Elias's mood tonight is beyond sweet and romantic. It's better than any romance novel I've read, and I'm feeling all kinds of ways about him. Many of which are begging to be expressed physically. And I can't do that with this stupid fucking veil on my face. I want to rip it off and tear that mask from his head so I can devour him, but I suppose we should play by the rules.
I turn to look out the window, noticing that the moon is full and the stars are shining so brightly, the night sky peppered with them. It's beautiful out there, and if I weren't so desperate to have Elias in our bed, I'd ask him to take me on a walk on the beach.
"Want to play a game?" The voice coming from behind me is low, sexy, a gravelly whisper that can only belong to one man. And when he wraps his arm around my shoulders from the back, gripping my throat through the silk veil, I gasp, arousal flooding my veins—and the space between my legs.
"Elias, I—"
He presses his front to my back. The fabric of my dress is doing nothing to hide the hard planes of his body. Even through the veil, his breath is warm against my ear. "Do you, Cordelia? Yes or no?"
"Yes," I breathe, my body trembling with need. "Please."
"Good. I'm giving you a headstart." His hard cock presses into me and his voice is a deep rumble as he says, "Run."
Oh, shit. We're doing this now. "Yes, master," I say, glancing over my shoulder as he releases me, and I turn away, rushing out the side door of the ballroom into the hallway closest to the back door before bursting out into the backyard. I go ahead and kick off my heels, knowing they're just going to slow me down, and I want to prolong this as much as possible. This is my fantasy, the one I shared with him all those weeks ago. He never forgot, and the promise of what is to come has my heart pounding and my thighs slick with my desire.
I also know I need to watch my breathing and not overdo it, so I jog into the wooded area at the side of the manor until I find a large tree I can hide behind. My fingers rip out the pins holding the veil in place.
"You are good at this game," says Elias's disembodied voice. It echoes off the tall trees and mixes with the crunching of leaves under his feet. "We should have played sooner, coelhinha."
I stiffen at the endearment and the veil slips from my fingers. My heart races at double the speed. Elias has many sweet names for me, but as I worked out with Lorelai that day...none of them are spoken in Portuguese.
Without a second thought, my feet pound into the ground, putting more distance between us.
"Cordelia!"
I make a sharp turn around a gravestone adorned with a massive marble cross. I grip the base as I look back the way I came.
One of the Dagon brothers bends down to retrieve my veil. He slides the gauzy material beneath his mask and his chest expands. His face lifts and he looks side to side.
"Cordelia, answer me!"
I bite down on my lip, fighting the urge to call for him. I can't tell if the call came from the being in front of me or one unseen. Which is my savior that wants to rescue me, and which is the devil who wishes to destroy me? I can't risk it.
I bolt across the cemetery. Swift steps follow, each getting louder by the second.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I chant, speeding up, knowing for certain I'm running too fast, that what I'm doing is dangerous for my lungs. I reach for my inhaler as I continue running toward another thicket of trees, into a place I've never been on the island before.
I pat the place where my pockets should be and groan with the realization that I don't have any. Because I'm in a ballgown. And I opted not to bring a purse. Because I didn't think I'd need an inhaler tonight...not to mention, I've had a sneaking suspicion that Elias has been carrying one with him wherever he goes ever since we began our fake dating arrangement. I don't know that for sure, but it seems like something sweet he would do for me.
"For fuck's sake," I mutter, but I keep running. I'm not wheezing yet, and hopefully I'll make it out of this without having an attack.
"Cordelia, stop!" the voice rings out again, bouncing off the trees, but I refuse to chance giving in to the wrong brother. How did I never think of this before? Getting mixed up with the wrong one?
Oh, shit. What if it's already happened before and I didn't even know? The mere thought is enough to make me sick to my stomach, and I am forced to slow down until I come to a stop, bracing myself with my hands on my knees.
Arms snake around my waist and a hand claps over my mouth. I struggle against his hold, kicking and clawing to break free.
"Shh, dolce tentazione. When will you learn that monsters lurk these grounds at night?"
A shiver runs down my spine and transforms into liquid heat between my legs. I melt inside the arms holding me, and don't put up a fight as he pulls me into a candle lit mausoleum.
"You ran from me," he whispers, his lips pressed to the artery along my neck.
All rational thought leaves me as his hands drift down my body and his hard cock presses against my ass. The fear and the adrenaline create a lustful combination that has me rubbing my body along his like an adoring pet.
"Elias?" I breathe.
"Yes, belle rêveur."
The last ounce of my trepidation evaporates. I don't care what lurks outside these walls, what watches us from the cover of the trees. Elias has finally caught me and I'm desperate for him to have his way with me.
"Touch me, please."
