The Prey: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Oakmount Elite Book 3)

Before I breathe, think, or form a coherent response to what he’s said, we’re kissing again. He devours me like he wants to crawl inside me and live there. My hands roam his chest, mapping a trail across flesh I’ve only ever dreamed about exploring until I reach his back and sink my fingers into his shirt, clinging to him.

The tree behind me digs into my back, even buffered by my hoodie, but I don’t care about the pain. I don’t even want to stop my hips from tilting up against him.

His rock-hard erection presses against my belly, digging in, and dammit, I wish we were lying down so I could have him put it right where I need it most. I’m greedy for more—an addict and he’s my drug. His teeth graze my lip, nipping hard, and I whimper as the pain ignites my senses. He smiles against my skin as his mouth moves down my chin, his teeth grazing the sensitive flesh at my neck.

“Don’t stop,” I moan into the night.

He continues nipping at my flesh and lapping at the spots with his tongue after biting, making my heart beat wildly. I can’t get enough of him. His big hands slide down my neck and circle my waist before slipping to the hem of my skirt.

Do I want this? Yes! A million times, yes.

I spread my legs without thought, giving him room to move between them. Anything he wants, he can have. Anything he wants, he can take. I just don’t want him to stop. A whimper escapes me, and he pulls away to look at me, desire and need shining in his eyes.

“There’s no backing out now, Little Prey. It’s time for you to be as consumed by me as I’m consumed by you.”

I swallow thickly at the low, deep menace in his tone like he’s about to rip me apart with his bare teeth and make me beg him to do it again.

A glint of metal catches my eye in the dark as he bends. As he lifts the blade, I take in the wicked-looking knife that hovers an inch from my mouth. It’s the one I’ve seen him with several times, the one he marked me with when I’d succumbed to my nightmare. I bite back a gasp, and the air between us crackles, sparks igniting and shooting off like firecrackers.

Fuck, what is he going to do with that?

With my anxiety never too far from my mind, a tiny warning goes off, telling me this could end badly, but I’m too caught up in the sensations to tell him to stop. Not that he would. The feral, unhinged look returns to his eyes, and he presses the flat edge of the knife against my mouth, the point resting against my cupid’s bow.

Staring down at me, he orders, “Lick it for me, Ely.”

I swallow hard. This knife is fucking sharp, but there’s no give in his eyes, no room for negotiation. It’s his way or no way. Some of the lingering fear and tension eases out of me, and I relax at the thought. All I have to do right now is feel.

Slowly, I part my lips and let my tongue slip out, caressing the edge of the blade with hesitation. His eyes gloss over, his pupils dilate, and the corner of his lip twitches up. He likes it. He fucking likes it, and more than that, I like seeing him so undone and at my mercy.

“I’m going to corrupt you, Little Prey. Ruin you for all others so you know nothing but me. My scent, my cock stretching your pussy, my name falling from your lips.” It’s a warning, but I’m past being warned away.

He could push me off a cliff, and I’d go gladly at this point.

He pulls the knife away, and I watch it disappear while he uses his free hand to ruck up my denim skirt, jerking it up over my waist. Goose bumps erupt across my bare skin, and I shiver as the cold air reaches my inner thighs and lower belly. Dropping to his knees, he slides the knife along the edge of my panties and then gives them a tug, the fabric biting into my flesh when he pulls them from my body.

Fucking hell, that shouldn’t be so hot.

With the scrap of my panties slipped down to my ankles, he twists them off and tucks the cotton into his pocket. Dropping the knife by my feet so he can use both hands, he sinks his fingers into my thighs and wrenches them apart with bruising force, hiking my body up the tree. I catch myself, digging my nails into the bark.

“Sebastian.” I whisper his name, and I’m not sure if it’s to tell him to stop or to keep going.

Moving my legs to rest on his shoulders, he looks up at me over my mound, strands of hair curling against his forehead. He’s so beautiful.

