Page 65 of Knight’s Salvation

He leaned in and trailed soft kisses from her belly to the underside of her breast. She held her breath, letting it out on a moan when he closed his lips over her nipple and sucked gently. His hand skimmed her waist and moved down. He shifted, moving his thick, muscled thighs between her legs, holding her open while he ran a finger down her aching center.

“So wet, Mia. So hot.”

He kissed her deep and hungry, thrusting two fingers inside her, taking her in a deliciously rough way. When she was gasping and panting, he pressed his thumb against her clit. That was all she needed, and she flew apart beneath him. Her body bowed almost painfully, her hips moving of their own volition, dragging out her release. Her body gripped his fingers tight, holding him inside her.

When she came down and her breathing evened out, she opened her eyes. Zenon was watching her, and that dark heat was still there, as well as a possessive hunger she was growing to crave.

I love you.

The words bounced around her head, and she knew they were shining from her eyes like a beacon. Oh God, she loved him.

His lids fluttered closed, and he pulled from her body then pushed to his feet.

“Zenon?”

He paced back and forth a few times, his breath sawing in and out, then he roared, a sound so filled with rage and agony Mia felt it to her bones. She scrambled away until her back met padding, not sure what to do or what to say.

He pulled back a fist and slammed it into wall repeatedly in a frenzy of emotion that saturated the room.

Mia didn’t know what had set him off. Why would her loving him make him so angry? But then his grunts turned to sobs and she couldn’t bear it.

Scrambling off the floor, she came at him from the side so he knew it was her and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Stop, Zenon. Stop this.” He kept at it until blood smeared the wall in front of him, his knuckles raw and split. What the hell had he been through? Who did this to him? Tears tracked a heated path down her face. She squeezed his shoulder to get his attention. “Stop it, Zenon. Please, stop it.”

He spun away from her and thrust his hands in his hair, breathing hard, pacing the room again.

“Look at me. Please.”

He shook his head and let his chin drop so his hair fell forward, covering his face. That alone killed her. He hadn’t tried to hide from her since they’d been together. She knew what it meant, and the pain of it had the power to knock the wind from her lungs.

“What’s going on?”

He shook his head over and over. “I can’t…we can’t do this anymore. I was wrong to use you like this. It was a mistake. It should never have happened.”

“No.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “You don’t mean that.”

He lifted his head, eyes blank, distant. “I told you, I can’t be your prince, Mia.”

She flinched like he’d slapped her, and stumbled back a step. “Why are you doing this?”

“It’s time.”

That was all he said, all the explanation she got after three glorious weeks. Jesus, it hurt. But this pain wasn’t hers alone. His reaction proved that.

“If you need time…if you—”

“I don’t need time. It’s over.”

“That’s it? You’re throwing me away, just like that, like I meant nothing to you?”

He looked down again. “You said you’d only take what I could give. I don’t have anything left. This is…it’s too much.”

She hugged herself tighter. She got attached, she fell in love. That was her mistake.

“Did I ask too much of you? Did I do something wrong?” She had never felt more vulnerable in her entire life. She was standing there completely naked, all but begging him not to let her go, and right then she didn’t give a damn.

“No,” he choked. “You did nothing wrong. This is on me.”

“So that’s it?” She sounded desperate but she couldn’t make herself shut up.

“This had to end sometime.” Yeah, he’d seen it in her eyes, and now he was running scared. “I’ll have your things moved to another room.” There was no emotion in his voice. It was completely flat and chilled her to the bone. Goose bumps covered her skin and she tried to rub them away. She didn’t think she’d ever feel warm again.

“I’m sorry, Mia.”

Anger welled up inside her and she lashed out. “You want to close yourself off, throw me aside as soon as real emotion is involved, that’s your deal.” She bent down and gathered her clothes, shoving them on.

Then she unlocked the door and yanked it open. She didn’t turn back, couldn’t. Seconds later she was walking down the hall on autopilot, pain lancing her soul. She tried to shut it down, block it off, but there was no containing what was happening inside her. It pumped through her blood, ripped through her limbs. It went beyond pain, like something had been torn from her body, a vital part of her that she couldn’t live without. She headed straight for the elevators and punched in the floor that housed the demi-demons.

She had to find James. The sooner she got her powers unlocked and mastered, the sooner she could get out of this place and join her sister.

She needed to start that new life.