Then, with a sigh, which seemed to blow through both of us, we separated. And yes, she wobbled as she tested her legs.
Mission accomplished.
She doused us both again, then put on her little dress and brought down her stone wall, heading for the door before blowing me a kiss.
“Your form,” I reminded her.
“Oh… yes. Thank you.” And she became a different woman, a succubus if I had to guess.
She locked me in, then shouted at the guards to wake up.
“Really? I was so uninteresting you fell asleep? I’ve been waiting for you to wake up and give me a good time all night! You three are fucking losers. I’m outta here.”
I hid the sound of my laugh, then blew out a breath.
From here on out, I was on my own. Izzy had done her best to ensure my chances of winning, but now it was up to me to fight.
And fight I would.
I’d do anything to get back to Izzy, my heart, my home. She was the reason I fought. And maybe, if I fought hard enough for long enough, I might eventually feel worthy of that miraculous woman.
AMARHUK (ROOK)
I shouldn’t be out.
I shouldn’t be here.
But I also couldn’t sit in the confines of Svokol’s residence while Myel fought for his life. I barely knew that dark and sexy shifter, but he was important to Izzy, bonded to her, and I knew what would happen if that bond was broken. So, I’d sneaked out to the arena to watch the match, as macabre and vile as it might be.
It was easy to get lost in the crowd; everyone had turned out for this event. Cliffside Arena could hold the entirety of everyone on campus plus a couple thousand more people, and it was packed. I blended in and took a seat high in the top ring of the stands.
I’d been playing my encounter with Izzy two days ago over and over in my head and I’d hoped the hubbub of the throng around me might drown out my thoughts, but no… my churning mind tuned out the white noise of the assembled on-lookers.
What are you so damned afraid of, she’d asked me.
I’d told her it was her being an elf, and I’d seen thepain that had caused. I shouldn’t have said it. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have taken the coward’s way out and stayed silent. Instead, I’d taken the jerk’s way out and thrown it back on her, when it had nothing to do with her.
Well it did, but not because of who she was.
I was falling for her, and it was tearing me apart. Incubi were not meant to be monogamous. Even if we married, which wasn’t common, our mates knew we’d still have other partners. It had to be an open marriage or no incubi would agree to it. But something was very wrong with me, because I didn’t want anyone but Izzy. No other woman interested me, roused me, did anything for me.
It was so damned wrong!
And so damned right!
How could that be?
But I’d already screwed it up by telling her I was afraid of her as an elf.
I was such an idiot.
She hadn’t wanted anything deep; I’d known that from the first time I’d met her in the human realm. So how could I tell her I was falling for her, that she was starting to mean something to me, far more than the friends and fuck-buddies we’d been?
Even if Icouldmend the tear in our relationship… it wasn’t like I knew anything about being a dedicated lover and caregiver andhusband. Ugh. That word made me want to gag.
I’d only make a mess of any sort of committed relationship.
And that wasn’t fair to her.
