Forbidden by Liliana Carlisle

CHAPTER 19

AMELIA

There’s an icepick in my eye.

At least, that’s what it feels like.

I lounge on my couch with Lucy as she shoots me a concerned look.

“It hasn’t been this bad in a while,” she observes.

“No, it hasn’t,” I agree, not wanting to admit why.

But Lucy knows. I haven’t seen Jakob in over three days, and it’s wearing on my health.

I finally admitted to her what we’ve been doing—and I could tell from the look in her eyes that it scared her.

She hasn’t met him yet.

I don’t think she wants to.

She’s uncharacteristically quiet, her mind lost in thought, her expression darkened. “What is it?” I ask quietly.

She bites her lip, then sighs. “He’s an Alpha, Amelia.”

Nausea rolls in my stomach. I knew this conversation was coming, but I still dreaded it. “I know.”

“And you’re not an Omega.”

She says it as kindly as she can, but I’m still defensive. “I. Know.”

“Then what are you doing?”

I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to snap at her. The headache combined with trying to defend my relationship is almost too much.

“I’m trying to have a normal life.”

“With a Collector?” she asks, her gaze narrowing. “A normal life with a Collector? What do you think will happen when he finds his mate, Amelia?”

Her words pierce my heart. “It’s not serious. We’re just casually dating.”

It’s the biggest lie I’ve ever told her, and she knows it.

“Bullshit. You never acted like this over Brian, and you were with him a year.”

I close my eyes, barely able to argue. “He makes me feel better. Like a normal person.”

“Amelia,” Lucy says, exasperated. “Do you realize…did you even think…”

“Did I ever think what?” I mutter, staring at the ceiling.

“If I had run, they could have assigned him to me,” she whispers. “He could have taken me in the middle of the night. Hunted me.”

My blood runs cold.

Of course, I didn’t think about that.

No wonder Lucy hasn’t wanted to meet him.

“You really don’t understand our world,” Lucy continues gently. “And I don’t expect you to. There’s a lot of dynamics I don’t think you’re able to see.”

I put my face in my hands and sigh.

I know what she’s trying to say.

It could never work.

It’s not meant to be.

But no matter how rational that may be, I can’t give Jakob up.

I just won’t.

I’m unable to let go of the man who sees me for me, not just my illness, and still desires me.

“I’m sorry,” is all I’m able to say, shame anchoring me to the couch.

* * *

It’s midnight when there’s a knock on my door.

There’s a rainstorm outside, the lightning illuminating my front room as I pull open the door to find Jakob, his hair falling into his eyes from the rain. His black sweatshirt is damp, and his face shines with a fresh injury. His eye is swollen shut and there’s an open cut on his lip.

He’s feral and untamed, his eyes pitch black.

Yet, he’s still just as handsome.

I pull him inside, then stand on my tiptoes to touch his face.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, my eyes wide with worry.

He gives me a small half-smile. “I’m alright, Princess,” he whispers, his eyes still haunted. “Just needed to see my girl.”

But the swollen eye and busted lip do little to make me believe him.

I know it’s his line of work. A black eye is probably nothing to him, but seeing him like this…

Alpha is hurt!

The foreign voice speaks to me again, and this time, I know what I need to do.

“Come with me.” My headache has all but disappeared by the time I take his hand and lead him into my bedroom.

He remains silent as I lead him past my bed, all the way to the bathroom.

He quirks an eyebrow at me and I smile.

I walk over to the shower and turn it on, letting the hot steam fill the room.

Then, I help him out of his clothes.

It’s the slowest we’ve ever undressed, and it’s in complete silence until he removes the sweatshirt from his head, exposing his white undershirt.

I gasp.

Splotches of red decorate it, angry reminders of what he truly is.

My hands visibly shake as I touch his chest, and his voice is soft but intense. “Look at me,” he murmurs.

I meet his eyes, now a deep blue, no longer as black as night, and he plants a kiss on my forehead. “Don’t worry,” he whispers. “It’s not my blood, Princess.”

It should worry me that it’s anyone’s blood, but I’m still pleased to know he’s not the one who’s gravely injured.

The steam from the shower fills the small bathroom and I hop on the counter, lifting the bloodied shirt above his head. It falls to the tile floor and soon he’s only in his dark jeans, standing before me, his chest heaving.

Even as I sit perched on the tall counter, he towers over me. He moves in closer, blocking my body with his, holding me in place.

“Look at you,” he murmurs, his fingers tracing my face. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you?”

He must read the apprehension on my face, because he leans in to kiss me instead. It’s a slower kiss than usual, less frenzied, but still as intense.

He tastes like passion.

Destruction.

Danger.

But I wrap my legs around his naked waist, desperate to be closer to him as he devours my mouth.

