Page 73 of Shifting Hearts

SEVEN

Maddy

H ow can I pass up on this opportunity?

This man is literally handing me a way to save Alexi. But I have to be smart about it. If I indulge him in this ridiculous fantasy of his, I might be able to get my way. I can’t just ask for his help in locating her, because then he will be able to manipulate the scenario in his favor.

No.

I must ensnare him and trick him into agreeing to this without giving him a way to back out of our deal.

And if my years at the strip club have taught me anything, it is that you can own a man in a compromised sexual position.

There is nothing more important to them than the image the world has of them. And I have seen the fear in his underlings’ eyes. This man is essential to the cartel.

And I can use that to my advantage.

However, in Alejandro’s case, I won’t deny feeling more than exhilarated at the prospect of lording control over him.

And being a virgin in a sexual deviant world, with all the knowledge I have, has been hard. But I have never felt a pull to another human being as I have with this man. I think it might be time to put all my extensive knowledge and my special gift to good use.

Not only will it give me something that my body apparently craves, but it will also help me get Alexi back.

If I think about it that way, then losing my virginity almost makes it worth it.

I focus on his blue eyes and don’t even dare to blink.

“Tell me, do you have a woman?”

I might be using him, but I won’t fuck over someone else in the process.

The corner of his mouth pulls up, and the scar on his left cheek protrudes even more. Hell, how I want to brush my fingers against the ridges. My fingertips start to tingle at the thought.

“No. Do you think I would have brought you to my home if I had? Not all of us are scumbags.”

I snort and can’t help shaking my head at his audacity. It breaks the spell, but my body reacts instinctively. “You are the enforcer for one of the most prominent and violent drug cartels, and you want to tell me you are Prince Charming? Come off it. I know exactly what you are.”

He looks amused. “And what is that?”

I throw my hands in the air and gesture to the luxury around me. “You are a violent man who has gotten rich off the demise of others. Now, I don’t know how far you have fallen, but you are certainly not as virtuous as you pretend to be. Not that I mind. You will do nicely for what I have in mind.”

“And what, pray tell, would that be?”

I focus on my stare, and my body is filled with yearning as I utter the words I never thought would leave my mouth. “I want you to kneel before me and worship me like the depraved, fucked-up queen I want to be.”

My words bring a smile to his face.

That is a first.

Usually, my victim is mildly aware of the fact that they are being forced to do something, but they still can’t fight the pull I have on their mind.

This situation feels different, and since it is so intimate, I do feel like I need to take some things into consideration.

“That is if you want to. I have heard others talk about consent, and even though I need you, you must want it too. So, answer me honestly, do you want to fuck me? Because it will come at a price.”

My breathing hitches for the millisecond it takes me to break the spell and allow the man before me to make his own decision.

I look down at the oversized T-shirt and my faithful shorts and wonder what he would do when he sees my mark up close.

That is why I need to compel him to take me. He will never help me unless he is compelled, and this just gives me extra leverage.

Silence surrounds us, and I look up to see his searching gaze on me.

“What is this really about? Tell me what you really want, and we can discuss the conditions.”

Can I trust this man?

In my gut, I know I can, but experience has taught me that can’t be true. The only way to get what I want is to take it from him.

Staring into his eyes, I say, “I need to find someone, and you are going to help me.”

Surprisingly, he asks, “And why would I do that? What is in it for me?”

I focus on my stare and will him to agree, but he leaves me no choice but to bargain when he stays quiet. “What do you want?”

“It isn’t what I want, it is what I want to give you.”

A snicker escapes from my lips before I can stop it. “And what do you want to give me?”

He sits back and crosses his one leg over the other before he nonchalantly says, “The power that you so desperately crave.”

I am stricken silent, and at the edges of my mind, doubt filters in as to the effect of my power on him.

He continues without pause, “You see, if you cared to open your mind, you would have connected the dots by now. This power of hypnosis you have isn’t natural, and that mark on your hip is further proof that you are like me.

And when two of our kind mates, it makes us incredibly strong.

Stronger than you can ever imagine. Wouldn’t that come in handy on your quest to look for Alexi? ”

I can feel that he is telling me the truth but it is too fantastical to believe.

What are the odds that forgotten and rejected Maddy Smith could be a real-life basilisk, as he suggests, descended from higher beings?

It does seem more likely that my mother would have thrown me away if she couldn’t understand what I really was.

And it would clear up quite a few lingering questions I have. Alexi would have loved this story.

That brings me out of my stupor. “Where did you hear that name?”

“You used it in your interrogation earlier. Now, I don’t know what kind of man you are involved with, but if he can abandon you to steal and sell women and children, he doesn’t seem like a real man to me.

Luckily, I can offer you an alternative to putting yourself in harm’s way to get closer to him. ”

He thinks Alexi is my boyfriend.

I could actually use this to my advantage if I play it right.

“What do you need from me then?”

Without a word, he gets up and starts unbuttoning his shirt.

The caramel-brown skin pulls taut over rippling muscles, stealing my composure.

Not that I had any to begin with. My body is thrumming at the thought of what could happen next, and although I try to play it cool, there is just something about this man that erases every notion I have ever held dear about the male species.

