Reynner lowered his head and kept his gaze glued to the thick gleaming puddle he knelt in as blood dripped down his body to pool on the floor beneath him.
“Well done, Empyrean. Now…” She drew out the moment, like it was some fucking game. “Time for your treat.”
His stomach churned at her words. Through the bars, someone flung water over him, washing away the blood and filth. A hissing erupted as splashes made contact with the heated black walls.
His prison gates rattled and clanged open. Hands grabbed him and tossed him onto a raised stone slab. His wings bent under him, unbearable pain shimmering through his entire being. He bit down on his molars. Manacles cuffed him to a base covered with a thin pallet. It wasn't for his comfort.
She strolled over, avaricious black eyes skimming over his naked body. Reynner kept his gaze fixed to the roof, dripping with some shit that fell in a resonating plink to the ground.
“Who knew lack of light would be your weakness, my Empyrean. Submit to me—say the words, and this torture will end.”
“Fuck...you.” His profanity came out in a garbled rasp from a throat gone rusty with lack of use. Her nails dug into his open wound. Reynner gritted down against the agony spearing him.
She smirked and trailed her pointy talons over him. Then she leaned in and licked across a deep gash on his chest.
“Do you like that, warrior? Hmm, the power of your blood, there is nothing like it,” she murmured, face flushed in excitement. “Do not fear, I’ll give you mine soon. I know how you love that.”
Hatred filled him. His fists balled. He could do nothing but lie there while she sucked on his wounds…then she backed away, circling around him. Stopping by his shoulder, she ran her fingers along the inner arch of his left wing. He jerked but was held back by his restraints. She laughed and caressed him some more. His sex rose like a fucking rod. He knew right then if he could, he’d rip off his wings.
Humming a little, Kalinin slid out of her gown and tossed it aside. He kept his gaze locked on the leaking ceiling. Bile rose up his throat when she dipped her hand into some shit she had in a jar and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. His mind switched off.
A smile lit Kalinin’s sly features. “Hello, big guy,” she crooned and straddled him, tossing back her red mane—
“Reynner—no! Oh, God, no!” A distraught, familiar voice cut into his nightmare.
He stiffened. Eve? Urias, for all that’s merciful, don’t let her see me this way.
Something warm and wet dripped on his chest. His lids snapped open and a cloud of dark hair, not red, filled his vision. Green eyes shimmered with tears.
She’d seen him. Saw his memories. Saw the scum he was. The filth—the whore he’d become.
She fucking saw him!
Unmitigated fury exploded, crashing through Reynner in a poisonous haze.
***
The metallic scent of blood and unadulterated hatred flooded Eve. In a violent move, Reynner flung her away from him. She landed on the other end of the bed, doused from his pain. His eyes glowed like the very demons she’d seen in his nightmares. Darkness’s greedy fingers clawed at her, blurring her thoughts. The pain, the shock, too much for her fragile mind to process.
God, no! Don’t let me black out now.
“What the hell did you do?” Reynner’s snarl vibrated off the walls and yanked at her fading thoughts. Her breath escaped in tiny gasps as she lay across the huge bed. Eve struggled to get her mouth working, to form coherent words and push through the thick fog seeping deeper, attempting to haul her into a void.
“I'm so s-sorry.” Her voice broke, unable to see past the horror.
“You were in my mind—you were in my fucking mind!”
“No!”
“Don’t lie. I felt you!”
Terrified, Eve broke through the haze and managed to roll off the bed before he grabbed her. She fell to the floor and landed on her bottom. Bones jarred and pain spiked through her spine at the impact, dissipating the edges of darkness. “I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
Naked, he leaped over the bed.
She scooted back.
Reynner crouched in front of her, like some wild animal with death in his eyes. Tears crowded hers. Eve tried to find the man she knew, but nothing of him remained in his tortured gaze.
“You came into my mind, took what was not yours.”
