A'xelaan tilted his head to the side as I let my right fingers crawl across his long, manly neck; from the prominent muscle on the side to his apparent collarbone. I rubbed it roughly, feeling the bones with my index tip.
I used to think he was smart—like he'd have already read my intent with my moves. But maybe not. I did overestimate him.
With quick reflexes, I set the penknife in my other hand to his throat, but A'xelaan caught me by surprise when he had me bent over on the desk.
How he managed to pull me to his front and trap me in a split second, I didn't know. All I knew was his body brushing mine, my arms stretched above my head, grinding against the desk while being pinned down at the wrists by his powerful hand.
He patted my fingers and the knife fell from my grip. I chuckled painfully.
"You learn one smart move and decide to play a game?" A'xelaan snarled, his breath fanning my ear. Only then did I realize how close we were.
That close. Very close.
The feel of his lips grazing the side of my face was cold and smooth as he pressed down on my lower back with his other hand, his gruff voice causing me to flinch. "Maybe you've not realized this, but you are mine."
"Oh yeah," I kept chuckling. "Show me some fucking proof then!"
A'xelaan huffed and, without warning, something cold and sharp pierced into the skin of my left shoulder.
I was whimpering at first before a scream flew out my lips, my legs trembling as my hands struggled to break free of his grip.
Soon, the piercing stopped and A'xelaan's wet, hot tongue slowly licked the area. It gave a burning, itchy sensation.
When he let me go, I scampered from his side while feeling the mark his bite left on my shoulder.
"What did you just do?" I asked as I watched him lick a side of his lips, his index finger wiping the part he licked. He did a slow-motion head roll before fully setting his eyes on me.
"I just marked you, and I tell you, fiery Magpie, your blood tastes so... damn good," he drawled. His hooded eyes sparkled as he blinked, a side of his lips curling up.
"Take it off now."
"You'll have to kill me first."
"Well, if only you can fucking die!"
"I can; for three seconds at least." A'xelaan sat in his chair and leaned against the backrest. He regarded me under thick, well-lined brows. "Let's play a game. If you can stab me in the heart, you will have your freedom. Deal?"
I looked at the bitten area. The mark the bite left wasn't clear because of the swollen, red skin around it, but the teeth prints were evident. As I narrowed my eyes at him, I noticed how he still had the mischievous, satisfied smile.
His harmonious features were like a majestic piece of art that I wanted to cover with color strokes; the way his long, bold chin fitted his well-defined facial bones, or was it how his pale skin made him look like the devil as he sat there blowing hair from his eyes while sneaking a wink at me.
As good as they looked, I wanted to be the one to wring the arrogance from his expressions, wipe the smirk off his lips, maybe also poke the mischief out of his eyes. And I was going to do it—even if I had to play dirty.
"I'm in!" I said with assertion, raising my chin. A game without rules had my prints after all.
