14. Eve #2
“I vowed to protect you, Eve, and I meant it. Today I found more traitors and dealt with them. I will slaughter everyone who seeks to harm you.”
“I don’t love the idea of you spilling more blood for me,” I murmur, trying to refocus on Harven’s portrait.
The king’s eyes soften, but not enough to wipe away the resolve there. His tentacles slide towards me beneath the table. One lightly wraps around my ankle while the others skim over my calf and thighs. It’s a reassuring touch meant to ease my worry.
Is it wrong that I do feel comforted by his declaration?
Conflicting emotions war within me.
What would’ve become of me had I not been found? My stomach rolls at the thought. There is so much violence here. How can one male possibly shield me from all of it? I trust that Harven will.
The depraved things he’s willing to do to keep me safe enthrall that small, wicked part of me I left to die.
“This unsettles you,” Harven says.
I shrug, dipping into more paint.
“It’s not every day I have someone vowing to kill for me. That type of behavior in a human man would be a red flag.”
Harven inclines his head. His sandalwood scent invades my lungs.
“I’m not human, Eve. My world is a dangerous one.” He leans forward, eyes boring into mine. “I will not apologize for it. There is nothing I won’t do to protect what’s mine. And make no mistake, my little mate, you are mine.”
I swallow thickly.
“I’ve given you time—space—to adjust to your new life, but I will claim you. Sooner than you think.”
Warmth radiates from my stomach. My pussy clenches around nothing as my nipples become painfully hard.
What is wrong with me? I’m powerless to stop the desire from flaring to life inside of me.
God, I want him so bad. I know that it’s wrong. It’s too soon. If he asked to take me tonight, I’d still say no, but—
What if he didn’t give me a choice? What if I let him decide for me?
The dark thought takes hold even as I refocus on my painting. A lingering trickle worms into my stomach.
With determination, I set about finishing his portrait. Once I’m satisfied with how it looks, I turn it towards him.
“Ta-da.” I keep my voice light despite my nerves. “Do you like it?”
Harven’s eyes flare as he takes the canvas from my hand. His eyes rove over his face, painted in blues and greens. I think I captured his authoritative expression and the gleam of his eyes well.
As the silence stretches, I begin to get nervous. Maybe painting the king is considered rude. Maybe—
“It's wonderful, Eve. My mate is so talented,” he praises.
A tentacle suctions a kiss to my ankle as I preen under his wonder-filled stare. He sets the painting down gently, then gestures toward another canvas.
“I want one of you now.”
A self-portrait. I tap my brush handle along the table.
“I’ll need a mirror.”
Harven is quick to retrieve one.
Propping it up beside the canvas, I take in my familiar features and get to work. The tones for this painting are lighter than the ones used for Harven’s. Where his was all deep blues and rough edges, mine is softer by comparison.
A contrast that accurately represents how the two of us appear together.
My eyes begin to ache by the time I’m done. It’s not my finest work, but a smile dances on my lips.
I set my brush down in the water to clean it. Painting has always brought me joy. That Harven found a way for me to have it here makes my chest painfully tight.
I turn the crude portrait toward him, and Harven’s lips curl. That’s when his eyes drift to the lower portion, and a snarl loosens from his chest. I giggle, feigning mock innocence.
“You’re naked,” he growls.
Indeed, I had forgone my clothes, but only so far as the upper swells of my breasts. Harven’s tentacles slip up my leg as he breathes through his nose.
“You can’t see anything, my king.”
“It will face the wall as it dries. No one will look at this but me.”
“As you wish,” I sigh.
Nodding in approval, Harven rises and stalks to the other side of the table. He towers over me. I’m at eye-level with the impressive bulge under his skirt. My mouth begins to water.
Harven’s fingers shift through my hair, lightly scratching at my scalp. I moan softly.
“Every part of you is warm like the sun,” he breathes. “It’s been an age since I felt the rays, but you burn with their intensity.”
His fingers skim lower, over my jaw, before curling around my throat. I gasp at the possessive hold. The touch is feather-light. It contrasts with the need burning in his gaze.