“I didn’t mean to. I'm so sorry. I only touched you to—”
“Touched me?” He mocked her. “So you want to touch me? Well, then, go ahead, touch.” Reynner rocked back on his heels and held out his arms.
Eve pushed to her feet, fear swirling through her. His eyes, glowing an eerie black, tracked her. A feral smile rode his face as he, too, rose.
More beautiful than any Greek statue she’d seen, his hair was a wild tangle of silver around his wide shoulders. He had some kind of star on his left pec. Ripped abs, muscled legs. Then her gaze locked on his heavy erection, hard and thick, it reached his navel. Eve took a hurried step back but hit the craggy wall, scraping her skin and leaving her nowhere to run.
He slammed his palms on either side of her head. “Maybe that’s not what you want.” The smile turned sly. A knowing look settled on his face, one feral with carnality. “Maybe you want me to fuck you—it’s what they all want, to own one like me. Is that what you want too, little Eve?”
Slowly, he leaned forward, his body trapping hers against the wall. His thigh slid between hers and shoved her legs apart. Her tunic rose higher. Eve’s heart crashed against her ribs, aware she was naked beneath the thin fabric.
“Please…don’t.” She pushed at the solid wall of his heated chest with balled fists, too scared to touch him again. His body pressed into hers, his arousal a hot pulsing length branding her thigh.
He growled at her clenched hands, uncurled her fingers, and planted them on his chest. Eve breathed in harshly and waited for the onslaught—nothing. He’d already locked down his shields again, she realized.
He lowered his head to hers and sniffed her like some wild animal. She turned her face away.
“No, you don’t.” His hand wrapped around her throat, holding her in place. His thumb stroked the rapidly beating pulse. Eve stared into the eyes of a stranger.
“Afraid of me, are you, little Eve?” he taunted. “This is what happens when you cross the line. Don’t fear, when I’m done with you, all will be forgotten…no, maybe I’ll leave you with memories of me. Would you like that?”
“Stop, please—” She pushed at his chest. He grabbed her hands and held them above her head. Her heart tripped and then pounded so hard, Eve was sure it would burst out of her ribcage.
“I can hear your heart beat.” His husky whisper sent a shiver down her spine. A warm tongue licked her neck, right over her pulse. Her breath came faster. His teeth grazed the throbbing muscle. Pushing his thigh farther up ever so slowly, he brushed her core. She stiffened as desire surged, heating her blood, chasing away her fear. Dampness flooded her.
A roguish smile lit his face. “You’re wet—do you want me, little Eve?”
Like wildfire, heat streaked across her cheekbones in humiliation that he had evidence of her arousal.
“I can do chained to the wall, chained on my back…or maybe I’ll just go down and taste you.” His words had her feminine muscles tightening. “I know you’ll be exquisite—tell me you want me.”
Helplessly, she stared at him.
“Say it.” A demand.
She did, but not like this.
“Reynner, please—” She struggled to break free, but his ruthless hold kept her pinned against the wall.
“Very well, let’s see if I can change your mind.” Releasing her hands, he removed his thigh from between hers and lowered into a crouch. Inch by excruciating inch he raised her tunic, his gaze pinning hers.
The words dried up in her throat as she watched him. She should move away, say no, but her tongue refused to work. He ran his p
alm up her inner thigh. Then he slipped his hand into her damp curls and she froze. He ran a finger up her wet center and she shuddered.
Eve squeezed her eyes tight as wanton need engulfed her. Her heart threatened to explode. She tried to yank free, unable to handle the sensory overload buzzing through her body, but his grip on her hip tightened.
“Look. At. Me.” At the low order, her lids flew open. His eyes, dark and fierce, held hers. Something intense flickered in those midnight depths.
Need. Hunger?
Then it vanished like it’d never been there. He leaned in and licked her.