“Don’t, Ely. Don’t tell me to stop because I can’t. I can’t fucking stop. I need you. Need to taste you. Taste what’s been mine this entire time.”

Hell, how could I even consider stopping him with a confession like that? After a heartbeat, when he knows damn well this is happening, he pounces.

One second he’s spreading my legs, his eyes on me, and the next, his teeth are tugging against my clit. Red hot pleasure rips through me, and my body curls toward him on instinct, my hips bowing up to give him better access. I bite my lip between my teeth to suppress a moan. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t think it would be this good.

That skilled tongue of his flicks over my clit, teasing it before gliding down my center and to my entrance. My eyes roll to the back of my head. Using his tongue like he might his cock, he dips in and out, fucking me with it. It’s perfect, but not enough. I need more. As if he knows this he drags his hands up to my thighs and curls a digit through the slick arousal coating my folds.

I’m burning hotter than the sun, flames of desire licking at the edges of my soul. I don’t fear the burn, though, not with Sebastian between my legs. Keeping one hand braced against the tree, I grab his head with the other, sinking my fingers through his damp curls. If I’m going to hell, I might as well get the full experience.

“Mmmm. So fucking good,” he murmurs against my folds, the vibrations zinging over my sensitive flesh.

“Please don’t stop,” I pant into the darkness.

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to, Little Prey,” he growls, and then I feel him at my entrance, his thick finger slipping inside me and sinking deep. I tighten around his finger, the muscles tensing from lack of use. There’s a little discomfort, but it soon fades when he moves his finger in and out, slowly at first.

“All those nights I imagined your pussy around my cock…my imagination has nothing on this moment. So tight, so perfect. I’m going to have to stretch you, get you nice and wet to make sure you can take my cock, because you will be taking my cock.”

All I can do is whimper, my mouth unable to speak words. Pleasure builds low in my belly, swirling, burning me from the inside out. Sebastian shows no mercy and burrows his face between my folds, his tongue flicking against my clit, carrying me higher and higher while his finger pumps in and out of me.

Without warning, he adds a second finger, stretching me. An uncomfortable ache follows, but it’s so subtle that as soon as I feel it, it’s gone, washed away in the undertow of pleasure. I clench tightly around his fingers, and it’s almost embarrassing how turned on I am, the evidence of my arousal trickling down my thighs.

I squeeze my legs together, trapping his head, and that’s when he fucks me with his fingers. I mean really fuck me, in and out, in and out, the pace relentless, my body moving up and down with the movement while his tongue does wicked things to my clit.

He consumes me, and I don’t even care. I’d die happily at his feet so long as he lets me come first. My lungs burn, and I realize I’m not breathing. He’s stealing the air right out of my lungs, sucking it right out of me with his lips latched on tight to my clit.

“Sebastian,” I beg between gasps, “Please. Please.”

I’m so close. My toes curl in my boots, every nerve ending on fire, my muscles tightening to the point of pain. He’s right, he’s going to destroy me for anyone else, and I don’t care.

I whimper when he pulls away just long enough to growl out an order, “Come on my fucking tongue, Prey. Let me drink your arousal; let me have what’s only made for me.”

His filthy mouth adds gasoline to an already out-of-control fire, and when his lips latch back onto my clit, his fingers finding some magical spot at the top of my pussy, I burst into flames.

“Sebastian!” I scream his name as I dig my nails into his scalp, and he makes a noise, something close to a groan of approval, the sound slicing right through me.

With an undeniable need guiding him, he presses his whole face against my pussy, his mouth, his nose, all of it, almost like he’s trying to truly devour me. A memory flashes in my mind of him fucking my face in almost an identical manner, and I let it play back in my head as I float back down from heaven.

I’m still catching my breath when he pulls away, his fingers still inside me, which he uses to fuck me lazily. There’s a slight ache from the pressure, but it only adds to the onslaught of sensations.

