Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “And this is a word you think I need to learn?” he asked folding his arms and I knew he was trying to keep his annoyance at bay.

  “No, just practice,” I said telling him in three words what I thought about him keep leaving me.

  “I have a Kingdom to rule,” he told me as way of an excuse, one that was a total cop out.

  “And I am not included in that?” I asked unable to keep the bitterness from lacing that question, one he could easily detect. He released a sigh and pushed his hair back in an agitated manner.

  “In time, I would wish for you to be very much a part of that but…”

  “But for now, you don’t trust me,” I finished off for him and there was no way of keeping the hurt from my voice or my reaction from turning away from him. I looked out into the night and wondered how did I get to this point in my life? Because if I thought going to Hell and back twice, was hard then the reality was that Hell had nothing on this mental torture!

  I felt him sit down on the bed but I didn’t look, not even when I felt the backs of his fingers caress down my back.

  “You’re still dressed,” he commented softly and I snapped,

  “Yes, and I would rather stay that way.” Okay so I knew this wasn’t helping my ‘Woo Draven’ plan but I couldn’t help it. I just hated this canyon sized void between us. It felt as if my soul was a mere shell of what it could be and it was screaming at me to reconnect to its keeper. But for that to happen Draven would first need to trust me enough to get past not knowing my past.

  “You’re vexed?” he asked me and I felt like getting up and saying something sarcastic, like ‘Gee, aren’t you observant!’ But in the end, I decided that this day had seen enough backlashes.

  “I have no right to be, you are king and I am just a woman in your bed,” I told him on a sigh.

  “You say this to hurt me,” he said sounding angry.

  “How else am I to think when you leave me after I speak of my love for you,” I told him, now turning to face him and it looked as if he had finally started to get it.

  “You are right. I should not have left you,” he admitted and I knew that until this moment he had never even considered how his abrupt actions had affected me. But I couldn’t be hurt by this, because I knew it wasn’t done out of selfishness or through lack of loving me. No, it was simply because for a man like Draven, who was only ever used to acting on impulse and until now, he never had the feelings of others to consider.

  “I see now of the pain you suffered from my actions and for that, I am sorry little Lamb, will you forgive me?” he asked me sweetly, getting closer before leaning his face into my neck and breathing deep as if my scent calmed him.

  “Always,” I told him and I felt his smile against my neck before he started kissing me there. I moaned and let my head fall back as it felt so good.

  “I missed you,” I said on a breathy sigh.

  “Good, for I felt the same void Nāzanin, have no fear of that,” he told me coming back up to the level of my face. Then he ran a thumb over my lips and said,

  “I missed your smile and being the one to put it there,” he whispered and I smiled under the pad of his thumb making him grin because of it.

  After this there were no more words needed as he quietly undressed me and lay me down, tucking me close to his body. Then he covered us both and we said goodbye to the turbulent day together in the best way possible…in each other’s arms.

  The next morning, I saw the day in by being licked and not in a way I would have chosen.

  “Oi, behave! Come on now, get off me!” I said laughing and the loveable brute only stopped when he heard his master’s voice behind him.

  “Colossus, come to heel!” Draven ordered sternly but I laughed when he just looked back down at me, making all his wrinkles fall forward. He panted and licked his chops once, moving from the bed only when I said,

  “Go on, do as your master says.” Draven huffed when he did and said,

  “I believe he prefers a far prettier master than I.” This made me laugh before it quickly turned into a yawn. Now this had Draven chuckling as he walked over to me.

  “Go back to sleep, sweet girl, for you are still tired and I have a matter to attend to but I will come back to you,” he told me softly and I looked to the window to see that it was only just dawn. No wonder I was still tired and this was proven when I yawned once again making Draven grant me a soft smile.

  “Come now,” he said and when I didn’t lie back down in time he smirked as he quickly snaked a hand under the covers, so that he could suddenly yank me down.

  “Oi! That was a dirty trick!” I complained trying to keep the grin from my face at seeing his playful side was back.

  “When means must, my little beauty. Now do as you’re told and sleep, for I command it by royal order of the king,” he said and this time I giggled before answering back,

  “Well only if my king demands it.” Then I sat up a bit and pretended to bow.

  “Ah I believe you are improving, yes much better than the first time we met, as now there is no one behind me to prompt such an action.” At this I laughed and said,

  “I recall you never had me punished for the offense.” At this he leaned in closer and flicked my nose before saying,

  “And I recall that you soon found yourself in chains and at the mercy of my touch as I will never forget my first taste of you.” I blushed hearing this and he liked it as his eyes flashed purple for a split second.

  “Now do as you are told and be good for me,” he said almost purring the words. I bit my lip making him growl,

  “Be good, my Nāzanin.” I giggled again before doing as I was told and lying back down.

  “I shall not be long,” he said to me and after one last kiss, he was gone and I found peace knowing that it wouldn’t be long before he was back with me.

  “Mission control calling operation ‘woo King’…are you hearing me, over?” I moaned when hearing this and rubbed off the feel of someone poking my nose.

  “Confirm status, over.” I heard the voice and batted away the annoying finger that continued to poke at me, this time at my cheek.

