Chapter 118
Lysander’s pov
I felt the needle prick a side of my neck.
A sickening, burning sensation flooded my veins, spreading out from my collarbone in hot, violent waves. I gasped against the mercenary’s leather glove, my lungs starving for air as he pressed the plunger all the way down, emptying the thick, dark fluid straight into my bloodstream.
"Good boy," the attacker rasped into my ear, his broad chest heaving against my back as he maintained his iron grip around my throat. "Just lie still and let the narcotic work. You’re going back to Thorne."
I started panicking, my eyes wide when I thought of Darius getting his thick hard on me. The last thing I wanted was to be near him.
My body trembled slightly, whatever that was in that needle was surely working. The chemical rushed through my system, making me feel dull.
It wasn’t a paralytic. The fluid didn’t make my limbs numb or my eyes heavy. Instead, it ignited every nerve ending in my body, unlocking the dormant, predatory power lingering inside me.
A low, guttural growl tore out of my throat, vibrating through the man’s leather glove.
My vision became sharper and suddenly, I could hear the microscopic scrape of his tactical vest against his shirt, the rapid thrum of his pulse against his jaw, the smell of his sweat and fear.
The fear of Drake finding out and coming after him.
Unknown strength surged through my muscles, turning my limbs into iron.
Before the mercenary could process what was happening, I grabbed his wrist with both hands. My fingers dug so deep into his gauntlet that I felt the bones in his forearm crack beneath my grip.
I let out a breath, amazed at the strength I possessed.
The man let out a sharp, choked shriek of pain.
I twisted his arm violently, tearing his chokehold off my neck, and drove my heel backward directly into his kneecap. A sickening CRACK echoed through the room.
The man screamed, his leg giving out as he fell sideways against a tall oak display case. Imported vellum and heavy jars of pigment rained down onto the floor, shattering into clouds of gold dust.
He scrambled back up onto his good leg, his eyes wide with disbelief-fueled horror as he reached into his vest, pulling a heavy, suppressed sidearm. "What the fuck are you—"
I didn’t give him time to raise the barrel.
I crossed the narrow aisle in a fraction of a second, moving with a terrifying, blur-like speed I had never possessed before. I slammed my palm into the bottom of his chin, snapping his head back against the concrete pillar with enough force to spiderweb the plaster behind him.
The gun clattered onto the rug. I grabbed him by the throat, hoisting his massive two-hundred-pound frame off the floor with one arm, slamming him down onto the hardwood floor.
His eyes rolled back into his head, his body twitching once before going completely limp, his breathing turning into a shallow, unconscious rasp.
I stood over him, my chest heaving in ragged, heavy hitches, my hands trembling as the superhuman rush of adrenaline slowly receded. I stared down at my knuckles, completely stunned by the destructive power humming beneath my skin.
The burning in my neck morphed into a suffocating, unbearable wave of heat that flooded straight down between my thighs. My pulse hammered violently against my ribs, and it felt like my skin was on fire.
My skin felt like it was on fire. Every breath of cool air from the skylight felt like fine sandpaper against my flushed cheeks. My clothes were suddenly too tight, too heavy, rubbing against my hyper-sensitive skin until a low, helpless whine spilled past my lips.
My knees buckled completely.
I slid down the face of the concrete pillar, hitting the carpet beside the unconscious man. I wrapped my arms around my waist, my hips shifting instinctively on the rug, my entire body trembling with a wanton, desperate ache that made my vision swim with red spots.
"D... Drake..." I sobbed out, my fingers digging into my shirt, tearing at the buttons to expose my burning chest.
The doors swung open with a violent bang.
Drake burst into the room angrily with his fangs fully extended, his eyes swept the place till he realized there was no threat.
Two heavily armed men were behind him with their guns raised.
Drake froze.
His dark gaze dropped to the floor, taking in the scene in a single beat, the shattered glass, the pigment scattered like blood across the hardwood, the massive, unconscious man lying broken at my feet... and me.
I was sitting on the floor, my hair a golden mess, my shirt torn open, my lower lip bitten raw as my hips ground helplessly against the plush rug.
"Lysander!" Drake roared, stepping over the body in a flash, dropping to his knees in front of me. His large, cool hands caught my face, his eyes searching mine frantically. "Little bird! What did he do to you?! Are you hurt?!"
The moment his cool skin touched my face, my body erupted in a blinding wave of need.
I let out a loud, shameless moan, throwing my arms around his broad neck and dragging his face down to mine. I thrust my hips forward, grinding my aching bulge against his solid thigh.
"Drake... oh God, Drake!" I whined, my breath hot and frantic against his lips as I buried my face into his neck, licking the smooth skin over his vein. "Take me... please, take me right here!"
Drake stilled, his entire body going rigid as he felt the unnatural, scorching heat radiating off my skin. His eyes narrowed, catching sight of the tiny red puncture mark on the side of my neck.
"An aphrodisiac..." he growled loudly till the floorboards shook. He turned his head over his shoulder, glaring at the guards standing wide-eyed near the door. "Get this scum out of my sight. Lock him up. Now!"
The guards scrambled, dragging the unconscious mercenary away, slamming the doors shut and leaving us in silence.
I didn’t care about the guards. I didn’t care about the attacker. All I cared about was the man holding me in his arms.
How did I not notice he was way hotter when he was furious?
I grabbed Drake’s dark shirt, tugging at the collar desperately, my hips buckled against his leg in a wanton grind.
"Please, Daddy... please fuck me!" I sobbed out, my voice dripping with filthy, shameless desperation as I looked up into his burning eyes, my tongue darting out to lick my wet lips. "I need it so bad... it burns, Drake! Put your big cock inside me... ruin me right now!"
Drake let out a low, dark growl, his broad hands clamping tight over my hips, holding me firmly against him as his red eyes burned with a mixture of dark devotion and possessive heat.
"Patience, little bird," he purred, his heavy voice dripping with dark promise as he scooped me up into his arms, carrying me toward the private exit. "I am going to take you back to the villa... and I am going to give you every single thing you are begging for."