I thought she’d left, and now she’s quaking before me with blood on her hands. I’m devastated by her display of fidelity, the faithfulness I was adamant she would give me and the devotion she repeatedly gave me. Now I’m torn because she did this—interfered in my business, causing Miguel’s secrets to die with him.
All of this was for nothing.
I brought him here for nothing.
I risked my empire for nothing.
My men died for nothing.
Burying my face in my hands, I beg the chaos rampaging in my mind to settle. Love and hate have fused together, creating an ungodly creature of rapture and contempt.
Danger no longer threatens my world, which means beija flor will be mine, regardless of whether or not she wants to be.
My nails scratch over the coarse hairs at my chin while I quietly take in Miguel’s pathetic state one last time. There’s no pride in his slumped body or cold dead eyes, nor is there a sense of joy that he’s finally served his sentence. I’m numbed by it all. Plateaued by an anti-climax.
Until I look up and lock eyes with my nemesis.
Beija flor.
The air leaves my throat with a grunt, and my heart thumps out of time. I grit my teeth, forcing myself to fall in line and appear detached from the catastrophe.
It’s impossible when I’m met with skin so pale she looks ill. Her hair is loose. Messy curls tumble over dainty floral shoulders with a wafer-thin fabric that’s almost see-through. Its subtle green texture blends with the habitat and highlights the wildness of her temperament. A low-cut neckline teases the curve of luscious breasts, and knee socks add to the fantasy.
Venomous plans to murder and maim surrender to the woman I kissed goodbye, yet here she is risking everything for a motherfucking fool like me.
Every quick breath she takes reminds me she’s safe, making all the worries I’ve endured fade. For that, I’m eternally thankful. I’ll reward the sharpshooter for his impeccable reflexes, and whatever price he puts on it, I’ll triple it.
My little hummingbird went face to face with the devil and came out alive. Goosebumps scatter my spine. My dick hardens to rock, and my emotions go haywire. I want to snatch her into my arms and tell her everything will work out, that it will be okay. But it won’t. Nothing about this situation will end well when I’m too confused to understand how I want to kiss and punish at the same time.
Rage wars within me, snarling and twisting the ventricles of my glacial heart. Truth serum feeds into my brain. The more I think about her insubordination, the more the beast grows into an unforgiving hellion.
Tears fall from her fright filled eyes. The hem skimming her bare thighs moves as she waits for me to speak while her muscles tense with fight-or-flight instincts. But worst of all, she’s looking at me like I’m the devil she went up against.
My vision goes black. How dare she cast me in the role of a villain. I’m rooted to the earth with disturbed impulses to claim her as my own and feed on her climax, making sure she knows it’s me who rules.
Flashes of anguish streaking her expression both sickens and excites me. She should be worried. The man I am at this moment is not the man I was yesterday. And it’s all her fault.
Unfortunately for me, I want her more than I can physically tolerate. So much so that my belly aches, my teeth clench and a stab of malice glides along my ribs with a razor-sharp edge.
How can I crave tenderness and desire to hurt her when she means so much to me? The rush of candor runs free in my cerebral cortex, maximizing every shake up of emotions. It demands every vicious thought to be true. If she asks me what I’m going to do next, she’ll likely cry at my answer.
I glower at the men circling us, and then, as I go to speak, she does the unthinkable—she darts behind a palm tree. She runs from me. “Iris!” I yell, close to losing my sanity.
She keeps going, ignoring the consequences of her actions––ignoring me. I stagger mid-step. Physically, emotionally and mentally distraught. The awful reality is, I should let her scamper back to the Oasis as that would be the kinder thing to do, but I can’t do that. It’s impossible. The hysteria wringing inside me erupts with such magnitude that my entire body shakes. I will find beija flor and teach her a lesson.
The growl tearing from my throat startles nesting birds. Animals cry out in a restless rumpus when the mayhem snarled in my chest unravels.
Churning up moist dirt, I chase after the flighty hummingbird, following her into the woodland. Branches splinter underfoot, and weak shrubs disintegrate to mush. Dappled sunlight fails to brighten the tempest heading her way, while oppressive heat licks at my nape, coating my bare chest with a sheen of frustration. My legs no longer take orders from my brain when all I can think of is her.
Very bad thoughts hijack my mind. I’ve fallen victim to the liquid closing in on my classified thoughts, marching them into the daylight. Even if I bite back the compulsion to answer questions, I’ll never be able to hide from Iris. It’s always been that way, and she has no idea.
I catch sight of her ahead, and my heart literally swells with a possessiveness I’ve only ever felt for her. She covers the trail snaking through the undergrowth, doing her best to get away from me. I warned her not to run from me before. The fact I’m having to track her now only adds to the rush of adrenaline.
Savagery pours over me, dark and dangerous. A venomous brew of lust scrapes at my throat when I yell for her to stop. The need for her surrender takes control the very second my mind concedes to the discord of serum pumping to my head.
I need her to yield before I lose myself.
Her light-footed steps halt on the shaded path up ahead. A swoosh of flimsy material catches my eye first. Then my feral gaze adjusts to flaming curls jumbled over skin the color of magical moonshine.
