Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 26760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
The scent of his skin, rich and intoxicating, wrapped around me, pulling me deeper into the moment. I cried out as I came again. Aidoneus kissed me, swallowing each of my ragged breaths as he continued to make good on his promise of my body belonging to him.
I was on the cusp of surrendering to sleep's embrace when Aidoneus' fingers began to weave through my hair, drawing lazy patterns on my scalp. I didn’t bother protesting. After what we’d just done, him playing with my hair was innocent and the least of my concerns.
Just as I was about to drift off, his voice, cold and smooth, whispered in the dark. “I have one last surprise for you.”
Before I could protest, he was on his feet. I remained as I was, not wanting to move. His dark chuckle was what ultimately caught my attention.
“You won’t want to miss this.”
Hearing him say that had a small ball of dread forming in my gut.
His idea of endearing gestures seemed to come with chaos or bloodshed. Nothing with this man had been simple thus far.
Not even sex.
No, that wasn’t what we’d just done.
What happened between us was some kind of twisted need to fuck. I had never wanted someone the way I did him. I needed him inside me. I’d wanted it. And that heat…I could still feel it, just less intense. The warring between physical and mental left me almost as drained as he did. He had continued to make me come with his cock, tongue, and fingers again and again until finally allowing his own release.
I didn’t know what came over me and wasn’t in a place to examine my actions too closely without completely breaking down. I sat up, ignoring the aches in my body as best I could. I didn’t dare look at my neck right then. He handed me his black suit jacket before I had the chance to ask what I should put on. I could barely register the stark contrast it made against my skin as I pulled it around me.
The rhythmic crash of the ocean below filled the silence, punctuating each of his movements. He extended his hand, pulling me upright. My legs felt like jelly beneath me, but he held me firm, his grip unyielding. Without a word, he guided me to the suite's door.
As Aidoneus and I walked, cascading waterfalls trickled into pools, reflecting the pale moonlight, their depths seemingly infinite.
Marble statues loomed around us, their stoic faces turned to the night sky as if in prayer or lament. The air was fragrant with night blooms, their soft aroma enveloping us, and the gentle glow from fungi painted our path in ghostly luminescence. We reached a central clearing, dominated by a black marble dais. The blue flames from the torches at its corners threw eerie, dancing shadows across its polished floor. Above it, a gothic canopy stood sentinel, the intertwined vines and roses glistening in the shifting light. In the center was my surprise.
Ezra.
On the raised dais, he stood naked and visibly battered. His defiant eyes landed on me for a brief moment before looking away. Two imposing men stood on either side of him, ensuring he remained in place.
“What is this?” My voice was barely a whisper.
He slipped an arm around my waist and leaned close. “This is your final goodbye.”
“What?”
He kissed my temple and stepped away. “Ezra didn’t tell you he’d joined the Viel?”
I swallowed harshly as his rhetorical question confirmed my worst fear.
“He joined up with them and then got close to you, to get to me,” he continued.
My brow pinched, and I looked between the two of them. “What do you mean?”
Aidoneus stopped and stood so that he was facing both of us. “Exactly what it sounds like. Ezra was using you to get to me.”
Ezra didn’t deny or confirm the accusation, but his entire body tensed in anger.
I wasn’t naïve or foolish enough to take Aidoneus’ words at face value, but it was just the same for the opposite. My whole life seemed to be unraveling at a speed I couldn’t comprehend, and deceit and secrets were at the root of it all.
That didn’t matter right then.
Whatever Ezra may have lied to me about, I didn’t want to see him dead, but I had no idea how to save him from this.
“I…I don’t know what to do.”
Aidoneus tilted his head and looked at me with an inscrutable expression for a brief moment. “You don’t have to do anything. I will handle it all.”
“I don’t want—”
“Wait,” he interjected, beginning to circle Ezra, a sinister smile on his lips. “You know, he always believed you and he had something special. That he could protect you from the world's dangers. From me.” Aidoneus paused, and one of the Enforcers took a silent step back. “Look at her, Ezra. Isn’t she beautiful? Does she look like someone that belongs in the slums?” He gestured towards me, drawing Ezra's gaze in my direction.