So, what would make a man like that give up on his vengeance?
The answer was clear. He'd given it to me himself. Braxis wanted me to love him. If I loved him, it would be a huge triumph for him. He'd have the one thing that Malik prized above all else and he'd have proven that he was the better man—that even under these horrible circumstances, he could make me fall in love with him.
“Make me,” I whispered in horror.
Could the Silver Tongue force me to love Braxis? Perhaps it was especially telling that Braxis hadn't tried to use it that way. That might be taking it too far for him. He wouldn't be winning fairly. No, he'd want to win my heart himself so he could throw it in Malik's face. That was the complication here. This wasn't just about revenge against me, it was also about entitlement. Braxis didn't think Mal deserved what he had. He wanted to take it for himself but also prove that he was the one who deserved it. Or perhaps, this was about Lucifer. Maybe Braxis was persecuting Malik because it was the easiest way to get back at Lucifer.
So, how did I use this against him? How did I banish his need for vengeance and come out the winner of our war? Instead of falling for him, I had to makehimloveme. The thought made my hands shake and my stomach revolt. First of all, I'm not a seductive woman. I don't know how to make a man fall in love with me. I count myself extremely lucky to have so many men who love me because I have no idea how any of it happened. That being said, I can be methodical when I need to be and as coldly rational as Braxis. I needed to take what I knew about him and use it to wrap him around my little finger.
I had made a good start without realizing it. I had apologized but not groveled. I'd spoken to him honestly about my regret and been just as honest in how I felt about him. The vomiting may have been unfortunate or it may have played to my advantage. There was no denying that I didn't want a sexual relationship with him. Being as honest with Braxis as possible was key since he could force the truth out of me at any moment. So, I couldn't have gone the route of seduction even had I wanted to. Instead, I had to make him see qualities in me that he'd admire, all while keeping his interest but not in a sexual way. I had to be strong enough to appeal to his warrior nature but also submissive enough to let him dominate me occasionally. In other words, I had to walk a fine line between opponent and victim.
I grimaced at myself. I'd never been much of an actress but to get back to the men I loved and save an entire realm, I would put on the best performance of my life. I wrapped the towel more tightly around myself and stepped out of the bathroom to face my enemy.
The room was empty.
Chapter Thirty-One
Braxis didn't stay away nearly as long this time. He returned perhaps thirty minutes after I'd emerged from the bathroom. I'd gotten dressed by then and was patiently waiting in a chair by the window. I was exhausted despite my healing abilities—being immortal doesn't do away with the need to sleep, which is a mental necessity as well as a physical one, nor does it diminish the effect of stress. I wanted nothing more than to climb into Malik's bed and pass out but the thought of being asleep and even more vulnerable when Braxis returned made my skin crawl. Not to mention the fact that I'd likely be unable to sleep with that kind of anxiety anyway.
Braxis strode into the room with a large tray of food that he set on the bed. He went back to the open door to shut and lock it before he came up to me and lifted a panel in the wall between the two chairs. It folded out and up from the floor, hinged just below the window, and clicked into place to become a table. He retrieved the tray, set it on the table, then took the other chair.
“I thought you might be hungry.”
I blinked. There was no command in his tone—no resonant power.
“I took it off,” Braxis said to my expression. “I thought we could have a meal together without that between us. Plus, it makes eating far less enjoyable.”
A surprised chuckle escaped my lips and he smiled at it.
“Please,” he added. “You need to eat.”
I sighed. “Braxis, about the...”
His stare leapt up to mine in surprise. “Are you about to apologize for retching after I made you touch me?”
“No, of course not,” I said softly. “That was an uncontrollable physical reaction to betraying the men I love. I won't apologize for it. But I want you to know that it was purely about what you forced me to feel. That was a different kind of invasion, Braxis. Please, don't do it again.”
Braxis made an astonished huff. “Woman, you are the most frustrating and fascinating creature.”
“Am I?” I asked as I looked pointedly at the carafe of wine on the tray.
He laughed and poured me a glass. When he held it out to me, it felt like an olive branch. I accepted it.
“Most women would have cried. They would be huddled in a corner right now, begging me not to hurt them. Instead, you simply ask me not to do it again.”
“I don't think you give women enough credit,” I mused and then sipped at the wine. “We are, by far, the stronger sex.”
Braxis made an amused snort.
My stomach was still a bit unsettled but now it was from nerves. Would I have the strength to go through with this? What if it backfired and he raped me? I suppose that was what I was headed for anyway; he wouldn't be satisfied with masturbating forever. So, what did I have to lose?
“You are the first woman I've tried to take unwillingly so I admit that I don't know from firsthand experience how a woman would behave,” he muttered and started filling the plates. “I also admit that it hasn't gone the way I'd planned.”
“Oh?” I lifted a condescending eyebrow. “You expected to avenge your warriors upon my body and leave me sobbing in shame and agony—blood dripping down my thighs from the thrusts of your massive sword?”
Braxis had to set the plate down, he started laughing so hard. When he finally recovered, he shook his head and confessed, “I suppose I did.” Then his expression hardened. “And I still believe you should be punished.”
“And you don't think I've suffered enough?” I countered.