His palm slides over my collarbone until his long fingers are wrapped around my neck, pinning my back to his chest. His other hand moves down my thigh and finds the slit in my dress that runs to the top of my thigh. One slow swipe of his fingertip over my bare pussy and he knows just how much the chase turned me on.
"Is this for me, dolce tentazione? Did you hope I would sink my fingers inside of you before the night was over?"
"Yes," I pant, not even ashamed of how wanton I sound. "It's always for you. I constantly want you inside me. Your fingers, your tongue, your cock. Whatever you want from me, herra, I want you to take." I stretch my neck even further back against his shoulder, hoping he catches my meaning. "Whatever you want."
"You are so hard to resist when your heart is racing. I can feel the sweet blood pumping through you here." He kisses my neck. "And here." His finger sinks inside of me. "So warm and inviting."
Elias toys with me, filling me with his fingers and dragging them to my clit. Never doing both at the same time, always making me ache for more. It only makes my heart pound quicker.
I glide my tongue along his jaw, hoping it entices him to take things further. I'm sure the dead don't mind that we are living in the most primal of ways in their keep.
I turn to face him, gliding my palm up his chest and into his hair. The planes of his face are devastatingly beautiful in the candles' glow. I trace his cheekbone and the corner of his mouth before pulling him down to me. Before his lips touch mine, I pull back and his eyes darken with lust. Two can play at teasing.
"Tell me what you want, Elias," I demand.
"You. Always you."
I cock my head to the side and lift a brow. The last thing I want is his sweet words. I want every filthy thought floating in his head. I've heard the declarations of feelings, Now, I want the raw desire.
He yanks me close and tangles his fingers in my hair. With a firm tug, he lifts my chin and appraises my neck. "I want my cock buried deep inside you as I feed from you."
My pussy clenches as he presses two fingers inside me, and I suck him in greedily. "Then fucking take what you want. I'm ready, Elias. Nothing could change my mind. I told you I'm in this with you, and I meant it. As long as you'll have me, I'm here." I pull his hair hard and whisper against his lips, "I know you're hungry, my love. I don't care what the consequences are. Drink from me."
His lips meet mine in the kiss of a starving man. He devours me with tongue and teeth while lifting me to sit on top of the tomb. The freezing stone bites into the back of my legs, the contrast to my hot skin a welcome sensation. Elias makes quick work with the skirt of my dress, exposing my wet center to the chilled night breeze. He spreads my thighs and dips his head to taste me. My head arches back as he runs his tongue from bottom to top of my center. The wars he could wage over his mouth would be catastrophic.
"So sweet. Always so fucking sweet for me," he groans before sucking on my clit.
The sound that leaves my lips is inhuman. Something about the way he's touching me tonight is different than it has ever been before. Every kiss, every lick is electric, like the energy between us is at an all-time high and will not—cannot—be contained.
"Fuck, Elias," I cry, raising my hips and pushing against his face. "What are you doing to me? This—this feels different than any other time we've been together, and you haven't even fed from me yet. What—" He nibbles at my inner thigh as he slips three fingers inside me, and I yelp. "What is happening right now?"
He chuckles and places a kiss at the center of me before standing. "I thought it was clear. I'm giving in, letting go of my restraints and fucking you the way you deserve."
He unbuttons his pants before removing his cock. I watch as he slides his hand up and down the length, growing impossibly hard, his fingers slipping over the piercings on his shaft. His gaze meets mine and he hitches my leg around his hips. "You're mine, Cordelia."
With one swift thrust, he buries himself inside of me as I wrap my other leg around him and grip his shoulders. Each violent movement of his hips sends me closer to my release; each silver ball that rubs against my clit shoots more electricity through my veins. I close my eyes and grasp on to that feeling, riding it as it brings me closer to bliss.
"Look at me," he demands. "Look at us."
I lift my heavy eyelids and watch as he moves in and out of me. The sight of us connected is enough to have me screaming his name. But he grabs my jaw and tilts my head to the side. I hold my breath, staring out the entrance of the mausoleum as I anticipate the sharp nick of his teeth. A familiar figure steps out of the tree line, holding my veil. He brings it to his nose as his eyes lock with mine.
Elias.
No.
Cane.
I open my mouth to tell Elias, but I'm thrown into pure ecstasy as he pierces my skin and draws my blood into his mouth. My body grips him, sucking him in, pulling him deeper just as he takes me into him gulp by gulp.
"Elias," I scream, unable to stop myself from shouting to the heavens. The gods need to know that there is a being just as beautiful, just as powerful, and I've laid myself out upon his altar.
I pull Elias to me, holding on to him as my heart calms and my body goes slack. My eyes flutter open and I find that Cane is gone. It doesn't matter. The problems with him will remain until tomorrow. For now, I plan to make the most of my final night on the island.