Page 31 of Wraith (Deviant Assassin #1)

Kiera

I dart through the narrow alley, my breath ragged in my chest, heart pounding like a drum line in my ears.

The glowing moon high in the night sky gives me ample light to see my way, but also creates shadows and dark corners where danger could be waiting.

The city’s cool night air clings to my skin, damp with the threat of rain, carrying the metallic scent of wet asphalt and rusted pipes.

Shadows flicker with each passing streetlamp, but it’s the low growl behind me that makes my pulse spike.

I know this city like the back of my hand, but apparently, he does too. I stop to catch my breath, the text he sent me over an hour ago vivid in my mind’s eye.

Wild: Run little rabbit. I’m coming for you.

I whip around a corner, boots skidding on the slick pavement. Something heavy rumbles down the street—a predator’s hum. It’s been following me for the last few blocks, a sleek, growling engine I recognize too well.

It might not be him. Lots of people ride motorcycles. Stop being stupid—or obsessed,

Pulling up short, I flatten myself against a brick wall, ignoring the musty stench of old trash rotting nearby, and peer around the corner. My gaze locks onto the source.

Shit.

A sleek, black Indian Scout Bobber skids to a stop in front of me as the heavens open and a torrent of rain pours down on us.

Wilder’s here, and he’s not exactly riding in for a romantic reunion.

But romance isn’t what I’m looking for. My skin prickles under his gaze as he swings off the bike.

That towering, broad-shouldered frame casting long shadows under the streetlight as I take a step backward to his every step toward me.

His dark leather jacket strains over muscular arms, the scent of motor oil and testosterone thick in the air.

His voice slices through the tension, deep and gravelly, making me grit my teeth.

“Kiera,” he growls, stalking forward. “Don’t even think about trying to escape.”

His footsteps are slow, controlled. He’s savoring the hunt.

I don’t have a problem admitting to myself this is hot as fuck, but I’m sure as hell not admitting it to him.

My fingers search for the cold handle of the blade hidden in my jacket.

When they brush against metal, I draw a deeper breath, savoring my small reassurance in this twisted game of hawk and rabbit.

I could slip away in seconds, leave him with nothing but questions and a trail of regret—but no, it’s Wilder.

I haven’t had a playmate in far too long.

He isn’t just catching me; he’s claiming me. Or trying to, anyhow.

I step out from the shadows, my heart still racing but my face calm, painted with a smirk.

“Thinking about arresting me? Really? You might want to catch up, Wild. That’s the least of my worries tonight.”

His eyes darken, narrowing on me like a hawk zoning in on prey. Tension rolls off him, a mix of leather, sweat, and barely contained fury. He steps closer, his heat palpable even from a foot away. His breath is hot on my skin when he speaks again, his voice dipped in anger,

“You’ve been avoiding me. Not smart, Kiera.”

I chuckle, low and throaty. “Avoiding you? More like saving your ass.”

His fingers twitch, hands balling into fists at his sides.

“You think I need saving? From what?” he snaps, his voice low, dangerous. The alpha in him doesn’t like my refusal to fall in line. Doesn’t like being pushed.

If only you knew. You should be the one running, Agent Wilder.

I tilt my head, my gaze flicking over his chest, reveling in the way his shirt stretches tight over muscles tense with restraint.

“Me,” I murmur, letting the word slip between us like smoke.

In an instant, he slams me against the cold brick wall, the impact forcing the air from my lungs.

I struggle momentarily, but his lips crash against mine, brutal, hungry, a taste of raw desire mixed with the salt of sweat.

His stubble scratches my skin, but I don’t care.

I’m on fire, every nerve alive, burning under his touch.

His hands are everywhere, gripping, pulling, demanding, like he owns me.

And right now, I’ll let him pretend he does.

Petrichor mingles with the faint scent of exhaust from his bike. He cages me in, hands pinning mine above my head. My chest heaves against him, his heat blocking the chill from the rain, his breath hot and ragged in my ear.

“Still fucking me even though you can’t use that blackmail?” he says, voice low, mocking, each word dripping with amusement as his hips pin me to the wall and grind into mine.

Sensation shoots through me like lightning, and I clench my teeth, refusing to be that easy—to let him see how much I want him, need him. Fuck that, I don’t need anyone. But the way my body arches into his betrays me.

“Blackmail?” I manage between gasps, my mind barely holding onto the conversation as his teeth nip at my neck, sending a thrill down my spine. “That’s just a part of our game.”

“Exactly,” he growls, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes, his grip tightening. “So, what now, Kiera? Ready to admit you want me?”

I want to snap back, to have the upper hand, but then it hits me. This is bigger than tonight. Bigger than the last few weeks.

Wilder. The same motorcycle. The same shadow.

I’ve seen him—too many times to be a coincidence. The realization slams into me, like the truth I’ve been too blind to see. This is the motherfucker who’s been stalking me for the last two years.

“You’ve been stalking me,” I whisper, a mix of shock and something much darker twisting inside me. His body stiffens against mine, but it’s not shame flooding his eyes. It’s something more fierce. Primal.

His lips curl into a wicked grin. “Two years,” he admits, his voice husky, a confession wrapped in lust. “I was looking for Wraith. But I found something far more important, you, Kiera.”

A thrill surges through me. His obsession should scare me. It should send me running. Instead, it ignites something deep in my chest, a heat I can’t deny.

