Hunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse Duet Book 2)
Hunting Adeline: Epilogue

Three Months Later

“Still can’t replace her?” I ask Daya, glancing up at her as I pick at my salad. I knock my fork into a crouton, watching it tumble off my plate.

She twists her lips, a flash of guilt in her green eyes.

“No,” she admits. “No wonder she got away with murder for so long. She really knows how to fucking disappear.”

I nod my head, fighting to keep the frustration at bay. It’s not Daya’s, or Jay’s, or even my fault that we can’t replace her. The little demon-slayer knows how to hide—she’s been doing it for too long to make the mistake of getting caught a second time.

Three months ago, Sibby disappeared. We don’t know where she is, but we do know that Kraven is with her.

Addie said that when Kraven came with Serena to visit, she knew something was different about him. And then, when Sibby saw him, it was like watching a ghost materialize right before her eyes.

They didn’t say much, most likely because Addie and Serena were watching, but apparently, they said all they needed to silently.

That night, she left while Addie and I were asleep. And we haven’t seen either of them since. Kraven disappeared without a word as well, and both his and Addie’s mother have been worried sick.

“She’s going to give me gray hair,” I mutter, stabbing my fork into a leafy green.

Daya plays with the gold hoop in her nose, the corners of her eyes tight as she and Addie exchange a look.

While Sibby is good at hiding, the fact that my facial recognition program hasn’t spotted her on a single fucking camera across the entire. Fucking. World for three months—the girls presume she’s dead.

But I refuse to fucking believe that. Fuck that.

I know she’s out there; I just wish I knew what the hell she’s up to.

“She’ll turn up,” Addie chips in, though she doesn’t sound confident. She picks at her salad and murmurs, “She always knows how to surprise us.”

Tightening my lips, her words remind me of the little secret I have burning a hole in my back pocket. If I hide this from her, not only will I not be able to live with it, but she would also be hurt if she ever found out. And as much as I like to cause Addie pain, it’s only pleasurable when it ends in her coming all over my face or cock.

Groaning internally, I bite the bullet and say, “Speaking of surprises.”

Her caramel eyes lift with confusion, and I reach into my pocket, pull out the note and toss it to her. Brow furrowing, she picks it up and quickly reads it over, her eyes gradually widening as she registers what it says.

Slowly, her round stare drifts to me, and I arch a brow.

“It was in the mail. But I think I still need convincing, if you ask me,” I tell her, referring to the note. Her mouth quirks up, and the surprise slowly fades into relief.

And I guess I can live with her being happy, even if it’s a fucking dickhead that’s causing it.

Addie thrashes violently, her hand coming within scant inches of my face as an agonized scream releases from her tongue, followed by what sounds like Xavier’s name. My vision blackens, and I’m furious that the monsters polluting her nightmares aren’t me.

I’m the only monster allowed to haunt her fucking dreams.

Gritting my teeth, I grab her flailing arm and roll her to her side, facing away from me. Tucking her arm into her chest, I pull her tightly against me.

Her naked flesh slides against mine, eliciting a carnal desire deep in my chest. It goes beyond claiming her. I want to possess her. Mark her. Embed myself so deeply inside her that there is no Adeline Reilly outside of me anymore.

I prop myself up on my elbow and release her arm to spit on my fingers and rub the wetness across my cock. Breathing in deep, I sink myself inside her, pinching my eyes shut from both the burn from the friction and how fucking good she feels.

She wakes with a startled yelp, her pulse thrumming in her neck and pussy clenching around my length. I bite back a groan, too enraptured by the panicked look in her eyes and her visible shaking.

“Zade?” she whispers, voice hoarse from her screaming.

I thrust my hips once, eliciting a sharp gasp from her plump lips. She tenses, then relaxes, molding the curve of her ass deeper into me.

“Do you feel me, baby?” I whisper, gliding my hand up her stomach, through the valley between her breasts, and to her delicate throat. Her pulse thrashes against her flesh, and I can feel every heartbeat through the column of her neck.

Still heavily panting, she wets her lips before breathing out, “Yes. I feel you.”

I hum. “Who owns this pussy, Adeline?” I ask darkly.

“You,” she whispers, the answer automatic.

“Good girl,” I murmur. “The man in your head isn’t the monster, little mouse. I am. Every time you scream out another’s name, I will replace it with my own. And I don’t care how much it fucking hurts.”

I roll my hips into her, and she shudders against me, whimpers falling from her lips.

The moonlight spears through the balcony doors, painting our bodies in a soft aura only heaven can create. My eyes trace the curves of our bodies, soft lines that separate her soul from mine.

Two beings, scarred and desecrated, yet we look like fucking art. A masterpiece even da Vinci couldn’t do justice. I want to pin her to the wall and show her what art looks like when it’s fueled by passion.

“When you’re scared and can hardly breathe, this is where I’ll be. Deep inside of you. Whether I’m with you physically, or in your heart, I’m always going to be there.”

She shivers, and I withdraw my hips before driving deep inside her, pulling out a husky moan from her throat.