“You beg so pretty, Ely.” He grins and then leans in and bites my clit while he thrusts his fingers deep, lazily in my pussy. “Think you can come again for me?”

“I don’t know,” I tell him, but whine when he tries to pull his fingers out.

“Mmm, you’re going to make a beast out of me,” he snarls and assaults me with his tongue, worshipping my clit, while he fucks my pussy slowly. I’m high on pleasure, and I don’t want it to stop.

I’m not sure how he does it, but he pulls another orgasm out of me, ripping it from my bones and making me scream his name.

I shudder against him, the aftershocks rippling through my body, making it difficult to breathe or exist. He lets me ride his hand through it, easing away only after my knees have stopped shaking and I’ve gained my footing.

Pushing to his feet, he towers over me, his six-foot frame drawing my five-foot-two one to my feet. I watch as he brings his hand to my mouth. I can see my juices coating his fingers, dripping down his wrist. “You have no idea how beautiful you are, how fucking perfect your face looks when you come. I can’t wait to see it as I slide deep into your cunt. Owning you, forcing you to take every fucking inch.”

I don’t know what to say or how to react. I’m still reeling from the orgasms, and now he’s showering me with praise and filthy fucking words.

Bringing the digits to my lips, he smiles. “Lick them clean, Prey. Taste yourself.”

It’s nothing less than an order, and I obey before I even consider it. Closing my lips around the digits, the slick, salty taste of my own release fills my mouth. It’s not a bad taste. In fact, it turns me on to taste myself on his fingers. I flick my tongue against the digits, sucking intently until I’ve removed every drop of my release while staring into his eyes.

When he finally pulls away, his fingers leaving my mouth with a resounding pop, the reality of what we’ve done crashes down on me. I look away, hesitant and vulnerable now that he’s peeled back my layers.

What happens now?

I want to ask that question so badly it makes me ache, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. Sebastian reaches down and snags his knife off the ground while adjusting his bulging erection.

I sway on my feet, a wave of dizziness sweeping through me as he jerks my hoodie sleeve down, the back falling to pool around my hips and baring my arm to him. I look up at him, hesitant at what I might see in his eyes.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle a look of regret or anger. I already told him I don’t want to be another girl to him. What I find is neither of those emotions; instead, he’s looking at me with satisfaction and need.

My heart clenches in my chest with all these unfamiliar emotions. When he reaches for my hand, I give it to him without hesitation. I think nothing of it when he shifts the knife into my grasp, forcing me to take hold of it. His own hand blankets mine, wrapping around my grip tightly. Then his eyes are back on me. His own gaze is warm, tender.

He lifts the blade to my arm, and I hesitate, shrinking back.

“Sebastian, what are you doing?” I blink rapidly, trying not to sound as afraid as I feel.

“Making certain you understand you’re more than they ever were to me.” He moves the blade, aiming it right below the other mark. “Do it, Ely. Make the mark and claim your spot beside me.”

I’ve still not caught my breath, and I blink a couple of times, trying to calm myself. He waits patiently, and once I feel I have a better grip, I carefully tip the sharp edge against my skin. My eyes dart from that one spot on my arm and back up to him.

A hiss of discomfort escapes me as a burning sensation zips across my flesh when he adds the correct pressure, guiding the blade through my skin and making a mark right below the second.

I’m mesmerized by the crimson blood that trails in a small stream down my bicep and over my elbow. The red against my alabaster skin is nothing short of an intoxicating image, one I’ll never be able to unsee.

I drag my gaze away from my arm, nevertheless, afraid of the slight tingle of pleasure it gives me in my belly.

Looking from his mark and back up to my face, he reaches for me, wrapping a hand around my throat, using his grasp to bring me closer. His lips ghost against mine when he speaks. “Mine. You’re mine in every sense of the word. The only one to bear my mark twice on your skin, and the only one I want.”

