Chapter 9 Oh, Lordy Be #2
I also didn’t understand why he had called me little Inanna. So, without taking a step closer like he asked me to, I told him,
“I… erm, I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”
At this, he smirked, rubbing his jawline before his fingers passed over his lips, as though he were holding back a laugh.
“Is that so?” he asked in an amused tone that sounded far too sexy than it should. It was also why I didn’t trust myself to speak, so instead, I confirmed this with a nod of my head.
“I am curious why it is you think so,” he asked, and the enjoyment in his tone was still easy to hear.
“My name is Eliza, not Inanna… although, don’t get me wrong, that’s a lovely name… who… erm… whoever she is,” I added nervously, making him grin fully this time, and I swear, I nearly gasped because of it. Goddess could anyone this handsome actually be real?!
“Eliza… um,” he hummed as if testing out my name for himself before carrying on.
“Well, little Eliza, why don’t you go ahead and tell me why it is you came here and graced my domain with your pretty presence?”
I blushed at the pretty part before looking around apprehensively, as if he was mocking me.
“Eyes on me, Inanna,” he ordered, losing that veil of gentleness as the edges of the lord sneaked back in, causing my head to snap back to his.
“Well?” he prompted, but all I could focus on was that he got my name wrong again.
“Erm, once again, it’s Eliza and I…” I reminded him, making his lips twitch deliciously before interrupting me.
“I know your name, little Inanna,” he told me, making me frown, and it must have been a comical enough sight that it actually made him laugh this time.
A rich, deep sound that, admittedly, had enough power to soak my panties. Holy Goddess, he was far too Gods be damned sexy. Every single inch of him had me afraid I would start panting. It also made me realize that it had been far too long since I had been laid.
“Okay, erm, not sure what to say to that,” I muttered, something that he obviously heard.
“Perhaps the reason you came here, like I asked,” he suggested, making me tense as I couldn’t tell if he was losing his patience or not. I then glanced around again, wishing now that Bo would reappear and make this explanation easier.
“Waiting for someone, perhaps?” he asked with a raised brow, and for a single heartbeat, I thought he knew the reason I was here.
But then, wait… hadn’t I seen him speaking with the man at the door? The behemoth who I had tried to convince to let me in. Did that mean he already knew about Bo?
In the end, it was the weight of those unanswered questions that pushed me into making what could only be described as an insane suggestion.
“Can’t we… erm, talk somewhere private?”
He seemed surprised enough to ask,
“You wish to be alone with me, little Inanna?”
This was said almost like some sexual purr and one that really should have been spoken against my skin. But wait, where the Hell did that thought just come from?! Okay, so if by some goddess miracle I made it out of here, I was ordering a new vibrator as soon as I got home!
“No, I don’t want… I mean, that is, I… well, yes, but nothing like that.
” I stumbled over my words, suddenly wanting to smack myself, or better yet, have Bo haul his little gray ass back here and do it for me.
That was if he ever thought of showing up again.
And if not, then what exactly was I still doing here in the first place?
As for Lord Oblivion, he actually burst out laughing before getting to his feet and making his way down to me.
Of course, my reaction to this was to quickly start taking steps backwards, as fuck me, he was huge!
I didn’t even know how tall he was, but he was more than a full head height bigger than me, and that was more than enough.
Especially considering I was still wearing high heels.
Which meant that without them, I would most likely only come to the middle of his chest. Meaning my attempt to retreat seemed almost pointless when he simply closed the distance between us, his long legs eating up the space I’d tried to create.
But then he looked down at me and focused on my hands that were nervously twisting the edge of the bloody tissue I had used on my hand.
At this, his penetrating gaze actually softened.
Then he shocked me further by holding out one of his arms toward the right side of his throne, where I could now see that there was a tall door.
“After you, Eliza,” he said, emphasizing the fact that he did indeed know my name, and I swear I could practically hear it being uttered in my dreams.
I did as he instructed and walked toward the door that he pointed at, pausing when I reached it, unable to help but ask,
“Please tell me this isn’t some trap and like some Bond villain, there is a pit of death behind this door you’re about to push me into.”
I heard him chuckle behind me before he leaned in close, his breath warm against my skin as he spoke directly into my ear.
“No, Inanna… that door is on the left,” he said, shocking me, and after straightening his impressive form, he passed me with a grin playing at his lips. Then he opened the door and actually reached back to take my uninjured hand in his.
I sucked in a startled breath at the feel of our first contact, and it seemed as if I wasn’t the only one, as I was positive, I also heard him make a small, breathy sound of surprise.
“You’re teasing me,” I said as he pulled me through the door, giving me no choice but to discover what lay beyond. He glanced back and winked, and I immediately wondered if teasing hadn’t just tipped over into flirting.
But the moment he led me into his office, every other thought fled my mind entirely.