  “ENGINE FAILURE, OVER!” Suddenly I bolted upright as I heard the screaming and I grabbed my heart in fright. This was when I heard the giggling from one naughty Imp, who just so happened to be one of my best friends.

  “Laugh it up skinny butt, and next time you’re asleep I will shave off your eyebrows,” I warned making her laugh harder.

  “It’s okay, I still have some comedy stick on eyebrows leftover from Adam’s Christmas stocking last year…come to think of it, I don’t think he has used any of them.” Now this made me laugh and I sat up, shaking my head just trying to picture poor Adam and what he had to put up with on a daily basis with his crazy little wife. Although looking at the way he obviously adored her, it was easy to say that I doubted he would have ever wanted it any other way.

  “So, what’s with the wake-up call?”

  “Time to get to work, starting with a bath,” she told me and I frowned at her.

  “So how is that going to…” I started to ask but she just placed a hand over my mouth and whispered,

  “Trust me…this is what I live for…”

  “Wwwhat?” I asked muffled behind her hand.

  “Sexually teasing my husband.” Okay, so I had to agree with her there, she did seem to be a pro in that particular art form. So, I did as I was told and put on the sheer white kaftan she handed me.

  “So, what’s the plan?” I asked her as I covered up my nakedness.

  “Come with me and I will show you.” So, I did as I was told and followed her down into the bathing room, wondering how this would help me. We walked down the tunnel and into the same domed room I now had very fond memories of thanks to Draven and his delicious body.

  “Now any second he is going to come back to the room and be in a frenzy wondering where you are.”

  “Okay so how is that going to help
me?!” I shouted thinking it wasn’t sounding like a good plan at all.

  “He will race down here and just as he reaches the side of the pool, you will rise out of the water and flick your hair back like some erotic cock tease on steroids...And I don’t mean muscles but you know…”

  “Yeah, I get it, I’ll be all naked and…” This was when she stopped me and said,

  “Oh, he won’t see you naked, but teasingly he will see you in a very wet, see-through kaftan that will tease him to the point of pain, that is our aim here. And when the mighty blue balls king sees you, he will ask why you bathe dressed and you say…

  “I was fearful of anyone else seeing my body, as it is for your eyes only, my Lord?” I said filling in the void making Pip grin in that ‘I am a naughty Imp, hear me roar’ type of way.

  “Now she gets it,” Pip responded and then continued with,

  “Then, as he sees you like this, I am hoping he can deny you nothing, so you ask him if, with a guard, you can go for a walk…then we go and make him a meal good enough to give up the goods for!” Okay so it wasn’t a bad plan, I had to admit.

  “Okay so this might work,” I admitted and Pip looked towards the door for a minute and said,

  “Good because here he comes!” she said before running for the door, unlocking it and disappearing out of sight. I was just about to panic about the locks when she must have used her powers to make them slide back into place. Then as I heard him desperately shouting my name I quickly slipped into the water, with my heart beating erratically. I then pushed my kaftan down as it wanted to float up thanks to the trapped air under it. I didn’t think that would have been the sexiest of sights, seeing me struggling and surrounded by white balloons.

  So, just before he could emerge in the doorway, I took a deep breath and dipped my whole body under. I gave it a few seconds, hoping that he was near the pool when I emerged as gracefully as I could given my clumsy nature. But I ended up surprised as that was precisely what I did.

  I rose up taking a deep breath and pushed all my loose hair back. Then I gave him a feigned surprised look at seeing him but the small gasp that escaped was very real. This was down to the undiluted look of lust he gave me when he saw me.

  “Arsaces, are you well?” I asked softly as I took in his masterful form stood there almost panting he was breathing so heavily. His dark eyes bled into purple fire, one that didn’t extinguish as he drank in my dripping wet form. I could feel the material of my kaftan clinging to every inch of my skin and my nipples pebbled at the intensity of it all.

  “I…I…” I wanted to smile as I heard him try to find his words, something that was very rare for Draven to ever struggle with. So naturally this response made me bite my lip, something he also found an erotic sight on me. I saw him swallow hard and his hands at his sides turned to fists as if he was fighting with himself.

  “You’re dressed?” he asked in a deep voice, one thick with restraint. I gave him a shy little smile and said,

  “I didn’t know if this room was off limits or not…” I paused after saying this and looked to the only door in the room.

  “So, I didn’t want to take the chance without you with me,” I told him causing him to arch an eyebrow in question, so I continued,

  “My body is for your eyes only, my Lord,” I told him and this was when I knew I had him just where I wanted him.

  “Come here,” he ordered in a soft lure and I did as I was told, giving him what he wanted. I knew this was a big weakness for a dominant personality like Draven’s, something that was proven when I saw his hungry demonic eyes take in every inch of me as I walked from the pool. I stopped just in front of him and the blush bloomed across my skin thanks to the intensity radiating off him in erotic waves.

  “I fear that seeing the beauty as I do now, would leave little to the imagination as to what lies beneath your clothes, my dear, for it looks like you have bathed naked in milk,” he told me and I looked down at myself to see that he was right. It just looked like someone had picked me up and dipped me into a vat of cream. I looked back up at him and gave him wide eyes, hoping he took this for embarrassment, as let’s face it, I knew what I was doing.

