Cecily stands unmoving under the shower.
Water cascades down her neck, over the slope of her creamy tits, and down her swollen, pink pussy.
My blood and cum swirl into the drain and disappear.
I lean against the counter, facing the glass shower, legs crossed at the ankles and my hands gripping the sink behind me. Itâs a hopeless attempt to stop myself from lunging in her direction and messing her all up with my blood and cum again.
Dirty her.
her.
My cock jumps, straining against my jeans at the thought of ramming into her tight heat, throwing her up against the nearest surface, and pinning her down.
Iâd chase, catch, and fuck her until sheâs crying.
Noâsobbing. She begged me to fuck her, but she still cried and whimpered.
Whether she did it because it was too much or something else, Iâm not sure.
There are a lot of things I canât pinpoint when it comes to Cecily Knight.
Such as why Iâm watching her take a shower, and why the fuck itâs taking superhuman effort to not join her. All while trying to figure how to get rid of the shell-shocked expression on her face.
Itâs been there ever since I carried her into the house and planted her beneath the shower.
The moment I pulled the trigger against my temple, she cried the hardest. It was no different than witnessing a breakdown. A personâs disintegration into another universe.
But the tears have come to a halt and sheâs crossing into different territory.
Fucking decimation.
Sheâs not fully into the catatonic state, but if I leave her alone, sheâll definitely reach that point.
âCecily,â I call with a calm I donât feel.
She flinches, and I can see the life rushing back to her bright green eyes before she whips her head in my direction. âHuh?â
It takes all my control not to study every nook in her body, every cavity, and every slope. I can still feel her flesh trembling against mine when I fucked her like an animal earlier.
And the time before that.
Iâm reduced to my primal instinct when this woman is around and I donât like that.
Not one bit.
Sheâs waiting for me to speak, her expression sober, but thereâs still the probability of her slipping into an unreachable state.
I crane my chin and point it behind her. âUse shower gel.â
A delicate frown appears between her brows, and Iâm almost sure sheâll choose to be difficult just to piss me off, but she reaches behind her for a shower sponge and pours the gel all over it.
She lowers her head as she lathers her shoulders, armpits, and breasts.
âEyes on me.â My voice roughens despite my attempts to remain unaffected.
And when those mystic eyes fixate on me? Fuck. I honestly wonder why Iâm not in there taking over the task.
But then I recall that I need her to be conscious of her actions. If I do it for her, itâll be easier to dissociate.
A blush covers her cheeks, neck, and even her ears as she hastily runs the sponge over her stomach and thighs.
Cecily might pretend that sheâs not affected by me, might deny the palpable attraction between us and say that she wants nothing of what Iâm offering, but her body doesnât lie.
Her nipples have become harder since her eyes met mine, to the point that she winces whenever she touches them.
A soft shade of pink covers her pale flesh and sheâs clenching her legs.
âClean your pussy, too.â
Her throat works with a swallow. âCan I get some privacy?â
âNo.â
A slow but steady fire lights up her expression. âIâm uncomfortable.â
âAnd I donât give a fuck.â
The sound of her heavy breathing echoes in the air as she opens her thighs and scrubs her cunt not so gently.
Unease and anger mean sheâs here and wonât be lured to whatever alternate reality her brain leads her to.
She finishes in record time, her movements jerky and fueled with her clear disdain.
Iâm starting to learn that Cecilyâs body language is able to express her feelings better than her words.
Itâs not that sheâs lacking in the verbal department. Sheâs intelligent, with a brain that can contain different interests and subjects without failing any. But she has an awful relationship with the sensory world.
Sheâs the type who trips over a rock due to being too caught up in her head.
As a result, when push comes to shove, she canât find the right words to express whatâs inside her. At least, when it comes to herself. Sheâs more eloquent when she has to turn on the mama bear mode and protect her friendsâmy sister included.
Cecily is selfless to an annoying degree and Iâm contemplating a way to erase those habits.
Once sheâs finished, she turns off the water and slips out of the shower. I push off the counter, my fingers aching from how hard I gripped the surface.