Eve’s mind splintered. Desire erupted, a feeling so alien that she jolted and lost her footing, falling over him. With a hand on her stomach, he braced her against the wall, picked up her leg and put it over his shoulder, opening her to his gaze and his mouth. He ran his tongue up her cleft and circled her clit. Lost in the unbelievable sensation he tore from her, she grabbed his hair and held on as he tormented her, pushing her to the edge. His eyes on hers, he grasped her clit with his lips and teeth, gave a little tug—her inner muscles started to contract—
“Eve?”
At the intrusion, a low growl left Reynner, the sound reverberating against her clit. She moaned, moved against his mouth, wanting more, but his hand held her in place, not allowing her the relief she craved.
“Eve?” Aerén called out again. The handle of the locked door rattled. Sanity cracked through her sensual haze, bringing her back with a hard thump.
“No—” She pushed at Reynner. This wasn’t about her. It was payback because she’d seen his horrific past.
“What, little Eve? Am I not good enough for you, now that you know where I’ve been?”
Behind the mocking words, she glimpsed his anger. He pushed her leg off his shoulder and rose to his feet, his lips gleaming wet from her.
Eve tugged down her tunic with shaky hands.
Deliberately, he wiped his mouth. “Go. Get out of here.”
Her chest constricted, her stomach hurt. Her body hummed with unfulfilled desire as she stared into his hard, mind-numbingly handsome face. The ropy muscles of his naked body vibrated with his harsh breathing. Then she noticed the rigidity of his jaw, and eyes that were no longer black but burned with a neon blue flame. His fists clenched so tight, the bones showed white through his skin.
“Leave. Or I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”
His words were a whiplash to her heart, his voice cold, devoid of emotion. A click, and the door unlocked. Eve fled, crashing into Aerén, who stood in the doorway.
“Eve?” He grabbed her by her upper arms. She shook her head. Tears clogging her throat, she broke away and ran for the stairs, unsure if she cried for herself, or for Reynner.
***
His breathing harsh, Reynner stormed into his dressing room. He snatched his sweats and yanked them on, his movements jerky.
She shouldn’t have touched him.
He shouldn’t have touched her!
The moment he realized who he’d woken up to, he’d been caught in an alien time warp. One so strange, it stroked his senses. As furious as he’d been, all he knew was that he had to touch her, to taste her. It was as if his life depended on it.
Gods, he rubbed a hand over his face. All Eve had shown him was kindness, but he couldn’t seem to stop the moment he touched her. Didn’t want to, and when he saw the flare of desire in her eyes, it was the nudge he needed. And taste her he did.
Big. Fucking. Mistake!
Now he wanted more. Wanted something he could never have.
Anger raging through him, he stalked out from the dressing room and found his way blocked.
Aerén stood there, hands fisted, looking like he wanted to clock him. Hard. Reynner didn’t have to guess what had gotten the prince’s dick in a twist.
“Get out of my way.”
“You touched her—I can smell her on you. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Reynner clenched his fingers so he wouldn’t be tempted to punch Aerén. “She is none of your business—”
Aerén lashed out.
Reynner reeled back several feet at the force of the blow, the pain in his jaw vibrating to his head. He’d asked for it. Hoped it would reroute his horny cock to limp oblivion.
The shit didn’t work.
“Eve is not your damn plaything,” Aerén snapped, chest heaving in anger. “She is here for one purpose only—to help our realm!”
“You’ve said your piece, now get the fuck outta my way.” Reynner waited for him to take another shot, welcomed the all-out fight this would be.
“I am going,” Aerén growled. “And to think, I always looked up to you.”
Didn’t that just suck? A big friggin’ blow to his pride. Not.
But nothing, absolutely nothing, could stop the bile working its way up Reynner’s throat at what he’d done. The taste of Eve still on his tongue, the scent of her arousal wafting in the room coated his senses, and a yearning took hold. He squeezed his eyes tight.
Females, they could never be trusted!
She’s different.
No! He had to get the hell away. She was here for one purpose only, like his prince so helpfully pointed out. She was here to save their realm.
