Don’t fall for his charms, Ruby. He was like this with all women, of course. Definitely the kind of guy you couldn’t trust. The kind who kept secrets, who never told you what he really felt about you. The kind who’d leave the earth to rule the heavens at the first chance he got. Typical.
Still shivering, I crawled into bed next to him, trying not to look at his perfect body. I was painfully aware of the fact that I was still going commando. I’d have to make sure my dress didn’t shift too much during the night.
In any case, I definitely wasn’t going to dwell on his smooth, tan skin, his powerful arms, or that perfect mouth that could torture me with excruciating pleasure.
I cleared my throat. Shut down those thoughts. “Since we’re here for a reason, and that reason is to spy on Aereus, maybe it’s time we figure out a specific plan. What else do I need to know about him?”
“Aereus is competitive with me.”
“Hence the room.” I lay down stiffly, keeping my eyes trained on the ceiling. Every one of my muscles was tensed.
“He’s furious that my curse hasn’t set in, that I inspire more fear than he does. He will want to steal you from me like the spoils of war.”
Adonis leaned on his elbow, looking over at me. I tried to ignore that his searing gaze was roaming over my shoulders. I pulled the sheet tighter around me, clutching hard to it.
“That explains how I can capture his interest. Maybe he’ll want me alone.” Already, the gears were turning in my mind, and I started to envision myself functioning as a honey trap. “Any clue at all where he might be keeping these Stones of Zahar?”
“No. As you’ve seen, the palace itself is enormous. But they’re so powerful, so valuable to him, that I’d guess he keeps them close to him, locked up safely in his bedroom or his office of war.”
I took a deep breath. “I can probably contrive to get into either of those.”
A troubled expression crossed Adonis’s beautiful features. “He’s dangerous—not just for who he is, but for what he can inspire in you. He’ll draw your violent thoughts from you like nectar from a flower. He can sense inner conflict—and he can exploit it. I want to keep a line of communication open with you if you’re alone with him.”
“How exactly?”
“If you allow it, I can link our minds, so I’ll be able to hear your thoughts.”
My jaw dropped. “You must be joking.”
“You can control it to some degree, but I’ll be able to hear if you’re in danger.”
“I’m guessing it’s not reciprocal. You’d never agree to me hearing your thoughts.”
“It doesn’t need to be reciprocal. I don’t need you to save me. In any case, it’s only temporary.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything.”
Adonis’s dark eyebrows furrowed. He reached for me, tracing his fingertips over my collarbone. His touch left a trail of tingling heat. “Goose bumps. You’re still freezing.”
He ran his fingertips over my skin, and his magic began to whisper through my blood, warming me and soothing me at the same time. Even from that light touch, my back began to arch, my breath speeding up. I knew a flush had spread over my chest, giving away my real desires, even if I wanted to keep them hidden.
He leaned in close, his breath warming my neck. I felt as if my body were straining against the dress. I wanted him to touch and tease me with his fingertips, to let them roam over my thighs again. I knew this was a bad idea.
Slowly, his fingertips trailed over the neckline of my dress, gently tugging it down.
“I want to see all of you,” he rasped, inching down my dress.
I arched my back, a silent invitation, and he tugged the fabric down to expose my breasts. The look on his face as he took me in was positively starved, like he’d emerged from a famine to find a succulent feast before him. He kissed my throat, his mouth searing, teasing me with a hint of teeth, and I felt my legs opening. I groaned.
I wanted him, needed him to touch me, so badly I was practically shaking. One of his hands moved up the inside of my thigh, and liquid heat pooled in my core, between my legs. Already, my hips were rocking, anticipating his touch moving higher…
From a corner of the room, Drakon let out a growl, and my body jolted. I pulled away from Adonis, pulling my dress up again.
What was I doing? This was all wrong. He was a power-hungry, maniacal death angel. I slammed down the iron door on my desires, and elbowed him away from me.
“This isn’t a good idea.” Granted, my body was screaming at me in rebellion, but I wasn’t going to let him lure me in.
Adonis rolled over, disappointment etched across his gorgeous features. “Is there a reason a pleasure-loving fae would deny herself what she wants?”
I pulled the sheets up around me, my body suddenly freezing at the loss of body heat. “How about the fact that you’ve straight up told me you’re evil?”
Candlelight danced over his skin, and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. As he breathed in, he pulled the light from the room, dimming the torches to a low burn—just enough to keep me comfortable.
My body still buzzed with the excitement of his touch. Forget about how good that felt. Think of something vile. I pressed my fingernails into the back of my hand, summoning instead images of blood and violence, of Saturn ripping the head off his child. And when I slept, I dreamt of blood spreading through a field of white anemones, staining them red.
Chapter 24
“I may not be entirely objective, but I do feel the bath would be better with two people in it,” said Adonis.
“Oh, really?” I splashed the soap off my skin.
Wingless, Adonis sat in a chair facing the other direction. Drakon had been banished to the hallway.
“There are delicate parts of your body I could attend to better than you can.” The sensual promise in his voice made my pulse race. “You can trust me on this.”
At his words, a flush spread through my body. “I can manage.”
I tried not to imagine his hand sliding gently between my legs, exploring my body, and I fought the burning ache. I tried not to imagine the sweet release of giving in to him completely.
“Stop distracting me,” I said. “I have to meet the horseman of war. Alone, of course.”
Adonis snatched a silver flask off the bed and unscrewed it while keeping his eyes straight ahead. Despite trying to tempt me with his words, he was acting like a perfect gentleman. “He’s trying to send me another message. He wants to show that he can take what’s mine.”
“What’s yours?”
“As far as Aereus knows, you’re my succubus—a demoness I’ve claimed as my own. We’ve come here, purporting to seek his help, and he’ll want to use it as an opportunity to put me in my place. It enrages him that I remained un-cursed.”
“When I’m finished with him, should I meet you back here?”
“If you learn anything—or even if you don’t—go to Tanit’s room and wait for me there.”