Ah, fuck. I was so screwed.
Think, Ashlyn,I scolded myself. My mind raced for a moment. Then I swallowed hard and took a step away from him. Before he could get angry, I turned, keeping my gaze down and plucked at the length of linen covering. I let dissatisfaction show in my expression even as my heart continued to race.
He chuckled and placed a finger under my chin. Although he nudged my head up, I averted my gaze.
“I did not put that on you. If you wish me to clothe you, look at me.”
I didn’t, of course, which poked his mercurial temper.
“Look at me!” he yelled savagely.
Jerking my chin from his touch, I turned away from him and went to the vanity. In the golden reflection of the disc above the table, I glimpsed him pacing behind me like a crazed animal complete with lips curled back in a silent snarl.
My fingers trembled so much that I almost dropped the comb. I tried to focus on breathing through my fear, which he was sure to sense, but it wasn’t easy. I could feel him watching every move I made.
“Goddess, I see you plotting,” he said with low warning. “No more. I am done.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me to face him. The comb fell from my grasp when he pulled me to his chest.
“I’ve waited long enough. If you want me to release you, you know what you must do.”
After all his skin, and tongue, and “love me” talk, I understood what he meant and knew I was in trouble. So much trouble. My stomach clenched, and I felt like I was two seconds away from throwing up or sobbing. But neither would help me. Creatures didn’t respond with compassion when a human started begging. That was their victory. No, I needed to do something else.
Briefly, I considered smiling, but with the way my insides were shaking, I didn’t think I could pull it off.
I was exhausted, scared out of my mind, and so lost. Part of me wanted to give in and lean my head against his chest like I’d done countless times already, but I knew that would be the first step in my downfall. He would take that simple contact and more until he had exactly what he wanted. Not only my body but my freewill. I would be his puppet for eternity if I gave in, and I wasn’t yet ready to stop fighting that fate.
I needed to be smarter. I was stuck in Hell until I found a way out, and I wouldn’t be able to fight a thing as tired as I was. And, fearing what would happen to me wasn’t fighting for my freedom. All fear did was rob me of reason. Acknowledging that helped me push the unwanted emotion away until there was nothing left.
My breathing calmed, and my pulse steadied. Once I had myself under control, I reached up and dislodged C’adon’s hold on me.
He yelled angrily in my face again.
Ignoring his rage, I sidestepped around him. I needed sleep and a clearer head to deal with him.
“Yes,” he breathed when I moved toward the bed.
I immediately changed direction and sat with my back against the wall. The building trembled, the barest of shakes that disappeared the moment I closed my eyes.
That’s right, crazy-man,I thought.What game could your weird little human be playing now?
“She’s weary,” he said softly.
He paced nearby, the light brush of his feet against the furs, filling the silence with a soothing white noise that pulled me under.
* * *
Something tugged at my hand,and soft skin brushed against my fingers repeatedly.
“This is real,” C’adon said. “She is real. I can taste her.”
I tugged my hand free and tucked it close to my body, shifting my position until my head was cradled more comfortably. Exhaling, I drifted deeper into sleep.
* * *
My stomach was making noises,but I wasn’t ready to get out of bed yet. The mattress cradled my body far too comfortably to abandon it. And I was warm. So contentedly warm.
Thoughts slowly clicked into place, though.
