Page 31 of Darkness Tempt Me (Bloody Desires #7)

Chapter twenty-seven

Peyton

T he sound of running water wakes me from my sleep. At first, I’m so confused. “Where am I?” I murmur out loud.

“Somewhere safe,” a deep voice rumbles next to me.

“Mavik?” I ask, struggling against my binds. Wait. I’m tied up? I’m sitting upright, strapped to a chair. That’s when I register the soft material of the blindfold around my eyes. My breaths pick up. “Mavik, why am tied up?”

“You don’t remember?”

As if his words unlock something inside of me, a barrage of memories comes forth. The burner phone. The videos. Jimmy’s video. Mavik, in a mask, chasing me.

Cold air hits my skin, causing my nipples to pebble. I’m still practically naked, in nothing but ripped lace. The combination of my sensitive skin, the memories of our chase, and the image of that mask causes my cock to jump.

No. What the fuck? No! Why am I getting hard, and what the actual fuck is wrong with me? I blame all those damn dark romances I read. That and all the thirst traps on social media with men in masks.

Only this isn’t one of my dark fantasies; this is real life. I struggle against the binds again. “Let me go. You’re…you’re a…” My words trail off. I can’t even say it. You’re a murderer. A serial killer. Say it. Say it. But I can’t.

“God, Pey. You’re hard again.” He chuckles low, causing my face to flush with heat. “Do you want me to take care of that for you? I know you want me to.”

“You don’t know me,” I snap. Or, fuck, maybe I don’t know him .

Images of what he did to Jimmy filter through my mind.

It’s fucked up, but he protected me. He helped me when no one else would.

Fuck, is this some type of Stockholm syndrome or something?

But I know that isn’t true. He just kidnapped me, and I’ve had feelings for him for years, but I’ve only known he was a murderer for days.

How many people has Mavik saved by killing all those rapists and abusive assholes?

“I know you, little light. I know everything about you. I know your favorite color. How you take your coffee, and all your favorite foods.” He traces a finger over my cheek, reminding me of the way he caresses a blade over some of his victims.

I’m so embarrassed by my body’s reaction, but I want him.

I loved that savage dominance I saw when he chased me through the forest. I want more.

More of him. Still, I try to fight, though my words sound weak and pathetic to my own ears.

“We’ve been working together for three years, of course you know those things. ”

“I wasn’t finished,” he growls, the sound making my toes curl.

“I know how much you love to carve things from wood, and on occasion, wax. I know you focus on carving animals rather than objects when you’re stressed.

I know the dirty things you like to read.

Or how you like a bite of pain with your sex, and how you hold your breath to make your orgasms that much more intense. ”

My heart rate picks up for an entirely different reason now.

What. The. Fuck? “How long have you been stalking me?” There’s a quiver in my voice, but it’s not just fear flowing through my body. It’s lust. “How long have you been obsessed with me?”

“Since the moment I met you, Pey.”

He tugs the blindfold free, and it only takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I know I’m staring into the eyes of a monster.

A beautiful monster.

A monster worth loving.