to have and to hold: chapter 21
titus danforth x reader
Overview: (this is apart of to have and to hold, it picks up right where chapter 20 stops) the lawyer brings some unfortunate news for you. (mdni!, def an 18+ story)
A/N: not sure if this is the end or if i wanna keep going tbh, truly up to y'all lol
Word Count: 1.8k
Previous Chapter
After much protesting and screaming, Titus managed to half-carry, half-drag you back into the house. Wrapping you up in a towel, he promises a warm bath and an âopenâ conversation as soon as the Lawyer confirms the game has ended. You scowl at him from the couch, jerking away from his touch.Â
âYouâre not going to be able to avoid me forever, princess,â he says, moving his hand back to his side. âNothing changed from yesterday, you know.â
âBesides the fact I am sitting here covered in your family's blood,â you huff. âAnd I killed your sister. Oh! And you snapped a manâs neck for not apologizing enough in front of me.â Titus pulls his mouth in a tight frown before responding.Â
âI told you Iâd do anything for you. I love you,â he says, as if thatâs a totally reasonable response. You open your mouth to retort, but the door swings open and the Lawyer walks in.Â
âMr. Danforth,â he nods to Titus before turning to you, âMrs. Danforth.â You already heard Titus say it, and you did use to almost fantasize about how itâd feel. But you do not like how it feels at all, especially after hearing the horror stories about Titus from now all-dead men.Â
âIs the game over?â Titus asks, cutting directly to the point.Â
The Lawyer nods, âIt ended with the death of Ursula; my condolences, by the way. The two remaining participating Danforths left the playing field.â
Titus smiles a toothy grin and has to physically stop himself from hugging you. He can tell youâre still pissed at him, even if he genuinely cannot fully grasp why. âSo, weâre done?â
âNearly. You both must participate in the traditional blood binding ritual. It can be a closed ceremony,â the Lawyer replies.Â
âCan we do it now?â he asks.
âWhat happens if we donât do it?â You interrupt, âDo I get to be free?â
âAh, the bylaws make it clear it must be done willingly by both parties. If the ritual is not completed, nothing changes. However, you may find itâs in your best interest, Mrs. Danforth,â he says, offering you an almost sympathetic look.
âWhat the fuck does that mean?â you snark.Â
âMr. Le Bail is rather traditional. When the original contract was made, the wife was viewed as being beneath the husband. Without completing the more modern pact, the original agreement is valid,â the Lawyer responds. Titus looks incredibly pleased with this information, and you want nothing more than to slap him. But you refrain.Â
âSo, heâs a sexist piece of shit? I donât have any rights right now?â you practically shriek.Â
âI am afraid not, Mrs. Danforth. You are akin to property until the blood ritual.âÂ
You laugh out loud out of pure shock. âGreat, so now Iâm doubly fucked. Iâm practically a slave to a psychopathic murderer,â you say in disbelief. Titus has a full-blown shit-eating smirk now.Â
âMaybe we can put off the blood ritual,â he teased. He really canât believe his luck. Not only is his sister dead and you killed her, but youâre fully his. Thereâs absolutely no way for you to escape or back out.Â
âFuck you,â you snort, slamming back into the couch.Â
âI donât think thatâd be very proper in front of the Lawyer, do you?â He says mockingly.Â
âI would rather not participate in that; is there anything else?â The Lawyer responds.
âHow could she kill Ursula if she shared the High Seat?â Titus asks, turning his full attention back to the Lawyer.
âYour Father removed her from the Seat after your marriage ceremony,â The Lawyer answers. Titus really cannot believe it; this may be the best day of his life. Actually, this definitely is the best day of his life.Â
âHail Satan,â he says, wishing only that youâd celebrate with him.
âHail Satan,â the Lawyer repeats before excusing himself. Titus scoots closer to you.
âI love you, sweetheart,â he whispers.
âGo fuck yourself,â you retort as you push further into the couch.
âDonât be such a brat. Do you want to go shower?â He asks, cutting you a bit of slack given the circumstances.
