My entire body vibrates with power, somehow too much and yet not enough. I loosen every hold, unchain every restraint, as I reshape the Under Realm.
Drayven’s hands move to cradle the sides of my face and that’s when I feel it — the effects of what I’ve uncovered.
The blazing comets and shining orbs aren’t stars, but souls. Desperate, hungry souls searching for a way out of the eternal night.
His power is like ice, but it does little to cool my burning skin. Magic encases us as we lose ourselves in the intoxicating rush of our duties.
We work in tandem, lost in our own power. I light the path and the King of the Under Realm, the Reaper of Souls, and the Lord of Darkness shepherds them to their eternal home.
With each passing moment, our bodies inch impossibly closer. My breaths turn to pants as my blood heats. I bite my lip, absentmindedly rubbing my thighs together.
Light courses through me, unfettered and unmoored, incinerating my control. I am lost in the haze of immortal power,captivated by the forbidden god who holds me, and desperate for release.
My hand trails between us, my fingers eager to provide what I seek. Drayven’s hands slide from my face, tracing every curve on their descent to stop my needy fingers. His touch is cold as he pulls my hand away from my body.
My eyes fly open, locking onto his, my own spark of need reflected as he takes a step back.
A large, ornately carved chair appears behind him. A stunning ivory moth is inlaid in the ebony wood, its long hindwing tails trailing from the sigil to frame the monarch’s head. All-seeing eyes of sparkling emerald adorn the four grand wings. The King of the Under Realm sits on his throne in a single, fluid motion, his hungry eyes never leaving mine.
With one crook of his fingers, he motions me forward. Lifting the golden silk of my gown, I crawl over him, dropping to one knee at a time as I slowly straddle the Dark God.
He grips my hips, his strong fingers digging into my soft flesh so hard a mortal would bruise. Drayven tugs me closer, my hips rolling over the hard press of him as he nips at my ear.
“Use me.”
Two words. A plea or a command, it matters not. The magic that brought me to this point still rages in my veins, still screams at me to use more until both my power and my body are spent.
I move against him, writhing in his lap as power floods out of me in golden waves. More and more of the endless chasm of black yields to my light.
Drayven never moves, the pressure of his grip never loosening as he holds me flush against him.
His magical tattoos, however, have different plans. They jump from the Dark God’s skin, forming vines to wrap around my limbs and rove over every inch of my body. Inky tendrils dip into my bodice, caressing my breasts and plucking my nipples. I moan atthe welcome intrusion, further emboldening them. The thick vines wrapping around the tops of my thighs slip further under my bunched dress, exploring my aching, slick skin.
But still I need more.
I feel the fabric of the Under Realm split—not much, but enough that the deity currently pinning me to his lap should be concerned. I open my eyes to take in the glittering, iridescent aurora. Glowing streaks of green and purple tint the white waves of the Dark God’s hair, but it’s hunger that colors his expression.
Drayven’s dark magic surges upward, the tattoos stroking my clit and teasing at my entrance as he urges me closer to oblivion. Swollen and sensitive, I rush headfirst into delicious release as his lips find my neck. The sharp points of his teeth scrape against my flesh as he drags his tongue slowly up the column of my throat, tasting the residual power on my skin.
I am breathless and wanton, shaking on the lap of the King of the Under Realm as reality settles in. This is what I wanted—to uncover the light, to shape and mold the darkness, to remake it and feed my power. And while what we just did wasn’t planned, it’s been brewing for a millenia.
Drayven releases my hips, his tattoos return to their place on his skin, and I brace for him to lash out and send me away for destroying his home.
“And to think…” He smirks. “I haven’t even shown you the darkest parts of my world yet.”
My mouth hangs agape at the reaction I didn’t expect. “You want to show me more?” I ask in disbelief.
Drayven rubs his jaw, the silver rings reflecting the light of my aurora as his lips lift into a predatory smile. “I will show you every unlit corner of my realm under one condition. The next time you come, it will be on my cock.”
CHAPTER 8
SELENE
The deeper we travel into the Under Realm, the more I’m certain Drayven expected me to run away screaming. But I don’t. The abysmal dark that permeates his realm only makes my power stronger.
I use a little here and there, but nothing elicits the same reaction, the same need from me that bloomed when I uncovered the veiled souls.
The grand slate staircase that descends from the King’s palace is now adorned with a starry runner of light. The boatman who ferries the dead across the blood rivers now has a shining, eternally lit lantern. No corner of this land will be without a touch of my power soon.
