They braid flowers in my hair and then drape me in a sheer red material. There are no fastenings, just a complex folding and gathering which covers my flesh, but the see-through material makes me feel more indecent than if I was parading around naked. This dress dares you to look at my body and hunt the curve of my flesh.
I glance at Marsha. She’s dressed in an identical black gown, her red hair hanging to her waist in a stunning silky wave. We share a look that I hope I can trust. The Duchess’s words confirmed what Poseidon told me, the Adam’s curse I bear is so much more, it’s both my death and rebirth. Mortality bears down on me with a new purpose. I can once again save everyone I love and put an end to this war once and for all. But at what cost?
For now, I just need to make it through the night without selling my soul to the devil. Archan is the man that will rescue me from the demons that circle my mind; he restores my faith in love, then tears it down with his actions, replacing the demons with his own.
“So, you and Duncan?” I ask, feeling a little nervous about what’s coming. Will they take us to the males’ huts as offerings?
She smiles. “No, not me and Duncan. We’ve circled each other for years, but for one reason or another the timing hasn’t been right.”
I nod. “And now?”
“Now, we have a night of sin to get through. If I am going to trust myself to anyone, it would be him,” she says, walking over to me and clutching my hand. “Tonight is an ancient dance of seduction. It’s about power. The men believe they have it, it’s the women’s job to take it from them. They want our submission, but the greatest thing about submission is it’s your choice. Giving you all the power.” She winks at me. “And you are the original seductress, Pandora. Never forget that you can have any male on his knees at your feet with a click of your fingers.” She clicks her fingers to make her point. I open my mouth to deny it. She pushes her fingers to my lips. “Just because you choose not to wield that power doesn’t mean you don’t have it. He might be the darkness you are drawn to, but you are the storm which consumes him. Never forget that.”
A heavy drum beat vibrates the wooden floor under my bare feet and the women erupt into excited chatter in their native language. “What’s happening?” I ask.
Marsha grins. “Time to wield that storm, Natia, and make him beg.”
I blink and they push us out onto the wooden dais, which has been populated with a circle of half-naked men chatting and laughing. Their voices die as Marsha and I walk between the small gap, other women dressed like us in various colors joining us. The beat of the drums thunders in my veins as I scan the hungry eyes and land on a pair of glowing golden ones. “What now?” I whisper. This is like turning up on stage, not having learned your lines.
“Now?” Marsha says with a laugh. “We dance. They watch. When the beat drops, you will choose your man for the evening. If they accept, they will kiss you. Simple.”
“That’s it?” I can do a kiss.
She shakes her head as her arms rise into the air and a wicked grin kicks up Archan’s lips like he can hear me. “No, then they have to prove they can make you submit. Otherwise they aren’t worthy of you—and another man may try.”
Something low inside of me clenches. I’m fucked. Archan’s eyes sparkle amongst the stars that he owns as I suck in a breath and lose myself to the beat. Despite my death, dancing remains a part of my heart. I find a freedom in the music that doesn’t exist anywhere else. My hands caress my body of their own accord, finding a rhythm. If the world is ending, perhaps this is how we should go out. The cadence intensifies, each beat sending a pulse of heat throughout my body. I arch my back, and let my wings burst open as the drums rumble faster. I spin, knowing I am getting closer to my target. Thud, thud, thud, then bang. I drop, landing in front of Archan in sync with the fading drums. His eyes are molten gold with desire as he studies me. A flash of uncertainty passes across his face, making me inch backwards.
He snaps his hand out and drags me towards him. Our mouths collide in a tangle of teeth and lips; messy and consuming, like us. His touch sets fire to my determination to take this no further than necessary. It burns down my barriers as he kisses me, not with the precision of someone aiming to destroy my resolve, but with the determination of someone declaring they would destroy the world for me. And with startling clarity, I realize this is what he means by my kissing him like I would go to war for him. I sink into him and he groans as my body softens against him. I mold my curves to his naked chest and chase the surrender he promises with every swipe of his savage tongue. He clutches my thighs and stands, my legs wrapping around him as he walks, never breaking the kiss. He stumbles into a hut, the door slamming closed behind us. My eyes snap open to find a hundred lit candles flickering around the room, petals like the ones in the bath scattered everywhere. He lowers me to my back on a bed of soft furs. The beast is giving me romance. He’d given me lust, endless pleasure, taught me more about my body than I’d ever known; but he’d never given me romance.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he mumbles as he runs kisses from my ear to my shoulder.
I blink at him. “What?”
“It’s enough to have you here in my arms for the night. It’s enough.”
I pull at his hair, forcing his gaze to mine. I search for the lie, for the master manipulator hellbent on ruining my heart. Instead, his honesty and the vulnerability in his gaze undoes me. That moment of uncertainty outside wasn’t about not wanting me; it was about this here. Showing me a softer side of him, a part filled with candles and flowers. He couldn’t have put together a better apology if he tried.
“I soaked in a concoction, which gave my clit an actual heartbeat, then you lay me down and kiss me like I’m your salvation and ask if I want tosnuggle?”
He quirks a brow. “I have also soaked in that concoction tonight.”
I take a peek at the black loose silk pants riding low on his hips, his erection jutting out against the thin material. Then I burst out laughing.
“Not exactly the reaction I want when you stare at my cock, Natia.”
I throw my head back and laugh harder. A loud booming belly laugh joins mine, making me peer back at the man that looks confused why he’s laughing with me. I wipe the tears from my eyes, trickles of laughter still escaping me as he hovers over my body. “I’m sorry, it’s just—they lathered us both in sexy juice, then you offer to, what? Spoon for the night with your rock-hard cock burning a hole in my backside?”
“I can reverse the effects, if that’s what you want,” he offers.
I shake my head and wrap my arms around his neck, dragging his lips back to mine. “No need to waste a good hard cock, Reinheart. Plus, I’m certain this need is only fifty percent horny juice. The rest is just us.”
“Say it again,” he rumbles as his thumbs graze over my nipples.
I arch a brow. “Horny juice?”
He shakes his head. “Cock, Natia, when that word leaves your pretty red lips, I want to slide mine between them just to ensure you know exactly whose cock you will only ever kiss again.”
I wiggle beneath him, dipping my hands into his pants and forcing the offending clothing from his body. He stands and lets them drop to the floor. He crooks a finger at me, a flash of what Marsha told me about being played out. Submission is power. Doesn’t mean he gets me on my knees tonight. I might have peeked beneath the surface to find his honest feelings for me, but he’s still on my shit list.
