Bellinor stood, walking up to her with a sheepish look.
“I thought you would enjoy it. I know you… miss Marilet.”
Shamefully, she hadn’t actually been missing her home all that much, not when her days were filled with more hedonistic pleasure than she could imagine.
“You can paint your landscapes here, too,” he said, nodding to the front door.
Her brows furrowed in question as she walked up to it, turning the knob, and feeling the breeze on her skin as she exited the faux cottage. The forest was exactly as she had remembered it, blessed sunlight warming her skin in a way she hadn’t felt since entering le Voile.
The men flanked her, taking in her reaction, and she swallowed hard, turning to Bellinor.
“Thank you,” she said, grasping his hand, which caused his eyes to widen. “It’s beautiful, truly.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said with a relieved smile.
“It just about killed him to do it in such a short time,” Rul added, and Bellinor rolled his eyes, though the sentiment pleased her.
Rul hugged her from behind, nuzzling the top of her head until she turned around and met his devious grin.
“What?”
“Just thinking about how you ran through these woods trying to escape Bell,” he said, hugging her close. “As if he would’ve let you go.”
Arousal electrified her as the memory of that morning came back, the exhilaration of her attempted getaway, though even at the time, she had known it was fruitless. The frightening demon form of Bellinor—which she had yet to see again—frightening, yet so intriguing that she’d begged him to claim her.
Her last day earthbound.
It felt strangely right to be here once again, even though she knew this place was fabricated from le Voile. Even stranger, it felt right to be here with the two of them, anticipation invigorating her. Straying further from the moon mother every day, though it was getting more and more difficult to care.
“Should I try to run again?” she asked, and Rul let out a surprised huff, gripping the back of her neck and forcing her to look up at him.
“Oh, sweet one, we’d like nothing more than to chase you through this forest and fuck you into the dirt. Because you know we’ll catch you. We’ll always catch you. Thereisno escape.”
Isabelle swallowed hard, yet again aroused by the feral way he wanted to claim her.
“That’s not a good idea,” Bellinor said.
“Why not? Afraid you can’t control yourself, that you’ll wreck our pretty little plaything?” Rul asked. “Don’t worry. She can take whatever we give her. I’ve made sure of that. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
He gripped her hair, jerking her up to face him, that delicious dominance already dulling her mind.
“I can take it,” she murmured, not caring whether it was true or not.
“She can take it,” he agreed, releasing his grasp on her hair and eyeing Bellinor. “What do you think?”
“If it’s what she wants.”
Bellinor looked at her expectantly, and she cleared her throat.
“I want it. I want you to chase me.”
She tried to focus on the moment and not the deeper meaning of the words, meaning she couldn’t bear to admit aloud. A profound need to be loved, the way she loved the moon mother, but corporeal.Real.
“Then you betterrun,” Rul whispered, releasing her from his grasp.
She looked at Bellinor, who nodded, then began to back away slowly, her submissive gaze glued to both of them. Their eyes flashed milky white, maws extending and bodies growing, wings unfurling behind their backs.
Menacing smiles split both of their faces, and as Rul began to chuckle, she turned and ran.
