Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,9

even realized was a thing.

Knox knew every erogenous part of me with carnal knowledge. He knew he could get violent because I liked it when he did, needing his bruises that came from the way he savaged me. He could bruise my hips, leave handprints on my thighs, and still, I begged him to fuck me harder. I let him wreck me, and I’d wrecked his ass right back, giving him blow for blow in the bedroom until we were both nothing more than empty, exhausted shells gasping for air. His smile was predatory, as if he remembered the same night, the exact fucking moment as we stared at one another.

“I always catch my prey, Aria. This isn’t a game for me. When I catch you, and I will, you’re going to know why I’m the fucking King.”

“Is that so?” I whispered, pushing my hands down my dress as his heavy gaze followed their trail. “I’m a needy bitch, so either do it already or stop talking. You seem to always taunt me, and yet you never follow through. You want me, and I want you. The thing is, I’m not willing to sell my soul to the devil to get the things I want from him. Don’t get me wrong, Knox. You’re deliciously wicked in bed, but you’re not the only cock in the Nine Realms. Now, are you? You want me because of what I have and what I can do. The thing is, you have no idea what that really is. You will soon, and when that happens, you’ll probably decide that I’m too dangerous to keep alive.”

“You’re not dying, Aria. I won’t allow that to happen. You are mine. The other men? They won’t satisfy that need burning in those pretty eyes. They won’t destroy you like I do, nor would they even satisfy that hunger you feel when replaying those memories of our time together through that pretty head of yours. You’re lust, and I’m carnage. You’re a beauty, but that hides that vicarious bitch that’s itching for you to release her.

“You’re fucked in the head, just like me. You’re bare-bones that unleash the moment you discard those clothes because without them, you shed your humanity and give in to the monster you truly are. You and me? We’re kindred spirits that come together and shed our fucking skin and go to war against one another. It’s glorious, and you fucking know it, don’t you? Just now, you imagined me pinning you against a wall, driving into you until the only name you know is mine. Didn’t you?”

“I’m imagining someone else doing something similar, yes.” I teased, but he knew the truth. His eyes smiled, calling me out on the lie as I caught his scent. Fighting to remain in control, I shivered with the need to throw him down and make new memories with that thick cock of his.

He knew that only he could fix the ache that throbbed through me. He let me lie to myself, knowing that only he could take me to bed and show me both heaven and hell, making me choose hell because we were both sinners, and we would end up there together. Somehow, that thought didn’t bother me. I didn’t care, so long as Knox was there with that glorious cock for me to ride straight past the gates and on through eternity.

“I marked you, and no one else would dare touch you. So, when you go into heat, and you will go into heat, you’ll come to me. I’m sure you’ll try to fight it, but you’re too fucking young to do that yet.” Knox stopped in front of the portal, inhaling deeply as a sinful smile played on his lips. “How hard are you already fighting it, Aria?” His head canted to the side as his eyes slid to obsidian. “I’m going to mark you again so fucking hard that you never want to leave me.”

I swallowed, and his scent caused my mouth to open, releasing a moan of need before I slammed the portal closed. The sound of his laughter sliding through the portal as the fabric of the world closed was unnerving. I dropped to my knees, exhaling and inhaling slowly to get control of my body. Knox was dangerous because even though I knew I shouldn’t want him, I did. My basic genetic makeup didn’t have emotions. It didn’t get angry. It was like my creature—basic needs driven by a monster that