Rowan

Those three little words slipping from her mouth make my heart stutter in my chest.

She loves me?

How could she after what I just did?

I feel a little guilty how rough I was with her. It wasn't her fault Damon acted like a douche bag, but I felt this primal need to stake my claim on her. And shit did I ever.

I look down at my watch and see we were going at it for nearly two hours. No wonder she passed out so quickly, poor little thing doesn't have quite the stamina that Bennett and I do, but she's still impressive for a marked human.

I let my gaze traverse her face and body and I can't help the animalistic pride that shoots through me. She's sweaty, naked, sated and smells so fucking much like me. The beast inside me is almost over the earlier slight.

Almost.

That fucker is still going to die.

Just as thoughts of torture flitted in my mind, the door opened and Bennett walked in with the clothes and blanket I asked him to bring. He stops short when he sees me cradling a sleeping Claire.

"Damn, did you fuck her into a coma?" He asks grinning.

"Basically." I say shrugging. He gets closer and starts sniffing the air as his eyes flit over Claire's naked body.

"What did you do? Fill a tub with your cum then dunk her in it?" He asks and I can't help but chuckle.

"Basically." I say again proudly and he laughs as he shakes his head. I stand and pass Claire to him, watching him settle comfortably on the couch with her in his arms, already missing her skin pressed against me.

I wrap the blanket around both of them and slip my pants back on but take off my shirt and throw it on the ground. Bennett looks at me curiously and I shrug again.

"Don't wanna get blood on it." I say simply and Bennett rolls his eyes.

"Are you really going to kill Damon?" He asks and I nod.

"Slowly and painfully before I string up his body like a fucking flag." I say darkly, but Bennett only smiles.

"What?" I ask and he eyes me warmly.

"You. It's just, not long ago you didn't want anything to do with her. Now you're bathing her in your scent and killing anyone that looks at her a beat too long. I like the change, Rowan." He says emphatically and my heart constricts.

"She said she loves me." I say quietly and Bennett's eyes widen in surprise.

"Really?" He asks and I nod.

"Yeah. But I shouldn't take anything she says seriously right now though, right? I mean she's post orgasm. People say weird shit in that state of mind." I say, almost trying to convince myself.

I don't want to get my hopes up.

Bennett only shrugs and looks down at Claire, pushing her tangled mess of sweaty hair from her face.

"Who knows. Maybe that's when she's the most honest. When she can put down her defenses and let you in." He says quietly and I sigh.

"Do you love her?" He asks curiously and I look at him, his eyes wide and hopeful, then back down at Claire. She nuzzles her face into Bennett's chest and lets out a contented sigh. I smile and nod.

"Yeah. I do." I murmur quietly.

"Then you should tell her." He prompts and I nod in agreement.

"You're right. I will. But right now, I have to go take out the trash." I mutter and lean down to kiss Bennett firmly.

Part of me wishes he were there to experience what Claire and I just did, but part of me knows we needed to do that alone. I needed her to trust me while Bennett wasn't there, watching and waiting to step in the moment he thought things were going too far. I knew she was stronger than he gives her credit for. I knew she could handle it, but I wasn't expecting her to enjoy it so much. Looking down at her, covered in me as she begged me to make her come.

Fuck.

I'm about to get hard again. I don't want people thinking torture gets me off, although it may be an effective intimidation technique.

Skinning a man alive with a boner really sends a message.

I exit the room and close the door behind me, wandering around the large building until I find my target. Damon is in the kitchen, annoying the cooks. I grab his collar and he looks up at me, a mixture of shock and fear on his face.

"Why do you look surprised? Surely you didn't think you could get away with talking to my queen like that." I say with a manic smile. He begins to tremble in my grip and I can't help but chuckle.

I grab a few large knives from the butcher's block and carry him towards the front steps of the building. I stop and grab some rope from a closet as Damon fights my hold, but he's nothing compared to me.

Especially a pissed off me.

