I’d never had a man look at me with such ferocity. Dray’s gaze held the promise of sex, and he didn’t search my expression for agreement, but I found an unexpected warmth curling in my core.
“How about we make a bargain, Elys?” He sliced off the remainder of my clothes. The linen band fell first, and the white breeches settled over them. Dray kicked the garments out of the way, causing my weight to pull on my arms as he forced the dress from under my feet.
The draft of the room cascaded over me. I’d once fallen in a frozen pond while escaping from one village to the next, but that had been warmer than exposing my body to the Reaper.
Dray threw the dagger to the ground and the pointed tip stabbed into the floorboard several feet away. He turned back, consuming my form with a fiery gaze that promised much, much more than I imagined.
He pulled off his undergarments, tossing them over his armor on the bed. The hardness of his body sharpened in the flickering glow of the single lantern. Thin white scars peppered his shoulders and upper back, remainders of the bite of a whip. He’d said I was the only target to take his blood, but someone else had long ago. Tight bands of muscles joined at his stomach and trailed lower, where a generous cock stood already erect, waiting for me.
I swallowed, a gesture that did nothing to soothe my nerves.
He stepped to me. My nipples touched his chest, the slightest tingles slipping along the buds. The hardness of his cock settled against my stomach, and he tucked one knuckle under my chin to drag my eyes to his.
He titled his head and a single strand of hair grazed his cheek.
“A bargain then,” he whispered, smoke and lust wafting over us. “If you can ask me to stop, not only will I halt immediately, but I’ll let you go.” He raised his other hand and lingered the fingertips over my cheekbone. The confusing enjoyment of his touch mingled with my lingering fear. “I’ll tell the others you escaped, and I’ll never look for you again. Go on, Elys, tell me you don’t want me.”
Could I speak, I’d be equally surprised at what words would come from my lips.
“Nothing, then?” He trailed his finger down my cheek, sending a spiral of flames across my body. “At any time, Elys, the offer will stand.”
His hand stretched over my throat again, applying just enough pressure to tighten my breath, but not cease it.
“A collar, I think. If you wish to act like an animal, then I will treat you as one.”
The metal at his feet twisted again, and coiled up his naked leg, over his chest and down his arm. It flowed onto my skin and wrapped around my neck. It tightened to the same pressure as his hold, making me aware of each breath I drew and how quickly he could take them from me.
“Better,” he whispered.
Dray grabbed my hair and jerked my head as far as my bindings to the wall allowed. I tried to call out, but the curse kept my voice as silent as a summer breeze. Dray kicked my legs apart, pulling my arms again, and filled the vacated space with his body.
His groin caught against mine, and the head of his cock rubbed at my clit. Unexpected pleasure coiled at the contact. The mix of fear and desire might confuse my mind, but my body knew what it craved.
Dray’s eyes widened, and a twisted smile parted his lips. His other hand slipped between my breasts and trailed lower and lower. He cupped my sex, where his cool palm found warmth. “Perhaps if you had words, it wouldn’t be a protest from that mouth.”
I pressed my lips together. Though my body wished to betray me, I refused to give him the satisfaction of my thoughts.
He laughed away, low and throaty.
Dray abandoned my groin and released my head. His hands caressed my shoulders, resuming the light massage he’d begun earlier in the tavern. My stressed muscles groaned at the touch, softening with each careful swirl of his fingertips.
I’d been running for so long. Clearly, I’d neglected parts of myself that now reveled in contact. The faceless men I’d spent nights with in exchange for food for shelter paled in comparison.
Dray pressed his textured cheek against mine. His breath lingered in my ear. “It’s not a punishment if all you find is pleasure.”
I stiffened at the threat. The soft kneading found the mounds of my breasts and he cupped them with both hands. His thumbs slid underneath, propping them higher. My nipples perked in response and drew another smile from the Reaper.
“Let’s keep these here,” he said. “I like them higher.”
The metal coils returned, slipping up my feet, and brushing the places where Dray’s hands touched my breasts. They formed a loose underwire beneath them and wrapped over my shoulders to hold them up. The silver solidified into intricate floral straps, leaving a garment similar to a chest plate, with the breasts exposed.
Dray barely had to stoop to reach my nipple with his mouth. My breath hissed as he wrapped his mouth over me and drew me in deep. An etch of pain stretched around the growing pleasure.
He drew back, only to turn to the other. I let my head fall as desire and pinpricks of discomfort warred.
His mouth disappeared, replaced by the pinch and pull of his fingers. I looked down again, unable to stop myself. He teased at the nude buds until they turned a rosy shade from the contact.
Dray flicked his wrist, and a sliver of metal melted into his hand. A moment later, the metal crafted into a latched contraption with rather wicked prongs pointing inward.
