Possess Me Ch. 13

Dear Readers,

First off, a sincere thank you to everyone who posted feedback on the last chapter. You all raised many interesting points for me to consider when I re-edit the story, so thank you for taking your time and sharing what you think.

Secondly, this chapter is LONG...longer than I envisioned, and we're only a little closer to the end. So with that said, I have a feeling that there will be at least two more chapters.

Thirdly, for those of you eager for a dominating Malik, a fair warning that the beginning of this chapter starts with some wishy-washy feelings. However, I hope this chapter gives insight to his behavior and ends satisfyingly.

Again, I appreciate ALL your feedback, so please feel free to leave a comment about what you think.

Thank you so much, now enjoy!

Titania

P.S. Any guesses for the name of the card game he teaches her?

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Warm amber held Brynna, embracing her fully to protect against the cold and dark of the night. With her eyes closed, she allowed the soothing, swimming sensations to sweep her gently along. She breathed in deep contentment, holding onto the last tingles of her climax. His arms around her, which pulled her close so his face could dip into the fullness of her hair, drew her away from the bliss and into the realm he too occupied. Her eyes, heavy with a mixture of a need for sleep and utter relaxation, blinked slowly open. She breathed deeply, stretching her body into a cat like arch, before relaxing with a fulfilled sigh.

Smiling softly, she turned into the warm body that was nestled protectively against her, nuzzling into the firm flesh she found. Malik's hands found the side of her face and began petting back the waves of her hair. She felt his fingertips drawing along the lines of her eyes and nose and chin, before she felt his warm breath bathe over her. Then his lips found her, following along the curves he had traced, teasing over her, feeling out her form to know and memorize and worship.

His caresses drew her response until she was at last leaning up into him, searching to connect her lips to his. Ever hungry for her, he ended her questing, fulfilling both their desires. Malik soared in the openness of her kiss, in her confessing want. For a time, they lay content in each other's arms, petting and stroking lovingly the warm flesh their fingers found.

It was Malik who ended the kiss, pulling up from her. His eyes were closed, and great concentration furrowed his brow as he bit his lip. Brynna was moved by his uncharacteristic show of pained emotion, and she could do nothing more than reach up with the back of her hand and stroke his now smooth jaw.

"What is wrong?" she whispered.

His intense blue eyes opened upon her, something akin to discomfort marring his features. For some moments he only held her gaze as he searched for words. He kissed her again at last, and in the tremble of his lips, the bridled fervor evident in his restrained movement, Brynna felt a small billow of fear blossom in her chest. Her eyes slowly opened when he pulled away yet again, and set his brow against hers. She felt the power of him, power beyond mortal flesh, power from a radiating essence, and was captivated even as it frightened her.

How had she forgotten? Had she been seduced by those few short weeks of counterfeit authority over him to have forgotten the immensity of the power he possessed and could, at any time, regardless of any contract, exert over her? She had once warned herself not to taunt the dragon, and she now wondered why she had neglected such advice.

"Malik?" her wavering, tentative voice asked.

He took a calming, stuttering breath. After some seconds he finally answered. "It is difficult, 'tis all. It is painful to hold you here, to want you as I do, and yet know..." he did not finish, but Brynna began to suspect.

"Know what? Are you afraid that I do not want you in return?" she asked somewhat confused, as she believed her desire for him to be more than evident. But Malik only shook his head in denial. "Then what? What restrains you so?" she asked, again reaching up to stroke his cheek.

"That I want you, need you, and yet..." the pain in his face grew until she was certain the moisture of his eyes reached the brim. But he closed them, and breathing deep, trained his features as was his character to always do. He rolled away from her, laying his head upon a pillow with his eyes closed, shutting out the world.

Brynna followed, sitting up at his side and looking down upon him. She tucked a mass of waves behind an ear and reached out to stroke his chest, wanting to stir him into looking at her once more. "And yet what?" she said, pushing for his answer. He opened his eyes at last and cast her a look of annoyance that she rightly interpreted as guilt. She sighed, understanding what he could not say but felt deep within. "And yet you do not deserve me," she finished for him.

