CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
32
Elara
As a virgin, a perpetual storm of questions churns within me.
What does it mean to remain eternally unblooded? And how does the shattering of such innocence differ between human and vampire?
Human virgins, so I’ve observed, approach their first time with a hesitant grace, a slow dance of exploration.
Vampires, however, are a different breed. We are creatures of raw power, our desires as swift and brutal as a winter storm.
The very notion of gentleness seems alien. Perhaps the lack of blood coursing through our veins dulls the sensation of sexual hormones, but every vampire is an anomaly. Some might find drinking blood, human or synthetic, better, while others believe sex makes them feel the blood of their prey before devouring them.
Take Viktor, the Prince of Pride, for example. He doesn’t engage in carnal desires like the rest of his brothers. Never have I witnessed him partake in such activities. Blood, for him, appears to be the sole sustenance.
That leaves me wondering: do I really want to remain a virgin? From my encounter with Xul has awakened a yearning I can barely contain. My body, my blood, every fiber of my being screams for release.
But then there’s Xul himself. How he manages to maintain control amidst those tantalizing fairies is beyond me. Their diaphanous wings flit around him like mischievous butterflies, their laughter a constant temptation. My mind, usually sharp as a whetstone, has become frustratingly hazy, consumed by forbidden fantasies.
“Keep your eyes shut!” chirped the pixies flitting around me like overzealous gnats. Where is Xul and these impish creatures taking me? He hasn’t uttered a word in what feels like an eternity. Not knowing where we’re going is driving me crazy. This suspense is gnawing at my sanity. My destination… his bedchamber? Gods, why can’t I focus on anything else? My body aches for the very thing I deny myself: the forbidden pleasure of sex. Alright, new train of thought… perhaps he’s leading me to –
“You may open them now,” the pixies announced, snapping me from my spiraling thoughts. Relief washed over me. I blinked my eyes open, and what a sight greeted me.
I stood atop a mountain, a breathtaking vista unfolding before me. A crystal-clear lake tumbled down a cascading waterfall, shimmering in the fading sunlight. And in its depths… merfolk? Were those mermaids and mermen cavorting in the shallows? Surely my eyes deceived me. Yet, there they were, a shimmering tapestry of beauty and raw sensuality.
Their scales shimmered like jewels, their alluring forms a testament to their aquatic grace, their bare chests gleaming in the dying sun. Some coyly veiled their nipples, while others displayed them with unbridled pride.
Their shimmering tails like that of jewels whipped through the water as they interacted, some in a manner that suggested this was their form of courtship – a mesmerizing dance of interlacing tails.
One merman, with a sculpted torso that rivaled a god’s, grazed his lips against a mermaid’s exposed breast. Mating, I presumed, my pulse quickening.
And Xul… well, Xul sat upon a throne sculpted from solidified ice, a vision both ethereal and powerful. Undoubtedly a conjuring of his magic. Fairies, some inexplicably human-like and shockingly nude – oblivious, I supposed – flitted around him, refilling a goblet with a crimson liquid. Blood? Or a potent Fae brew? Whatever it was, I fervently hoped it wasn’t true blood. Resisting its allure was a constant battle.
Is this what Xul wanted to show me? I sighed in relief. At least I wasn’t trapped in his austere chamber; that, at least, was a victory. As for the view, well, let’s just say it was breathtakingly beautiful. Refreshing, even. Except for the, ahem, gratuitous display of naked fairies, mermaids, and – mermen? A flicker of amusement danced in my eyes. Mermen weren’t unwelcome company, although the lack of legs did hamper their aesthetic appeal. Still, a view was a view, and it was clear Xul had a penchant for the spectacular. Though, that stoic facade of his never seemed to waver – infuriatingly so.
“Allow me to introduce you to the others,” chirped a fairy, her voice tinkling like wind chimes. I hoped fervently she wouldn’t feel the urge to transform. Too late. In a flash of iridescent light, she materialized before me, a vision of her previously translucent form solidified, dark crimson hair cascading down her back like a curtain of wine. Her skin, the color of deep tan, contrasted beautifully with her captivating champagne-colored eyes. A goddess, that’s what she was. Absolutely captivating.
But something had shifted. A curious tingle coursed through my veins. Oh yes, I could understand her now. Where once the fairies’ whispers were gibberish to my ears, I now comprehended Sukihanna’s every word.