“I seek your light. The darkness in my soul wants to hoard it—keep it. Snuff it out until you glow only for me.”
“Harven,” I whimper.
“Your teasing, Eve. I don’t know how much more I can endure. Being near you and not taking you is shredding my self-control.”
Every muscle in my body clenches. His broken confession sets off alarm bells in my head. My illusion of power is only the one he gives me. If I keep pushing, he will snap.
Do I want him to?
I don’t. Not yet. I have to create some space between us to think before I get swept away by him.
I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. My hands move of their own volition, curling into his belt. They smooth over his skin as my pussy heats. I’m wet and slippery between my thighs.
Needy in a way I’ve never been before.
I need to shove him away—to fight these urges before I give him the one thing that provides me any leverage. I fear a refusal isn’t making its way up my throat.
Instead, the need to have him take me atop the table—amongst the paints where anyone could walk in—begs to be said. Lust burns in my veins.
I tip my face up towards him. His eyes flash with satisfaction. Tentacles curl around my arms and lift me towards the lips I’ll spend the rest of my life hungering for. This is wrong. I can’t do this.
His warm breath bathes my mouth. I await his desire to swallow me whole.
The room's doors burst open. Harve snarls and quickly stows me behind him. I stand on the bench to peer over his shoulders as his tentacles wrap protectively around me. Readying to snatch me away at the first sign of danger.
Two sharkin guards appear, pale and damp. They tremble under the force of Harven’s stare. Will he kill them for interrupting us? He looks poised to, my demanding male.
“I gave strict instructions not to be disturbed,” Harven growls.
Liquid arousal slides down my inner thighs at his commanding tone. I’m totally fucked. There’s no helping it. I’m just as wicked as I’ve always feared.
“Apologies, my king,” says the guard on the right. “We have located more detractors. Evidence of their crimes has been collected, and they await your judgment in the throne room.”
The air turns cold. Harven’s icy rage is a palpable entity in the room. I shiver behind him, my hands bracing against his muscular back.
“Go,” Harven commands. “I will be in shortly to deal with them.”
Once the guards are gone, Harven’s tentacles peel away from my body, leaving behind gentle nuzzles of comfort. He lowers me to the floor and cups my face. Anger and anguish play out across his harsh features.
“I’m sorry for cutting our date short, my mate. This isn’t the ending for it I had intended.”
I place my hands atop his. We’ve hardly had any time tonight.
“It doesn’t have to be over.”
His brows lower.
“What are you saying?”
What am I saying? The words have a mind of their own, forcing their way out.
“Take me with you.”
Harven shudders. He shakes his head sharply, his fingers digging into my skin.
“I—I don’t want you to see the male I have to become, Eve. Hearing about the violence I inflict on those who seek to harm you is one thing. Seeing it is quite another.” His thumb trails over my lips. “I don’t want you to fear me.”
I drop my hands to his stomach and hold his gaze.
“I have to see this, Harven. I want to know every part of you. It’s the only way things between us will work.” My fingers grip his belt. “If you want me to be your queen, I’ll have to see what it’s like firsthand.”
I mean the words even as uncertainty grips my heart. I have to see the depths he’s willing to go to protect me. I can’t shy away from it, not if I want us to have a future.
More than that, this brief reprieve will give me a chance to think. I nearly got lost in him a moment ago. Perhaps seeing the cruelty he is capable of will quell some of my desire. It will ensure I think twice before inviting him into my bed.
I need to see him in the most monstrous light if we are to spend our lives together.
“Be certain, Eve.”
“I am.”
His tentacle shackles my wrist. A possessive hold that makes my inner thighs press tightly together. There’s no stopping this. I made my choice. I have to see it through.
Turning us from the room, he tucks me into his side. Deadly power radiates off him in oppressive waves. Cold menace encircles him. The servants know better than to meet his gaze as we pass by.
As we head towards the throne room, I can only pray that I’m not making a mistake. The gentle Harven who eats dinner with me and calls me beautiful is long gone. King Harven is at my side, ready to remind everyone how he secured his throne.
Can I really love a male as ruthless as Harven? Can I welcome such a bloodthirsty creature into my body?
I’m about to find out.