SWNOVELS Chapter Alluring Darkness: Epilogue
My hands are steady as I use a small brush to spread poison across the synthetic skin that covers Eli’s palms. He leans his hip against the white marble counter beside the sink, his eyes fixed on the door to the small private bathroom we’re currently occupying. Light from the golden lamp in the ceiling casts his face in a warm glow and makes him look even more handsome in his sharp black suit.
I’m just about to dip the tiny brush into the vial of poison again when a buzzing sound interrupts. Raising my eyebrows, I glance down at the phone in Eli’s pocket.
He sighs. Tearing his eyes from the door, he looks down at his hands, which he can’t use right now, and then back up at me.
“Want me to check it?” I ask.
“Yeah. It might be the Morellis. If they’re calling off the hit, it would be good to know that before we kill him.”
I chuckle. “Agreed.”
After carefully setting down the brush on the small lid to the poison bottle, I slide my hand into Eli’s pocket. And just because I’m a wicked little bitch, I brush my hand over his cock on the way. A shudder rolls through his body.
Narrowing his eyes, he fixes me with a pointed stare. “Careful now, princess. Just because I can’t touch you right now doesn’t mean that I can’t still fuck your brains out right here in this bathroom.”
I snicker and wiggle my eyebrows in challenge. But before either of us can do anything about it, I pull out the phone and look down at the name visible on the screen.
Worry blows across Eli’s face. “It’s Rico.”
“Want me to answer it?”
“Yeah. Kaden told me that, with me having graduated and the new first-years who have arrived, the Petrov family apparently outnumbers our family back at Blackwater this year. And those crazy Russian fuckers have apparently been coming at them hard. Something might have happened.”
Sliding my finger across the screen, I answer the call and then put it on speaker so that Eli can hear it too.
“Hey, Rico,” he says. “You’re on speaker because Raina is currently spreading poison across my hands.”
“Eli, I…” Rico begins but then trails off. “Wait, what? Poison? Do you need help? Is she trying to kill you?”
“I heard that,” I mutter.
Eli chuckles. “No, it’s for a hit. We’re out of state for another stealth mission since Connor and that forgettable face of his is still stuck in New York for that other high-profile job.” He smiles at me, knowing how relieved I am that our family’s reputation has now been restored. But then worry etches his face again as he focuses on the phone. “What’s going on? Is it the Petrovs?”
“What?” Rico replies, sounding very distracted. “Oh, the Petrovs. No, we’ll handle those morons. Don’t worry.”
“Then what is it?”
“I found her.”
Eli’s eyes widen. “Her as in…?”
“Yeah. The girl who saved my life that night.” Even through the phone, I can hear the stunned incredulity in his voice. “She’s here. At Blackwater.”
“Do you want me to come back? To help you… do something? Anything?”
“No. No, I, uhm… I just wanted to tell you because—” He stops and instead lets out an exasperated groan. “Aw, fuck. The Petrovs are here. I’ll call you back.”
Before Eli can answer, Rico ends the call.
I raise my eyebrow in silent question, but Eli just shakes his head. “He’ll call back later. And besides, we have a man to kill.”
“True.”
After slipping the phone back into his pocket, I finish coating the synthetic flesh with a thin layer of poison. It’s the kind of fake skin that actors use, so it will hold up well enough for our plan.
“Alright, done,” I say while screwing the lid back on the small bottle. “As soon as you brush your hand over some part of his skin, the poison will start to take effect. I recommend the back of his hand, since you can get away with bumping into that without raising suspicion, but any part of his body works. After the poison begins seeping into his skin, the clock starts ticking. He’ll be dead after about three hours, give or take.”
“By which time, we will be long gone.”
“Exactly.” I smirk back at him. “Aren’t you glad I dropped out of Blackwater to be your partner in crime?”
“You’re my partner in everything, not just crime.”
“Aww, aren’t you sweet.”
Mischief glitters in his golden eyes. “And besides, you sucked at everything back at Blackwater and failed every class, so they practically begged me to take you off their hands.”
“Watch it, asshole.” I narrow my eyes at him, but can barely suppress the amusement in my voice. “Don’t forget I’m the one with the poison.”
He holds up his hands and flashes me a sly smile. “Except now, I have it too.” Before I can retort, he chuckles and then jerks his chin. “When we get back to the hotel, I will be showing you exactly how glad I am that you dropped out of Blackwater to be my partner in crime. But for now, get your ass up on that counter.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. “Why?”