He takes his time unbuckling his belt and pulls it slowly out of the loops, folding it in half and snapping it right before my eyes.

“If I take you, things might become rough. Is that really what you want, mi pequena vibora ?”

I don’t know what it means, but at this moment, I want it more than I can say. I nod quickly and have to remind myself that I am making him act this way when he unbuttons his pants and drops them to the floor.

His muscular thighs walk closer, and my hands involuntarily reach out to let my fingers graze over his skin.

I have never taken in such a sight and not been filled with repulsion and regret over what almost happened, all those years ago.

The only feeling coursing through my body, right now, is to claim this incredible being as my own.

No matter that he is under the illusion that it will change me. A Basilisk, imagine that.

“What do you want me to do?”

His voice holds a slight tremble, and he must feel it too. Suddenly, it becomes more important to have him feel something for me than to punish all mankind for what they almost stole from me and continue to steal from other defenseless little girls like Alexi.

I must fake this convincingly.

I look into his eyes and see a slight glint of anticipation there. “I assume you know what to do to make a woman feel good?”

He pushes the coffee table away, and some food containers topple over. He barely flinches as he kneels before me and puts his hands on my naked thighs.

“No, my little viper, I know how to make a woman come so hard that she drowns my cock in her lust and begs me to do it again and again. And again. Is that what you want?”

I can simply nod, not willing to break my hold on him this time. I need him to deliver on his promises. I will him to lift the T-shirt off my body and toss it to the side.

Next, his hands move to the button of my shorts, and I stand so he can shimmy the piece of fabric down my trembling legs. All that is left is my prudish cotton panties, and I gasp as his cool fingers burn the textured skin on my hip.

I grab his hand to still the motion and take a deep breath before I focus on his confused stare.

“If we are going to do this, you must not allow yourself to show any disgust. You might not like what you find under this, but I don’t want this to be tainted by rejection. Do you understand?

His smile grows wider, and I am too afraid of what will pass his lips when I remove my hands from him.

“Or I might find exactly what I’m looking for.”

He pauses for a few seconds before he looks at the ungodly mark that has stained me since childhood. I can only assume this was the reason my parents dropped me off at that orphanage in the first place, and this man kneeling before me will be one of the few people who have ever seen this.

I close my eyes as his fingertips carefully swipe over the rough patch of skin, and my body wants to convulse under his touch. But I steel myself for what is to come. Because, although I have some control over his mind right now, his emotions can still alter the effect I have on him.

With reverence, his eyes beg me before his lips touch my birthmark with incredible tenderness. The animosity contained in my cells melts away when I feel his tongue reach out to lick the somewhat scaly piece of me.

“Fuck yes, where have you been all my life?”

He pulls away to look up at me, and with uncanny honesty, beaming at me, he says, “Searching for you to make you mine.”

I let it go. The words mean nothing while he is under my spell. But somehow, they find a way into the inner chamber of my heart where I keep my desires and wishes for the future that can never be.

His tongue keeps caressing my hip until every single piece of my defect has been marked by him.

Then he abruptly stands, takes my hand, and leads me to the expansive wall of windows that look out over the city below.

He turns me to face the view and stands behind me with his hands on my hips.

It is challenging to remain in control when I feel his hands on my body, but I try to keep it together.

“Do you see all this?” he whispers in my ear.

Nodding, my mouth too dry to even think about answering.

“I can give you all this if you give yourself to me. You might not understand it right now, but this thing between us is so much stronger if you want me as much as I want you.”

My heart contracts. He doesn’t really want me. He thinks I am an easy target. And what else can you expect from an alleged stripper who you met with her tits on display?

But I want this and him so badly, and my body is humming in anticipation, like it has been waiting for him all this time before my being decided to come alive.

His hands roam over my skin, and I become aware of the same sensation that I experienced when he touched me before.

The rush skitters over my skin, and in my reflection, I see the change happen before my eyes.

I look over my shoulder to see an iridescent gleam in the moonlight that is streaming in through the window.

In awe, I reach out to touch my shoulder, feeling the texture that I have become very familiar with over the years.

“What are you doing to me?”

“I am releasing your potential, mi vibora . Together, we can become stronger than you can ever imagine. All you have to do is give yourself to me. And I will give you anything your heart desires.”

Unfortunately, I can’t keep the mocking tone from my voice. “And what if you don’t want me anymore?”

He sighs loudly and I feel his breath blow out against my skin, “Why concern ourselves with the future when I can give you real power right now?”

He does have a point. What does it matter if I get her back? “And if I do this, you will help me to get Alexi back?”

A growl comes from behind me, and honestly, this little display of jealousy is turning me on even more.

Do I want him?

Yes.

He kisses me lightly on the neck.

Do I want the power he is offering?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

Will I regret doing this if it leads to me getting Alexi back?

Definitely not.

The only concern I have left, even though it is a fleeting thought at the moment, is whether I will be able to walk away after I have gotten everything I ever wanted.

Fortunately for me, his hands on my body leave me no other choice but to comply with the desires burning in my gut.