She frowned at herself, realizing she had denied him what only she could give; the only thing to heal him as it had her. "Malik," she began, biting her lip in search of words. "Malik, what you did to me, was unpardonable." The beginning of her speech only pained him further, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut and turn his head from her, but she continued undaunted. "I suppose, in a way, a slave has no right to claim a master's fidelity. But what you did, and those disgusting, horrific things you said, was for the sole purpose of hurting me. And let us not forget that you raped me. I gave you my virginity, my purity because I thought I...because I wanted to; I wanted to belong to you. But you took it in anger and made it into a punishment. You hurt me...so much, and all because I would not behave as you wanted. And because you viewed me as your property, you acted as though you had the right to treat me that way. I should hate you until my last breath," she said emotionally, with conviction that sounded out like a spike deep into his heart.

Malik closed his eyes against the residual pain he saw in hers, shutting out the truth that his world would forever be a hateful, unwelcoming place, stark and condemned by the loss of her. But then he felt a gentle hand upon his face, a piercing ray into his darkness. He opened his red eyes flooded with too much water.

Her solemn face relayed the seriousness of what she felt. "But I forgive you," she whispered, tears of her own threatening to spill down her cheeks. Malik inhaled violently, unaware that he had been holding his breath, fighting sobs of despair. He reached for her and pulled her into his chest forcefully, clinging onto her body as though she would buoy him from the deep. His hard and painful hug turned into grips as he maneuvered her about so his lips could cover the entirety of her exposed skin. She laughed at his show of ardor, giggling wetly as she was a mixture of mirth and tears. Their lips met, caressing and melting into the other, mating and uniting in a long-needed welcome.

She at last pulled away from him, his hands running over the parts of her he could reach. She wiped her tears with a smile on her face. Brynna sniffled. "It hurts, what happened. It will always hurt. But to be away from you, that I could not survive. I belong to you. I will always belong to you. But you must know that I am not a piece of stone that can take the hails of rain and remain unchanged, undamaged. I want to belong to you, but I am afraid to trust. You must belong to me, be mine, as I am yours." She looked at him with great resolve and perhaps a little fear as to what he would answer.

But he only pulled her back down to him, placing a warm hand on either side of her damp face. "Yes," he whispered into her mouth before kissing her lovingly. "Yes, I am yours."

Brynna squeezed her eyes tight in an attempt to disallow tears of joy and relief to flood down her cheeks. But she could not stop them forever. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her hands clinging to him as waves of those strong emotions rolled through her. Malik held her tightly, his own soul exploding at the announcement she did want him, she did love him. She would choose to stay and would remain his forever, and he would continue to ensure she stayed so.

When the fervor of the moment had passed, Brynna shivered in the coolness of the room. Malik drew up the blankets, tucking them warmly into the bed. Despite the carnal actions that had passed between them not a half hour earlier, Malik was content to hold her close and seek nothing more.

"Malik, we should discuss the coming visit. That is to say, who we are and what we are to each other, at least in front of our guests. For my part, I am now satisfied to stay in your arms for the next year, calling you anything you like. However, as I have bothered to invite my friend here, I don't suppose that is an option I have the luxury to consider. But what do we do with you? You are a slave for my purposes alone, and I do not wish to dishonor you in front of your peerage," though you could do with a little humbling, now and again, she thought to herself.

However, Brynna was also not ready to relinquish control as she still could not give herself over into that trust completely. He may have said he belonged to her, but were those just romantic words, manipulative in their very nature and not promises to reserve his power over her and restrain his controlling character?

"For all outward appearances while our guests are here, I shall act as your ward and even call you Lord Blackwood, if you like, but I shall continue to make all the decisions; our contract still holds. But if I am extending this honor to you, to treat you as lord though you remain my slave, do I have your word that you will grant me the same once the week is at a close and the time of our agreement is at an end? Will things remain the same between us, at least until the Goodchimes depart? Can we agree to that?"

