Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“Do the Aeons suspect she’s responsible for the land’s deterioration?”
“Yes, though they don’t know how.”
“Did you tell your source there’s a curse at work?” If so, Cain would be pissed.
“No. That’s a need-to-know thing. He doesn’t need to know.” Azazel tipped his head to the side. “So, you took her home with you last night.”
“Yes, and I’d like to get back to her before she wakes up and disappears, so are we done?”
Blinking, Azazel pushed away from the wall. “Wait, she’s still here?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“My bedchamber.”
Azazel squinted. “As in your personal chamber, or one of the rooms you use for women you bring home?”
“The first,” Cain carelessly replied, going for aloof.
“Don’t act like that’s nothing, Cain. Our monsters don’t easily accept other people in their den. Especially for an overnight stay. Your creature didn’t fight you on it?”
“It likes having her where it can see her. Which is more about control than anything else. It wants to be able to see for itself that no other man is near her.”
“So it’s possessive of her?”
“It insisted on me plugging her.”
Azazel’s lips parted. “You’re serious?”
“It isn’t prepared to share her. If I hadn’t done what it wanted, it would have done the deed itself. Then it probably would have ended up killing her, though not necessarily on purpose.”
“Does she know she’s been plugged?”
“She believes it’s simply a barrier. Obviously, I can’t explain the situation to her.”
Azazel puffed out a breath. “I don’t even know what to say. I can’t relate at the fuck all to your situation. I know our monsters are territorial by nature, but mine has never wanted me to plug anyone. Is this normal for you?”
Far from it. “There have been times when mine has wanted me to plug other women, but it’s never insisted on it before. So the most it has done is sulk for an hour when I refused to act on what it wanted. It’s never been prepared to take the matter into its own hands before. I don’t know what it is about her that has it acting out of character.”
“It’s not the only one acting out of character. As far as I know, you’ve only allowed one other woman to enter your personal chamber—that was Ishtar. That didn’t end well. And I don’t just mean your relationship with her.”
No, he meant that Cain’s creature had grown to feel so much distaste for her that it had hated having a den she’d ‘soiled.’ That was how the monster had seen it. Cain had eventually had to switch chambers.
“If your creature decides it wants to keep Wynter—”
“It won’t,” said Cain. “In a few days, it’ll be bored of her.”
“But if it isn’t, if it does want to keep her …”
“She’s fucked,” Cain finished with a sigh.
Azazel gave a slow nod. “Yeah, she’s fucked.”
*
Walking through the stone corridors of the Keep, Wynter shook her head at herself. God, she’d actually passed out after sex. Like some kind of swooning maiden. How embarrassing.
Cain, being a person who seemed amused by other people’s discomfort, would for sure find her embarrassment hilarious. As such, she’d been kind of relieved when she woke to find he was gone.
After she’d dragged on her clothes, she’d exited the chamber to find Maxim waiting outside. He’d informed her that Cain was in a meeting with another Ancient. She wondered if it was Ishtar but then shoved the matter out of her mind. It wasn’t Wynter’s business.
Cain apparently also hoped she’d wait for him to return. Nu-uh. She had shit to do. And the more time she spent around that beautiful bastard, the more threatened she felt as a woman. Because with the power he could wield over her body and soul—bringing her a pleasure that no other man ever had or ever could—he’d set up a craving in her.
After thanking Maxim for escorting her to the exit, she left the Keep and headed home.
She walked into the living room to find Delilah organizing her for-sale cosmetics near the window.
Taking in the sight of Wynter, Delilah smiled. “Well, well, well, someone looks awfully well fucked. Had a good night, Priestess?”
Wynter shot her a droll look. “Don’t call me that.”
Snickering, Delilah glanced toward the kitchen. “You got those potions ready yet, Anabel? Customers will be coming soon.”
“I’m almost done!” Anabel shouted.
Delilah snorted. “You said that half an hour ago.”
“You can’t rush genius!”
Rolling her eyes, Delilah turned back to Wynter. “Quick warning, Anabel’s all in a tizzy.”
Wynter frowned. “Why?”
“Diego sent her flowers. He doesn’t seem to have realized why Anabel switched from a Nervous Nelly to a bloodthirsty bitch in the gauntlet, but it would seem he’s happy to roll with it. She isn’t sure how to handle the attention or acceptance, though. Given Cain all but dragged you out of the arena while giving you sex eyes, I’m pretty confident in assuming that he wasn’t put off by your vicious performance last night.”