Emmanuel punches the cell wall, and magic sears him. “Godsdamnit! Fucking hell, godsdamn—” My assassin stops cursing and screams his rage instead. His shredding voice echoes through the dungeon. The male finally settles and looks me in the eyes. His horrified expression stills the breath in my chest. “This is my fault. Inevershould’ve let you follow Balor down here. I will regret it forever.”
“We’ll be fine,” I tell him, trying to rally my composure and sort through our options before the full moon takes us.
“And I’m still second in Goreon. I have power here,” Del tells Emmanuel.
“Are you? Because you’re in the damn cell, too,” Emmanuel says.
“I’m here on purpose, asshole.”
I tamp a flattered smile. “Tell us what happened.”
Keeping his gaze averted, he says, “I was privy to the orders to lock you in here.”
“You can look at me,” I say, finally taking a seat on the cold, miserable stone.
Del drags his gaze across the cell, and the plum of his eyes darkens to a deep purple as they consume every inch of my skin.
My lips part and heat races down my core as he sits down across from me.
“You can look at me, not undress me with your eyes, Del,” I scold half-heartedly, although still desperate to subdue the impact of the most striking male I’ve ever seen.
Now isnotthe time.
“You’re already practically naked. There’s nothing to undress.”
And so is he. And he’s glorious.
I let my eyes snag on his abdomen flexing with his breath. There’s hard muscle everywhere, from his round shoulders down his defined arms, tendons and veins popping like he’s built for battle. His masculinity is ridiculously sexy, and his disheveled black hair adds a softened charm that makes me want to fold into his chest with his arms wrapped around me.
Del’s turn marks are on his right pec, and I wonder how it happened.
“Nice blades,” he says, eyes running up my thighs.
“Oh my gods, why are you in the cell?” Emmanuel interrupts.
Del doesn’t take his eyes off me, but his lips quirk in response. “Because I convinced the king it would be fun to rattle Veya by locking me down here with you,” he answers, eyes sliding back down my thighs.
“It’sQueen Veya,” Emmanuel corrects him. “Andhowdid you convince him?”
Del swallows as his gaze tracks up to my face. “Honestly, it took no effort. Nerian’s fucked up, and any suggestion aligning with that is usually taken. Although I didn’t think he would put me in the cellwithyou.”
I groan and settle my back against the stone floor to stare at the drab, leaking ceiling above me. Emotionally spent, physically on edge, and sexually flustered. Stuck in a cell with the hottest vampire in Goreon, and the Night Kingdom, for that matter.
On a full moon.
“Touch me and I’ll fucking kill you, Del. I won’t tolerate a mate in my life,” I say sharply, swiveling my head to look at him.
Del’s eyes jerk to mine. “Don’t think I don’talreadyknow that about you, Veya.” He settles onto the floor on the opposite side of the cell, his muscles flexing and quivering as he leans back on his hands. I stare at Del’s chiseled chest and then up at his ensnaring smirk above a physique sculpted by the gods.
The lonely, neglected pieces of me wish I could touch him. And that makes the sting of my solitude even more piercing.
“I’ll honor your boundary,” he says, breath billowing into the chill. “Hells forbid we create a bond we can’t run away from.”
“Chain yourself,” I command.
He huffs at me. “With what? Your panties? Like that’s going to hold in a dreamwalk.”
Emmanuel tosses two sets of restraints into our cage, and we both turn to gape at him.
