The way he said it—subjects—made my heart skip. The beast was still a king, but not to me.
The friction between us grew maddening, every grind of his hips against mine fanning the fire inside me.
“What shall I call you then?” I breathed, moving with him, matching the maddening rhythm of his hips.
His eyes flashed, wild and bright. His lips curled into a savage snarl.
“Yours.”
“Mine,” I whispered, and the word left my mouth like a spell cast in the dark.
“Andyouare exclusively mine,” he growled, before crushing his lips to mine in a feral, bruising kiss.
It stole the breath from my lungs—left me gasping, lightheaded, hungry. When he finally pulled back, our bodies tremored with the restraint we were struggling to hold onto. His scorching gaze pinned me, devouring me whole.
“Iforbidyou to take lovers when I am away.”
The possessiveness in his voice was absolute.
The thought thrilled me.
But it also gave me pause.
Balthazar disappeared for days. Sometimes weeks. Once, he wasgone for nearly three months without a word. I felt adrift when he vanished into his cryptic sojourns—bored, restless,unseen.And it seemed only natural to let others entertain me in his absence.
Still, there was something more insidious now, something intriguing?—
Was Balthazar developing feelings for me?
And if he was…
Could I use that?
Could I turn his love into a leash?
He stared deep into my soul, as if reading my every thought. “Why weren’t you afraid when I slaughtered that woman?” he asked, his voice low. “Why did you lick the blood from my face?”
I tilted my head, cool and composed. “You had no other choice. That whore must have done something unforgivable to deserve it.”
His eyes darkened. “She killed her children.”
I didn’t believe him.
Not for a second.
But I didn’t flinch.
“You were too merciful,” I replied. “A woman like that deserved pain—suffering.”
He paused.
His gaze narrowed, searching my face for the truth beneath my words. “Do you think that?”
“Yes, my…” I stopped, catching myself, and bit my lip. “Yes, Balthazar.”
A stillness settled over the room.
Even the flames from the candelabras seemed to dim.