My control slips, and I let myself break for a moment, my head falling back, eyes rolling, and a groan escaping from the feel of her perfect cunt wrapped around me.

Goddamn nirvana.

Dropping my chin, I trace the curve of her thrumming neck with my lips, then bite down right over her pulse like a man possessed. Her fear tastes so much better than I imagined.

She inhales sharply, and I slide my mouth up to her ear, enamored by the way she shivers beneath me.

“I will chase away your demons, Adeline, and they will run and hide because I’m fucking scarier.”

I thrust inside of her deeply to emphasize my point, earning a sharp gasp. Her hand slaps down on my hip, sliding back until her claws dig into my ass.

“Zade,” she whispers, arching her back and grinding into me.

Biting back another groan, I lift her leg and hook my arm beneath her knee, keeping my thrusts short and hard and hitting that sweet spot inside of her that makes her pussy weep. Addie’s eyes roll, sleep-addled moans filling the room and inside my chest, spurring me to fuck her harder and faster.

I anchor her leg higher by sliding my hand up to her throat and squeezing tightly, eliciting higher-pitched moans with the new angle. I clench my teeth, overcome with a rainfall of emotions. Rage. Love. Need. Obsession.

As they swell and magnify, my hand ascends up her neck and to the underside of her jaw.

“Look at me while I ruin you, Adeline.”

Grip harsh, I jerk her face towards mine, capturing her wide caramel pools with my own.

“You will always be mine,” I growl. “Even in your fucking nightmares.”

A cry rolls past her lips, but she doesn’t shy away. No, she meets each and every one of my thrusts with a force of her own.

Pleasure races down my spine, gathering at the base and nearly blinding me with ecstasy.

“Oh my God, Zade, please,” she pleads breathlessly.

Releasing her jaw, I slide my hand down the planes of her stomach to her drenched pussy, the tips of my fingers teasing her clit.

“You pray so pretty, little mouse,” I murmur. “But I want to hear you screaming for mercy.”

I pull out of her, my dick protesting loudly, and it’s almost painful to roll away from her to dig through the nightstand.

“What are you doing?” she groans, and I just know her pussy is clenching, searching for me.

Grabbing what I need, I tuck her back into my arms. Her chin rests on her shoulder as she tries to figure out what I’m up to. She looks fucking divine slathered in the moonlight, and it almost distracts me.

Uncapping the lube, I soak my dick in the liquid, gritting my teeth as I spread it down my length. Still reeling from the loss of her pussy, my hips thrust into my hand involuntarily like a savage with no restraint.

It’s like I’ve always told her—I have no fucking control with her.

“Zade,” she draws out, alarm bells ringing in the tone of her voice.

Before tossing the bottle over my shoulder, I squirt a generous dollop of lube onto my fingers, then slide them down through the crevice of her ass. She inhales sharply as I coat her backside, and whimpers as I plunge a finger inside, then another, stretching her and preparing her for what’s to come. She shudders, and whether it’s from surprise or fear, she’s incapable of doing anything else but gasp for breath.

I take my time stretching her, nipping along her shoulders, and leaving love bites while wringing little mewls from her throat. By the time I withdraw, she’s panting, and her muscles are loose. I slide my hand beneath her thigh and lift it up once more.

“Wait,” she breathes. “You are way too big. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“Your body was fucking made for me. So you’re going to be a good girl and fucking take it.”

I just know fear is trickling through her bloodstream now, and her pussy is fucking soaked in response. She’s nervous, yet she keeps those little white teeth glued shut.

Smart girl.

“Do you trust me?” I ask, amused when her eyes snap to mine, sharp knives shooting from them.

“I trust you with my life. But do I trust you not to rip me in half? Absolutely not.”

I grin, baring my teeth in a savage smile. “You get off on my pain, don’t you, Addie?”

Before she can protest, I position the head of my cock at her tight entrance and gently push in. Her eyes pop open, the pain registering as I slowly stretch her. My fingers are working her clit immediately, balancing the agony with pleasure.

“Zade,” she breathes, a war raging within her. Her nails are digging into my outer thigh again as I breach past the tight ring and slowly sink myself inside her.

Groaning, I bite her shoulder, nearly vibrating with the need to both draw blood and fuck her ass until she’s sobbing.

Somehow, I refrain from both. As much as I love to hurt her, I have no desire to do so without bringing her pleasure, too.

Methodically, I work myself inside her until there’s nothing more of me to give.

“Fuck, baby, you take it so fucking good,” I praise. “That’s it, good girl, open up for me.”

She fists the sheets, and like a flower blooming beneath the sunlight, her entire body relaxes, accepting me inside her as if it’s the only thing that gives her life.

We’re both trembling, on the precipice of shattering from how tightly we’re fitted together. I give her thirty seconds—a small increment of time to adjust. It’s all the control I possess.

Releasing a deep breath right when I hit that mark in my head, I withdraw to the tip before driving back inside of her. She yelps, and I circle her clit harder, earning a sexy little whimper that has me tensing with need.

