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“Yes!” I shout.

She holds my gaze. “Archie, Itrustyou.”

“Youshouldn’t.”

“Too late.” Bianca reaches for the latch and throws it open.

Chapter26

Bianca

Curiosity? A thirstiness I’m not sure will ever be fully satiated after living so long in the freaking desert? Confidence? Or possibly an insane amount of trust?

I have no idea why I darted forward and opened the latch to the cell, freeing the rabid monster who will be seizing me in three, two…

He’s got me. He’s everywhere. His suddenly clawed hands tear my dress to shreds, the sound delicious to my ears. It was a pretty dress, but I saw dozens of pretty dresses and I haven’t even had my tour yet or discovered the gifts that are awaiting me. So easy come, easy go. Farewell dress.

I’m naked. Archie even growls at my shoes, not pausing until they’re scattered on the floor in tiny scraps. Then he grips me and holds me against his burly chest, his hands seizing my breasts in a claiming motion. His mouth moves to my neck, his tusks brushing against me, as he breathes me in as though this is the first true breath that’s ever filled his lungs.

The pounding in my heart is mirrored by the pounding in my core. Goosebumps erupt over every inch of me as the truth lands. I can’t escape my monster. He’s got me and he can do anything he wants with me. I shiver with pleasure, which sparks a growl that reverberates against the sensitive flesh on my neck. He’s so warm, so big, and radiating with uncontrollable passion for me.

On some level, I know I could call to Nico, that I still have some power. But that doesn’t feel like power, not when I know how surely it would destroy Archie and, with him, this new family that might be mine. That’s not power; it’s a weapon. But even with that, and even with so much true power in the massive body trembling around me, I’m not afraid.

I’m excited, aroused, needy, desperate, and hopeful—that’s better than I’ve been in a long time. I love that I don’t have to pretend to be shy or play silly relationship games here. Maybe never again. Because nothing about this is a game. This is about our truest needs. Archieneedsthis… and maybe so do I. Maybe the ruts happen when all we’ve suppressed for too long refuses to stay hidden a moment longer. Maybe all the world would be better if we were forced to express our desires instead of allowing them to fill us like exhaust pumping into an enclosed garage.

He’s still breathing me in, crushing his body against mine, as though our closeness is a balm on the chaos swirling within him.

“Archie, it’s okay,” I croon. “Being you is more than okay. Accepting yourself as you are is how you love yourself enough to love others.”

In a feral growl, he says, “Thank you.”

With his arms still around me, he lifts me and carries me into his barren cell, with only that thin mattress on the hard floor. A place only fit for an animal, or maybe two randy animals. But we don’t even make it to the mattress.

Archie sets me beside the bars and then shoves me toward them until I’m leaning against the cold metal.

“Grip them,” he commands in a low, brutal tone that inspires even more shivers.

I comply so quickly that I actually snort, imagining obeying any of the one-syllable brigade this quickly. But all thoughts of other men vanish when Archie’s claws slowly, gently rake down my back, right before he grabs my legs and spreads them wide. I can feel just how thick my arousal is, just before I feel his cock tusks—who knew that was a freaking thing???—against my opening.

With a guttural roar, he drives that gigantic cock inside me, the smooth, hard tusks adding pressure and sensation that make me whine, moan, and sing at the same time.

“Ahhh… ooh…please…” I’m panting, tears streaming from my eyes as my body celebrates this divine invasion. Do tusks come with euphoria, because I’m thinking that’s exactly the case.

And the pressure… it’s perfect. It’s like there’s no emptiness inside me now, like every hidden corner that was hollowed out by a lifetime of barely living is suddenly overflowing with connection, light, and acceptance.

Being you is more than okay. Accepting yourself as you are is how you love yourself enough to love others.

Why didn’t I ever tell myself that? Why did it take seeing Archie’s pain for me to understand the greatest mistake I made in my life?

I play it through my mind again, to ensure I really get it.

Beingmeis more than okay. Acceptingmyselfas I am is how I love myself enough to love others.

What would my life have looked like if I’d believed that before today?

As though he can feel my fracturing emotions, Archie pulls that extraordinary cock out and then surges inside me. I can barely hold the bars, but he murmurs a warning when my hands almost release them.

Truly, I need the support they provide because he’s ramming into me now. My body is hurled into the bars by his powerful thrusts. My legs quiver, held tightly by his hands so that he can position me how he wants, tilting me so that he can drive even deeper. So damn deep.