Prey (The Hunt Book 2)
Page 18
When the storm finally quieted, she sat up slowly, her head thick and her eyes swollen. Sniffling, Moira wiped the tears from her cheeks, and then brushed the backs of her knuckles down his neck. A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she dried him off, fighting to make her breath settle, and she caught the way his gaze wandered to her mouth. He had held her, caressed her, but he hadn’t kissed her—and Moira knew he’d wanted to. She could see it in his eyes, blacker by the moment, until one final blink and the humanity was gone.
It should have frightened her. It should have terrified her from the first time she saw it until now. Diriel had been nothing but black eyes and cruel smiles and sharp claws—but Severus was comfort. He was a safe haven within the darkness.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she brought her fingers to his lips, delicately resting them there for a moment. He leaned into her, but he didn’t kiss her. He just stared into her eyes. Even if she couldn’t see his pupils in this light, she could feel it, his gaze never letting hers go. Her ghost of a smile blossomed to something more tangible, something she felt in her cheeks. Fleeting. There and gone again. She trailed her fingers across Severus’s lips, then down his throat, until she planted her hand firmly against his chest, his collarbone like an anchor while she leaned over and grabbed Cordelia’s brew off the nightstand.
Scentless and thick. It was shamrock green and tasted like nothing as it slid down her throat and warmed her belly, the first real meal she’d had in days. Diriel had permitted her to drink water with energy mix-ins—plus two bathroom breaks a day, which were to be taken still chained up. Yesterday, one of his peons had enjoyed his chicken nugget takeout in her cell—he’d offered her half, but only if she ate it out of his hand like a dog. And Moira had done it without a hint of shame, because that fried crap had quieted her howling stomach.
Cordelia’s brew left her satiated—and instantly heavy. Every limb sagged, the effort to put the empty cup back more than she could manage. Severus did it for her while she sank down at his side, her head on his lap and an arm thrown around his waist.
“Give it to me,” she murmured, reaching up, her fingers grasping until they wrapped around the polaroid. As she examined it, her lip trembling but her tears holding, Severus worked his hand into her wet hair, massaging the base of her scalp. It was quite soothing, and soon she found herself fighting the urge to sleep—to let the darkness take her.
“You want to know why I took it?” she asked, her voice sounding very far away, even to her own ears. “I want to see it. I want to remember it, what he did to me. Because without it, I’ll forget. I’ll forget the pain of the piercings. I’ll forget the way my shoulders ached and burned… I’ll block it out. I’ll grieve and move on. But if I can look at it, I’ll remember.” She dragged in a shuddering breath, knowing with more certainty now that the he she referred to was plural. “I’ll remember, so that when I finally have the chance to kill him, I’ll do it. I won’t back out, I won’t show mercy, because I’ll remember it. All of it. And I’ll give him exactly what he deserves…”
Death. Moira would bless Diriel with death—by the light of her touch, by the burn of her angelic fire. She would figure it out. She would master it. She would teach it to come when called, and then she would show him just how deeply he could be scarred by her, dozens of burns to match the first two she had given him.
And then death. An unremarkable death. No fanfare. No great show of it. Just—the end. Moira would be his end.
She would be the end for Diriel and her father.
Cowards.
But for now, the draught could take her, and she welcomed the peace of a dreamless sleep with open arms. Before she succumbed, her arm tightened around Severus, and she breathed him in. They would face the darkness together, until she had the strength to bathe them in light.
So, let the darkness come—and, for the first time, let it find her unafraid.
To be continued in STALKER, the third novel in the paranormal romance serial THE HUNT. Look for it May 25, 2018, exclusively on Amazon.
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Liz
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About the Author
Liz is a Canadian author who grew up in the Middle East. She has a degree in Bioarchaeology from Western University, and when she isn't writing about her own snarky characters, she is ghostwriting romance novels, loitering on social media, or taking care of her many animals.
Liz dabbles in both paranormal and contemporary erotic romance. Her paranormals are usually dark and angsty, and her contemporaries are stress-free smutfests, but you'll find both riddled with feels. Most of all, she loves writing realistic characters in fantastical settings.
More from Liz Meldon:
Contemporary Erotic Romance
Erotic Short Shorts – an Erotic Short Story Series
Happy Hour (2016)
Holiday Hell (2017)
Bliss (2018)
All In Trilogy
Finn (#1)
Cole (#2)
Skye (#3)
All In Trilogy: Book Bundle + Bonus Content
Paranormal Romance
The Hunt – a Demon Romance (2018)
Predator (#1)
Prey (#2)
Stalker (#3) – May 2018
Killer (#4) – June 2018
Lovers and Liars: Immortal Wars – a fantasy and paranormal romance series based in the Lovers and Liars Universe
Court of the Phantom Queen (2017) – Book #1 (fantasy romance, novella)
Apollo’s Priestess (2017) – Book #2 (shifter paranormal romance, novella)
To the North (TBD) – Book #3 (fantasy romance, novella)
Lovers and Liars – a Mythology Romance Serial
Manhattan (2014) – Book #1 (FREE)
Vancouver (2015) – Book #2
Westwick College (2016) – Book #3
Tuskin Island (TBD) – Book #4
Games We Play – a (Vampire/Hunter) Duology
The Fool (2015) – Prologue
The King (2016) – Book #1
The Queen (TBD) – Book #2
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