Superbia (Shades of Sin, #2)

by Colette Rhodes

The only time any Shade would use their teeth on me would be to maul me to death.

“No one wants to fuck you, for power or otherwise, even with the survival of the realm depending on it.”

Fucking her would be like sticking my dick in a barrel of silver daggers and hoping not to be fatally injured.

“Right, right, right. Wouldn’t want me doing anything crazy, like taking a fucking knife to save a Shade’s life.”

Maybe I hated Astrid, but I couldn’t deny that there was something about her that felt like I was looking in a mirror, one stubborn soul to another.

don’t need you. I don’t want you. I’m going back to Elverston House. Meera can help me. She’s basically a doctor.”

I’d carried her before—for reasons I couldn’t explain even in my own head—but this time felt different. Rather, Astrid felt different.

They all hated me, and there was a very good chance that I’d killed their family members, so I couldn’t exactly blame them.

If anyone deserved the love and adoration of an entire realm, it was her. She’d been on her own for so long, and unlike me, Ophelia didn’t thrive in those conditions.

There weren’t many people—Shade or human—who could take me by surprise, but Captain Soren seemed to make it his mission to. Where had he even come from?

couldn’t help but wonder what his body felt like. Not in a sexy way. Of course not. That would be obscene. Just in a curious way. Like a scientist, wanting to research a new specimen.

Hate sex with a shadow monster would definitely not be fucking amazing.

I hated her. I hated her. And I wanted to fuck her more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.

“I have a needy little huntress right here, and you don’t have to be on your knees to beg.”

Everything about Captain Soren was dangerous, but nothing was more dangerous than the way he made me forget myself.

In real life, I’d never beg anyone for dick—especially Captain Asshole. I’d never give him my back, or want his hand collaring my throat. That would be… absurd.

Astrid, I hate to break it to you, but I think you might be… nice.” “Take that back,”

I can’t believe I spent so long miserable in the human realm when I could have been here, making miracles happen with my pussy.”

I knew that she was taking in every detail, assessing every risk, noting every exit. It should be another reason to distrust her, and yet I found her competency, her thoroughness, infuriatingly attractive.

Astrid made me work for the sweet scent of her slick. For any hint of emotion whatsoever.

“Then I’ll fuck you while you wear it. Better yet, I’ll fuck you in front of them. Whose. Shadows. Are. These?”

You want a battle of wills, Captain? Bring it on. No one can suppress emotional responses quite like I can.

He’d always had a nice voice, but after hearing the things he’d said to me in that nice voice the other day… Then again, he’d used that nice voice last night too, and look how that had ended up?

“I can swim.” “I can swim faster.” “I can run.” Soren’s eyes flashed. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I should do that, shouldn’t I? You’re beautiful and deadly—an elegant silver blade pressed right above my heart.”

“I should do more than just let you go, Astra. I should kill you while I have the chance.”

“Are you going to catch some kind of illness if you stay out here?” Soren pressed, his voice a low murmur as he ran his claws lightly up and down my side. “Are Hunters too fragile for a quick fuck out in the wilderness?” “I don’t know. Maybe if you ever stop talking and start fucking, we’ll find out,”

“Don’t worry, I can’t imagine anything worse than being bonded to you. Fuck, that feels good. Grab the other one.”

Soren inhaled my pussy like he’d die if he didn’t, and it made everything in me clench in the most delicious way.

“Not this again. I’m not going to beg; either lick my pussy or get out of the goddamn way so I can satisfy myself.”

More than that, I needed him not to go easy on me. There was no room here for tenderness. This was about fucking the incessant need out of each other, and the more Soren reminded me that he hated me, the better off I’d be.

“Hands on your thighs, legs up. Show me what I want to see. Better yet, roll over and present your cunt to me like the good little prey you are.”

Soren looked down at me with something startingly close to possessiveness. Like he was fucking because I was his. I wasn’t scared of him, but the intensity in his gaze was mildly terrifying. “Harder,” I hissed. “We’re never doing this again. Fuck me like you mean it.”

She was confident, competent, and competitive. The three Cs that I found more desirable than almost anything else.

You, my deadly, lying little Hunter, only want me.”

I’d never met anyone with an inner fire quite like hers, and I’d hate to see it go out. Just that hint of silent indifference from her at the Pit had cut me to my core.

Because she was my Astrid, my Hunter, my assassin, and I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to remind her just how mine she was.

“Aren’t you a good boy, Captain?” Astrid purred, unashamedly trying to irritate me. “You take orders so well. Now go ahead and make me come, so I can save your life with my pussy.”

Maybe because she was the only one who made me feel this way. Weak and powerful, all at once.

“Everything about you is his business, Astra.”

“There’s a rare flower, black as pitch, that grows in some parts of this realm. It’s called an astrasettia. Most Shades shorten it to astra.”

If Soren was the milk to my cookies, then Allerick was undoubtedly all that and more for Ophelia. Except she got to have the fairy-tale ending. She deserved the fairy-tale ending.

Asking—begging, if necessary—for a chance to court her, the way the other Shades were courting ex-Hunters.

“Yes, court you. Publicly, openly. I want to spend time with you, to walk you to dinner each night, to bring you gifts, to proclaim to the world that you’re mine until you’re ready to wear my bite.”

“I love you, you beautiful, infuriating woman.” She sucked in a small, surprised breath. “I love you, and only you. You are lethal, and you are compassionate, and you are mine, and the only opinion I care about on that front is yours. If you think I’m going to let you walk away from me, into certain danger—”

“I was going to court you, I swear I was. I was going to go slowly and do everything right. Send me away now so I can get ahold of myself. Tell me to leave, my Astra.”

“Then I’ll fuck you and knot you and bite you right now. If you don’t want an infant, then you best hope your human birth control holds up to the amount of cum I’ll fill you with.”

“This is just the beginning, my Astra. I never want to take for granted how fortunate we are to have these moments together. I intend to savor every one, so you’d better get used to the staring.”