“I can understand you!” I exclaimed, turning to face the fairy. “And I recognize you – Sukihanna, wasn’t that the name Xul used?” One thing I prided myself on was an exceptional memory for faces and names. However, my introduction seemed to fall on deaf ears. Sukihanna, if that’s her name, with an air of practiced theatricality, swept her arm towards the gathering crowd.
But to my surprise, the fairy ignored my greeting, her focus shifting as she swooped down towards the assembled group.
“Elarabeth Vance, everyone!” Sukihanna declared with a flourish. “The newest member of our…eclectic family!”
“Just Elara Vance,” I muttered under my breath, correcting Sukihanna. A beat of silence followed, and she simply swept on, ignoring my correction. Rude much? Did she genuinely not understand, or was she playing a little game of “pretend confusion”? Perhaps she was still miffed about the pixie incident. I’d apologized for mistaking them for their smaller, flitting cousins, but fairies could hold a grudge like nobody’s business.
Suddenly, the air crackled with a different kind of tension.
Once Sukihanna introduced me, the entire gathering seemed to fix their attention on me.
Whispers flitted through the air like mischievous pixies themselves. Nothing new there, I mused, accustomed to being the center of attention.
But then, my gaze landed on a vision unlike any I’d ever encountered.
A white-blonde merman, sculpted perfection from head to tail, held court with a gaggle of mermaids clinging to him like barnacles, their fingers tracing his physique possessively.
Two more mermaids hovered nearby, their eyes locked on him.
He punctuated his charm offensive with a wink in my direction, a devilish lick of his lips following suit. Merciful gods, the entire lake seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly allure. Every ripple of their tails, every glint of their scales, sent a tremor through me. This particular charmer, with his suggestive tail-flipping, was practically beckoning me into the cool embrace of the lake. Highly tempting.
As if sensing my burgeoning interest, Sukihanna interjected, her voice laced with a pointed warning, “Elarabeth is taken by Godmaster Xulin. Off-limits, if you will.”
Wait. What?
Taken?
“I’m not taken by anyone—” My words tumbled out, meant for Sukihanna, but she had already turned her back and glided away. Rude, twice over. I swiveled towards the white-blonde Adonis, only to find his attention diverted. No more winking, no more suggestive tail-flicking. Now, he was completely engrossed with the gaggle of mermaids fawning over him.
Had Sukihanna’s little announcement put him off? I scoffed at the thought. I’m still a vampire; I could charm him. But when a siren merman is notorious for their ability to captivate humans, leading them to a watery demise or worse, I doubted my powers could work on him. Great. Just freaking great. So everyone here just bowed down to the almighty Xulin.
A flicker of annoyance sparked within me as Xul retreated back into his stoic shell. I much preferred him when a smile graced his lips. And of course, he wasn’t looking away. Not with me in his line of sight. I thought the endless parade of “views” would distract him – Sukihanna had even joined the throng of fairies fluttering around him, a swarm drawn to the irresistible god. Yet, even amidst the feminine frenzy, his gaze remained stubbornly fixed on one figure: me.
I let out a defeated sigh.
A voice, melodious and teasing, broke the silence. “Well, hello there, newcomer!” A woman emerged from the shimmering surface of the lake, her tail dissolving into shimmering water droplets the moment she stepped onto the shore. With a confident sway, she moved towards me, the very picture of a goddess – feline eyes, full lips, and an aura of otherworldly beauty.
“Hi...” I ventured, returning her stare as she closed the distance between us. The way she awkwardly navigated on her feet – clearly more accustomed to the graceful flow of her tail – brought a small smile to my lips.
“Godmaster Xulin doesn’t just welcome anyone here,” she began, circling me like a wary predator assessing its prey. “You must be special, or perhaps Godmaster Xulin’s paramour.”
I stifled the urge to correct her – arguing semantics wouldn’t serve me now.
“So, should I bow down at your feet or something?” she inquired with a sardonic edge.
“Oh, heavens no!” I interjected. “I’m no different from you, truly.”
She misunderstood. “A mermaid?!”
“Not quite,” I replied.
“A fairy, then?” she pressed, continuing her slow circumnavigation.
“Neither,” I denied.
“Well, you certainly don’t look like a fairy,” she huffed, pausing in her circling as she brought a hand to her jaw. “Then what are you?”
Taking a deep breath, I met her gaze head-on. “Vampire,” I admitted.
