A sharp stab pierced the flesh of her inner arm, this needle bigger than the other—way bigger—and something passed into her skin. Something solid. Cynna cried out, but she still couldn’t move.
“That’s so I can find you again, my love.” Zagreus ran his fingers over her belly, pushing her tank higher until cool air washed over her breasts, baring them to the beasts holding her down. Growls echoed in the room. Growls of lust and approval she didn’t want to think about.
“I was very upset when I discovered what you’d done,” Zagreus said, still touching her, “but then I realized how we could use it to our advantage. You were right, agapi. He’s not going to break at the hands of the nymphs. But he will break thanks to you. I saw it in his eyes when you pleasured him. He wants you.” The tips of his fingers traced over her nipples. “Oh, how I understand that wanting.” He pinched one tip until pain shot through her breast. “And I’m going to let him have you. For a price.”
“Release her,” Zagreus ordered. “And leave us.”
Lykos growled low in his throat. Pain forgotten, Cynna stopped her useless struggling and tried to focus on what was happening around her. Even though she couldn’t turn her head to look, she recognized the sound of the satyr’s fury.
Zagreus’s head snapped up. “Do not tempt me, satyr. I’d like nothing more than to rip someone’s throat out, and right now I don’t care if it’s yours.”
Hands lifted from her body, but still she couldn’t move. Tension crackled in the room, mixing with a cacophony of lust and rage, and though Cynna still couldn’t see them, she knew a power struggle when she heard it. Also knew if she wasn’t careful, she’d get caught in the middle.
The other satyr, the one Cynna hadn’t gotten a good look at, growled, “Come on. We’ll find the nymphs.”
Tense seconds passed, then footsteps sounded, followed by a door slamming.
“Smart satyr,” Zagreus muttered.
Cynna wasn’t so sure. Zagreus had just taken away the one thing Lykos wanted more than power. And he’d be gunning for her the next chance he got. But even that thought faded as Cynna realized Zagreus’s footsteps were moving away from the bed.
Recognizing this might be her only chance, she tried to roll to her side but couldn’t. Frustration and fear and anger welled inside her, but the drug he’d given her was doing its job, and she couldn’t move a single muscle.
“My sweet, sweet Cynna,” he whispered, coming close once more. “This is only temporary, agapi. Until we can be together again.” She tensed as he lifted her upper body, as he sat in the pillows behind her and cradled her head in his lap. Bringing a goblet to her lips, he tilted her head up. “Drink.”
She’d said the same word to Nick earlier. Zagreus had to know. But this wasn’t cool refreshing water as she’d given Nick. Before the thick, warm fluid reached her lips, she knew it was blood. His blood.
It poured into her mouth and down her throat. She gagged, coughed, tried to force it out, but her tongue wasn’t working. The salty, metallic liquid gurgled between her lips and slid down her chin. He tipped the cup higher, holding her mouth to the edge. “Drink it all.”
Tears spilled over her eyelids. She couldn’t breathe, was sure she was going to choke to death. And then he was pulling the cup away, rubbing his bloodstained fingers through her hair, smoothing his hand down her cheek. “That’s all. No more. You did well. Breathe now.”
Cynna couldn’t do anything else. But she wasn’t well. She could feel his blood settling in the pit of her stomach, sending a rolling, nasty heat all through her body.
“That’s it. Let my blood become part of you. I know this won’t be easy, but to break him, we have to give him something to live for. That’s you, my love. You were right, and I should have listened sooner. This is the only way.”
She didn’t know what he meant, but a fire was building in her veins. One she was suddenly afraid would consume her.
“You’re going to earn his trust.” Zagreus stroked her hair as if she were a pet rather than a person. “You’re going to make him think you’re saving him, make him fall for you. He won’t be able to resist. He’s halfway there already. All he needs is a little push. And when he finally turns his back on that useless hero honor and chooses you over his precious people, then we’ll have what we want. Then I’ll come and reclaim you both.”