There should be a reward for the effort I spent to back off. Too bad my cock only accepts her pussy as compensation.
Cecily jerks to a halt the moment I move, her expression no different than an injured animalâs. A prisoner who hasnât seen light in decades.
I grab a clean towel from the shelves and open it, holding it out, soundlessly telling her to walk toward me.
She does, her steps as light as a feather and as quiet as a kitten. Her body is physical perfection, all creamy, lithe, and small. Especially after I marked it with red bites and hickeys all over her neck, breasts, and thighs.
Sheâs custom-made for me.
Her silver hair drips all over the tile until she reaches me. And then she attempts to snatch the towel. âI can do it myself.â
I hold it out of reach. âGet in here.â
She glares up at me, lips pursing, but she probably figures out this isnât a battle worth fighting, so she steps into the towel, so her back faces me.
I wrap it around her, wiping the water away, and accidentallyâor not so accidentallyâpause on her nipples, waist, pussy, and ass.
Cecily jerks with each brush of my hand against her skin. Due to her poor relationship with her sensory world, sheâs sensitive to every external stimulus.
Just to fuck with her, I brush my thumb against her nipple when I finally tie the towel around her.
She grabs the cloth in a tight fist even as her ears grow red. I retrieve another towel and dump it on her hair, then take my time drying it.
Usually, her scent is that of delicate water lilies, but right now, she smells of me.
Not sure which one I like the best.
My fingers slide through her hair, giving every silver strand the same attention. Gliding, caressing, and curling against her skull, then down her nape and bare shoulders.
The longer I touch her, the redder her ears become, and she flinches every time I do something new.
âWhy did you choose this color for your hair?â
âWhy are you asking?â Her soft voice carries in the space and ends up beneath my skin.
âItâs an unusual color to dye oneâs hair to. Commonly, people would try to hide gray hair, no?â
âI guess. Not me, though.â
âWhy not?â
âYouâll think itâs stupid.â
âTry me.â
âWhite-haired characters are usually my favorites in mangas and anime. They have this intelligent, wise, and reserved aura that I always loved, so I went for it. Not going to lie, itâs a pain to maintain, but itâs worth it.â
âSo you love characters like yourself?â
âIâm not intelligent and wise. Reserved, maybe.â
âYouâre the smartest and wisest person I know. Except for when youâre being a pain in the ass.â
Red splashes her cheeks as silence pulses between us, heavy with our wild breathing. Neither of us breaks it for long minutes as I continue my task.
âAre you done?â she murmurs in a voice that Iâm sure wasnât supposed to come out so low, erotic, and with every attention of stroking my cock to life.
When I donât answer, she glances at me. âI think itâs all dry.â
âNot yet.â I grab her chin and turn her attention forward so I can focus.
I go on until I feel her bubbling with that antagonistic energy. Only when I feel sheâs about to act on it do I release her.
I throw the towel in the sink. âFollow me.â
She exhales an exasperated breath but marches behind me. âWhatâs with you and ordering me around?â
âHow else will you do as I tell you?â I step to the living room thatâs illuminated by the fireâs orange hue. After I carried her to the shower earlier, I lit the fireplace to warm the room.
Cecily observes her surroundings as if itâs the first time sheâs been here, her feet padding along the wood floor. âIâd rather not be ordered around.â
âAnd Iâd rather you do as I say.â
That glare, the one full of life and attitude, comes back, but it slowly disappears as she composes herself. âCan you give me some clothes? I want to go home.â
âNot yet.â
âWhat else do you want?â Despite her attempts to sound cool, her voice shakes at the end.
âItâs early.â
She points at the grandfather clock above the fireplace. âItâs midnight.â
âWhich means early.â
âI have classes in the morning.â
âSo do I, but you donât see me whining about it.â
âIâm surprised you even studyâ¦â she mutters under her breath, then trails off when she spots her phone and keys on the small coffee table.
Still holding her towel with a death grip, as if would stop me, she sits on the sofa, legs tucked underneath her, and checks her phone.
Then she listens to a voice message from an obviously drunk Ava.
