"About?"
I sigh, tugging at my curls, "nothing I want to discuss right now. I'm going to shower." She doesn't argue as I stalk into the bathroom, turning the water to scalding.
Stepping beneath the stream, my skin recoils at the temperature, but I force myself to withstand it, needing something to distract me from what my friend said, or rather— what he threatened.
"You can either side with the queen, or you can be the man I know you are."
Except I'm not that man.
I've never been the man he's thought of me as. He imagines me in this distorted view where my lack of fighting back was a strength, that it was me rising above what my father put me through. Nobody is more aware of how monstrous I am than me. But the opportunity to end my father is too great a pull, and heshould know that. He was there — he shouldn't even question me on it.
With my skin feeling sufficiently raw, I stop the water and step out, snatching a towel off the shelf.
Eveera's underneath the covers, spinning her dagger between her fingers. Her head turns at the sound of my footsteps, those golden eyes dragging up and down my body the same way I’d done to her. She sets the blade down and rises onto her knees, crawling across the bed towards me.
She looses a tendril, tracing along the planes of my skin, the magic caressing every angry scar. Her perusal stops just above where the towel is tucked into itself. "Your head is very loud… princeling, for someone who doesn't want to talk." She murmurs, hot breath coasting across my bare skin.
"I don't want t-to talk…" I can't help the shiver rolling through me as the tendril teases the edge of the fabric.
"Fine, then we won't. We'll just—" her teeth graze along my collarbone.
I fist my hands into her hair and tug, forcing her chin up. "Tell me, beloved," I growl, my body straining at the sight of her tongue darting out to wet her lips. "Tell me you want this as much as I do."
The glint in her eyes flashing, "is it not obvious?"
My head shakes, and I tighten my grip on the curls. "I want more than your body, Nightmare…" I drag my lips against the softness of her cheek, inhaling her scent. "I want your heart." Her breath hitches at the request. I force myself to pull away, wanting to see the words leave her mouth. "I wantyou, all of you… just you, darling. But I need to know—"
"You need to know if my heart stops every time I look at you? Or how incredibly angry it makes me that it does a foolish thing like that? Because it does…" she breathes out, "it aggravatingly stops working every single time you're near me. My chest burnswhen we're a part, no matter if I am pleased or furious with you. And when you asked me… that night, to tell you that I hated you…"
"Yes?" I whisper.
"I lied." A single traitorous tear falls down her cheek, and my thumb swipes it away.
Bringing my forehead down to hers, I lay a gentle kiss on her lips. "Tell me… beloved. Tell me you love me — because I ampainfullyin love with you."
"And here I thought I was so transparent…" She exhales, and I take that as her admission and wrap my arm around her waist, sweeping her backwards onto the bed.
She rips the towel off my hips, leaving nothing but her silk slip between us, and I chuckle darkly. "I'm afraid I'll have to buy you two new ones now," I mutter, grabbing her dagger off the side table and slicing down the center of her slip. She shudders at the cool air hitting her skin, fidgeting beneath me.
My fingers push away the two sides of the fabric, exposing her completely to me. Her serpents coil along her curves, beckoning in response to my touches. "Damn vexing woman," I growl.
Eveera grabs hold of the back of my neck, crashing our lips together as she drags me down on top of her. I nudge my knee between hers and close the sliver of space between us.
Her groan of frustration when I pull away melts into a deep moan, my lips moving to trail along her jaw. My fingers dig into her skin, keeping her pinned against the mattress. She bucks her hips upward when I bite down behind her ear, sucking on the sensitive skin there while she whimpers.
I take my time kissing her, admiring her, savoring every inch of her.
"You will be my undoing." She whispers.
"I am already undone," I murmur, kissing her firmly again, the two of us melding together."I am already undone, beloved."
Eveera
CRASH!
The noise jolts me awake, my body springing upright, and my hand flying to where Rorinshouldbe but is very obviously — not.
THUD!
