37. Adrianna

ADRIANNA

"You gave me flowers to break through the protective spell on my room." The words leave my mouth, rife with disbelief, as he grins at me.

"I did."

"Why?"

"So you can't hide from me. So I can be in here when I want to be and not just when you want me to be," he explains with a shrug like it really is that simple.

"But I wasn't hiding when you started giving them to me. That's just today. And technically, I'm not hiding, I just don't want to deal with you right now," I correct, adrenaline coursing through my body.

"I knew it would happen eventually."

I scoff. This man. This fucking man. "So you wanted to break past my trust." I raise my eyebrow at him and he shrugs.

"I don't think I've ever had your trust to break it." Well, fuck. He has me there. "Now, we're going to talk about this like adults. Where would you like to sit?" He waves a hand around the room as I shake my head.

"We're not talking about anything. You're going to get the hell out of my room and leave me in peace."

He pulls the desk chair out, spinning it around on one leg before getting comfortable. The chair is backward, his arms folded over the back as he stares at me. It's the most out-of-character thing I've ever seen this guy do. He's prim, proper, and full of himself—always. And it doesn't usually look like this.

"Adrianna, I've got all day, straight into the night, and I'm more than happy to skip out on tomorrow if it means we get to the bottom of this. How long this takes falls in your hands."

This cannot be real right now. "You're an ass."

"No, I'm persistent, and you're just now learning the extent of it," he retorts with a shrug, and I turn away from him. I hate that I'm torn between slamming my fist into his jaw and claiming his full lips with my own.

I need him out of my space—quickly.

My gaze settles on the roses perched on the desk behind him. "Will you be kicked from the room if I throw out the roses?" He shakes his head, a teasing smile at the corner of his mouth. "How do I know if that's true?"

Without missing a beat, he stands, the vase in hand, and marches over to my bedroom window. He swings it open before holding the vase in my direction. "Throw them. Find out."

I blink at him, my chest clenching in pain for what will happen to the flowers if I toss them from my window. Rubbing my lips together, I take a deep breath, contain my rage, and remember one of my father's lessons.

Sometimes, you have to be submissive to get the information you want. Have patience.

Clearing my throat, I settle my gaze on his. "How about we get to the point you're here for? Then, you can get the fuck out," I grumble, stretching his smile out as he closes the window and settles the roses on the desk.

He retakes his position on the chair as he nods at the bed. "Get comfortable, Adrianna."

Pursing my lips, I narrow my eyes at him as I slowly take a seat at the bottom of my bed.

"Perfect. So why are you mad, Adrianna?" he asks, getting straight into it. His eyes are almost… gentle, his tone light, and his facial features relaxed—a complete contrast to the man who usually stands before me.

I tilt my head at him. "The Raiden I'm familiar with is rash, full of outbursts and rage… not this."

"I'm trying something new. Entertain me."

"I'd rather not."

He doesn't respond, not a single word, as he waits me out.

Just spit it out, Addi. The sooner you get it off your chest, the quicker he will leave.

"Fine, I'm mad that I was completely bombarded by Vallie and her dickhead father in front of everyone in attendance at the ball. Everyone except you, the very reason I was being bombarded in the first place. The last words you spoke to me were actually an apology for the fact that you entered the event with Vallie. You have a fucking talent of constantly showing up in my life, interjecting yourself when I don't need it. Yet when you were actually needed, you were nowhere to be seen." I sound petulant, but I don't care. I know my worth, and I'm not going to have some guy, hot vampire or not, giving me hot words and even hotter stares when they leave me in the shit when it actually matters.

"So you don't think I had to apologize for leaving with Vallie?" he asks, brows knitting in confusion, and I shrug.

"No."

"Bullshit."

"Raiden, my problem isn't with you entering the ball with her. It's that you left me stranded. Don't go off-topic," I grumble, and he shakes his head at me.

"It's not off-topic. I think it's completely relevant and total bullshit."

