I hummed softly, pushing the journal aside. “You can drink from me whenever you want.”
He crossed the room in three strides before catchinghimself, stopping short of touching me. The muscles in his shoulders tightened, a visible effort not to reach out. To bite into my skin. “How has your reading been?” he asked quietly instead, controlling his urges.
My shoulder dropped and I tried not to frown at the question. “Horrible, actually. It is a tragic story,” I said, unable to hide the disdain from my voice. “Helion’s monsters are hunting me. But were they not designed to kill me? The Nightbourne acted like they were trying totakeme.” The Commander stared at the journal, his expression unreadable. Then his eyes lifted, locking on mine with terrifying intensity.
“He wants you because you arepowerful.Whoever’s side you pick will be the side that wins. But Helion is desperate, angry that his monsters are failing him. I have received word of another attack of Skanthi in Alton last night, a town north from here. Many were slaughtered.”
A shaky breath escaped me as I twirled my hair with my fingers. “Will my marriage to your ruler make him angrier? Cause more death? Maybe you should give me to Helion and end it all.”
The Commander stilled, muscles turning tense. “With you by his side, he will take the realms even faster. That’s why he is hunting you this time.”
The silence between us was too thick and a sinking feeling clawed into my stomach. “How do you know so much about this?”
“I’ve read the journal, and I have my hunches. That’s why I want your power imbued into weapons. Only a god had the power to kill another god and their monsters.”
“But you kill the monsters…” I trailed off, hands dropping into my lap.
“Because I am the Commander of Death. My darkness can killalmostanything.”
My blood ran cold.
“Lyra—”
“Don’t,” I cut in sharply, though my voice trembled. “I can’t… I shouldn’t have.Weshouldn’t have. What if your ruler accepts my offer? Will you watch me marry another male to save the Kingdoms?” His expression crumpled for a heartbeat, just enough to reveal something raw beneath before the mask of the Commander slipped into place. “I cannot watch you marry another male,” he said, stepping closer. “I want you bymyside.” His voice was low, even. But there was a vulnerability in his voice that I hadn’t heard before and I stared at him for a long moment.
“I know you can feel it too,” he said quietly, cutting through the silence. The shadows around him stilled, as if listening. “Stop lying to yourself.”
I looked away, not wanting him to seemyvulnerability.
“I’ll stop lying if you tell me your name,” I demanded, crossing my arms.
He chuckled, gripping my chin with his thumb and forefinger and forcing my gaze to his. “You are cute when you are demanding, but I cannot tell you that.” Heat tingled against my skin, power sinking into my veins.He wants me.
I bared my teeth at him, smacking his hand away and reaching for his belt.
“I will torture it out of you then.” Shoving his pants down, a thrill shot through my stomach to find his cock already hard, the thick veins pulsing with need.
“I might need that blood, Little Drownling,” he gritted through clenched teeth, his shadows swarming him viciously.
I smirked up at him. “Tell me your name and you can.”
“You touching me like that is worth any pain.”
I glared up at him, shoving him deep into my mouth until his head tipped back and a masculine moan tore through his chest. Heat engulfed me, the power from his lust flooding through me. I squeezed his balls with one hand, and he cursed in the Fae language.
Shadows crawled from the corners of the room, circling around his body and striking him. I scraped my teeth along his shaft and bit.
“You fucking vicious little thing,” he hissed. “Whatever you do to me Iwillreturn.” The promise sent heat through my stomach that gathered between my legs?—
A sharp knock on the door made me still.
“Go away,” the Commander growled through the door. They knocked again, and I sat back on my heels, his cock popping out of my mouth. His eyes fluttered shut, his body dissipating into the shadows and reappearing, flickering like a spluttering candle. He shoved himself back into his pants and wiped a thumb across my mouth before stalking across the room. He gripped the door handle and pulled it open with such force I was surprised it did not break.
A blonde male stood in the doorway in black formal armour with an emblem of three-pointed silver stars over his heart. He bent at the waist in a formal greeting that seemed ill-fitting.
“What do you want?” the Commander ground out.
The guard handed him a scroll, and as the Commander unrolled it, the guard’s grey eyes crashed into mine with such intensity the world threatened to fall away. Like storm clouds. His lip curled and heat crawled up my neck. I was still on my knees, wearing nothing but a slip.
