I stopped in front of the door and twisted the knife in my hand.
It was actually good that she’d put the barrier between us. It gave my mind and body a few moments to calm down. Her nudity was a gorgeous distraction.
When she’d taken that bandage off and revealed my bloodied name, I instantly yearned to say more on her skin.
I pressed my hand against the wood. “Phoenix, open the door.”
Fear laced her voice. “No.”
My dick rose before me, painfully hard and hungry for her pussy. It was wrong that I took a vindictive pleasure in battling her iron will. Even after yesterday and the night before, she had tons of fight left in her.
All I could think about was swallowing up all her emotions and consuming every inch of her.
I studied the knob. Thankfully, the door wasn’t locked with a bolt. I would have been out of luck.
I tapped the side of the knob. It looked to have a simple spring-loaded latch system. That meant that in order to open it, the latch would have to be sprung out from a pocket that was built into the door jamb.
I positioning the point of the knife to the side of the door that was three inches above the knob. There, I slid the blade between the door and the jamb’s striker plate. It took a few seconds to work the blade in.
Soon.
Once the blade slipped between the door and frame, I dragged the knife down to the spot where the door latched.
“Phoenix, it won’t be that bad.” I swept the end of the knife down and moved the latch inward, working the blade until the latch slipped out of its pocket. “There we go.”
The door creaked open.
I remained where I was.
Phoenix stood on the other side, hugging herself.
I hit her with a heated gaze. “I will never let anything come between us.”
She trembled.
Part of me yearned to wrap my arms around that small body and tell Phoenix how much I would protect her. The other part wanted to yank her to me and taste the terror on her lips.
Her words came out shaky. “We were fine. . .”
“We were.”
“And then you brought the knife out.”
“You like blades.”
She gazed back at me with an unbearable intensity. “But, I don’t want to.”
“Do you know why you scratched your thighs up?”
“I know why. I don’t need you to tell me.”
“Then, tell me.”
“I cut myself because I felt empty.”
“You cut yourself to get that moment back from the soul coffin.”
She stepped back. “N-never.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. “Did you cut yourself before me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
I glared. “It broke my heart to see what you did to yourself. Those sewing scissors. The scratches. None of that is what we have.”
“W-what do we have?” Fear and desire radiated from Phoenix.
I yearned to devour both.
“Tell me, Cain. What do you think that was?”
“In the soul coffin you were shocked and aroused by the idea of being forced to submit.”
“It wasn’t an idea of being forced, Cain. I was forced.”
“Not completely. I gave you a choice that night. Or am I wrong?” I took a step inside the bathroom. “You didn’t want to fuck?”
She bit her bottom lip.
“Say it, Phoenix.”
“I wanted it.”
“Wanted what?”
“I wanted you inside of me.”
“Why?”
She shook her head.
“Say it.” I sneered. “Enough with the bullshit.”
She swallowed. “You were already making me feel good with the cutting, so. . .”
I gritted my teeth. “Say it.”
“I wondered how your dick would feel.”
My body drummed with need. “And did my dick satisfy?”
She looked away. “Yes.”
“And what about my mouth?”
“Yes.”
“Look at me.”
She did. Terror filled her eyes.
I twisted the knife around. “Fear elevates adrenaline like nothing else.”
Her chest rose and fell.
“Are you experiencing that adrenaline spike right now?”
She whispered, “Yes.”
“Do you like it?”
“Maybe. . .a little.”
“Do you think I could kill you right now?” I pointed at the ground with the knife. “Do you really think I could slice you up and have you floating on a pool of blood in this bathroom?”
“Cain, you’re crazy. You have it in you to kill.”
“But could I kill you?”
She turned her view to the ground. “I don’t think so. I’m praying that’s true. That you could never take my life.”
“I couldn’t.”
She looked up. “But you could do other things to me.”
“I could.” I twisted the knife some more.
“Put that away. It’s still dangerous. If you want me, fuck me without it.”
I raised it between us. Light glowed on the blade. “This knife is more than dangerous, Phoenix. More than death. More than blood.”
“Then, what is it?”
“It is the key to our spiritual connection.”
Shock spread across her face. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“It is a potent symbol of our trust.”
She eyed me with suspicion. “How?”
“Every time I use a knife on you, I’m proving to you that I could never truly hurt you, never take your life away.”