He glowers at me, but the spark of uncertainty in his eyes stokes a fire in my gut. I can practically see him thinking through everything that’s been said and revealed in this room, searching for when he let that key piece of information slip. He didn’t, and watching that dawn on him is the first piece in today’s game, because it reminds him of her.
Curio and I discovered early on, when Verus was still in the habit of asking us a question every time we posed one to him, that he was very interested in the fourth Scorpion. The one he didn’t know existed. The one who can heal by the light of the moon, just like him, it seems.
We weren’t sure if the healing thing was special to Auset or if there were others who could do it. Staring into Verus’s eyes right now confirms that it’s not just her. The fact that he watched her do something that we suspect only he and his people can do has sparked an obsessive interest in him that we’re going to use to our advantage today.
A knock at the door breaks up the tense silence, and I smile at the perfect timing. I rise to answer it, stepping out of the room and into the hallway lit by fairy light sconces spaced evenly on the walls.
“Finished with breakfast?” I tease with a sly smile, and Auset snorts.
She likes to pretend that she disapproves of my teasing Riall, but there’s always a smile curving at the edges of her mouth that gives her amusement away. She can’t blame us. Riall’s sudden over-the-top urges to provide, protect, and preen for his newBloodare absolutely fair game. He’s so besotted it’s fucking adorable, but cooking every dish Auset has ever liked and then trying to hand feed it to her is not going to be overlooked.
The first and only time he took something from her plate and lifted it sensually to her lips, I almost pissed myself from laughing. She shut down the hand feeding so fast, offended that he would take anything from her plate even though he was trying to feed it to her and not steal it for himself. It’s like his bonding instinct has forgotten who our feisty little mate is.
Auset rests a hand on Riall’s chest and pets him affectionately. “It was delicious as always. I’m completely stuffed.”
Riall grins but there’s a lascivious tilt to it, and I just know the lucky bastard fucked her on the kitchen table to help her work off some of that big breakfast he couldn’t help but make. I’ll have to call dibs on her and the table for lunch.
“You ready?” I ask Auset, jutting my chin in the direction of the door.
She nods, an eager twinkle in her eye, but I can tell she’s anxious too. There’s a lot riding on getting Verus talking. All of us have watched Auset silently struggle with the fiery need to find answers while trying not to get her hopes up. She deserves this, and we’re going to ensure she gets what she needs from this pissant.
“Ready,” Riall grunts, and I’m still struck by the physical changes in him since he and Auset first drank from each other.
It’s taking some getting used to.
We all researched what we could about female Sanguinna and Blood Bonds when Auset revealed she was one. There wasn’t an abundance of information. It seems most of the answers disappeared when female Sanguinna did, but nothing any of us came across talked about the changes their bodies would go through after they were bonded.
Riall got taller by half a hand and filled out even more. It was like he went through some final stage of Sanguinna puberty. His hair got lighter, more ash blond than the ash brown it was before, and there’s now a distinct silver ring around his pupil that fades into the hazel color he’s always had. They’re both faster and stronger now, although there hasn’t been much time to test the full extent of that.
“Still think this is the way to go?” I ask, not really questioning Auset’s plan but trying to help her feel as confident in it as she can before walking through the door.
“How fucked am I for being excited?” she asks, and I chuckle.
“Fucked up is my bread and butter, so you might be asking the wrong person,” I tell her, pulling her closer until her chest is pressed against mine.
I want to untie her tunic and suck on the tight nipples I can feel against my chest through our togs. Her pupils start to dilate, and the fact that it could be from either me or what’s about to go down with our captive does all kinds of salacious things for me.
“It’s good to do what you’re made to do,” Riall assures her gently.
I cup her face before she can get too caught up in her head, and tilt her head back. I want to sample her excitement, taste the hint of desire I see floating in her eyes and tightening her perfect body. I fucking love that we’re able to give her this. I was ready to scour the fucking realms and beyond to find answers for her, but somehow they fell right into our laps, like a mating present from the stars themselves. I want to live the rest of my days doing everything I can to ensure that Auset feels exactly like she does right now. Hopeful. Elated. Loved.
I deepen the kiss just a little and then pull back, my forehead pressing to hers as I fix a glamour in place. Her eyes and hair darken until they’re blacker than shadows. The skeletal mien rises to the surface of her skin as though its oil drops in water. My thura ascends and converges until she’s all Scorpion on the outside. She’s in a black fitted tunic and leathers, with Curio’s custom blades hidden all over her body.
I’m once again astounded that we found her, that she’s ours—or rather we’re hers as she likes us to concede whenever we’re feeling particularly possessive. I’ll never stop being in awe of that, because we are, in every possible way. We’re hers.
I squeeze her ass once for good measure and then give Riall his glamour.
“What no ass grab for me?” he taunts as I turn to go back inside the room.
I’m chuckling as I step through the door to find Verus intently watching. This chamber is warded, so sound doesn’t travel in or out of surrounding walls, but Curio has set out two other chairs for us, and it appears that Verus is eager to discover who will be joining today’s torture.
I watch him carefully as I step to the side to reveal Riall—although now he’s much taller than I am, so maybe it’s not much of a surprise that he’s standing behind me. Verus’s silver gaze dims with resigned disappointment as he takes my brother in. He must think we’re once again entering thebeat it out of youportion of his captivity.
Riall strides confidently to the seat next to Curio and plops himself down. Disappointment is quickly replaced by a flash of interest as Auset closes the door behind her and strides out of the shadows to stand behind the chair next to mine. She rests her glamoured skeletal hands on the back of the seat and stares at Verus for a second.
This is officially her show now, and I can’t wait to sit back and watch her work. We’ve discussed things at length, but all of us know, when it comes to extracting information from unwilling participants, things don’t always go according to plan. Mostly we just want to rattle Verus and see what falls out in the process, but I love watching her take control of her fate like this.
“I wondered when you’d show up,” Verus comments, and Curio raises an eyebrow at the brazenness he has despite our best efforts to wring every drop of hubris from the bastard’s body.