“A vampire, huh?” Her eyes narrowed playfully. “Where are your fangs?” she teased, leaning in a shade too close. I instinctively took a step back.
“Hidden, for now,” I mumbled, feeling a blush creep up my neck at her unexpected compliment.
“Wow,” she breathed, her eyes sparkling. “Now that I see it, your pale skin is... rather striking.”
A light blush warmed my cheeks. “Thank you. You’re quite lovely yourself,” I offered, returning the compliment as she continued her forward march.
“Welcome to our little haven, Elarabeth,” she announced, her voice brimming with a strange mix of pride and defiance.
“Just Elara will do,” I countered, a sardonic smile playing on my lips.
She arched a single eyebrow, her smile laced with amusement. “Elara? But Godmaster Xulin—” a flash of white teeth peeked through her lips, “—insisted we address you as Elarabeth.”
Damn Xul. That was his doing, of course.
“And I suppose you can’t disobey Godmaster Xulin, can you?” I raised an eyebrow, a challenge gleaming in my eyes.
Her smile widened, mischievous. “Precisely,” she purred.
Frustration prickled under my skin. “Fantastic,” I muttered under my breath in clenched teeth.
Silence descended, though not the kind that stifled. The background symphony of splashing water, echoing laughter, the rhythmic beat of tails and wings, and the enchanting melody of a siren weaving a spell with their voice filled the air.
Yet, a heavy quietude had settled within me, a pause in the storm of emotions churning beneath the surface.
That is, until a damp sensation startled me back to reality. A kiss. Not on my cheek, not anywhere suggestive, but squarely on my lips. I recoiled instinctively, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I whipped my head around, ripped from my thoughts, only to find the siren’s lips planted squarely on mine. With a jolt of surprise bordering on disgust, I shoved her away.
“What in Poseidon’s beard was that for?” I demanded, my voice taut with a mixture of shock and rising nausea.
The mermaid, her expression unreadable, simply offered a playful wink before diving seamlessly back into the water, her tail shimmering as it magically reappeared.
Great. Just another social faux pas, à la Sukihanna.
“A siren’s kiss is a token of affection,” a voice materialized beside me. Xul. Of course. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I hadn’t heard him approach. I swiped the back of my hand roughly across my lips, the lingering taste of freshwater a strange counterpoint to the churning in my stomach. So, a kiss for hello, is it? I couldn’t help but picture Xul and me locked in a similar embrace, only fueled by my escalating annoyance with him.
“Enjoying your, shall we say, ‘acclimatization’?” he inquired, his tone laced with amusement.
A frown creased my brow. “I thought I was here to serve my punishment,” I said, the words laced with confusion. “Or perhaps, fulfill the bargain I owe you?”
A deep rumble emanated from his chest. “You are. Your presence here is invaluable.”
I shifted uncomfortably, stealing a glance at the other mermaids giggling and exchanging playful kisses. “So, watching all this...affection...is part of my debt?” I asked, the word feeling strange on my tongue.
“In a way,” he replied with a noncommittal shrug.
Finally, I turned to face him squarely. Before I could stammer another awkward question, the breathtaking vista before me stole my breath. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed, gesturing towards the endless expanse of water. “The breeze...” I fanned myself playfully, a blush creeping up my neck.
His gaze met mine, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features. “Indeed, it is.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, and I quickly forced the blush down. “Have you ever...invited anyone here?” I blurted, hoping to distract myself from the feelings.
His answer was curt. “No.”
“What about your brothers? Surely, you could invite them?”
He hesitated, a shadow flitting across his eyes. “That’s not something I do.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, sensing a topic best left unexplored. “It must be… isolating, not having anyone here. But then again,” I continued, my voice softening, “this place is truly magnificent. So peaceful and invigorating.”
“I didn’t want to share it with anyone. Sometimes I prefer the loneliness; it makes me think of...” He trailed off, his words swallowed by a seemingly uncrossable boundary.
I noticed his hesitation. “Xulin Vimic,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “You shouldn’t be lonely.” My tone grew intense, but I softened it. “Look at all this,” I gestured again, encompassing the entire breathtaking scene. “You have everything you need right here. There’s no reason to feel lonely.”
A flicker of frustration sparked in his eyes. “It’s not enough,” he muttered, his jaw clenched.
“Why not?” I challenged, meeting his gaze head-on. Xulin Vimic clearly had everything one could desire. Surely, there was something he could add to make this paradise complete.
