Joseph Fallen (The Estate Series) by M.S. Willis Page A

  In that moment, as they stood nose to
nose, passion filled grey eyes locked with the unfeeling blue, Arianna made a
decision to escape, to endure whatever was necessary in order to find that one
unwatched, unguarded second when she could run.
    Joseph’s eyes closed and his head fell back slightly, but
when he pulled it back, when his eyes opened again, Arianna knew the man she
loved was no longer there.
    “You, Arianna, are an unappreciative, spoiled bitch of a
wife.”   Tossing her to the floor,
her head hit against the adjacent wall, a small cry escaping her lips from her
surprise and pain.   He stalked
towards her, cruelty inlaid in the grin that touched his lips.
    “I’ve given you luxury, I’ve given you a home, I’ve given
you…”   He stopped, a sick smile
smearing across his features before he continued.   “Ah yes, I forgot, you didn’t want those
things – it wasn’t enough for the perfect princess I married.   What you saw tonight, what I did for
you, it was a display of power, of justice, of…”
    “Of insanity, of a nightmare…” she softly added.
    He reached down to lift her by her hair, only to backhand
her so suddenly that she fell back to the floor once more.   Warmth spread across her cheek where
he’d struck her and she reached up to touch her lip, finding blood when she
pulled it away.
    Crawling away, she looked up at him and noticed how his eyes
closed tight, giving him the appearance of a man pained.   Opening them again, he said, “And of a
woman in hysterics!”   Reaching down
and easily catching her, his hand gripped around her throat.   She could barely breathe but tried to
remain calm.   She waited for the
next strike, her breath ragged and her heart beating painfully against her
chest.
    Joseph appeared mad, a man attempting to control himself,
but losing the battle, his violence leaking out against his wife.   After several minutes of silence, he
said, “Embarrass me again, Arianna, and I’ll make sure you meet with a true
nightmare.   As for now, there is
something you can give me, that you’ve failed to give me for far too long.”
    His hand gripped harder and his fingers tangled painfully
deep within the silken strands of her hair.   He lifted her again, but turned quickly
to push her facedown against the bed.   Using her hair as reins, he controlled her and held her still for his
abuse.   The touch of his hand was
callous and cruel as he ripped away the last bit of cloth that covered
her.   She felt him shift as he
removed his pants, heard the belt hit against the tiled floors when it fell to
his ankles.   Finally positioning
himself at her opening, he pulled her head up by her hair so that he could
place his mouth to her ear.   “You
will give me a child, an heir, if I have to force this night after night until
that happens, so be it.   The level
of pain is your decision.   Fight me
and this will be more agonizing than it needs to be.”  
    Tears spilled from her eyes when his mouth and tongue moved
across the skin of her neck, when his teeth bit sharply into the sensitive area
at her shoulder.   She cried out in
pain, which only made him move one greedy hand quickly over her body and
breasts while the other continued to pull at her hair.   And even through the pain, she couldn’t
help but respond.
    “You’re sick!   I’ll never bring a child into this hellhole you’re creating!”
    He laughed, the sound disgusting and maniacal as he bent
forward to say, “It’s a shame that’s not your choice any longer.”   Shoving himself inside, the sensitive
skin between her thighs burned as tiny fissures were ripped open from his
force.   She cried out again when his
girth filled her and her muscles ached from the sudden and uninvited
intrusion.   “Please Joseph, please
stop!”
    But instead of stopping, he seemed lost in his rage –
pure madness stripping away all remaining sanity.
    The hair at her scalp threatened to rip free as he held