Prideful Savage (A Warrior's Redemption #1) - Miranda Bridges Page 0,38

so, it’s only because of Bravik. I’ve never felt like this with anyone before, and I’m not sure I can blame it on his allure, since that doesn’t seem to work on me.

“I’m sorry for lying to you,” I say quietly. “Nevertheless, I wouldn’t change any of my decisions. The fate of the human race depends on what I’m doing here, and I don’t need you to agree with that in order for you to understand it. Believe me when I say what happened between us was my choice and I may regret a lot of things, but that is not one of them. You don’t have to accept my apology in order for me to give it, and I’ve done that, so let me go.”

He smirks at me, but there is no amusement in his gaze. “You think you can just walk away from me?” He shakes his head and gives a derisive laugh. “No, little mate. If I am bound to you, then you will also be bound to me.”

Ella

I sag against the wall, overwhelmed by him in every way possible.

Everywhere we touch is nothing but torture for me because my body remembers every response he pulled from me, and it wants more. My mind registers his words, and they are nothing close to a declaration of love or affection. If anything, they make me feel like a possession, not a person. And lastly, my emotions are vacillating among confusion, sadness, and irritation. Bravik says I’m his but has yet to forgive my misdeeds. He holds me and says he wants to fuck me, but the anger from him taints his desire for me, making it revenge or some form of punishment.

I cannot win with him, so I stop trying.

With my eyes closed, I turn my head and wait. I don’t know what for, but until he releases me, I can’t leave.

He makes small circles on the side of my neck with his thumb, directly over the spot where my pulse flutters. “You think to shut me out, Ella? If you will not communicate with words, then you will do so with moans of pleasure and cries of ecstasy.”

I stiffen in his hold, and it’s not because I don’t want him, but I refuse to give in to manipulation, even if I’ll enjoy it. My body may respond, but my mind is a different story. And my heart? Well, it’s stupid, and eager for what he plans, since it craves intimacy with him.

At the feel of his lips trailing the shell of my ear, I shiver. My sex is already wet and nipples hard, which began the moment he pushed me into the wall and covered me with his large frame. Even now, I’m able to feel the pounding of his heart against my breast and the throbbing of his cock on my belly. Despite my best efforts, I’ll never be able to resist him.

Bravik will never need to use his allure on me; my love for him is enough to tether me to him. Although, like his allure eventually brings about death, my feelings for him could cause a part of me to die, forcing me to bury my heart.

He runs his fingers along the side of my breast and down my rib cage until he squeezes my hip. “You are my virtue, the benediction I needed to be relieved of the curse. My vice was pride, and that was no surprise to me. I was the one who dismissed the shaman in my arrogance, and I was the one who refused to fuck my queen, thinking I shouldn’t have to stick my cock in a female who’s repugnant. These things I knew, but you…”

The lengthy pause almost has me opening my eyes, and I refuse, since I know that’s what Bravik wants. When I don’t give in, he continues speaking, and his hands continue wandering.

“You finagled me. You, my virtue, the female who is also my mate and given to me by fate, deceived me.” He cups my sex and thumbs my clit through my pants, and it takes all my self-control not to moan. Then he nips at my earlobe, and I can’t suppress my gasp. “How could you do that after opening yourself up to me? Perhaps you are no better than my queen, inviting every male into your bed?”

Being this close to Bravik prevents him from hiding everything from me, since his body whispers secrets he doesn’t wish to tell. The gruffness to