“There’s something...else I crave,” he confessed, his voice a low rumble. “Something this place, with all its beauty, cannot offer.”
Looking into his eyes, I asked, “What else do you want that isn’t ‘enough’?”
His gaze held mine as he simply uttered, “You...” The single word hung heavy, a surprise attack that shattered my carefully constructed facade. I hadn’t expected that answer, clinging to a different response that now seemed laughably naive. The truth, however, was far more unsettling – it was me. My cheeks burned as I tore my gaze from his, the next words forming a tangled knot in my throat.
“Elarabeth Vance!” His voice pulled me back, stopping me from looking down. “I know you feel it too. I know you want to bury it, and I know you’ll try every possible means to do so. But there’s one thing you can’t hide—the feeling, the emotions, the sensation, the quickening of your pulse. You can’t hide it all, El.”
I blinked rapidly, a battle raging within me. “Yes,” I admitted, my voice a mere whisper, “I can’t hide it, Xulin Vimic. And while I may try to distance myself, there’s one thing I can’t deny – the reason for this undeniable pull, the reason my heart threatens to betray me once more.” My gaze, as if compelled by an unseen force, met his. “Xul,” I confessed, my voice trembling slightly, “I like you. More than I care to admit. Being here… it’s reawakening feelings I thought I’d buried.”
And here, I keep falling all over again and again and again.
A guttural growl rumbled in his chest, his voice husky with raw desire. “El,” he rasped, the hunger evident in every syllable, “there are a thousand things I want to do to you right now. I want to explore every inch of that alluring body you try so desperately to conceal. I want to be consumed by you, to feel your heat against my skin, to taste your essence…”
We weren’t close, not yet. But somehow, I knew the space between us would vanish in the blink of an eye. His arms would engulf me, a haven of fierce possessiveness that promised to mend the shattered pieces of my fragmented heart.
Xul is definitely going to fuck my vampire-tight pussy ravishingly, that’s for sure. And I’m certain I won’t get the slow, tender, first-time treatment like a human virgin. A cynical part of me, a voice I often tried to ignore, whispered that I wasn’t even sure I was ready. But there’s always a ‘but’ in my mind, and this time, it’s that I want it too. Harder.
“I...” My voice hitched, the whispers of the surrounding fae reaching a fever pitch. Were they whispering about Xul and me? Gods, the heat crawled up my neck. I couldn’t even bring myself to articulate a complete thought, let alone confess these swirling desires in front of...whoever these ethereal beings were.
Desperate to escape the rising tide of emotions, I blurted out, “I need to leave.”
Xul’s dark eyes narrowed, sensing my unease. “Then let’s find a more secluded location,” he offered smoothly.
Location? No, that wasn’t it at all. When I said I needed to go, a desperate urge to flee my own traitorous thoughts had seized me. It was my usual coping mechanism, this desperate flight from vulnerability. But before I could stammer another excuse, Xul, with his infuriatingly confident air, spoke over me.
“...Picture a place in your mind’s eye,” he murmured, his voice a husky caress. “We’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
My breath hitched in my throat. “I... I don’t have a place.” Or at least, not one I was willing to share with him, or anyone for that matter.
A knowing smile touched Xul’s lips. “Oh, you do, little brat,” he countered, his voice laced with a playful arrogance.
My words died in my throat as the world around us dissolved in a swirling vortex of obsidian smoke. I braced myself for it to dissipate, revealing our new location, but it clung to everything, leaving me in a suffocating blanket of inky blackness. It wasn’t a darkness born of my thoughts; this was absolute, impenetrable.
Then came a hiss, followed by another, and another. My greatest fear. Serpents. It sent shivers down my spine. Were we… in a serpent’s den?
Every creature, human or vampire, has their chink in the armor, and snakes were mine.
A primal terror coiled in my gut, a cold sweat prickling my skin.
This had to be Xul’s twisted idea of a location, a cruel play on my deepest fear. “Gods above,” I muttered under my breath, the darkness amplifying the frustration in my voice.
“Is this truly the setting you envisioned for our conversation?” His voice materialized before me, somehow resonating in the impossible dark. It was even darker here than Draven’s opulent palace, darker than the abyss itself. Could my own anxieties have manifested this impenetrable void?
My vampiric heritage granted me a semblance of sight in such conditions, but without fresh blood, either human or artificial, my vision remained blurry.
