If I could feel again, I’d give it all to her.
If I could touch her properly, I’d make herbelieveit. Hell, I’d take her pleasure even if I got none.
That truth twisted inside me, repulsive and raw. It made me sick. Which is why I preferred the lie.
A lie where I pretended I didn’t want her. Where she didn’truinme.
But she did.
I might be caged, but I was still the king of Hell.
And kings didn’t crave their enemies.
They didn’t fantasize about licking them raw. About drowning in their taste.
I can’t even taste her.
But it didn’t stop me from wanting to bury my face between her thighs.
There were a thousand things I needed to attend to.
Harvest was on the loose. The Reapers were clawing at my gates again. Clever, but suicidal.
Their stunt nearly got her killed.
If not for Faye…
A cold pit opened in my gut. That thought—losing her—sent a violent jolt through me.
I had no choice.
I needed to see Kara again.
Just a quick peek. To make sure she was behaving.
(Kara and obedient didn’t belong in the same sentence.)
I’d kept her from fading out of Hell, but I couldn’t block her powers completely.
There were too many monsters in my domain; without her abilities, she’d be a meal.
Icouldlock her back in a cell.
That would make this easier.
But when I saw her sulk behind those bars, the ache in my chest was too much.
It was enough that she was trapped in my realm.
She didn’t need to feel caged too.
So, I let her wander.
Let her breathe.
And now?
I slipped into shadow, heart pounding, hunting my disobedient bane once again.
