Page 50 of House of Darkness (The Fallen Star #1)

I nodded. I did love him with every fiber of my being. Not in the sweet way Solaris had dreamed of when we were little girls. No, this was a dark, twisted obsession that spread through me like the sweetest poison.

He understood too. Of course he would—he always did. His eyes ignited with a crazed flame, focused entirely on me. In a breath, his hand twisted into my hair, and his lips crashed against mine. I gripped the sides of his face, digging my nails into his skin.

He tugged me closer, his bare front pressing against me. This wasn’t a soft kiss; our souls were merging through our lips, igniting a flame that threatened to burn down cities in its wake.

He broke away, his breath coming in short pants. “Are you sure? Because there’s no going back from what I’m about to do to you.”

“Yes,” I breathed, my heart racing.

His eyes swirled with lust, doubt, and that self-hatred that never seemed to fade. “If you choose me, I’ll probably kill more. I’d set the whole world ablaze for you.”

“I want you to.”

Even though it was wrong. Even though the rational part of my mind screamed that I shouldn’t desire anything so twisted. The truth was that I wanted it all. I wanted him to pull me into his darkness and consume me whole.

He growled, a sound dark enough to send goosebumps racing up my arms. Before I had a chance to react, he lifted me into his arms and dropped me onto the bed, swiftly removing my clothes and leaving me exposed. I shuddered at the hunger in his eyes.

“Ass in the air, Estrella.”

I gasped at the demand but obeyed. His hand guided me down until my cheek pressed into the mattress. His chest pressed against my back, giving him room to work his hand between my legs. Without warning, he slid a finger inside me. I bucked against him, moaning softly.

“You’re so wet. Were you turned on by me killing for you?”

I shivered but gritted my teeth. “No.”

A rumble ran through him, vibrating up my back in a way that made me gasp. “You’re lying.”

He slid another finger in, pumping steadily. My entire focus homed in on those infernal fingers tormenting me. It wasn’t nearly enough. I rocked back, but he just laughed, shifting his fingers back and refusing to give me more. His tongue glided up my neck, and a tormented moan escaped me.

“I want you to scream my name when I fuck you. Do you understand?”

“People would hear,” I whimpered, rocking back again—damn it, he needed to speed up.

“I want them to hear. I want every single person on this planet to know you’re mine.” A sensation like warm liquid spiraled up my thighs. His shadows twisted around me, pinning me in place like ropes.

His fingers left to grip my thighs, the cords of his power wrapping around me. His other hand twisted viciously into my hair. I whined at the absence, but my protest was cut off as he slammed into me in one swift stroke. “Oh my god, Roman!”

“That’s it, take it, good girl,” he purred, pulling out to the tip before slamming back in again.

I tightened at his words. God, it was so wrong, but I loved his praise.

I wanted to be good for him. Everything—from his fist tugging at my roots to the feeling of him completely filling me—was a blinding pleasure I never wanted to stop.

There was nothing tender or sweet about this.

This was a claiming, and I was ready to be completely, utterly his.

“Tell me again, doll,” he groaned, leaning over me once more, driving deeper.

“I love you.”

He moaned, and I grinned at how the words unraveled him.

“You’re mine,” he growled.

“I’m yours.”

“Fuck,” he moaned, grabbing my hip once more to drive deeper, picking up the vicious pace. “Good girl, baby. Fucking perfect.”

My eyes fluttered shut at his words, letting pleasure wash over me until all I knew was him. I loved the abuse, loved that he knew I could take it and enjoy it just as much as he did. I tugged against the restraints, doing my best to rock back and meet him with every stroke.

Those restraints morphed like liquid, spiraling up my stomach, twisting around my breasts, and finishing in a tight collar around my neck. Roman wrapped an arm around my waist, using his strength and power to guide me to my knees, my back pressed to his front.

It was perfect. Every inch of his body sent shockwaves through me, and his moans filled my ears like a symphony. His free hand slid between my thighs, rubbing my most sensitive spot in tantalizing circles.

“Roman,” I shivered against his touches, my mind barely able to function amidst the onslaught of sensations raking through me. “I’m going to come.”

He groaned in approval. “I want to feel that sweet pussy come around my cock, doll. I want to hear you scream my name, knowing I’m the only one who will ever make you feel this fucking good.”

I let my head fall back against his shoulder, and then he bit me.

The desperate pulls from my neck combined with his cock pulsing inside me made the pleasure unbearable. I rode the wave of my orgasm, twisting against the restraints, his name spilling from my lips as I did exactly what he wanted.

He followed me over the edge, his cock throbbing as he filled me. He released my neck and pressed a kiss to the bite even as he collapsed backward, hauling me with him.

“Now you’re dripping with my cum, so you’ll be reminded exactly who this pussy belongs to,” he purred, kissing down my neck.

God, that mouth. I pressed a kiss to his jaw. “I’ll always belong to you. No reminders needed.”

Then I succumbed to that intoxicating embrace that stirred something primal within us both.

With Roman by my side, the shadows no longer felt like a burden; they were a part of me.

I had danced on the teetering edge between the light I was expected to embody and the darkness that coursed through my veins, but now I was falling into the abyss with him.