Next up, I'll dive into Kieran's POV. Maybe we'll finally uncover what makes him act this way.
ELISEKieran reaches the center of the room and wrenches me off him just enough to slam me flat onto the mattress.The loss makes me sob, a keening sound of protest that I can't control. But it lasts only a breath before he grips my hips, drags me back to the edge of the bed, and plunges inside me again.The new angle steals my breath."Kieran…!" My scream splits the air, muffled when his hand clamps around my throat and forces me back into the sheets.He's deeper now, so deep I swear I can feel him in my throat.He looms over me like ice, robe parted, chest shadowed and hard, his face unreadable.His silence is colder than the night air outside, but his body is fire and violence, claiming me in strokes so deep I swear he's tearing straight through me.I clutch at the sheets, at him, at anything to anchor myself as the world tilts.My fingers twist in the silk beneath me, then reach up to claw at his forearms, feeling the flex of muscle as he holds me down.The windows reflect our fer
ELISEThe need is unbearable. I claw at Kieran as a strangled cry rips from me.My body convulses around him, already raw with the ache of wanting, and in my frenzy I crash my lips against his.The second I do, I realize my mistake. The memory from his office that night slams into me. The way he'd frozen and then turned volatile when I dared to kiss him.I know he hates it. I know it sets something off in him. And yet I couldn't stop myself.Kieran's mouth is still under mine. His entire body locks, his aura blazing so violently I feel it like fire in my skin.My heart stutters with fear and need all at once. Then his hand snaps up, gripping my jaw hard, forcing my mouth open wider.A deep, guttural sound rumbles from him as his other hand slides to my throat, tightening just enough to choke me. The pressure sends sparks through my vision, and I gasp against his lips, tasting the danger rolling off him in waves.My vision sparks at the edges as he thrusts up into me harder, deeper. Th
ELISEThe shock of contact nearly undoes me. He’s already hard, thick, heavy in my palm, and the coolness of his skin in my burning hand makes me whimper.Kieran stills. His chest rises sharply, and for a terrifying second I think he’ll shove me off his lap entirely. But he doesn’t. He sits motionless while I stroke him, my movements frantic, clumsy, desperate.“Kieran…” His name spills from my lips, ragged and breathless. “You feel…” I can’t even finish. My body trembles as I pump him harder, needing him, needing this.The partition hums softly behind us, Vincent keeping his eyes forward, and the car swallows every sound except the frantic drag of my breath and the faint rustle of fabric.My jeans feel unbearable, suffocating. I claw at the button with my free hand, fumbling until it pops open.Kieran doesn’t help me. He only watches silently, cold eyes fixed on me while I writhe in his lap and tearing at denim with shaking hands.I pause, lift my hips to shove the jeans down past my
ELISEThe night air hits my fevered skin, providing another moment of blessed relief.The car waits in the circular driveway, engine already running.Kieran slides into the back seat, still holding me, but when he tries to settle me beside him, my drug-addled body rebels with violent intensity.The separation, even those few inches, brings the burning heat rushing back with renewed force. My skin feels like it's melting from the inside out, and the only thing providing any relief is direct contact with him.My fingers dig into his forearm, refusing to let go."No." The single word comes out more desperate than I intended, raw and broken. "Please, I can't... I need...""Behave." He adjusts his position, pulling me fully into his lap.My body molds to his, seeking every point of contact possible.The moment the car door shuts, I shift completely, my legs moving on either side of him until I'm straddling him.The new position brings our bodies flush together, and the relief that floods t
ELISEThe door explodes inward with a thunderous crash that shakes the entire room.Wood splinters fly in every direction, and through the chaos, a figure bolts in.Kieran.The man who'd been holding me captive doesn't even have time to scream. One moment he's there, the next he's airborne, launched across the room by an invisible force.His body slams into the far wall with a sickening crunch before crumpling to the floor in a motionless heap.I don't check if he's breathing. I don't care.The only thing that matters is the immediate relief flooding through my burning body the moment Kieran's presence fills the space.The aphrodisiac coursing through my veins has turned my skin into fire, every nerve ending screaming for relief.My heart pounds so violently I can feel it in my throat, and waves of desperate heat roll through me in nauseating cycles that threaten to tear me apart from the inside.But Kieran's touch... his touch is salvation in human form.I clutch at him desperately, m
~MULTI-POV~The main building is a structure that looks out of this world. Stone foundations support walls that shift between medieval stonework and sleek modern glass. Fairy tale towers rise beside contemporary sections, creating a flow that defies logic yet feels harmonious.The entrance hall soars toward high ceilings, supported by marble columns. Beautiful old tapestries hang on the walls next to modern abstract paintings. The floor is made of tiny colored tiles that seem to change depending on where you stand when you look at them.They walk into a dining hall with high ceilings that radiates warmth despite its vastness. Then toward a table that could seat dozens but doesn't dwarf the four people who settle around it.Zavian takes the head seat with casual confidence while Eva settles at the opposite end, her smaller form commanding equal attention.Dale and Kieran sit across from each other.Dale's impatience fills the room as his hands rest clenched on the table.Eva watches bo