“Because we need a plausible excuse for why we’ve been in this bathroom for so long. So I want you to look freshly fucked when we walk back into that gala.”
Heat ripples through my stomach at his words and at the look in his eyes.
After putting the poison and the rest of my equipment back into my small purse, I brace my palms on the white marble counter and lift myself up so that I’m sitting on it with my legs dangling over the edge.
“Pull your dress up, princess,” Eli orders.
I curl my fingers in the smooth green silk and slowly slide the skirt of my dress up my legs until it’s bunched around my waist.
Desire flares to life in Eli’s eyes as his gaze travels up my bare legs. Then something flickers across his face as he reaches my pussy. “No panties.”
His words are both question and statement and accusation all rolled into one.
I just grin back at him in challenge.
“How am I supposed to concentrate on my mission now that I know you’re walking around next to me with no fucking panties on?” Eli demands, his voice a low growl.
My grin widens. “I don’t see how that’s any of my problem. My part of this mission is already done.”
“Oh, the things I will do to you when we’re back at the hotel.”
A thrill races down my spine.
“Spread your legs,” Eli commands.
Adjusting my position on the counter, I lean back on my elbows and spread my legs wide for him. His eyes darken. My heart skips a beat at the sight.
Even after an entire year, Eli’s feelings for me still haven’t dimmed in the slightest. In fact, they seem to grow stronger every day. Every time he looks at me, his breath catches a little and his eyes pulse with both insatiable lust and unending love. It’s an incredible sight.
I suck in a gasp as Eli drops to his knees and draws his tongue over my pussy. He chuckles, making his warm breath caress my sensitive skin. A shudder rolls through my body as Eli swirls his tongue around my clit before taking it into his mouth.
Pleasure washes through me, and I let out a moan.
Leaning back, I rest the back of my head against the mirror behind me. The pleasure inside me grows as Eli rolls my clit between his lips and then slides his tongue down to my entrance.
A whimper spills from my mouth, and I curl my fingers on the cold marble as he pushes his tongue inside me.
Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply through my nose as he licks and sucks and nips at my clit and my throbbing pussy until I feel as though my brain is going to explode. Tension thrums inside me, begging to be released.
“Oh, fuck,” I gasp out, my thighs clenching and my pussy aching with need. “Eli.”
He swirls his tongue around my clit again.
I suck in shallow breaths as I soar towards that orgasm.
One more second. One more stroke. One more—
He stops.
Pulling back, he gets to his feet.
I blink, feeling completely disoriented by the loss of his lips and the release that never came.
When I raise my eyes, I find Eli smirking down at me like the fucking villain he is.
“Eli…” I say, my voice low and full of warning.
“Yes, princess?”
“Finish what you started.”
“I might. Back at the hotel room.” His eyes glint and the devilish smile on his lips grow. “If you beg me for it.” Chuckling, he jerks his chin towards the door. “Now, come on, princess. We have a mark to kill.”
With my eyes narrowed, I glare at him while I slide off the counter and smoothen my dress down over my legs again. Turning around, I face the mirror. My cheeks are flushed and my hair is slightly messy from where I leaned against the mirror. I do actually look freshly fucked.
Huffing out a half amused, half disgruntled breath, I pick up my purse and start towards the door. Eli follows since he can’t touch anything right now.
“I hate you,” I announce as I reach for the lock. “Bringing me to the edge like that and then not letting me come is cruel, you know.”
“Yes, well, you should’ve thought about that before you decided to torture me by not wearing panties tonight.” He flashes me a wicked smile. “And you know you love me.”
A soft laugh escapes me. Shaking my head, I unlock the door and pull it open. After moving across the threshold, I hold it open for Eli as well so that he won’t have to touch it. The people outside take one look at my flushed face and exchange knowing smiles.
“Yes, unfortunately I do,” I reply as Eli falls in beside me and we start back into the glittering ballroom. A smirk tugs at my lips as I glance up at him. “But not as much as you love me.”
Eli matches the sly smile on my face, but his eyes are pulsing with deep emotions as he brushes a kiss against my temple. “That’s right.”
Joy sparkles in my chest as we turn back to the elegant ballroom before us. People wearing shimmering dresses and expensive suits fill the entire space. We drift through the room for a while before we spot our target.
After exchanging a look, we start towards the man we’re about to kill.
From the outside, we look like any other couple in this room. But we’re not normal. And we never will be.
A ruthless hitman and an unhinged chemist.
We are a match made in hell.
But thankfully, hell is our kingdom.
And we love it here.