The incessant hissing sent chills racing down my arms.
Six serpents, or maybe more, slithered around us.
The thought of their venomous fangs sinking into my flesh made me shudder.
“Get me out of here!” I choked out, a tremor in my voice betraying my fear. “I can’t stand snakes.”
“Relax, El,” he said, his voice surprisingly calming. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly, but not entirely. “They’re under my control. No harm will come to you.”
A seed of doubt remained. “And if I happen to annoy you? Will you unleash them upon me?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he chuckled, the sound somehow soothing the frantic beat of my heart. “I simply desired a private space for… a conversation.” Despite his reassurance, my breath remained shallow. Vampire, witch, what did it matter? This primal fear shouldn’t have gripped me. I was supposed to be the predator, not the prey.
A large hand settled on my shoulder, sending a jolt through me. Xul. His touch always intensified my emotions, and in this state of vulnerability, it threatened to unravel me completely.
“Calm down, Elara,” he rumbled, his touch sending heat blooming where his fingers grazed my skin. My trembling form collapsed against his chest, the solid press of his body grounding me. It was absurd. Xul and I were on the precipice of something unimaginable, and here I was, petrified by a nest of serpents. “I’ve never seen you so afraid,” he murmured, his voice laced with surprise. “I always thought you were fearless.”
“Even the bravest souls have their chinks in the armor, and mine’s no different,” I conceded, my voice a low murmur. “Even you, Xul, have vulnerabilities.”
A sly smile played on his lips. “Perhaps not,” he murmured, his hand trailing from my shoulder to my hair, his touch lingering. “You, Elara, are my weakness.”
A shiver danced down my spine. The path this conversation was taking was clear. Confession would lead to confession, and then we’d be tangled in each other’s arms, gasping for air and each other’s touch – a state I was already teetering on the edge of.
His touch in my hair amplified the struggle. Before my body could betray me again, like it had before, I forced out a question. “Xul, I think I need permission to leave,” the words tumbling out, laced with a desperate plea.
“This moment is too precious, Elara,” he countered, his voice husky. Every second with him intensified the pull, and I knew I had a limited window before I succumbed. Three deep breaths. Two. One...
“I want you so badly, Xul,” I confessed, the words tumbling out in a choked gasp.
“Then stop resisting,” he urged, his touch gentling on my hair.
“I’m trying,” I replied, the effort a herculean task. “That’s why I need to go.”
A flicker of frustration crossed his features. “I can’t deny myself any longer, Elara. I need you. Now.” His hand slid from my hair to linger possessively on my shoulder, a silent threat veiled in a caress.
The hunger in his touch ignited a primal yearning within me. Every fiber of my being craved his touch, ached for the sweet oblivion it offered. But the specter of past vulnerability loomed large. I couldn’t surrender, not if it meant falling into the same desperate spiral all over again.
“I… I can’t,” I choked out, the raw vulnerability in my voice a stark contrast to the burgeoning heat in his touch. Even as I yearned for him, a sliver of reason remained, holding the line against the tide of desire.
His voice, a husky murmur, sent shivers skittering across my skin. “Part of my offer, El,” he whispered, his hand tightening on my shoulder, “is that I want you. Grab onto anything you can feel, anything solid for just three seconds, and whatever’s in your grasp is what you’re going to hold onto as I take you in.”
No way.
He isn’t going to do what I think he’s going to do, is he?
My breath hitched. “You’re not...” surely not. The very thought sent a jolt of conflicting emotions through me. Desire flared, fueled by Xul’s nearness, but fear quickly doused the flames.
Xul, the alluring, enigmatic vampire, both a source of potent attraction and chilling apprehension. The one thing I desperately craved yet tirelessly avoided – intimacy.
Not just any intimacy, but the primal, blood-bonded kind that terrified me more than anything. This wasn’t going how I’d envisioned. This was a descent into the unknown. This was spiraling faster than I had anticipated. “Xul, we can’t have—”
“One...” He started counting. He was serious. His hand left my shoulder, sealing my fate. There was no stopping him, no reasoning my way out of this. My vampire virginity, it seemed, would be relinquished today.
“Two...” A curse hissed between my teeth. My eyes darted around the space, desperate for a handhold, a single point of focus in the suffocating darkness. The only sound was the unnerving hiss of snakes, a primal fear slithering up my spine.
