I nodded, unable to argue with the truth.
“Good.” He seemed pleased. “Then you, too, stand against Balen, whether you want to or not. My older brother would have you believe he means to wed you and make you his queen. But he wishes only to drain you of your power and ascend Tanselm’s throne with Lidra by his side, under his thumb. And once Lidra gets hold of you all this pretty glamor will be for naught.”
In the blink of an eye, he held me up by my throat, my toes scraping the ground as I fought to breathe. My dress shimmered and vanished, leaving me naked and vulnerable in Sin Garu’s grip.
“You’re a tasty morsel, aren’t you?” He smiled, and his teeth grew sharper, lengthening.
He leaned in, way too close.
“You said you’re not a blood drinker?” I rasped and clutched at the fingers gripping my neck.
Fortunately, he blinked and pulled back. And I knew then that no matter what he said about blood drinkers, he might all too easily become one if he wasn’t already.
“No, but I like sweets.” He brushed his lips along my cheek and squeezed my neck tighter.
I forced myself to remain still, fighting the urge to struggle for breath.
“Such tender flesh,” he whispered directly into my ear. “You make me hunger, Alandra. How fun.”
His cool breath tickled me, stroking my magic, arousing me.
I didn’t know what to do, confused by my body’s traitorous response when I should have been too scared and too hurt to respond.
“Shiny yet dark and vigorous.” He licked my cheek. “I wonder how you taste when you come?”
He moved a hand over my belly, and I couldn’t help an instinctive flinch.
I didn’t know why, but he dropped me and stepped back.
I coughed and tried to get my breath back.
“You’ve untapped power.” He snapped his fingers, and my previous illusion of a dress returned. “Be mindful of what you are and use your gifts wisely. They just might be your salvation.”
He stepped close and cupped my cheek, and as he shifted, he brushed his erection against me.
As much as I wanted to appear strong and unafraid, I trembled and tried to move back without him realizing it.
He abruptly dropped his hand and turned to the door.
I should have let him leave, but I had to know. “What do you want from me?”
He glanced over his shoulder, the menace back in his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? I want you at my side when I retake Tanselm. You will help me defeat Balen, and when your Storm Lords come, you’ll help my defeat them, too. To reward your for your help, my little shadow, I’ll let Sava live.”
Fear robbed me of speech.
He smiled knowingly. “Your attachment to the ancient one is obvious to everyone. Despite his rebellious nature, Sava’s grown on me. He and I will come to an understanding. I’m sure he’ll see the ‘light’ once he knows the role you’ll play in Tanselm’s future.”
Sin Garu chuckled and added, “Ah, those xiantopes would have been fun to fuck but not to keep. Destroying them would have destroyed their Storm Lords.” He sighed, and I realized he was talking about Samantha and Tessa. “Alas, it was not meant to be. You, on the other hand, will make a worthy mate.”
“Thank you.” I had to acknowledge the truth, as much as he horrified me.
He nodded, and his gaze glowed with power. “Dealing with me is your only means of escaping my brother. Trust me, purie,” he mocked. “One taste of your blood and my horny brother won’t leave you alone until he has drunk you to death. Don’t believe me? Look at what’s left of the once mighty queen of the Aellei.”
He vanished, and I waited a few minutes for him to be truly gone before letting myself relax.
I needed to plan. Anything had to be better than Balen. I’d seen a lot more in my dreams than Aerolus knew.
If Balen did to me what he’d done to my aunt, he’d kill me. If not physically, then emotionally. After the beauty of making love to Aerolus, I would never willingly lie with a monster like Balen, not even to save my own life.