âCecy!! I canât believe you left meâ¦alone, you little bitch. But, like, a pretty bitch. Come back, Cecy⦠If youâre asleep, Iâm gonna wake you up, uh-huh. Also! I bought one of those small packets of M&Mâs like the ones Aunt Kim gave us when we were kids. I saved you some, but if youâre not here, Iâll eat them all. I hate it when Iâm craving chocolate⦠Glyn says itâs because Iâm sad, but Iâm not. Right, Cecy?â
Thereâs a commotion on the other end before Glyndonâs voice calls in the background. âAva! Jesus, what the hell are you doing standing in the middle of the road? Itâs dangerous!â
âIâm manifesting Cecy. Letâs do it together, Glyn!â
âWe should probably go back to the dorm.â
âNoooââ
And then the voice message is cut off. Cecily releases a long breath and mutters, âThis child, I swear.â
I soundlessly slide behind the sofa as she types somethingâa reply to her friendâs message in a group chat called âFoursome.â
After Avaâs VM, thereâs a text from none other than my sister.
It looks like you guys had so much fun. Iâm definitely NOT jealous while I sit in my ivory tower.
I narrow my eyes, but I continue reading.
It wasnât that much fun. Eli showed up and Ava went off, and yeah, it was a disaster.
In this house, we donât speak of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
@Cecily Knight I wish you had been there to calm her down. Youâre the only one who knows how. She wouldnât stop drinking and playing her cello and crying. I think sheâs going to sleep now, though. Where are you, anyway?
Cecilyâs expression is aimed downward as she types her reply with fast, elegant fingers.
Group study. Iâll be late. Please check on Ava @Glyndon King. Put a bucket by her bed and give her a painkiller. Also, wipe her forehead with a cold towel and make sure her alarm is set. You should go to sleep, too, Glyn, itâs late. Didnât you say you have an important class tomorrow morning?
Yes, Mum! *salute emoji*
Cecily releases a long breath and I lean over, causing it to get caught before being fully expelled.
âSo Iâm a group study now?â
She slaps her phone to her chest and slowly glances at me like a character from a horror movie. âIs the concept of privacy foreign to you?â
âPossibly.â
She puffs out an exasperated breath. âI have to go back and check on my friends.â
âTheyâre adults, and unlike what Glyndon said, youâre not their mother.â I round the sofa and sit beside her.
Cecily scoots up and glues herself to the edge, trying and failing to put some distance between us. I can feel the warmth radiating off her and the hot energy that mirrors mine.
âDonât,â I grind out.
âW-what?â
âYour nervous energy turns me on, so unless youâre up for riding my cock, tone it down.â
Her ears redden again and she rubs the side of her nose. âWhat makes you think Iâm nervous? Maybe Iâm disgusted.â
I know this aggressiveness is a reply to how much coercion I put her through, and usually, I donât rise to provocations. But then again, my system has never been the same since she came into the picture.
I reach a hand out and she flinches, but Iâve already grabbed her hair and slid her across the old leather sofa that creaks underneath her weight.
Cecilyâs eyes widen as I glare down at her. âYou seem to have a misconception about certain terms. Should I give you a real reason to be disgusted?â
She purses her lips.
âAnswer the fucking question, Cecily. Should I?â
âNo.â
âThatâs right. No. Donât ask for something you canât handle.â I release her for the sole reason that touching her, having her shiver against me, is enough to make me want to fuck her.
And I actually donât want to hurt her when she must be sore.
Cecily clutches her towel so tight that her knuckles whiten, then she rushes back to sit against the other end of the sofa.
The sound of the burning logs fills the living room and mixes with her quickening breaths before she releases a sigh.
âAnd what am I supposed to do now? Drown in your broody, emotionless company?â
âHereâs what youâre not supposed to do. Sarcasm. Didnât I tell you to drop it? If I repeat myself again, it wonât be with words.â
Silence, fidgeting, and more silence. Then she abruptly stands up. âIâm going to look for some clothes.â
âYou look fine the way you are.â
âIâm sure youâd think that,â she starts to mock, but then clears her throat. âDo you have to rip my clothes?â
âNo, but itâs more thrilling when I do.â
âWow. Okay. That was direct.â
âIâm nothing less than direct.â
A weird expression covers her features, almost like resignation, or understanding.
