Severed by Vengeance (The Severed Signet, #1)

by Elle Maldonado

“I’ll see you in hell–Dad. But before you go, know this: Evangelina is mine. Please take your last breath, knowing I won’t stop until she’s writhing in my arms and screaming my name.” He shook his head as I laughed. “Yeah, I’m going to taint and destroy everything you’ve ever loved. Starting with that sweet piece of ass you care so much about. No other man will ever touch her. I promise you that.”

She would hate me with every fiber of her being. But by then, it would be too late. She’d be too far gone, and I would own her. Entirely and utterly ruin her.

Eva was mine. Mine to mark, wreck, and put back together as I pleased—only mine. And whoever had dared to touch her was as good as dead.

“Do I look like a man who needs to sweet-talk women to sleep with them?”

“Oh, of course not. They just fall at your feet, don’t they?”

“Or crawl to them.” His voice deepened, and he threw me a sly gaze.

The knot in my belly twisted, and I wanted to die when I felt a rush of we...

“But you on your knees, Evangelina—now, that’s something I would never forget.”

“Derek… we’re practically cousins.” What the actual fuck did I just say?

“You and I would be so damn good together.”

So, this was what they meant about feisty Latinas? I was oddly turned on.

Just Derek, I repeated in my thoughts—a place where his name, face, and scent had taken up residence for the last two days. I wanted to convince myself that my draw to him was solely due to his connection with James, but I knew better. He made me feel things I hadn’t felt in so long.

He’d been so bold. So forward. I could have him if I wanted to.

And I did. Fuck,...

“I need you to understand something. You’re in my life now. You won’t be reckless.” He brought his lips to my ear and growled. “Mine.”

In one quick movement, he grabbed my hips and tossed me onto his lap. With a hand at the nape of my neck, he pulled me down toward his lips, stopping just a breath away. I pushed forward because I needed a taste, but he held me firm, both hands cradling the sides of my face.

“Don’t play with me, Derek.”

“Don’t insult me. I don’t play games.” His hand moved to my neck and tightened as he ran his mouth along my jaw. “I...

“But you’re no angel, are you? I can feel how wet that sweet little cunt is for me. Goddamn, Eva, you’re going to soak straight through my pants.”

“When I fuck you, Eva, I’m going to wreck you. Do you hear me? Every part of you belongs to me now. That sweet pussy only gets wet for me.” His breath fanned hot over the shell of my ear. “And when that time comes, you’ll be on your knees, taking this cock like a good fucking girl.”

She wasn’t cold or distant, but… guarded. I convinced myself it was because she was still broken over her missing friend. But there was an odd feeling in my chest. Heaviness. A longing I’d never felt before. And it wasn’t until two days ago that I realized what it was. The foreign sensation surprised me, sending an icy chill through my body.

I missed her. I fucking missed her.

Whatever this was, whatever bewitching spell she had cast on me couldn’t be. Falling for her was never the plan. She was supposed to be mine to ruin. To make that bastard roll in his grave. She was…

Fuck. She was beautiful.

L...

“I don’t have many people in my life I give a damn about. You, angel—I told you once before. You’re in my life now. You’re important to me. I was just worried.”

“Angel, I want you to ride my fingers like a fucking good girl. Show me how you want to be fucked. How you’ll come all over my dick.” I kissed up her neck. “Then you can watch me lick every single drop of you.”

As I neared the door, her voice poured over me in smooth velvet waves. She was singing, calling to me, drawing me in like a goddamn Siren, leading me to ruin.

She wasn’t special, wasn’t any different than other beautiful women I’d come across and fucked in the past.

But she was everything.

This woman. God, this woman. There was no doubt in my mind.

She was mine. Made for me.

Born to ru...

“Fuck, baby. You’ve ruined me,” I growled, sinking deeper. “Look at us—how perfectly we fit together.”

“You ruined me too. So fucking gone for you.”

“I’m no hero, Eva.” He leaned in and grabbed the nape of my neck. “I’m something else entirely. Nothing and no one else matters to me. I’d bathe the whole goddamn world in blood for you.”

“Never. But you, Eva, I’d give you the whole world. Just ask, and it’s yours.”

“I don’t want the world, baby. I just want you.”

“You have me,”

“Angel, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you what I feel for you is real. Just give me a chance.”

My thoughts were reserved solely for Eva, and the hell I was about to rain down on Dmitry Belov. As we rounded the corner, a loud explosion rocked the night air for the third time that evening. And it sure as fuck wouldn’t be the last. I’d find her, even if I had to burn the whole goddamn city to the ground.

“Angel, what I said back there is true. I love you, woman. And I’m sorry for everything I put you through.”

“My love for you is one thing. It’s not a switch I can turn on and off. Trust me, I wish I could.” She pushed to her feet. “You and I come from different worlds. I can’t imagine you just walking away from something like that. You know you can’t,” she sobbed, wiping at her tears. “And I don’t even want to know the price if you could. I couldn’t live with myself if⁠—”

“No, Derek… please, just stop.” I clenched

“I didn’t just come here to make sure you’re okay. I came here to let you know, to remind you, Evangelina, who you fucking belong to.”

“I don’t want you to say anything. But I was away for weeks, taking steps and trying to make things right. Trying to be the man you deserve because you deserve the world, angel.”

“But I can’t promise that anything will be different tomorrow, in a month, or even a year. It won’t be an easy road. But I’ll eventually gain my freedom ...

“I love you so goddamn much. You’re mine. Every part of you is mine, so I’ll wait for you forever.”

“I’m a flawed man. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. And I can’t promise I won’t slip. Or that there won’t be obligations you won’t agree with. But I’m doing my damndest to sever my ties. Just know it will take time and spilled blood. But I don’t want any more lies between us.”

There was no going back. I had to accept Derek for who and what he was, with his past and the ghosts that would forever haunt him. He promised to find a way out, to sever his binds to that ring and all it encompasses.