I spun in a useless circle, searching for anything, anything at all, until a firm hand closed around my arm, guiding me towards... a table? Relief washed over me in a wave. A table. Thank heavens for a table.
“Three...” the word escaped his lips in a breathless whisper as my knees buckled, sending me crashing back against the table.
Xul was on me in an instant, his lips claiming mine with a possessive hunger that left me no room for resistance. Fuck. This was Xul’s kiss – a tempestuous storm that devoured everything in its path.
The urgency in his touch, the way he plundered my lips like a starving man presented with a feast, stoked a fire within me. Even with our enhanced vampire speed, I struggled to keep pace. He was a predator, and I was his willing prey.
“Decades I’ve craved this,” he growled into the kiss, each word punctuated by the frantic rhythm of our breaths. “Decades I’ve waited... for you.” He pulled back for a breathless moment, his eyes blazing with a feral intensity. “And you choose to torture me by withholding... your touch...” His voice trailed off as his hand dipped to the small of my back, sending shivers cascading down my spine. His grip tightened, a possessive claim. “...your surrender...” His other hand followed suit, finding its home on my burning flesh. The heat of his touch sent a jolt through me, a primal yearning clawing at the edges of my control. “...your blood, Elarabeth.”
With that, the dam broke. My response was immediate, a surge of desire meeting his urgency head-on. The kiss deepened, a desperate exploration fueled by a hunger that transcended the physical. “Take it, Xul,” I whispered against his lips, my voice thick with need. “Take everything.”
His hand left my back, a fleeting touch that sent a phantom sensation of fire lingering in its wake.
It reappeared at the zipper of my dress, his movements swift and deliberate as he tore it down with a single, brutal motion.
My body arched in response, a delicious ache pulsing through me with every graze of his fingertips.
“Beg for it, Elara,” he rasped, his touch igniting a blaze of desire across my skin. His hand skimming on my backside.
A strangled cry escaped my lips. “Gods, Xul,” I whispered, the desperation raw in my voice. “Take me hard.” It wasn’t a confession, not entirely. It was a plea, a surrender to the primal hunger that pulsed between us.
Although, I knew better than to expect gentleness. Even the way he unfastened the zipper on my gown was imbued with a primal hunger. He didn’t care if it ripped; all that mattered was the ravenous glint in his obsidian eyes, mirrored perfectly in the possessiveness of his touch.
The cool air kissed my bare back as the zipper snagged at my buttocks.
I wore nothing beneath the flimsy fabric, no bra, no panties—just a thin layer of fabric that did nothing to shield against the raw desire radiating from Xul.
He captured my lower lip in a searing kiss before murmuring, “There are two ways I play this game, Elarabeth Vance, when it comes to a maidenhead...”
My heart hammered against my ribs. He knew. All this time, Xul fucking Lin had known. No surprise there. Nothing ever escaped him.
A tremor ran through me at the realization, but before it could bloom into fear, he continued, a sardonic twist to his lips. “One, exquisite torture.” He punctuated the statement with a sharp bite on my bottom lip, drawing a bead of blood. “...And two,” his voice dropped to a dark purr, “even more exquisite torture.”
Xul’s eyes blazed with a possessive fire, his gaze lingering on the crimson stain before he leaned in, as if to taste, but I quickly sucked my lip, trying to hide the blood. He’d done it deliberately, the bite, to taste what I feared most – the lifeblood he craved.
A flicker of amusement danced in Xul’s eyes as he noticed my flinch. Did the thought of his lips brushing the tender cut on my mouth, tasting the metallic tang of my blood, send a thrill through him? A siren’s call, perhaps, a primal urge he couldn’t fully suppress.
“There are other ways to draw sustenance from you, Elarabeth,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble against my ear. He drew me closer, the heat of his body searing through my thin tunic. Our foreheads touched, a brief, unexpected intimacy that left me breathless. Then, a feather-light kiss brushed my brow.
“The time has come,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “to face your deepest terror.”
The hiss of approaching serpents filled the air, a sound that sent a jolt of primal fear through me.
My vision blurred, and I fought back a whimper.
His eyes, once tinged with amusement, now burned with a predatory hunger.
Two horrifying possibilities clawed at my sanity. Would he defile me with a serpent as a twisted audience? Or would their combined venom become his instrument of torture, a monstrous duet of pain?
All I saw reflected in his gaze was a chilling wrath, promising a torment unlike any I’d known.
I was truly going to feel Xul’s power now.