Chapter 7
SELENE
My fingers trail across the bare, white walls. Bone, stripped of its flesh and bleached, is smoother than I thought it would be.
I try to steady my breathing as I take in the sights of Death’s study—the mahogany desk, the vase of deep purple flowers atop it, the leather chair that matches the black marble floors.
The fire roaring in the hearth does little to warm the room but it looks pretty, especially with the way the emerald eyes of the onyx serpents adorning the mantle sparkle in its flames. I move closer to it, willing it to be a distraction from the heady rush of magic washing through me.
To the naked eye, there is little light here, but I sense it in everything. The obsidian sky, visible through the domed glass ceiling overhead, screams for my attention. Thousands of tiny, invisible stars hide in its endless dark, each one beckoning me to uncover their light.
But these stars feel wrong. They are unlike any light I’ve encountered before.
Every part of me screams to unleash the full force of my magic, to release them from their eternal cages and permit them to ascend, but I resist. Acting on instinct is a surefire way to find myself back in Nobus’ realm before I’ve satisfied my curiosity.
Before I’ve shown the Dark God of Death what truly lurks in his shadows.
“You’re trembling.” Drayven’s voice is as cold as the room. His back is to me as he pours two glasses of amber liquid from a crystal decanter. “This should calm your nerves.”
He turns to hand me a glass and I force my face to remain neutral at the sight of the changed deity before me.
The hulking mass of the Dark God stalks toward me, his green eyes glowing eerily in the firelight.
Black tattoos spider across his hands and neck, crawling and twisting in sharp contrast to the ethereal sheen of his porcelain skin.
Drayven sets the glasses on the desk and removes his jacket. He rolls the sleeves of his shirt, slowly revealing more of the dark magic that decorates every inch of skin.
“Welcome to my home.” The Dark God smiles sadly, exposing the points of his now enlongated canines. Teeth designed to shred flesh in a single bite. “Things are different here, Selene.”
The way he tenses on the word different tells me all I need to know about how he interprets his appearance in his realm—how he expects me to interpret it.
I step toward him and trace the lines of ink on his forearm with my index finger. They retract from my touch at first before slithering inquisitively toward me.
“I like different.”
My eyes lock onto his and I feel the full weight of his piercing gaze—a gaze said to read the full measure of a soul in a single glance before passing judgement.
But the eyes staring back to me do not weigh if I should reside in the Fiery Lakes or the Eternal Meadows. These eyes are frozen, unreadable except for the tiniest spark of hope around the edges of his irises.
“Hold your judgment until you’ve seen my realm.” Drayven lifts the glass of amber liquid to his mouth, his rings tapping gently against the crystal as he moves.
I follow his lead, letting the whiskey warm me as it flows down my throat. “Show it to me, then. Show me your darkest night and I will show you the light.”
He shakes his head, scoffing softly as he takes the empty glass from my hand. “Confident, aren’t we, goddess?”
Drayven plants both hands on my shoulders as his shadows begin to swirl around us again. “You will find that there is only darkness here.”
I feel the wispy bands of his magic disappear. They fade into the tenebrous ether that surrounds us outside the confines of his study. Drayven’s hands slide down my arms, gripping my biceps to steady me in the void.
To him, this is infinite darkness. To me, this is merely an eclipse. Not everlasting, but a momentary umbra. My knees nearly buckle under the weight of possibility. This is not a directionless abyss. It is a blank canvas aching to be painted in ultraviolet light.
Drayven’s thumbs rub circles on my skin, mistaking my quivering restraint for fear. His breath is hot against my ear as he speaks. “Whatever you expected to find, it’s not here.”
“Yes it is.” My words fly out in a hushed, hurried whisper as raw magic floods my veins. It’s one thing to see the darkness through glass and another to stand in it, to feel it in every crevice of my being.
The sharp inhalation of breath shreds my lungs, my entire body quaking as the veiled stars reach a screaming crescendo. The sound of my scream rips through the pitch black as magic pours from my body with my exhale.
Dazzling rivulets of gold blaze across the obsidian sky, my power dancing through the fabric of the Under Realm. Spiraling gilded bands of light leapfrog across the night, illuminating the once-hidden stars. Blinding constellations now shine brilliantly against the inky backdrop.
