[ CrimsonMoon Pack - Alpha Dante's bedchamber ]
Dante tossed Amara onto his bed like she was weightless…a ragdoll in his grip.
His shadow loomed over her, stretching across the wooden floor until it swallowed her whole.
Dante slammed the door shut with a violent thud.
Amara flinched, her body curling instinctively as if the sound itself was a blow ( yup, that's what prolonged abuse does to you. It makes you afraid of even your own shadow) .
She scrambled backwards, pressing herself against the carved headboard, her breath shallow, her eyes wide, her stomach churning a little.
Dante tilted his head, watching her with those cold, grey eyes. His jaw ticked as his lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"So…" His voice was low like silk woven with steel. "You are afraid of me now, are you?"
Amara's throat worked, but no sound came out. Her lips parted…once, twice…but she couldn't force the words.
"Answer me, woman!" His growl cracked the air, making her flinch again.
"I…" Amara swallowed hard, her fingers tightening on the blanket. "I don't… I…"
Her hesitation only seemed to amuse him further.
With a slow, deliberate motion, Dante unfastened the cuffs of his shirt. The fabric slid over his forearms, exposing corded veins and battle worn scars as he folded his sleeves, taking his sweet time, while never breaking eye contact with Amara. His movements were too unhurried, almost like a predator playing with his prey.
He let the silence stretch, feeding on her unease.
Finally, he moved. His boots thudded against the floorboards as he crossed the space between them. With a swift jerk, he caught her wrist. Amara's body visibly shuddered.
"Give me your hand."
Amara blinked, startled once more. "…What?"
Dante's eyes flashed. "Are you deaf now? I said give me your fucking hand!"
She winced as he yanked her bleeding palm into his grasp. Her lips trembled, but she didn't dare resist.
From the side table, Dante pulled out a first aid box. He flipped it open, fingers rummaging until they found a brown glass bottle. The sharp sting of iodine filled the air.
Her chest rose and fell in ragged bursts as she thought. "He's… he's going to dress my…no way…he hates me…he would gladly watch me die…"
But she never got to finish her thought. He pressed the soaked cotton into her palm.Hard!
"Ouw…!"
The sound ripped from her throat before she could stop it. She bit it back, clamping her teeth down hard, swallowing the scream like poison.
Her shoulders shook, her body trembling, but she held it in,biting her lower lips till it started bleeding. She held it just fine!
Dante smirked, watching her jaw tighten, her lashes flutter against her wet eyes. " Trying to act tough, are you?"
Her lips trembled. "…Just…finish it."
With a brutal jerk, he pulled her closer.
Amara's heart almost stopped as her forehead hit his.
He held her gaze through it all…as he wrapped the gauze around her palm, knotting it tighter than necessary. She hissed softly, but didn't pull away.
Their faces lingered too close… their lips could feel the heat radiating from the other. Amara's blood drained from her veins as Dante's head angled.
He pulled her even closer. " Dante… Dante what are you doing? " Amara desperately searched for something… anything.
But suddenly the light in his eyes faded… his gaze changed. He yanked the gauge one last time before tying it tighter than before.
The moment he was done, he shoved her back onto the mattress…harder than before.
Her spine hit the headboard hard enough to rattle it.
Amara sat still, staring at him with wide, uncertain eyes.
Dante leaned back, watching her like a wolf deciding whether to tear apart his prey or cage it first. His breathing was steady. Controlled. Too controlled to be precise.
Without another word, he turned and strode towards the adjoining chamber. His shirt fell to the floor as he tugged it over his head, revealing the sculpted lines of his chest and shoulders.
Amara sat frozen on the bed, her knees tucked to her chest, trembling hands gripping the blanket. Her mind screamed at her to move, to run…but her body betrayed her.
Seeing him like that, something stirred within her. Memories… happy days… moments they had spent together… it all felt like a distant dream…a different lifetime.
Dante disappeared into the other room, but only for a moment. When he returned, his hair was damp, his pants riding low on his hips, his chest glistening with a thin sheen of sweat…or water perhaps.
He paused in the doorway, his gaze flicking to her huddled form.
A dark chuckle rumbled in his chest.
"Well,well…what do we have here? Are you staying for the show?"
Amara immediately tried to get up, flipping the blanket, her eyes to the floor. " I… I am sorry… I was just getting myself out… "
But Dante yanked her back by her neck, slamming her onto himself. He whispered in her ear as he brought his lips near her neck! "...since you didn't want to leave…" His voice dipped lower, edged with danger…with desire. "…I might as well make good use of it."
Amara's head snapped up. Her breath caught as her eyes landed on his chest…bare, powerful, terrifying…yet mesmerising in every way.
The droplets rolled down the hard lines of his chest, each tracing the sharp ridges of toned muscle.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, hard.
"…Dante…I am…" Her voice cracked, barely more than a whisper.
His claws extended as he tightened his grip on her neck. It pierced through her delicate, pale skin, making blood droplets ooze out… giving her that subtle sting.
Dante bared his fang, as his claws traced Rowan's Mark embedded over her sweat spot…
"You are what, my wildflower?" he murmured, against her skin. His breath was too hot on the shell of her ear. "Sorry? Frightened? Aroused?" He punctuated the last word by pressing the flat of his claw against the pounding pulse at her throat, letting her feel the deadly edge. "Your heart is trying to beat its way out of your chest! "