He continued, “The tales of the Red Woman still make rounds in Svealin.”
“TheRed Woman?”
“She wore a red dress with a red veil that covered her entire body and dragged behind her. Before she’d arrive, the room would turn red. People would scream just at that, knowing she would appear at any moment.”
“You two were terrible,” I teased.
He chuckled. “Yes, we were.”
“But over the years Alaric’s anger grew. My mother had told me he was my brother. She was a lot smarter than my father ever gave her credit for. She saw me getting close to Alaric and wanted me to know. In case anything ever happened to him. I told Alaric I knew about him and what our father did to his mother. I was the only one he could confide in about it. But it wasn’t enough. Rightfully, he could never move past what happened. He had nightmares every night. How could you not after witnessing your mother’s murder and barely escaping your own.” He scoffed again. His tone turned darker.
“I saw him slipping. Anytime he was around my father, he lost his grip on his control. He started talking about revenge. My father was certainly no saint, and we never got along. His policies were fucked and many around Dreigo wanted him gone. He brought our kingdom to power but at a cost that would never be worth it.
“My father tried to beat Alaric into submission. Force him into loyalty. But as Alaric grew older, he only grew stronger and more resentful. Alaric ended up trading information with the rebels who staged the coup. My father was killed that day. My mother fled. She had been ready to leave the kingdom for a while. She saw her chance. We were able to negotiate with the rebels to change policies and create a better system, that’s when Sindri took the throne. But after that night, Alaric disappeared. It was around the same time the portal appeared.”
“And he wants to rule over Kilthorne,” I murmured.
“Yes. I don’t know why he chose Kilthorne. Every kingdom on Dreigo fears him, and he has the support of the rebels. He could overthrow a kingdom here if he wanted to rule. I don’t know how he managed to open a portal, let alone even discover another world.”
I felt for Alaric. It didn’t justify all he had done, the lives he had taken, but at least now I could understand him or at least where he came from. What drove him to this.
And then I remembered his words that now took on a whole new meaning.
I know what it’s like, to have your own family be your end.
You are surrounded by people content to toss you out at the slightest crack. I was merely showing you how those that are supposed to love you truly feel.
I shivered at the realization, the sinking, the undoing, that maybe he really was trying to protect me, in the only way one lost to the dark knew how. And I didn’t know what to do with all that I knew now. Or how to move through the complications, the nuances of a mind overtaken by revenge and grief.
I turned onto my side, facing Sebastian. He did the same. The moonlight that spilled through the curtains illuminated bits of his face, casting the rest in shadow.
“You miss him.” It wasn’t exactly a question. I could feel it in his voice as he talked about him.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Do you think he will ever stop?”
“No.” And that word was anything but simple. Loss seeped from each edge of each letter. It burned, searing deep into bone. A branding. A tragedy. A complete loss of control, a terrible accident already set in motion, impossible to stop. A brother, a friend, he could never get back.
Before I could stop my wandering hand, I reached out to him. My fingertips ghosted across his temple, then I added pressure, gliding across his skin. Tracing his cheekbone, his jawline, back up, along his hairline, then I lost myself in his hair. Fingers tangled within the silky strands. A low growl rumbled through his chest as he suddenly snaked his arm around my waist, dragging me closer to him. Our bodies were still inches apart, but the heat between us filled the empty space. I ran my hand back down, cupping the side of his face.
His heavy hand remained at my lower back, gently caressing. His warmth bled through the thin silk of my nightdress, seeping into me. Our breath mingled. My eyes lost in the shadows of his, like two inky pools of black. And he appeared every bit of the demon my world claimed him to be, but I only inched closer. Slowly, my leg ran up his own, electricity sparking between us as skin met skin. I hooked my leg around his hip, and his hand ran from my lower back, across my hip, along my thigh, fingers digging in.
Suddenly I was on top of him. Straddling him. My aching center pressed up against his erection. I rested my hands on his firm stomach. He cupped the sides of my face, as if to keep me away, yet still possess the control to drag me closer. My hands slid up his stomach, up his chest. His warmth was addictive. The hard planes of his body. His soft skin. Without thinking, I ground my hips against him, gasping at the friction.
And then I was on my back. And he was over me. His massive form, half shadowed, looming. He spread his legs, spreading mine in the process as he settled between them. I clenched my inner thighs against his hips. He lowered himself, propping himself up, each forearm beside my head. I tangled my hands within his hair again. He rested his body over mine, his chest flush against me. I reveled in the weight of him. He could easily crush me, and that was oddly arousing. And his hard length pressed into my center once more. Imoved my hips against him, desperate for friction. But he pressed his weight into me, stilling me.
“You don’t want this, killer.”
I was lost in the shadows of his face. “I ...” It was a breath.I do. Did I?
He brought his hand up to cup my face. His thumb caressed my cheek once, twice. Until it slid down my neck, stopping at my throat, gripping tightly. “I’m the enemy, remember?”
No. I forgot. I’ve been forgetting a lot of things.
He dipped his head down, his lips over my pulse point. They were soft as they grazed over me, sending pinpricks scattering across the back of my neck. And then I felt the sharp points of his canines. He dragged them across my neck like a knife’s edge. I stilled. Completely frozen as the blood drained from my face.
“Now you remember,” he murmured, and I felt his smirk against my neck.