Malik was quiet as he thought over her proposal. He was grateful for her consideration of his position and felt she deserved no less in return. On top of that, he was still muddled, still directionless when it came to his own wishes for what would continue. He had at last earned her desire to stay and felt immeasurable relief. Even now, as he held her, her chin resting on his chest, her fingertips curling against the flesh of his abdomen, he felt a tightness release from his lungs, ease from his bounded heart. It was an incredible sensation to have her willing desire belong to him, after all he had put them through, and he now was afraid of risking it.

If it would make her happy, if it would make her stay, Malik would agree to almost anything. He would transform like the love-struck spirit into anything she required. "There is more to discuss about what is to come, but for now, for the time with our visitors, yes, I shall keep you elevated by my side, as my ward," he said with a smirk in his voice. She lightly bit his chest and pinched him for his snarky remark, before giggling and settling down in his arms.

She breathed a deep, contented sigh and allowed her eyes to close, allowed completeness to weave through her. For now, the moment was perfect, and she would not allow fears of what-might-come to darken the glow the perfection brought.

In the morning, Brynna was pulled into the waking world with delicate caresses over her eyebrows and down the slope of her nose. Eventually, her lips received the sweet touch as well before the fingers trailed down her chin and around her throat. Her eyes slowly drifted open to find Malik staring lovingly down at her. For a moment, she felt tendrils of a precious feeling she might have described as safe and cherished. But then, upon meeting her brown eyes, Malik's face darkened into one of desire. It was a face she knew well, and she immediately felt her stomach drop deliciously.

Watching her reaction, Malik did not ask for permission before his face dipped down to hers so his lips could caress her mouth. When he felt her take a small, gasping breath, he crushed against her, his tongue licking at her lips. She responded quickly, offering no resistance to the liberties he took. He melted into her. The happy possessiveness he had first felt upon waking with her tucked into his side and seeing her lovely face quickly sparked into something more forceful and hungry. Within seconds, he was burning for her and quickly slid his body over top hers to fit between her legs.

But the hands that had been pawing at his back were suddenly pushing against his chest, forcing him away. He leaned back to study her. The concerning slant of her eyes was indecipherable. He knew not what her resistance was, if it was born of fear or something else, but it was enough to cause his stomach to knot. Had she changed her mind? Did she not want him as she had said the night before?

But then Brynna lifted her hand to his cheek, her thumb rubbing soothingly across his wetted lips. "Malik," she paused, holding in her words of denial. She took a shuddering breath before continuing. "Malik, we cannot do this. Not now, not this week."

He furrowed his brow in frustrated confusion. He had waited this long for her and his discipline was such that he would wait a millennium for her to willingly allow him to bed her, but he did not understand the reason of her reluctance. "Why so? How is it different than what happened last night?"

Brynna scowled at the reminder of her wanton behavior, even as she felt her inner muscle draw in at the memories. "It becomes complicated. It is too much to do these things and yet remain as if it does not exist," she attempted to explain, but knew she could not produce in words all the fluttering fears she felt. "And what is more, it is unbecoming of a young, gentle lady to allow such liberties. It is unfitting my unwed status and leads me open to the censure of those around." She tried to hide the smile at such a ridiculous statement. They had already been so thoroughly intimate, there was no room left for negotiating her continued abstinence on such a platform.

Malik also chuckled at the absurdity before focusing his hardened face at her. He grabbed her possessively at the chin, squaring her mirth-filled eyes with his passionate ones. "Do you deny you belong to me? That you will always belong to me?" he questioned.

Her mirth died a little, but not unpleasantly. "Nay, I do not, would not." He kissed her fiercely at her admission. Touching his forehead to hers, he closed his eyes and willed the fire down to slow roiling embers. "Very well, we shall put off this moment, for now, but do not fool yourself into thinking it can wait much longer." He kissed her quickly before popping up and stretching as he walked to the door to leave.

