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“Please, Zade,” I plead quietly.

Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath, and by the time he’s opening them, his beast has taken over.

“Rub your clit, baby,” he directs. I do as he says, reaching between us and finding the sensitive little bud and start circling it lightly. My lids flutter, acute pleasure rising and stealing my breath. I feel my pussy clench around him, throbbing with desire as my touch grows firmer.

He growls, rolling his hips so I can feel how full I am of him.

One of his hands slides beneath me, cupping the back of my neck firmly while he leans in close, poising the tip of the knife right above my heart.

He’s looking up at me beneath his lashes, waiting for my reaction. I only give him a husky moan as a response, grinding against him. I’ve been at the mercy of Zade’s pain before, and it was one of the most euphoric experiences in my life.

“I’m not going to stop,” he warns me.

“I’m not scared of you,” I bite, moaning again as an orgasm builds.

“So many lies,” he whispers, right before he presses the blade in and starts to cut.

I suck in a sharp breath, burning pain flaring in my chest. Slowly and methodically, he begins to thrust in and out of me, keeping his movements gentle so he can slice cleanly.

This isn’t short little cuts like last time, but one long, continuous drag. It’s nearly blinding, so I rub my clit harder, moaning from the cornucopia of pleasure and agony ravaging my body.

It feels as if a gasoline-lined rose is seeping into my skin, and it’s steadily catching fire beneath his touch.

“I will carve a garden of scars into your flesh, little mouse. Only my pain will bring them to life.” I tip my head back, groaning from the sharp bite of his knife. “They'll only ever grow beneath my touch.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, and his voice cuts in sharply. “Look at me, Adeline. I want you to watch me brand you as mine.”

Though it’s a struggle, I force my eyes open, trading between the macabre rose being engraved into my skin, and his glimmering mismatched eyes.

“You’re doing such a good job, baby,” he whispers, sparing me a quick glance. Sweat forms along my hairline as the two different sensations battle in my nerve endings.

“You take it so fucking good,” he groans, biting his lip as blood bubbles and pours from the wound, pooling in the divot in my throat and the sheets beneath me.

My breath hitches as his cock hits that spot inside of me, sending my eyes rolling to the back of my head. I arch into the knife and twirl my fingers faster, uncaring how grotesque the rose will look.

Nothing about our love is pretty. It’s full of jagged lines, chipped pieces, and sharp edges. It hurts like fucking hell, but it’s not a masterpiece if it didn’t make you bleed for it.

He curses, the blade slicing through my skin faster.

“Don’t you dare fucking come yet, Adeline. Not until I tell you to.”

I don’t listen, continuing to chase after it despite his warning. Nothing else matters right now except coming all over his cock with his knife in my chest.

He growls, the hand around the back of my neck sliding up and fisting my hair so tightly, I cry out. After a few more moments, he pulls the knife away, the agony still lancing throughout the bloodied rose.

I’m so close. Right on the precipice.

But then he jerks my head back farther, forcing me to bow off the bed. Seconds later, the sharp edge of the knife is pressing into my jugular, and Zade’s dangerously soft voice is filling my ear.

“I can slit your throat so fucking easy. And the harder you come, the faster your blood will drain from your body,” he drawls.

My fingers still, a different type of agony stealing my breath as I force the orgasm back down.

“You don’t fucking come until I tell you to,” he repeats, his voice biting and as rough as sandpaper. Despite his threat, he fucks me harder, pressing his chest into mine and earning a pained cry in response.

His breathing escalates, the sharp edge biting into the sensitive flesh on my neck. With every thrust, he jerks my body and causes it to scrape against my skin.

“Zade, please,” I cry. “You feel so fucking good. I need it so bad.”