“I own every part of you, Adeline. And I will make you feel me for fucking days when I’m done with you.” I set a steady pace, her body like soft clay beneath my insistent hands, and I mold her into me until the two of us become one.

“God,” she moans, her voice choked with pleasure.

“That’s it, keep moaning my name. I’ll take us home to paradise if you pray hard enough,” I taunt, fucking her harder.

“Oh, God, like that,” she gasps, her head kicking back. “Right there, Zade.”

I growl, pleasure pooling in the base of my spine, the sounds of our flesh smacking arising.

“Look at you, taking my cock like a good little whore,” I rasp. “You’re squeezing me so tight, it’s like you can’t stand to lose me.”

“Yes,” she mewls, her voice husky and cracking with desire.

“Yeah? You want it deeper?”

She pants, nodding her head eagerly, and it’s all I can do to not spill inside of her.

I flip her onto her stomach and roll on top of her, then lift her hips until she’s on her knees. Her gasp turns sharp when I slide back inside her tight ass, the angle allowing me to fuck her deeper.

“Oh, fuck,” she breathes, ending it in a high-pitched cry. She jerks forward, almost as if to pull away, but I tighten my hold on her hips, refusing to let her escape.

“Can you take it, little mouse?” I challenge. “I know how much you love to run, but I want to see what it looks like when you stay.”

Panting, she slams back into me, causing my head to kickback from the utter bliss. It takes a few seconds to gather my wits, on the precipice of losing it altogether.

“There’s my good little whore,” I murmur, then I begin to move, gradually quickening my pace, making sure to not injure her.

“Zade…” she moans, long and loud while I fuck her faster, spurred on by the way she arches her back, nearly begging for more.

Soon, she’s meeting my thrusts again, and the pleasure that settled in the base of my spine swells. I crowd over her, one hand fisting cinnamon strands and bending her head back until our mouths touch, while my other slips beneath her and replaces her swollen clit again, delighting in the way she begins to sob.

Sweat coats our skin, and the vulgar sounds deriving from where I fuck her battle with the sharp noises from flesh hitting flesh. Yet, her screams rise above it all, filling the room and entwining with my own moans, a crescendo of pleasure echoing throughout Parsons Manor.

I trade between kissing and nipping her lips and hovering above them, swallowing every fucking syllable she produces.

She tenses, and her tight ass clenches around my cock as she nears her climax. I rub her clit faster, desperately chasing her toward it so I can send us both flying.

Her eyes roll, and she shudders as if a demon is being exorcised from her body. And then she breaks. A scream releases from her throat, the tortured sound bleeding into my name.

“Fuck, Addie!”

My head kicks back, and an orgasm rocks through me, stealing my breath and vision. I’m blind from how deeply it crashes through me, ropes of cum filling her so thoroughly, it leaks past her entrance and pools beneath us.

The sounds that burst from my throat are unrestrained, my voice hoarse with all-consuming ecstasy.

It takes several minutes for my sight to return, and when it does, I replace Addie on her stomach, heaving for breath and appearing on the verge of blacking out.

Struggling to catch my own breath, I gently pull out of her and flop onto my back, my head still swimming.

But I refuse to leave her like that, so I force myself up and into the bathroom where I grab a small cloth and wet it with warm water.

When I return to her, I gently clean her up, making sure there’s no blood from any tearing. I’ll have to get some ointment for her anyway since she’ll be sore.

“Next time,” she mumbles into the bed. “I’m running from you.”

I grin, reaching over to grab a rose from the nightstand and then tuck it in her ear, whispering, “You know how much I love to chase you, baby.”

“You’re a menace,” she grumbles, grabbing the rose from her hair and twirling the smooth stem in her fingers. She gasps when a ring falls from it and rolls onto the bed.

As if it’s a spider, she hesitantly picks it up, spinning it to get a good look. It’s a white gold band shaped in a vine with tiny white jewels encrusted into it. The band forms into a rose made up of bright red rubies.

“There aren’t any diamonds in it,” I murmur.

She swallows, and croaks, “Are you proposing because you’re in love with me or because I gave you anal?”

I tip my head back, a laugh working from my throat. And when I drop my head down again, a smile still on my face, she’s sliding the ring onto her finger.

“Don’t answer that. You’ll make me change my mind if you say it’s because you’re in love with me. I want to be rewarded for the anal.”

My grin widens, and I roll her over to me, kissing her bare shoulder. “I do love you, you know?”

“I know,” she whispers. “And I’ll marry you anyway because I love you, too.”

I’ll never get tired of hearing her say that.

“Hey, Zade?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Thank you for bringing me the happy vapors.”

I bite my lip, feeling my chest crack from how fucking addicted I am to this girl.

I was wrong.

Heaven isn’t a place you go to when you die, it’s inside the person that’s worth dying for.

“Addie?”

“Yeah?”

I bring my mouth close to her ear, delighting in the way she shivers. I’m already hard for her again, my obsession limitless.

“Run, little mouse.”