  “I am thankful then that the door remains locked and I have forbidden anyone to enter this space other than that of your servant. For I fear if anyone were to gaze upon this divine beauty you bestow…” he paused to caress my near naked breast with the back of his hand before continuing,

  “…Well, then they would no doubt meet with a bloody end indeed, for I fear my wrath unstoppable, given what you deem for my eyes only…something that has never been in question, for you are mine and mine alone,” he promised making me shudder from both his touch and his words.

  “Now ask of me what you wish, little lamb,” he said, surprising me.

  “I…um…” I tried to speak past my shock that he would know, when he put me out of my misery.

  “As much as I enjoy this sweet look upon your face, I fear I would be classed as cruel if I did not put your mind to rest,” he said clearly amused.

  “My lord?”

  “Your servant informed me of such.” Ah, so Pip had set it up, no doubt so I couldn’t back out in asking him.

  “Well she, I mean I…wondered if I would be allowed to go for a walk?” I said approaching the subject delicately, but even that didn’t hide the displeasure on his face on hearing it.

  “After all, I am not a prisoner, am I?” I added and I knew the look on his face said it all. But it was his words that felt like they had damned my fate…

  “I am afraid that you are.”

  Chapter 12

  Trusting Your Stomach

  “I am a prisoner?” I asked in utter astonishment, one on the verge of morphing into rage.

  “You are not permitted to leave my chambers,” he said as a way of answering and I suddenly felt like screaming at him but I knew that would not have been my best option right now. Now guilt, well that was definitely the way to go. So, I bit down on the string of arguments I had against this, my main being ‘you cannot just lock up your girlfriend’. No, instead I released a big sigh. Then moved away from him and walked over to the marble table that had a fresh pile of linen. I heard him do the same as he too sighed, obviously feeling the weight of his words at the sight of my cold reaction.

  “Nāzanin, I can explain,” he started to tell me as I lifted the wet kaftan up and over my head, before wrapping my body in a large piece of cloth.

  “You don’t need to as I understand perfectly, my King,” I told him without any emotion as I grabbed another piece to dry my hair with. I heard him grunt as if my answer had irritated him.

  “It is not safe for you to leave.” This came from directly behind me and I turned to face him and said,

  “Not safe for you is what you really mean, for you don’t trust me.”

  “You ran from me before,” he argued.

  “I did but that was different.”

  “How so?” he asked folding his arms across his chest.

  “Because that was from a fear that you would break my heart, for it was after I heard you speaking of your current head concubine and how that would not be changing in the foreseeable future,” I told him dropping this emotional bombshell, one I named, ‘big guilty guns’. He looked so taken aback by this, that at first, he didn’t know what to say other than to confirm,

  “You heard that?”

  “Yes, which at the time gave me enough cause to save my fragile heart and run.” As soon as I said this you could see certain things starting to fit into place for him. I had never told him this before and I was hoping now was the right time in taking the first steps for him to start trusting me. I knew that if I could just prove myself to him that his fierce need to keep me locked away from fear of losing me was unfounded, then maybe he would start to ease off a bit…or at least this was my hope.

  “It is true I said this but what you didn’t know at the time was why it was said.”

&n
bsp; “No, but now I trust you enough to know that the reason was no doubt done so with my safety in mind.” Oh, now this surprised him and I would have laughed under different circumstances. But this was also said as a tactic, as I could only hope that he would reward my faith in him with some faith of his own.

  “Then I consider your trust in me a gift, one that I fear should not be shadowed by my impulsive decisions.” I gave him a huge grin and said,

  “Does that mean I can…?” He smiled at the pleasure he was granting me and said,

  “You may go for a walk, but only if you are escorted under my royal guard,” he told me and I squealed as I threw myself at him, shocking him. He went back a step as he caught me and I peppered his face with little kisses making him laugh.

  “I promise, I will not abuse your trust in me, for I only intend to earn it further,” I told him feeling almost giddy that I finally managed to do something right and on plan for once.

  “I am happy to hear it, little lamb.”

  After this I kissed him and when it became apparent that it would go no further, thanks to his iron will, I let him go and rushed back up to the room to get ready. He had more ‘King’s’ business to attend to so after Pip came back to get me ready for the day, we soon found ourselves being escorted out of the room and to the gardens of the palace.

  “Wowzer.”

  “Wow.” Pip and I both uttered our own versions of amazement when being faced with the beauty before us. It had to be said that the Persians were masters at gardening and this was the proof. We were both escorted through a series of open arches which led out into what looked like a private courtyard the size of a ballroom. It was surrounded by a tall stone wall that was topped with scalloped arches and marble pillars topped with mythological winged creatures, that for all I knew were real in the supernatural world.

  Down the centre of the grand space ran a long rectangular pool with water so clear, it almost looked surreal. Massive lily pads floated on the surface with huge pink and white flowers and the flashes of huge orange and red fish could be seen swimming beneath. Framing this marble pool were flowering bushes in between large urns overflowing with trailing flowers, looking like red wine was pouring out of them.