He's clearly not going to let this go. "How?"

"If you had to leave with a guy that wasn't Kryll, Brody, or Cassian, then I would be beyond furious," he grunts, his jaw ticking at the thought of it.

"Whatever I do with any guy, one of your friends or not, has nothing to do with you."

He scoffs. "Keep telling yourself that."

"You're delirious," I bite, hands balling into fists in my lap as I glare at him.

"No, I'm focused. You just haven't caught up yet."

"I don't plan to," I snap back, irritated with myself that my sass is revealing just how much he's getting under my skin.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, trying to gather some self-control.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

My chest tightens at the sincerity in his voice, forcing me to look back at him again.

"It doesn't matter now. I already said that at breakfast. I'll get over it without your apology. It's just going to take a minute for me to realize it didn't matter." I lace my fingers together in my lap, attempting to offer a simple smile, but it just feels like my lips are set in a thin line.

"It did matter," he states, staring deep into my eyes as I shake my head.

"It didn't."

"I was summoned by my mother."

"What?"

"I was summoned by my mother. That's why I wasn't there." He stares down at his hands for a moment before looking at me with a darkness in his eyes that I haven't seen before. "I was promised to Vallie when I was three years old. It's never been my choice, and I've never been given an option."

Wow. That's some heavy shit. Heavier than I can fully process right now, but I guess it all makes sense.

Patting my knees, I force my smile wider. "Okay. If you feel better for explaining now, you can leave."

He stands, disregarding the chair as he takes a step toward me. "I'm far from done, Adrianna."

I stand too, not liking his extreme height advantage while I'm still seated. "You're getting on my nerves," I grind out, desperate for him to leave.

"On your nerves or under your skin?"

Fucker.I shake my head. "You're unhinged."

"You're beautiful."

"Don't give me that shit," I grumble, inching toward the window when he takes a step toward me, eager to keep as much distance between us as possible, but he doesn't seem to get the memo.

"Is everything always a battle with you?"

"Maybe," I retort with a shrug, feeling the tingles of irritation curling up my spine.

"It's all you've known," he says soothingly as he takes another step toward me, and I quickly match him with a step back.

"Don't assess me."

"You don't want to know my assessment of you?" he asks with a cock of his brow, and I shake my head despite the curiosity creeping beneath the surface.

"Just leave, Raiden," I murmur, forcing myself to stand my ground as he takes another step toward me.

"No."

My chin tenses as he reaches out, his long fingers curling around my cheek. His breath ghosts over my skin as he stares deep into my eyes, penetrating my soul.

I can't think with him this close.

Pressing my palms against his chest, I do the only thing I can think of and push him away. He stumbles back a step, jaw ticking as he looks at me through his lashes. His nostrils flare, and a second later, he's charging toward me.

I brace for impact, acutely aware that I have nowhere to run, and my back collides with the wall, stealing my next breath.

His body touches mine, from head to toe, as he crowds my space, leaving nothing between us. Our chests rise and fall rapidly as we try to catch our breaths, but it's pointless. It's all pointless.

I don't know who moves first, but my concern for the matter quickly disappears as our mouths collide with force. Battling for control, I ball my fingers into his t-shirt as I attempt to draw him closer than he already is.

His tongue delves between my lips, taking everything from me as I battle to take a part of him too. With me tugging at his t-shirt, his hands move from the wall beside my head to my waist, clenching the material of my leggings so tightly it pulls against my skin.

Sinking my teeth into his bottom lip, I grin with triumph, feeling the upper hand within my grasp. However, he quickly regains control as he tugs hard and fast at my leggings, tearing them in two.

"Fuck," I gasp against his mouth, unable to catch my breath as he tilts my head back and kisses me deeper. I feel the cool air wrap around my legs, ghosting over my panties that shield my core as he turns his attention to my t-shirt.

