30. Matias

30

MATIAS

I lift her small frame with ease, her body spent from the relentless mating of the day. There's no fight in her now, and that only fuels my desire to continue the assault on her senses.

She sleeps like the dead as I carry her to the huge bathtub, her limbs dangling, her head resting limply on my shoulder. Her body is marked with the evidence of my possession—scratches and bruises that speak to the ferocity of our coupling. Lowering her into the steaming water, I gently settle her against me, letting her lean into my chest.

Kali stirs, blinking sleep from her eyes. A soft sigh escapes her lips as the hot water envelops her. "You sleep like the dead, little rabbit," I murmur.

I reach for the sponge, soaking it in the bathwater before gently squeezing it over her body. She gravitates toward my touch, her eyes fluttering closed as I wash away the dirt, sweat, and nature clinging to her.

Every move is careful and tender. I cleanse her, watching the bathwater turn murky from the mud, steam rising into the air.

The violence of our earlier desire has shifted into something calmer but no less intense. My primal need to mark her, to brand her as mine, has given way to an urge to worship her body, to care for her in a way that contradicts my very nature.

She's beautiful and delicate, yet she yielded to my savagery. Her willingness to embrace the darkness within me only fuels my growing obsession.

I watch as Kali shifts and turns around to face me in the big tub, her gaze meeting mine. There's a softness in her eyes that I'm not accustomed to seeing, catching me off guard.

"Matias," she begins, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me about your family. Besides Thiago, I mean."

The request catches me by surprise. We've spent countless hours entangled in a frenzy of lust and need, but we've never truly spoken about ourselves or our pasts. This vulnerability is foreign, and I find myself hesitating.

I clear my throat. "My family..." I trail off, unsure of where to begin. "There's not much to tell."

Kali reaches up, her fingers grazing my cheek, and I instinctively lean into her touch. "Please," she murmurs. "I want to know you better."

Laced with a tenderness I've never experienced, her words stir something deep within.

With a resigned sigh, I begin. "My mother was a kind woman, but she was weak. She allowed my father to abuse us, to beat us without mercy." I pause, my childhood memories still raw, even after all these years. "Thiago and I, we had to learn to fend for ourselves, to survive the violence that consumed our home."

Kali's eyes widen, and she grabs my hand, squeezing. The gesture is unexpected but not unwelcome. "I'm so sorry, Matias," she murmurs.

My jaw clenches as the memories threaten to overwhelm me. "We did what we had to to protect each other. Thiago, he's always been there for me, even when no one else was." Kali moves closer and straddles me, lacing her fingers behind my neck. The tenderness in her touch urges me to continue. "My father, he was a cruel man. He took pleasure in our suffering, in breaking us down. But Thiago and I vowed never to let anyone control us again."

As I share my past with Kali, a weight lifts from my chest. I've never been this open, this vulnerable with anyone. But here, in the warmth of the bathwater, with Kali's gentle touch grounding me, the words spill from my lips.

"I learned early on that the world was a cruel place," I continue. "Thiago and I, we had to become strong, ruthless even, to survive. We couldn't afford to show weakness, not to our father, not to anyone."

Kali presses her forehead against mine. "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you," she whispers. "To have to grow up so fast and endure so much pain. "

I close my eyes, allowing myself to sink into her embrace. "It made me into the man I am today," I murmur. "Cold, calculating, driven by a need for control. But with you..." I trail off, struggling to find the words.

Kali pulls back slightly, her gaze searching mine. "With me?" she prompts gently.

I take a deep breath. "With you, I feel something different. Something I've never felt before. It scares me. It scares me how much I need you, how much I crave your touch, your presence."

Kali reaches up, cupping my face in her hands. "It scares me too, Matias," she confesses. "This connection between us it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's dark and twisted, but it's also real and raw."

I lean into her touch, my eyes fluttering closed. "I don't know what this is, baby, but I do know that I can't let you go. I won't let you go."

Kali nods, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and desire. "I know," she whispers. "I'm yours, Matias. Completely and utterly yours."

As the words leave her lips, I feel a surge of possessiveness, of primal need. I crush my mouth to hers, pouring all of my pent-up emotions into the kiss. Kali responds with equal fervor, her hands tangling in my hair, her body molding to mine.

In this moment, the darkness that surrounds me like a shadow fades away, replaced by a glimmer of something else, something that feels dangerously close to hope.