up, filling me. He pulls back and takes more of me, powering in and out, as if his sole mission is to truly break me. I moan and whimper, cry at each thrust, this savage beast inside me demanding for more.
No less affected, he’s far from gentle, and I welcome it, spreading my legs wider, offering all of me. My hands latch around him, breaking skin on his back.
“Wound me, love. Show me hurt. Show me pain.” He drives back into me. My back arches off the mattress, and I throw my head back. This is too much. Not enough.
“Fuck,” I moan, my nails digging deeper.
“I want to ruin you. Scar you. Break you.” A deep moan expels from my lips as my sex clenches around him. His lips suck, his teeth scrape, his hands consume. No part of me is untouched, bruised, tortured as he grazes across my skin, leaving a permanent mark on every inch of my flesh.
I finally break, every part of my being exploding into a million tiny pieces. I squeeze my eyes shut, the burst of light from the torches blinding me. I call out his name, a desperate plea as he releases a growl and detonates inside me.
Everything goes black.
6
I blink, my head shooting up. Everything spins, the rapid effects of a hangover coming on. Shit. I squeeze my temples, looking forward, when my breath catches. I’m sitting at the table of the tarot reader. “Wait…how did I…?” My eyes bounce around the room. Where is… “Macareus?” I call out his name, but I’m met with silence. This isn’t possible. He was just here…we were…. I search my arms for proof—any sign this wasn’t a dream. My skin still tingles from him, but there are no marks. This can’t be happening again.
My eyes frantically scan the table. The candles are still lit and fresh. The tarot reader is gone, but a single card lays in front of me: two of cups.
I throw myself out of my chair.
“What the hell? This can’t be.” I race out of the back room, slamming into a couple sniffing love potions. “Sorry. Excuse me.” I was just with him. In the tomb. He had to be real. My chest feels heavy. I’m unraveling. I can’t—
“Dude, there you are!”
My head whips to the right to find Trudy leaning against a shelf. “How’d it go? You ready to drink a shit ton now?”
I stare at her, confused. “You’re still here?”
“Uh…yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Be-Because you left. What time is it? How long was I in there?”
She stares back at me, her brow raised. “Why would I leave you—?”
“How long was I in there?” I snap.
“Geez, chill out. I don’t know, fifteen minutes or so?”
That’s impossible. I leave her standing there and run toward the exit. When the door opens, I’m forced to shield my eyes from the bright sun. “No…”
“Hey, are you okay?” Trudy’s next to me, watching me as I stare out into the daytime crowd.
“No. Something’s off. When I came out, you were gone. You texted me. You said you met someone—”
I cut myself off and dig for my phone, pulling up the unread message on my screen.
Trudy: What’s she telling you? Are you going to meet your future husband here? Tell her to hurry up. I need a new drink.
“No, that is not what I saw. It’s not what I read. It was night. I left and fell. This man…” My mind replays my fall. His strong hands. The club, the rooftop, him naked and powerful. Spreading me—
“Girl, you’re starting to weird me out. Listen, let’s get out of here. Maybe no more voodoo shops and octane daiquiris for you. Some guy was telling me about this club he recommends a few blocks down. We’re only here for one night. Let’s make the most of it, ’kay?”
But I’ve already spent my night. With him. “I think…I think that lady put some voodoo spell on me. I swear I was just with this guy.” I shake my head, willing the huge fog in my mind to go away.
Trudy tugs on my arm, pulling me away from the shop. I’m hesitant to leave. I should go back in and demand to speak to that woman, make her explain the craziness in my head.
I twist around, staring at the shop sign as we walk onto the busy street. “Oh my god, I love all this live music!” Trudy yells, pulling me into the boisterous crowd, twirling me. She sways her hips