he’d run his hands through it and his normally grey eyes appeared
black as coal.
Arianna remained on the bed, still dressed in the scarlet
red gown she’d worn to the meeting in the ballroom. She’d fallen asleep after Connor left,
her body giving out from the torrent of emotions that had assaulted her system
over the last few days. She
probably would not have woken upon Joseph’s entry had he not fallen into the
door before opening it.
He circled around the foot of the bed, his drunken gaze
traveling lazily, hungrily over her body. “You’re sleeping in your gowns now?”
Wiping the hair from her face, she looked down over her
dress before quickly looking back up at her husband. “I…it’s been a rough night. I didn’t intend to fall asleep. I’ll change.” Pushing herself up from the bed, she
moved to the side and stood up attempting to walk towards the closet. Within seconds, Joseph moved to her side
of the bed and wrapped his hand tightly around her bicep.
“There’s no need to change.”
Arianna eyed Joseph wearily, understanding of his meaning
slithering down her spine as each tired muscle in her body found the strength
to spasm and lock. Her eyes closed
slowly before opening again. “You
can’t be serious, Joseph. Not after
last night … or tonight.”
However, he was serious, and when his hand reached up to
find the hidden zipper at the back of the dress, Arianna attempted to shift
away, only to have her arm squeezed tighter beneath his iron grip.
Dangerously low and slurred from the alcohol he’d consumed,
his words agitated her, an abrasive sensation like sandpaper being scraped
across her skin. “Will you fight
me, deny me the duties owed by a wife to her husband?”
Looking up into his hooded eyes, Arianna sighed in
resignation. She didn’t want to
fight him, didn’t have the vigor to endure any additional abuses – but
what choice was there? “And if I
refuse?”
The corners of his lips curled up, a renewed heat rolling
off his body against hers. Bringing
his lips to her ear, he whispered, “I’d like that very much. Nothing turns me on more than conquest.”
Moving so suddenly he hadn’t had time to react, she freed
herself of his grip and spun to face him. Anger brushed his features before his eyes followed her arm that reached
behind her back to finish what he’d started.
Pulling the zipper of her dress open, she shrugged out of
the material as it loosened over her shoulders and chest. It fell to her feet in waves of
shimmering rubies and she stepped out of it, dressed in nothing more than the
silken panties she’d worn underneath. The cool air meeting her skin induced a full body shiver, her skin
prickling as the clear blue pools of her eyes met the jaded grey of
Joseph’s.
“I find it ironic.” Her voice was cold, emotionless as
she addressed the man she no longer knew. “You make a show of rescuing me from a man who intended to rape me, you
destroy my world by admitting to what you’ve become, and then you force me to
bear witness to a slaughter – and you do so in the name of protecting me,
and in the name of showing me your power ,
your ability to bring punishment on those who attempted to hurt me.”
Joseph wavered on his feet, but still lorded over her small
stature, perfectly quiet as she spoke.
“And yet…here you stand, threatening to take what I will not
give, committing the same crime against me.”
He stared at her, his nostrils flaring out in anger before
his hand moved quickly to her throat. His fingers tightly anchored against her skin, Joseph pushed her back
towards the wall by the bed, pressed her firmly against the plaster with his
eyes burning into hers and lifted her so that her toes barely brushed the
ground beneath her. She didn’t
resist, didn’t attempt to fight him off; her understanding of his deepening
madness enough to keep her from angering him further.
black as coal.
Arianna remained on the bed, still dressed in the scarlet
red gown she’d worn to the meeting in the ballroom. She’d fallen asleep after Connor left,
her body giving out from the torrent of emotions that had assaulted her system
over the last few days. She
probably would not have woken upon Joseph’s entry had he not fallen into the
door before opening it.
He circled around the foot of the bed, his drunken gaze
traveling lazily, hungrily over her body. “You’re sleeping in your gowns now?”
Wiping the hair from her face, she looked down over her
dress before quickly looking back up at her husband. “I…it’s been a rough night. I didn’t intend to fall asleep. I’ll change.” Pushing herself up from the bed, she
moved to the side and stood up attempting to walk towards the closet. Within seconds, Joseph moved to her side
of the bed and wrapped his hand tightly around her bicep.
“There’s no need to change.”
Arianna eyed Joseph wearily, understanding of his meaning
slithering down her spine as each tired muscle in her body found the strength
to spasm and lock. Her eyes closed
slowly before opening again. “You
can’t be serious, Joseph. Not after
last night … or tonight.”
However, he was serious, and when his hand reached up to
find the hidden zipper at the back of the dress, Arianna attempted to shift
away, only to have her arm squeezed tighter beneath his iron grip.
Dangerously low and slurred from the alcohol he’d consumed,
his words agitated her, an abrasive sensation like sandpaper being scraped
across her skin. “Will you fight
me, deny me the duties owed by a wife to her husband?”
Looking up into his hooded eyes, Arianna sighed in
resignation. She didn’t want to
fight him, didn’t have the vigor to endure any additional abuses – but
what choice was there? “And if I
refuse?”
The corners of his lips curled up, a renewed heat rolling
off his body against hers. Bringing
his lips to her ear, he whispered, “I’d like that very much. Nothing turns me on more than conquest.”
Moving so suddenly he hadn’t had time to react, she freed
herself of his grip and spun to face him. Anger brushed his features before his eyes followed her arm that reached
behind her back to finish what he’d started.
Pulling the zipper of her dress open, she shrugged out of
the material as it loosened over her shoulders and chest. It fell to her feet in waves of
shimmering rubies and she stepped out of it, dressed in nothing more than the
silken panties she’d worn underneath. The cool air meeting her skin induced a full body shiver, her skin
prickling as the clear blue pools of her eyes met the jaded grey of
Joseph’s.
“I find it ironic.” Her voice was cold, emotionless as
she addressed the man she no longer knew. “You make a show of rescuing me from a man who intended to rape me, you
destroy my world by admitting to what you’ve become, and then you force me to
bear witness to a slaughter – and you do so in the name of protecting me,
and in the name of showing me your power ,
your ability to bring punishment on those who attempted to hurt me.”
Joseph wavered on his feet, but still lorded over her small
stature, perfectly quiet as she spoke.
“And yet…here you stand, threatening to take what I will not
give, committing the same crime against me.”
He stared at her, his nostrils flaring out in anger before
his hand moved quickly to her throat. His fingers tightly anchored against her skin, Joseph pushed her back
towards the wall by the bed, pressed her firmly against the plaster with his
eyes burning into hers and lifted her so that her toes barely brushed the
ground beneath her. She didn’t
resist, didn’t attempt to fight him off; her understanding of his deepening
madness enough to keep her from angering him further.
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