He’s been hunting me. Wanting me.

“I felt it,” I breathe, my pulse hammering in my throat. “You’ve been in the shadows watching me.”

Not threatening, exactly. Predatory,

He grunts in response, his hand sliding down my body, fingers rough against my skin.

His touch is possessive, claiming, like I belong to him, and for a moment, I want to.

I want to give in to him, to let him take everything, just so I don’t lose the warmth of his burning desire.

He presses into me harder, nearly crushing the air from my lungs as his lips brush against my ear.

For just a moment, I wish I weren’t so jaded that I could trust someone else.

The need to be seen and desired crashes over me, but an instant later I shut that shit right down.

I’ve been a fool too many times, letting others brutally misuse my trust—I’m done being na?ve.

“You like it, don’t you? That I’ve been chasing you. I warned you, little rabbit. Now that I’ve caught you, it’s game over.”

The truth burns through me like a live wire.

I do like it. No, crave it. I’ve never had anyone want me this much.

The way he looks at me—like I’m the only thing in his world—pulls at something deep inside.

I nod, almost involuntarily, gasping as he reaches under my leather skirt and rips my panties off.

A wide, dark grin spreads across his lips as his fingers brush against my wet heat.

“Well, well, such an eager little rabbit. You’ll get what you need if you’re brave enough to reach for it.”

His eyes burn into mine and he eases back the barest inch so I can grapple with his belt and fly. Without hesitation, I shove his pants down over his perfect, taunt ass.

He hikes my leg over his arm and thrusts into me, fast and hard, with no warning, like a storm crashing through with no regard of the damage he’ll leave in the wake.

A raw moan escapes me, the sound drowned out by the chilly rain that cannot douse the fire between us.

His pace is relentless as his thick cock grows impossibly bigger with each thrust until I can feel him everywhere.

There’s no part of me he doesn’t invade and conquer as rain soaks us, dripping off his chin as he pounds into me over and over.

My fingers curl into fists, desperate to touch him, to feel his strength, but he has my wrists pinned against the cold, wet brick wall.

He grunts out with each savage thrust as I fight for leverage to give him as much as he’s giving me.

But it’s no use. My stalker has captured his prey.

A sharp pain radiates from the junction of my neck and shoulder as his teeth pierce my flesh.

Brutal. Savage. Perfect.

He drives home, over and over again, as if he’ll never stop.

I sure as hell don’t want him to. I relish his possession—the abrasions the rough wall leaves on my over-sensitized skin.

The bruises on my wrists and hip will serve as reminders of the unbridled passion Wild has for me.

He licks and sucks at my neck like a wild animal, and there’s not a damn thing I can do but absorb the sensation—revel in it.

“Wild, please,” I gasp, not recognizing the high pleading whine coming from my throat.

“What do want, rabbit?” he asks against my skin, darkly amused, almost mocking.

But he’s driving the air from my lungs with each thrust, making speech impossible.

He leans back and studies me, eyes burning into mine.

“Okay, baby. I see that you’ve learned your lesson,” he says, as if I’ve spoken. “Hang on tight.”

How the fuck am I supposed to do that?

His hand slips from my hip to circle my neck as I tighten my leg around his waist, scrambling for balance, But I don’t need to worry, Wild knows exactly what I need. He won’t let me go.

His grip on my throat tightens, fingers slipping momentarily in the blood trickling from the bite mark on my neck. He shifts slightly and suddenly, my lungs are burning brighter than the wicked smoldering in his eyes

“You’re mine.” He vows, as black spots float in front of my eyes. “Don’t forget it, rabbit.”

My lungs feel like they’re going to explode when he finally loosens his hold. I choke on the air rushing in to fill the void, but he doesn’t stop driving his cock so deep inside me, I’m sure I’ll split in two.

“Come for me,” he commands. I barely hear the words and my climax tears through me with beautiful, wicked violence, devouring me whole as a buzzing fills my ears and the world tilts perilously around us.

Wild holds me fast as chills chase each other down my spine, and my body trembles with the intensity of it all.

The world narrows down to his heat, his strength, his dominance.

I let go—completely, utterly. His body feels like safety, protection, all the things I haven’t had since…

since Blade. The name flashes through my mind like an echoed lightning strike, a bright flash, but it doesn’t stick.

Right now, all I can focus on is Wilder and how he’s tearing me apart in the best possible way.

He’s extremely dangerous, everything I shouldn’t want. Everything I shouldn’t need. Everything I should run from.

And yet here we are, on a collision course with each other. There’s no avoiding it, and I can’t remember why I should.

My pussy clenches around his hardness, milking him, pushing him toward his own release.

“Kiera, fuck! I need you… need you with every part of my soul.”

My thoughts whirl, spiraling out of control, bringing me to a time when someone else spoke those same words to me. But in the end, he didn’t mean it. And once Wild finds out who I really am, he won’t want me anymore, either.

I push the thought away, not wanting to deal with the fallout.

Not now. I’m drowning in Wilder, the way his fingers dig into my hips, his breath hot on my neck.

“You feel that?” he whispers against my lips, voice rough with need.

“No excuses this time except for wanting me, this, us. You belong to me now.”

I close my eyes, my body giving in to the violent pleasure. In this moment, under his control, I wish time would stop because I’m not ready to face the fact he’s wrong.

“I belong to no one.”

Especially not a man who can touch my soul and wants to lock me up.