His smile softens. “Sometimes, we have to accept the simple pleasures in life.”
“Pleasure?” I scoff.
“You have no idea what pleases me, little lioness.”
“I think I have some idea.” My body throbs with the echo of it.
There’s a challenge in his eyes as he offers me another mouthful.
He likes feeding me. It’s a primal urge and reminds me that I have to stop thinking of him as human.
It’s also dangerous. Sex is one thing, but this… this hints at a developing kinship between us.
“I was right. Pharyces said there’s going to be another auction. Rhykus has made an alliance with the Baron de Mahl,”Bael says, sipping at his wine. “It’s happening tomorrow at the Crystal Cavern.”
“What is that?”
“The Labyrinth… evolves,” he replies. “Baron de Mahl made a bargain with Kasaros several years ago when he found a cave he liked. It’s full of crystals. They drip from the ceilings, and some of the walls are so sheer you can see right through them. De Mahl has people who hold the palace for him throughout the year. De Mahl’s less… restrained than Rhykus. His auctions are the showpiece of his parties, saved for the end of the evening. And the parties are merely another word for orgy. Rhykus is an operation. De Mahl is a debauchery full of every sinful possibility you can imagine.”
I tilt my head to one side. “I don’t understand. I thought the Labryinth was one way only. You either won or you lost—remaining here for all eternity.”
Bael snorts. “Kasaros regularly breaks his own rules. He’s grown bored over time, allowing corruption to enter his keep.”
I nod, chewing thoughtfully. “How do we get in?”
Bael licks sauce from his thumb. “That’s the problem. One needs an invitation. And a… submissive.”
“Submissive?”
He glances down, breaking apart his bread roll. “It’s a relationship in which one member of the pair is the dominant party, and the other submits to their will. It has to be you, for the women will be on leashes. You would belong to me. And I would own you.”
I roll my tongue over my teeth, licking the juice of a grape off my fingers. “I could do that.”
Bael sets his plate aside. “Zyla, these parties are dangerous. And there are expectations. If you wore my collar, then we may be invited to participate in some of the… events. Or worse, perform.”
“Is there any other way to get into the Crystal Cavern?”
“No. De Mahl’s guards are shifters. They prowl around the caves, ensuring nobody gets in without an invite.”
“We don’t have an invite,” I point out.
“Yet,” Bael counters. “Pharyces can provide one, according to Teanna.”
If that is where Kari is, then that is where we must go. “Let me consider it overnight. We need a plan.”
“So be it.” Bael drains his wine. “Would my lady care for the first bath?”
I’m still off-balance from the way he grabbed my throat. “I’m not bathing in front of you.”
“We’ll see.” Bael pushes to his feet. “But in the meantime, I’m not going to waste perfectly warm water. If you want to join me, you know where I am.”
Mocking me with those wicked eyes, he reaches down, tugging the end of his belt loose.
“Yours,” he whispers, dropping the belt in my lap as he walks past me to check the bath. “Since you have such a keen interest in it.”
I grip the warm leather, my hands scalded by his body heat. “I donothave an interest in your belt.”
“No?”