It’s not the words that terrify me at that moment, but their meaning. From this moment on, everything between us will be different. I can feel it in every beat of my heart.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I whisper hoarsely and sway on my feet when he releases me.

He smiles and then kneels to put the knife away. I look down, watching as he does, and that’s when my entire world tilts on its axis, because there on the ground, nestled very visibly in the leaves, is Tanya’s pregnancy test.

He goes still as his gaze fastens on it.

I’m consumed by dread. No! No! He has to understand. I can make him understand. I can explain. My stomach tightens to the point of pain, and I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. I need to say something. I have to. But I can’t. All I can do is watch in horror as his fingers curl around the test. He picks it up, bringing it closer to his face as if he’s inspecting it. No! It’s not what you think it is.

Pushing off the ground, he stands at his full height, towering above me, and I can feel the betrayal, see it etched into his face.

Fuck. Think, Elyse.

Those emerald eyes of his clash with my own, and the look of despair—of defeat—that I see there steals the air from my lungs. He brings the test closer, shoving it in my eyes as if I can’t see it. As if I didn’t know it was in my pocket all along.

“What the fuck is this, Elyse?”

Say something. Anything. I want to tell him that it’s not my test, but fear has me in a chokehold that I can’t escape. I part my lips and try to speak, but nothing comes out.

“Tell me this isn’t real, Elyse.” Anguish and despair thicken his voice, underlined with a hint of rage. I’m drowning in his pain. “Elyse! Tell me. Tell me that this isn’t yours. That you’re not having someone else’s baby.”

It’s the rage that keeps me from speaking, from telling him the truth. I can’t breathe as that anger morphs into old hurts, old wounds, opening up in my mind. My father screaming in my face so that all I can feel is his spit on my chin.

No. I can’t see Sebastian that way. Not like that.

My lips tremble, and I open my mouth to tell him no, but again, nothing comes out. Not even a squeak.

“Elyse!? Sebastian!?” The sound of Bel’s voice echoes over the lawn, calling from somewhere off in the distance. I can’t do this right now. I can’t stand here, unable to speak. To defend myself.

I don’t think; all I do is react.

Before Sebastian can react or make a move, I lift my hand and shove him backward. Caught off guard, he wobbles back on unsteady legs, and I take off on a dead run back to the house. There’s no way Sebastian will risk making a scene in front of Bel. At least not with the pregnancy test.

My lungs burn, and I spot Bel off the patio in the distance. As soon as we’re close enough to see each other, the smile on her face slips away, and concern takes its place. She opens her arms to hug me, and I run right into them.

Drew hovers at her back like a shadow that never leaves. I try to swallow down the fear and anxiety coursing through me. I don’t want Bel to ask me a million questions about what is going on between Sebastian and me. Especially when I have no idea what is going on, but I also know that I’ll have to tell her everything at some point.

“Oh my God. Are you okay?” She tightens her grip on me. No. I’m not. I want to tell her, but I don’t. My biggest priority is getting out of here and putting as much distance between Sebastian and me as I can. We both could use some space, and then maybe he’ll come to his senses about what we did, and after I tell him about Tanya’s pregnancy test, we can move on. Even if that means I might be fired, homeless, and sent back to my father.

“Can we…can we please go.” I stumble over my words, and she releases me, choosing to wrap an arm around my shoulder and tug me into her side.

“Of course. Is…is everything okay? Did…Sebastian hurt you?” She guides me back up the steps, toward the house. Bel radiates a kindness that few others carry with them, and I’m grateful for her friendship.

“I’m okay…he didn’t hurt me. It’s not what you think it is,” I whisper, still feeling the need to defend him even if I’m terrified of what might happen next.

I’m not scared of what he will do to me. I’m scared of the way he makes me feel, scared of the fact that I want to tell him it’s not my test, that he’s wrong because I can’t fathom what I’ll do if he doesn’t believe me, but more than that, I’m terrified I’m falling for a man I can never have, and nothing is scarier than heartbreak.