teeth nip at my lips, holding the flesh between his sharp teeth until I whimper in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

Pulling back slowly, I roughly drag air back into my lungs. “You can’t just say stuff like that,” I whisper.

“I can say whatever the fuck I want until your brain realizes there are people who care about you wanting you to live. I care. So shut the fuck up about dying.”

Unceremoniously Rowan dumps me on his duvet. He reaches down, unlacing his leather pants all while raking his eyes over my still clothed body. He stops once the laces are undone, the tip of his cock jutting out and tapping the skin beneath his navel.

He leans forward to grip the material of my pants by my hips and tears them off my body, taking my underwear with it.

Naked from the waist down, I lift my chin as much as I can from my position, proving I’m not embarrassed for him to see me. When he raises a brow in challenge, I lift my arms to take the rest of my top off and throw it on the floor in the same vicinity where my pants are now located.

Rowan climbs on the bed, still fully clothed except for his cock on display. He settles his knees on either side of my hips as he towers over me.

I reach forward and grasp his hard length in my hand, stroking firmly, all while maintaining eye contact with the beast.

His mossy eyes fade to black, a smirk curling the corner of his bruised lips. “Hungry for my cock, little monster?”

“Why is it I’m the only one who ever loses all their clothes?” I taunt.

Rowan grips the back of his shirt behind his head and pulls it over, revealing the toned muscles and sleek grooves of his abdomen and arms. The dark tattoo on his face slithers partway down his chest, elongating until half of his neck and face are covered by the geometric shapes.

Giving a rough stroke, I arch my brow in return. “Is your snake–”

“Root,” Rowan groans in correction, his head tilting back as I continue to stroke his growing length.

“It came off my skin as a snake.”

“On your body, it’s a reflection of my power.” He hisses when I rub my thumb over the tip, smearing his precum. “A root of power. It takes whatever shape it wants when it protects you if it comes off your body.”

Huh. I didn’t realize his power allowed the mark to shapeshift.

“Lean on your elbows,” Rowan directs, removing my hand from his cock by my wrist.

Sitting up, I rest on my elbows and watch as he slips closer towards me, bringing his erection towards my mouth. Without being told, I open for him.

Rowan’s hand immediately dives into my hair at the back of my head, bunching and pulling tight. I hiss as the sting of pain resonates, but he surges forward, filling my mouth before I can curse at him.

He all but dominates me. Repeatedly thrusting to the back of my throat as his hand tightens in my hair so I can’t move my head. Tears burn my eyes as air barely manages to fill my lungs. My entire being is burning up from the onslaught of sensations.

Trying to gain control, I wrap my lips tighter, flicking my tongue as best I can with his harsh movements to slide over the thick rigid vein and the tip.

“You’re not going to control the pace of this, little monster,” Rowan snorts. He punishingly plunges deep, holding himself there as my throat constricts and I begin to choke slightly. “I own you, remember? So if I want you to gag on my cock, then you’re going to gag until I let you have air. Understand?”

He’s fucking sadistic when he wants to be, but I can’t tell him that with his cock lodged in my throat. So I glare as best I can to convey that the message is understood but I don’t agree.

Suddenly he pulls out, smirking at me as I gulp down several breaths of air to help my heart and brain function once again. But Rowan isn’t finished. He grabs himself in his hand, dragging his hand up and down his wet length as he looks over my body with a look of pure ownership.