***
Eve sat in an armchair near the window and looked out into a sky studded with sparkling stars. The huge moon hung low, flooding the room with silvery light. Her skin took on a pearlescent sheen, like a marble statue. She rubbed her arm and wondered dully, if she stayed motionless, would she become one?
But nothing could take away the powerful emotions rioting within her. She scrubbed her burning eyes and let her gaze drift around the smaller room with its wraparound windows. Aerén had given her his room after he’d found her curled up in the living room. There wasn’t another bedroom, he explained.
Eve shifted on her seat, her fingers tightening on the comforter Aerén had draped around her shoulders. Her emotions were frayed raw, and she struggled to calm down. She didn’t know which was worse—the unfulfilled desire that hummed through her, or the images that now haunted her.
She drew her knees up, locked her hands around them, and buried her face in her arms as the vicious visions clamored back. The pain. The suffering...
Oh, God in Heaven! How did anyone bear that kind of torture? He’d been so viciously brutalized—violated. Why?
Who would do something so cruel to another person?
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered again. He’d been furious that she’d seen his memories, and in anger, he’d touched her. Except, she’d never experienced anything like it. He hadn’t been brutal, just determined to get a response from her. Her fleeting fear had vanished, giving way to raw need at the look in his burning blue eyes when he hunkered between her legs.
The mind-numbing pleasure he’d drawn out of her overwhelmed her and left her wanting more. Made her wonder at her own state of mind. Reynner had only reacted in anger. She wasn’t stupid, she understood that on an inherent level.
Resting her head against the backrest of the armchair, she stared into the night, trying to forget the bleakness in his torturous gaze.
A knock on the door hauled her back. The light from the passage silhouetted Aerén’s tall figure in the doorway.
“May I come in?”
She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her actions in the darkened room.
“Yes.” The word hurt, her throat gone numb from tears she fought not to shed. “You can switch on the lights.”
Seconds later, a soft yellow glow flooded the room. Aerén crossed to her, his eyes dark with concern. “You okay?”
“I'm fine.” She forced a smile. No use worrying him because she’d misjudged the effects—the consequences—when she touched Reynner.
“I brought you a drink. It will help relax you.” Only then did she notice the tall glass he carried, filled with a pale amber liquid.
“Thank you.” Eve took the frosty
crystal from him and sipped some of the juice.
Tart with a hint of sweetness, it slid down her throat and eased the tension of her body and her throbbing head.
She glanced at the liquid. It had the appearance of apple juice, but it tasted like no fruit she’d ever had. She couldn’t quite pin down the flavor. “What is this?”
“The nectar of the angels,” he said, his smile back.
“Right. But thank you. This helped, a lot.” She left the juice on the small table opposite the chair.
“Eve…” He set the glass on the floor and sat on the table. “Look, Reyn is a hardhead, and I’m sorry for what—”
“No-no.” She cut him off and prayed he wouldn’t notice her heightened color. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have touched him. He had a nightmare. And I-I only wanted to offer comfort, but I got pulled into his dreams instead…”
Eve stared at her ruined hands. Why me? The bitter question flared in her mind, but it wasn’t like she’d get an answer now.
“What do you mean?”
She looked up as Aerén’s brow puckered in confusion. He glanced at her fisted fingers and understanding lit his gaze. “When you touch another you can see their thoughts?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
She clasped her knees again, tried desperately to find some measure of control.
“A car crash, a long time ago…” She told him about the accident and the ability it had left her with.
“Would it not be an advantage to know?” he teased.
A harsh laugh escaped her. “No. Fate is not that kind. When I touch another, I'm drawn into their mind, I see and feel their thoughts, and it hurts. The darker it is, the worse it gets for me. I sometimes pass out.”
“I’m sorry. I really am,” he said quietly. “What happens if I touch you?”
“Nothing. Just me. I couldn’t see Reynner’s thoughts either, until now. His shields must have fallen….” While he was asleep, and she’d tried to comfort him, thinking him safe.
Oh, God. Eve buried her face in her knees as the awful memories swamped her again.
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