âAlone, yes. With you, no.â
âMm, I donât think you have a choice, do you?â He meets your eyes with an infuriating smirk.Â
âI am not leaving the couch,â you insist, whipping your head around and pulling the towel tighter. You would rather sit in the blood and grime from the hunt than be touched by him.Â
âIâm going to give you one final chance, princess; then weâll do it my way. Which Iâd assume youâll not enjoy as much,â he says as he stands up, offering you his hand. Refusing to even look at him, you donât move. âHave it your way.â He turns and abruptly walks away without another word.Â
Looking around, you contemplate running. But, really, whatâs the point? You think to yourself; heâll find me eventually. Instead, you sink further into the couch, yanking the towel as tight as you can around your body and curling your legs to your chest.Â
You think about everything thatâs led to this point, all the way back to the night at the bar. Ever since that day, everything has felt surreal. Until the hunt, Titus really had been doing well in acting like a normal boyfriend. You had been finding yourself enjoying being around him, liking seeing his soft and human side. He seemed to be slowly learning to listen and have some semblance of control. The hunt totally erased that, though. And seeing how willing and able you were to kill people sort of ruined the illusion that things could be normal. You hate how you felt when Titus beamed at you for strangling his sister. You didnât like how good his praise felt for doing something so heinous.Â
âTwo options, pretty girl,â Titus reappears, pulling you out of your thoughts. âWe can do a little leash situation or handcuffs. Iâll let you decide.â
You roll your eyes and scoff. âCanât you just leave me alone?âÂ
Titus frowns slightly, âCanât you just not be a bitch?âÂ
âJesus Christ, shut the fuck up,â you say. Itâs so hard to not fall victim to his pushing. Heâs so good at being annoyingly bratty.Â
âSuch foul things for such a pretty mouth,â he says as he positions himself in front of you. âWhich will it be?âÂ
âGo fuck yourself, freak,â you mumble. Titus grips your chin with his hand, angling your head up to look at him.Â
âI am trying to be understanding, but youâre making it very hard. I think weâll put off the ritual for a day every time you disobey. As you heard from the Lawyer, until then, you carry the same rights as a standard dog, Mrs. Danforth. And, I think dogs should be properly contained, donât you?â His smirk returns as he lets your chin fall and he snaps something around your neck.
âTitus, what the fuck?â Your hands immediately try to pry it off, but you canât seem to find a latch.Â
âUh uh uh,â he chastises, holding onto your hands. âJust be grateful I donât make you crawl. For now, at least.â He clips what looks to be an actual dog leash to the collar and tugs on it.
âYou dick, Iâm not some sort of animal,â you pull back on the leash, trying to give yourself some slack.Â
âThatâs not what the Lawyer said, was it?â Heâs taunting you, and you despise the fact you know he is and that it still enrages you.
âI wish they wouldâve killed you,â you say through gritted teeth, still trying to fight against his pull. He abruptly picks you up, causing you to drop the towel. Within seconds, he has you bent over his knees and the leash secured under his foot. Your head is forced downward while youâre completely exposed.Â
âI think itâs time you showed me a little gratitude, yeah? I killed for you, I spent hours training you, and all you have to say are hurtful things,â he rubs at your ass, making you squirm.
âStop,â you mutter, feeling your face flush. His hand smacks down hard, causing you to jolt against him. âTitus!â
âYou love me, I know you do. I just wish youâd accept it,â he says as he slaps your ass again, forcing out another yelp. âAfter all, we have an entirety together.âÂ
âI donât want you. I will never want you,â you huff, still squirming against his hold.Â
He slaps again, this time hard enough youâre sure his handprint will be left behind. âYouâre such a bad liar, princess. I bet youâve never come harder in your life than you have with me. And I see how you look at me.âÂ
You feel the heat radiating from where his hand has been landing. âHate you,â you mumble.Â
âThen why are you so wet?â He says as he dips a hand between your legs. âTell me what youâve been thinking about.â Instead of responding, you buck up against him.Â
âLet me go,â you whine, hating the embarrassment flooding through you.Â
âAs you wish, Mrs. Danforth,â he says as he lands one final slap across your ass. He swings you upwards, the sudden head rush making you feel woozy. The dizziness makes you grab onto Titusâs arm to steady yourself. He smiles, liking the warmth of your touch.
âAm I allowed to shower now?â you ask.Â
âI suppose Iâll permit it,â he replies, getting a final grope of your ass in before standing up, yanking the leash behind him. You gasp as youâre pulled forward, angry by the reminder he has you literally collared. âYou go in front,â he says, stopping and making a big show of dramatically waving you on. Biting your tongue, you go ahead. He sighs happily, taking in his handprints on your perfect ass.Â
He still isnât quite sure this is all real. Heâd never admit it out loud, but he keeps waiting to wake up from a dream. In his lifetime, natural or unnatural, he never saw himself finding a real wife. Not only did he genuinely enjoy his fun little games, but he wouldnât have guessed himself capable of feeling the mixture of feelings he does when he sees you. Nothing in the entire world would be able to separate him from you now, especially as you now are afforded the same protections he is. He makes a promise to himself to try not to push you too hard, at least not in the beginning. He hopes, and knows that with infinite time, youâll warm up to him.