The material snags from my body, along with my leggings, leaving me in my white bra and panty set, along with my sneakers and socks. Eager to even the score, I yank my mouth from his, attempting to catch my breath as I twist my hands further into his t-shirt before pulling as hard as I can. The telltale snag echoes through the air as I rip the red fabric from his flesh, revealing his toned abs and firm pecs.

Nobody should be able to make me this hot and mad at the same time.

"It's taking too long," he rasps, and before I can piece together what he means, he whips the rest of the clothes from his body, sneakers and all, before ridding me of anything attached to my skin.

Gaping at him, my chest and pussy exposed, I peer into his eyes with a sense of wonder I can't explain. We both stare at each other, unsure what the next move is, until I place my hand on his chest and he kicks into action.

I yelp as he hoists me up in the air, hands gripping my thighs as he leans me against the wall. If someone were to look up at my window right now, I'm certain they would be able to see his profile, but I don't care enough to move.

No words are spoken, no teasing or tantalizing touches, nothing. Just his cock at my core. His tongue sweeps over his bottom lip, mesmerizing me at the same time he lowers me onto his dick. He spreads me wide, taking his sweet time filling every inch of me.

My back arches off the wall, the moan from my lips low and feral as I cling to his shoulders, nails pressing into his flesh.

His jaw falls slack as he peers up at me, his long black eyelashes blinking as he shakes his head slowly. It's on the tip of my tongue to ask, but any hope of forming a question disappears as he slowly retreats from my pussy until only the tip of his cock remains before he slams deep inside of me again.

One thrust of his hips, followed by another, and everything merges into euphoria. My back arches to the point of pain as I try to grind against him, desperate and eager for every slam of his cock. Our movements turn savage, needy, and delirious as our bodies take over.

He takes. I give.

I take. He gives.

Sweat clings to every inch of my skin as the sound of his flesh slapping against mine fills the room.

The first tingles of my climax start in my toes, my muscles clenching as my jaw falls slack. I'm on the cusp of the greatest fall when he leans in closer, grazing his teeth over my throat while maintaining his unrelenting thrusts, and I see stars.

My cries ring so high, I no longer hear them as my pulse pounds in my ears while he fucks me through every drop of my orgasm. Just as my body starts to relent, his fingertips bite into my thighs, adjusting my position against the wall just a little before his movements become jagged and on the verge of violence.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," he chants with every pounding of his cock before his head falls back and he finds his release.

The pulsing of his cock in my core makes my own muscles spasm again, leaving me delirious as I cling to him, failing to catch my breath.

Slumping forward, he holds me in his arms, and a moment later, the press of the wall behind me disappears as he moves across the room, lowering me to the cool sheets on my bed. Blinking, I struggle to settle my gaze on him in my languid state as he brushes a loose curl back off my face.

"This makes you mine now," he breathes, making my back stiffen as I frown.

"It doesn't," I retort, trying and failing to push myself up onto my elbows.

I manage to focus my gaze just long enough to level my stare with his, to see him smirking at me with a whimsical glint in his dark eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that, but just a little secret between me and you," he breathes, peppering kisses all over my face. "When my mother summoned me, I told her I wasn't going to be a part of her deal with Vallie any longer because my sights were set on someone else."

My next breath lodges in my throat as I freeze. "No," I croak, making his grin spread wider.

"Yes," he replies, bopping my nose with the tip of his finger.

"No," I repeat, trying to get up, but he crowds my space, making it impossible to think, nevermind move.

"Yes, Adrianna. You're mine, and now everything my family has worked so hard for will unravel."

He can't put that on me.

"You take it back," I rasp, pressing at his chest, and he snickers.

"You love it, don't lie," he murmurs, dragging his nose over my throat.

"Raiden," I warn, but it falls flat.

"Adrianna."

"You'll be the death of me," I mutter with a helpless sigh, and he leans back just enough to catch my gaze.

"No, Adrianna, but you may quite literally be the death of me if they don't accept my withdrawal."