Chapter 22 #2
I would have screamed, but the throat compression wasn’t giving me that option.
The world started spinning, unless that was us in the pond, and the sky turned black, the pond glowed red, and all in all, it wasn’t how I’d imagined this would go.
He sat up, holding me by the neck so I slid down his chest and onto his lap, but not into the icy water. No, the water was steaming now. Boiling. Yeah, that wasn’t going to be a good thing to fall into.
His tail came out of my back, twisting around until it curled around his shoulders, barb near his mouth. He licked my blood off his tail then gave me a smile of absolute diabolical proportions.
“Such sweet blood. I will destroy worlds with the power in it.” His voice was a rumble of doom, rage, and destruction.
I tugged on his hands, still around my throat. “My blood wasn’t part of the deal,” I whispered.
A flicker of annoyance passed over his face. “I made a deal with you? What did you ask for? Immortality?”
“I asked for my father. You had him in a cage. Do you seriously not remember?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And your soul bit me. That wasn’t part of the deal.”
He blinked, studying me for a long time before he blinked again and actually looked around at the cliffs now echoing the color of the bolts of red lightning that streaked the black sky. His eyes stopped on the fallen fairy king.
“His blood is mine. I didn’t make a deal with him.” He glanced at me like he was waiting for me to contradict him.
I put my palms to his cheeks. “You don’t remember me? Not at all?”
He slid his hands from my throat to my face, staring at me until his expression shifted to something hot and soft. The look made me aware of his bare skin, my wet clothes, and how lonely and cold I was. He would make me so warm.
I pulled away and almost tumbled into the steaming, boiling red water. Maybe not water. He caught my waist and tucked me close to his chest.
“You’re mine,” he murmured, arms wrapped around me, hands smoothing over my arms, throat, face, like he needed to touch every piece of me.
“No, I’m not. I mean, we have a deal, but that doesn’t mean that you own me.” I pushed away from him by putting my hand on his chest, and there, beneath my palm was the steady throbbing of his heart.
I beamed at him, so happy and relieved that I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.
He held me around the waist and kissed me back. Finally, it wasn’t like kissing a corpse! He tasted like burnt caramels with a hint of treachery and betrayal.
I pulled away, and his eyes were open, like he’d kissed me without closing them. Who did that? The way he was looking at me was amused, not like he used to look at me, so soft and sweet.
“Sorry about that,” I said stiffly. “I’m just happy that your heart is beating. Okay. Would you please put me down on the shore? You could paddle over there then I’ll climb off you.”
He showed a flicker of irritation before he shook his head. “Are you sorry? You’re a peculiar creature. I can’t remember the last time a female was sorry to kiss me.”
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Seriously? Now the heart’s entirely in control? Where are his memories? They should be happily resting in his brain. Get them back!”
He smiled, the same devilish smile that didn’t quite fit on my sweet darling’s face. “I don’t think so. He’s too foolish about you. Don’t you see? You’re the reason he ended up in this place, at the mercy of the merciless.” He glanced over at the fallen fairy king.
“Fine. Then put me down and let me get back to work.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Snuggling isn’t part of the deal.”
“You climbed on top of my mostly naked body and kissed me. You’re right, that wasn’t part of the deal, but it was your choice, and it would be unnatural not to take advantage of it.”
I slapped him as hard as I could.
He blinked at me, curious. “What was that supposed to do?”
Other than hurt my hand? I winced and cradled it to my chest. “I need to get out of here before the fairy king wakes up!” Also, and more importantly, before he kissed me again and I lost my mind and heart and soul and blood, and whatever else he wanted to take from me.
His smile became sharper. “He’s never going to wake up. He touched you, and you are mine.”
“Just because we made a deal doesn’t make me yours!”
“Prove it.”
“Divinity!”
The rabbit leapt from the shore, a beautiful bright falling star, landing between us, digging his little claws into my legs.
The devil looked at the judgmental rabbit, who was indeed giving the skunkest eye I’d ever seen. “That is far too healthy to be half a soul.”
“I’ve been feeding him my love. Also my blood. Not feeding him my blood, just sometimes he bites me against my will. I definitely don’t encourage it.”
“Hm.” He grabbed me around my waist and spread his enormous wings. We rose from the water, red liquid rolling off his body and dripping into the steaming, bubbling pool beneath us.
We floated to the shore then he touched down, clawed toes in the thick grass. He didn’t put me down, though. He moved me to his side, arm around my waist, and my feet dangled.
“Put me down!” I struggled, kicking and elbowing him, but it was like he didn’t notice.
His low, silky voice was amused. “Use your wings if you want to float, but I’m not putting you down. Perhaps ever. Blood like yours is worth worlds. If you let my soul drink, that’s consent. Your blood is mine.”
I glared up at him, but it was such an awkward position. He was much larger than he’d been before I gave him his heart. Hopefully, he shrank back up after this was all over. Things would go back to normal, wouldn’t they? I needed my sweet devil back.
He placed one bare foot with curved claws on the fairy king’s chest. “How shall he die?”
“You can’t kill him!” I said quickly.