“Selene.” My name sounds like a prayer as it falls from his lips.
Another wave of magic washes through me as more stars join in the symphony that begs for my light. I throw my head back as a sparkling column of magic erupts from my open mouth.
My entire body vibrates with power, somehow too much and yet not enough. I loosen every hold, unchain every restraint, as I reshape the Under Realm.
Drayven’s hands move to cradle the sides of my face and that’s when I feel it — the effects of what I’ve uncovered.
The blazing comets and shining orbs aren’t stars, but souls. Desperate, hungry souls searching for a way out of the eternal night.
His power is like ice, but it does little to cool my burning skin. Magic encases us as we lose ourselves in the intoxicating rush of our duties.
We work in tandem, lost in our own power. I light the path and the King of the Under Realm, the Reaper of Souls, and the Lord of Darkness shepherds them to their eternal home.
With each passing moment, our bodies inch impossibly closer. My breaths turn to pants as my blood heats. I bite my lip, absentmindedly rubbing my thighs together.
Light courses through me, unfettered and unmoored, incinerating my control. I am lost in the haze of immortal power, captivated by the forbidden god who holds me, and desperate for release.
My hand trails between us, my fingers eager to provide what I seek. Drayven’s hands slide from my face, tracing every curve on their descent to stop my needy fingers. His touch is cold as he pulls my hand away from my body.
My eyes fly open, locking onto his, my own spark of need reflected as he takes a step back.
A large, ornately carved chair appears behind him.
A stunning ivory moth is inlaid in the ebony wood, its long hindwing tails trailing from the sigil to frame the monarch’s head.
All-seeing eyes of sparkling emerald adorn the four grand wings.
The King of the Under Realm sits on his throne in a single, fluid motion, his hungry eyes never leaving mine.
With one crook of his fingers, he motions me forward. Lifting the golden silk of my gown, I crawl over him, dropping to one knee at a time as I slowly straddle the Dark God.
He grips my hips, his strong fingers digging into my soft flesh so hard a mortal would bruise. Drayven tugs me closer, my hips rolling over the hard press of him as he nips at my ear.
“Use me.”
Two words. A plea or a command, it matters not. The magic that brought me to this point still rages in my veins, still screams at me to use more until both my power and my body are spent.
I move against him, writhing in his lap as power floods out of me in golden waves. More and more of the endless chasm of black yields to my light.
Drayven never moves, the pressure of his grip never loosening as he holds me flush against him.
His magical tattoos, however, have different plans.
They jump from the Dark God’s skin, forming vines to wrap around my limbs and rove over every inch of my body.
Inky tendrils dip into my bodice, caressing my breasts and plucking my nipples.
I moan at the welcome intrusion, further emboldening them.
The thick vines wrapping around the tops of my thighs slip further under my bunched dress, exploring my aching, slick skin.
But still I need more.
I feel the fabric of the Under Realm split—not much, but enough that the deity currently pinning me to his lap should be concerned.
I open my eyes to take in the glittering, iridescent aurora.
Glowing streaks of green and purple tint the white waves of the Dark God’s hair, but it’s hunger that colors his expression.
Drayven’s dark magic surges upward, the tattoos stroking my clit and teasing at my entrance as he urges me closer to oblivion.
Swollen and sensitive, I rush headfirst into delicious release as his lips find my neck.
The sharp points of his teeth scrape against my flesh as he drags his tongue slowly up the column of my throat, tasting the residual power on my skin.
I am breathless and wanton, shaking on the lap of the King of the Under Realm as reality settles in. This is what I wanted—to uncover the light, to shape and mold the darkness, to remake it and feed my power. And while what we just did wasn’t planned, it’s been brewing for a millenia.
Drayven releases my hips, his tattoos return to their place on his skin, and I brace for him to lash out and send me away for destroying his home.
“And to think…” He smirks. “I haven’t even shown you the darkest parts of my world yet.”
My mouth hangs agape at the reaction I didn’t expect. “You want to show me more?” I ask in disbelief.
Drayven rubs his jaw, the silver rings reflecting the light of my aurora as his lips lift into a predatory smile. “I will show you every unlit corner of my realm under one condition. The next time you come, it will be on my cock.”