Once we reach the front steps I let out a vicious roar, a signal to all of my people to gather before me. I wait a few minutes as Damon continues his pointless flailing in my arm. I grunt when he kicks me and get annoyed. I step on both legs, bending them at awkward angles to break them. He screams out of fear and agony. I smirk as he writhes on the ground, holding his mangled legs.

"Shouldn't have kicked me." I mutter to him. Tears trail down his face and I watch a small crowd gather.

I take a deep breath to project my voice loudly.

"This man dare disrespect your queen! He will pay for his crimes with his life!" I bellow and a gasp ripples through the crowd. It may be a bit extreme, but Damon has been a pain in my ass for years and I will enjoy making an example out of him.

"Let this be a lesson for anyone else who thinks they can speak down to our queen! To touch what is mine!" I yell and the creatures all lower their eyes, not willing to make eye contact with me. I'm sure my eyes are glowing gold with my annoyance and they are all terrified of me.

I lift up Damon and use the rope to tie him in an upright position from one of the decorative gargoyles on the building. He cries out when his legs dangle under him useless. I take the knife in my hand and work at his clothes until he is naked, his head hung as his face clenches in pain.

"Please, my king." He begs. I chuckle and grip his chin, forcing him to look at me.

"Not so smug now are you. Did you think of my mate naked? What her body would look like writhing under you? Did you hear the way she screamed my name? Begged for my cock? She is mine! No one speaks to her or looks at her the way you did again. I will make sure of that." I mutter into his ear and he sobs as I let him go.

I take the knife and split his skin down both arms and both legs. He screams as I rip the flesh from his muscles. I turn to look at the crowd as they watch, horrified. A sick sense of pride flares through me as I continue my work on his torso. Slowly, inch by inch, his skin peels from his body as he cries and begs for death. As I flay the skin from his cock, his arms give and he nearly falls to the ground. I hoist him up again, tightening the ropes around his wrists as I finish my masterpiece.

Once the skin is removed from his body, blood pouring down the stairs of the building, I grab his hair and pull his head back for the crowd to look at him.

"Let this be a lesson. Anyone who speaks ill of my queen, threatens her, disrespects her or hurts her, this will be your fate." I don't need to yell, they are all deathly quiet and can hear every word I utter in my low, warning tone.

I let my talons come forward and slice them through Damon's body, straight through his heart. They shoot out the front of his body for the crowd to see and I leave them until he sputters his last breath. I cut the ropes and kick his bloody body further down the stairs, but take his skin and tie the rope around it before hanging it from the same gargoyle I used to hang his body. I smile cruelly as it waves in the wind.

"Leave it for three days. Clean the rest." I order some guards. They nod, not batting an eye at my gruesome torture.

They've seen me do worse.

I climb the stairs back into the building and into my office where Bennett is holding a still sleeping Claire.

"He was loud." Bennett says making me chuckle.

"Didn't put up much of a fight either." I say, strolling towards the shower, wanting to get his disgusting blood off of me.

I step into the warm water and watch as the red tinged liquid swirls the drain, the coppery smell dissipating from the air. I'm not in there for long when I hear Claire's sweet, tired voice call out to me. I hurry to step out and dry myself, slinging the towel around my waist and pad barefoot out to her. I kneel down next to her, her droopy eyes meeting mine. I reach out to cup her cheek and lean forward, pressing my lips to hers gently. She sighs in content and looks at me affectionately when I pull away.

"Where did you go?" She asks.

"Nowhere, little one." I say.

"You killed Damon. Didn't you?" She asks quietly. I nod and she sighs, sounding a little annoyed, but looks back up at me.

"Ok. But no more. Unless they really deserve it." She says firmly making me smile.

"Yes, my queen." I tell her, a hint of humor in my tone.

"Will you help me shower?" She asks and I nod, helping her stand from Bennett.

"I can help." He offers and I go to let her go but she shakes her head.

"It's alright. Rowan's already wet. Plus I... want him to." She says quietly, eyeing me shyly. I smile and scoop her in my arms, carrying her into the shower.

"I don't want to clean you. You smell so good." I murmur against her skin and she huffs out a laugh, rolling her eyes.

"I smell like you." She says and I grin smugly.

"Exactly."