Brynna watched him depart as she continued to battle those flutters she couldn't quite determine the origins of. She stretched her body in the bed before standing and walking to her bathing room. She poured enough water to freshen herself, especially considering her amorous activities the night before. As she wiped the dried fluids from between her legs, she allowed her fingers to glide over the newly shaven folds of her sex. The silken feeling intrigued her, and then she felt heated as she remembered lying splayed for his hands and sharp razor to shave her clean. Even now, the incident hours away in the past, she felt her face heat at the extremely brazen request. And then his mouth.

She always felt vulnerable when he made love to her with his mouth, but she also never felt more adored or desired. The fear pushed the erotic sensation, increasing the pleasure all the more. And that he drank from her as though she were a sacred chalice...she felt her core liquefying just at the thought of it, causing her to sigh and force her attention to more serious matters.

Once cleaned, her mind threaded through the many minutes and hours and days to come, uncertain as to what she had been thinking when she wrote that silly letter to Josephine and requested her presence.

I wanted to show him, she reminded herself. I wanted to live with him as it should be. Josephine and Lord Goodchime will be the properest examples for us. She sighed. Malik was such an intelligent, obstinate creature who believed he knew all, she was beginning to fear her impromptu plan would not achieve the desired effect. Then again, he had been considerably pliable the last few weeks, and for her part, Brynna was determined to believe his attitude had been genuine.

Though he clearly had wanted her that morning, he had not forced her nor even attempted to persuade her, but accepted her preference and done as she wished. Despite a gentle niggling in the back of her mind, a disappointment that he did not attempt to manipulate her into intercourse, she was encouraged by his considerate behavior. Brynna hoped that it was proof of his gained understanding and increased desire to see her as more than a slave.

She sighed as she twisted a section of her hair to pin it atop her head. But what of Josephine? Her reply to Brynna's letter had been rife with agitation and alarm. She stated her great concern that she was once again in her enslaver's hand. Though no words actually wrote it, Brynna felt the tone of the letter and knew Josephine was coming to ensure she was safe and provide a means of escape if necessary.

Brynna rolled her eyes in thinking of the lovely young lady's heightened sense of drama. It was no doubt that very quality that had caused her to act as she had, sending her away to Lady DeWal for protection. She was thankful for her friend's affection and willingness to so trouble herself on Brynna's behalf. When the last of her hair was in place, she went to her wardrobe to pull out the most modest, simple looking gown she had. She did not want to appear as anything more than a simple ward in the charge of Lord Blackwood's keeping and hoped she could pull off the meek position.

It was still not settled in her mind how she would behave. They were, after all, coming at her invitation, and she knew it would fall to her to entertain their small party. Malik was agreeable to act as lord of the manor once more, and was content to allow Brynna to lead the hosting duties. But how were they to act when a decision needed to be made? Would she defer to him, as would be expected, or would she step in and continue to control? She had asked him to be allowed to continue making the decisions, and he had agreed. Running her fingers over the brocade of her outer gown, she decided she would need to make arrangements now before any issue arose.

Brynna parted for the kitchen. It was early still, and her breakfast would not be ready for some half hour, or so. She missed her early mornings in the kitchens, working her hands in the dough, eating breakfast with the girls. That reminded her of the newest servant, and she wondered how the girl was getting on.

As she entered, she found the three youngest ladies eating their breakfast as she once had, and felt a touch of sadness that she could not join them. Would she return once her month was over? She had hoped by allowing Malik to dine with her, she would set a precedent for him to follow when he was once again the master. But as she looked over the smiling faces of her friends, she wondered if that was what she truly wanted.

"Good morning, miss," Bea said cheerfully as she cracked eggs into a large bowl.

"Good morning, Bea, and how are you today?"

"Oh, well, miss, well. We've much to do with company arriving, haven't we girls? And now that you've hired me a girl who can really cook...oh, sorry, Beth, but 'tis the truth you suffer to cook, we shall all of us be very merry to prepare such excellent food. The master-" and then she paused, a confused look upon her face.