Or maybe Iâm imagining both.
âI can see that,â she says with revering calm. âBut youâre not impulsive or reckless, so why did you make us play that game earlier? Itâs out of character for you to put your life in danger. You donât seem suicidal.â
âIâm not.â
âWhat if one of us died?â
âWe wouldnât have. I removed the bullet before you started.â
Her lips part and she stares at me as if Iâm Lucifer himself. âYouâ¦youâ¦â
âNo rush. Take your time in finding the words.â
âI really thought I was going to die!â
âWhich made you more honest. Arenât you glad I was creative to find a way to make you open up?â
âScrew you,â she mutters, then trudges to the stairs and disappears at the top.
She mustâve taken a discovery tour around here the last time. Iâm not worried that sheâll escape since the balconies and windows are high.
I remove my jacket, throw it on a nearby chair, and text back and forth with Ilya about security details.
Preferably, this shouldâve been done in person, and I shouldâve also plotted to inflict more damage on the Serpents. But the thought of leaving this place to do all of those chores holds no appeal.
No, not this place.
in this place.
âWhyâ¦do you have these?â
I lift my head from my phone to stare at Cecily. Sheâs wearing a pair of jeans and a black tee that molds against her tits.
The items in question are a few mangas she probably found on the nightstand. Even as she holds them, her hands arenât completely steady.
I raise a brow. âDonât you love reading about boysâ love? I did some research and thatâs apparently a thing a lot of women do. Reading and watching gay men material.â
Her face turns a deep shade of crimson. âSo what? Weâre not hurting anyone by cheering on gay men to get together. I wonât allow you to shame me.â
It takes everything in me not to smile at the spikiness in her voice or how she hugs the mangas as if protecting them from me.
âWho says Iâm shaming you?â
Her defensive stance turns into that of careful bemusement. âYouâreâ¦not?â
âWhy would I buy you those if I were?â
She narrows her eyes. âWhy did you buy these, anyway?â
âSo you can read them here.â
âHow do you know Iâve gotten this far in all the volumes?â
âI was in your room the other time, remember?â
âStalker,â she mutters, but she sits down opposite me and strokes the covers of the mangas.
âI know.â
She whips her head up, her slowly drying strands swishing with the motion. âIt doesnât bother you to be called that?â
âIf that label makes you feel at ease, go right ahead. I have no fucks to give.â
Cecily watches me peculiarly. âItâs not normal that you stalk me, buy the mangas I read, do some research on them, and even buy clothes that are exactly my size. Did you go through my wardrobe?â
âI did, but I didnât need that to know your size.â I lift a hand and trace an imaginary outline. âI remember every nook of your body and can guess the size.â
Her lips tremble, but she murmurs, âYouâre really impossible.â
âSo you keep telling me. You need to learn that I donât give a fuck about whatâs considered normal or socially acceptable. If I want something, I have it.â
She goes still, probably detecting my nonnegotiable tone. Her gaze slides all over me, from my face to my nonchalant position to the ink thatâs spilling out from my short-sleeved shirt.
It lingers there, on the ink, before she slides it back to my face. âHow are you any different from barbarians?â
âDonât know and donât care. Labels hold no importance for me.â
âWhat does then?â
âAt the moment? You and your submission.â
She swallows thickly. âWhat if I say no?â
âThen youâd be lying to me and yourself. You enjoy this, Cecily. Itâs in your nature, so how about you let go for once?â
She clamps her lips shut, not saying anything.
I know I have a long way to go with her. She didnât even admit to the reason behind her decimation until I basically forced it out of her.
My blood turns ice-cold in my veins at the thought of that fucker who hurt her and transformed a proud girl into someone who canât control herself. What he did to her must be the reason why gagging and drugging are her limits.
I will find him.
I will make him regret fucking with her.
Cecily might be a toy, but sheâs my fucking toy and no one is allowed to touch her.
Hurt her.
Or engrave a permanent scar inside her.