His words ring in my ears as I taste him.

Do you know how long I’ve waited for you?

But I’m a Beta…

How can I be the one he’s waited for?

I pull away from the kiss, shaking the thoughts away, and he turns his attention to my blouse. He works quickly, moving my hands away so he can be the one to undress me.

“Stand up,” he commands, and I hop off the counter, melting into his embrace. He helps me unzip my jeans, and soon I’m clad only in my underwear as he sinks to his knees below me, pressing a kiss to my clothed cunt.

“I’ll never tire of this taste,” he growls, pushing down my panties to expose me. “You know what I thought about the entire time I was away?” His eyes look up at me, and I try to hold myself steady.

“What?” I breathe out, my legs shaky.

His eyes go back to my cunt, licking his lips. “I was thinking about fucking feasting on you,” he growls, his mouth gently kissing my clit. I squeak and hold on to the counter for balance. “I promised to devour you whole, didn’t I, Princess?”

Before I can answer, his tongue is inside me, licking thoroughly and obscenely.

He’s not just licking. He’s marking his territory.

I gasp as his hands grab my ass and push me closer against his face, growling into my pussy as he fucks me with his tongue.

The sound of the shower barely drowns out my cries as he eats me out, one hand slapping my ass as he continues his work.

It barely takes any time before I’m gasping above him, one hand buried in his hair to hold myself steady as the orgasm pulses through me.

He growls into my pussy, and I shamelessly grind against his face, thrusting myself against his vicious mouth.

Watching him covered in blood, kneeling before me as he worships my cunt, I feel like a goddess.

But I want more.

It’s almost impossible to wriggle out of the hold he has on my ass, but I manage it. He stands up quickly to kiss me, his tongue plunging into my mouth wildly.

He’s feral. He’s a beast.

And I love him for it.

I tug at his belt, and he takes off the rest of his clothes and pulls me into the shower.

He pushes me backward until my back hits the cool tile, then he descends on me. He stands in front of the showerhead, shielding me from the water as his cock presses against my stomach. I trail my fingers down his abs all the way to his hips, my fist reaching down to grip him roughly.

“Fuck,” he hisses, leaning down to kiss me. He groans into my mouth as I pump him, desperate to have him come undone.

Breaking away from the kiss, I sink down to my knees. As he realizes what I’m doing, he growls in approval.

My mouth is around his cock before I have time to think.

The water that gathers around my knees is still red from the dried blood off his back. Barely able to breathe, his cock choking me, I’ve never felt more powerful.

That is, until he takes control.

“Such a good girl,” he hisses, one hand resting behind my head. “You better take it all, baby. I’ve had a rough few days.”

I gurgle in response, my throat stretching to fit him.

He holds my head still as he thrusts his hips.

He fucks my mouth, and I struggle to hold on, clutching at his thighs for balance. Spit and water drip down my face as he hits my gag reflex, using my mouth as a vessel for his pleasure.

I’m a hole to use.

I’ve never been more turned on in my life.

He thrusts faster, his breathing ragged, and I know he’s close.

“Touch yourself,” he grits out. “Play with that pretty pussy.”

With one hand still gripping the back of his thigh, my other hand reaches down to my core, dipping into my wetness and spreading it across my slit.

“Fuck,” he hisses. “Fuck.”

It only takes a few seconds of rubbing my clit until I’m coming. My jaw relaxes from the pleasure, and he’s able to thrust deeper. I moan on his cock and my eyes roll in the back of my head as I struggle to keep balance.

But he pulls out suddenly, and I’m left with my mouth open, gasping, trying to find balance as I ride out the aftershocks of the orgasm.

He roars, the monster that he is, and paints my face with his cum. I welcome it, keeping my mouth open as he spurts on my tongue, swallowing eagerly. I barely keep myself up on my hands and knees, struggling to breathe and process what just happened.

But he doesn’t give me time to think. He lifts me up, then spins me so I’m facing the tile, my back to him. His hand works between my legs greedily, and he pants in my ear as he speaks to me.

“You think you can give me one more, Princess?” he says, and I struggle to choke out a response. His cock is still hard against my back as his finger circles my clit with his expert touch. I rest my head against the shower wall as he touches me, still over-sensitized from the previous orgasm.

“And don’t think,” he hisses in my ear, “that I didn’t see that you don’t believe me. I have waited for you, Princess. You’re mine. It’s always been you.”

His words send me over the edge. I writhe in pleasure, my ass arching against him as I scream my release.

He saw through me, just as I knew he would.

And as I collapse against his hold, I know what I said to Lucy isn’t true.

We’re not casually dating.

I’m utterly obsessed with him.

And I have no intention of letting him go.