Oath Forger book 4 : "Oath Forger"

That ever-present storm in his eyes rages, dark and ominous. When Roax looks at me like this, I always feel like I'm seconds away from being swept away into some dangerous unknown.

"We don't have to..." I tell him. "You and I..." I swallow. "Tiam said 'most' would work. I don't need all five of you." I swallow again.

I hope he understands that he doesn't 'have' to be one of my five. I wouldn't force this choice on any one of them. Whether or not I can 'accept' them is one thing. Whether or not they want to be 'accepted' by me is just as important.

"We don't have to..." I repeat, needing him to understand.

He crosses the room too fast for me to prepare for his overpowering nearness. Suddenly he's there in front of me, all unleashed power. Lightning flashes in his dark eyes. "Like hell we don't."

His words are like bindings around my wrists. And then the imaginary bindings are replaced by his very real, hard and biting fingers. "I'll just stand around and watch the others kissing you, touching you, taking you? Is that how you picture it?"

I have no idea how I picture it. Right now, I don't even know how to speak.

He crosses my wrists behind my back and cuffs them again with one of his hands. His other hand digs into my hair at my nape and pulls on the wet locks, tilting my face to him. His firm body is pressed against mine. I'm trapped.

I never want to be free.

My entire body responds to Roax.

I don't know how he does this to me. When I'm with Roax, I'm a different person than when I'm with the others. I don't want to feel this powerless, this mastered. I feel lost, and I don't want to lose myself to him. At the same time, I'm not sure if I have a choice. Not when my body is screaming 'Yes! Yes! Yes!'

As his sharp gaze roams my face, moisture rushes into my eyes. I have no idea why. Don't blink. If the tears run down my cheeks, he'll notice.

He notices anyway.

"Shh, my little bird." He kisses one corner of my mouth first, then the other. "We're going to go slow, you and I. By the time we get where we're going, you'll be ready."