The space stole my breath, looking as though it had been torn straight from the pages of some dark, gothic fairytale.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined the walls, packed tightly with books of every size and age.
Their spines were worn, cracked, and gilded, giving the room the unmistakable presence of a private library rather than an office.
The air itself felt heavy with knowledge, old and powerful, as if secrets had soaked into the very stone.
Behind his desk, a vast bay window curved outward, formed from narrow glass panels that wrapped around the wall like a watchful eye.
Beyond it, darkness pressed in close, the night offering no view of the world beyond, only my own reflection.
The desk itself was impossible to ignore.
A massive wooden piece carved into the form of an eagle frozen mid-flight.
Its wings swept forward toward the room, feathers rendered in painstaking detail, while its head dipped low at the center.
The front of the desk was etched with intricate layers of plumage.
Yet the farther the carving extended toward the edges, the more the design twisted, the elegant feathers giving way to something far less natural.
The webbed skin stretched between curved, razor-tipped ribbing, transforming the noble bird into something unmistakably demonic.
Behind it sat a high-backed Chesterfield chair, upholstered in the same dark, luxurious red leather I had seen throughout his club, positioned like a throne in its own right. The scale of the desk alone made it clear this was not a place for discussion or negotiation, but for command.
He removed his cloak with effortless precision, unclasping it at one shoulder before flicking his arm in a single smooth motion.
The fabric spun away from him as though obeying an unspoken command before landing in a controlled heap against a red leather sofa.
The soft thud echoed faintly in the vast space.
Now, as for the armored shoulder plate, this he unclasped from straps I hadn’t seen before, hidden under the cloak.
The sound of it hitting the stone table he had laid it on made me jump.
Only then did I truly register just how large the room was, easily bigger than my entire apartment, its size broken into sections.
One side formed a comfortable living area, furnished for leisure and indulgence, while the other was clearly reserved for work.
A space where decisions were made, plans were formed, and consequences were handed down.
Standing there, surrounded by power carved in stone, leather, and paper, I understood with unsettling clarity that nothing in this room existed for comfort alone.
Everything here served a purpose, and every purpose answered to him.
Of course, I must have come under the second category, as he walked towards his large carved desk and leaned back against it in a casual manner.
Then he folded his large arms across the expanse of his chest, making me stand frozen at the sight. Goddess, this man was all intimidating height and immense muscle.
“There is no need to fear me, little human,” he told me, making me swallow hard before pointing out facts.
“No? Not even after I snuck in here?”
“It is true that there are a limited number of mortals who know of my kind, but it is not entirely unheard of,” he pointed out, making me relax my shoulders a little before telling him,
“I didn’t know what to do, and then your name came up and I…”
“My name came up?” he interrupted, as this part seemed important.
“Yes, I mean… You are Wyedari Oblivion, aren’t you? Oh Goddess, did I sneak into the wrong club?!” I exclaimed, covering my mouth with my hands at the horror of getting this terribly wrong. But then there was that lip twitch again, as he was clearly enjoying my moment of panic.
“Be at ease, Inanna, I am who you think I am,” he replied, making me sigh in relief.
“Thank the Goddess, you nearly gave me a panic attack… My heart already nearly stopped thanks to that big brute downstairs chasing me,” I told him, and suddenly he reacted, quickly losing that relaxed ease of his, and now standing straight, asking me in a seriously stern tone,
“Who chased you?”
“Well, I don’t know,” I replied with a confused frown.
“Tell me, what happened?” he asked, as clearly, my answer hadn’t been enough for him.
“I was downstairs and this demon, a big guy with horns, stopped and sniffed at me, I don’t know… maybe I smell like a human or something.”
“You do indeed, now what else?” he pushed, but I couldn’t help but give in to temptation when I turned my head to the side a little and took a tiny sniff.
However, he must have hit his limit on waiting, as a few purposeful strides later, he was directly in front of me.
Then, once I felt trapped enough by him, he took my chin in a firm hold and tipped my head right back so that I was looking up at him.
“Quit being cute, my little Inanna, and tell me…What happened next?”
I swear, if he hadn’t had hold of my chin, my mouth would have dropped open and hung there in shock. Now he thought I was cute! Seriously, who was this man?
“I… he… he started chasing me, and I ran up the steps to the door and, well, you know the rest,” I told him quickly.
“Did he hurt you?” he asked firmly.
“No,” I replied, but this didn’t seem good enough for him.
“Did he touch you?” he asked me next, only this time in a far darker tone, and that was when I realized something, making me say,
“It was you… with that guy who grabbed me, the one who was going to slap me… you… you did that to him!?” I said, pulling from his hold on my face and taking a fearful step back.
“No one has permission to harm you… to touch you,” he stated, and this last part came out almost like a hissed afterthought of his. A venomous one, at that, making me frown as it was clear I didn’t understand what was going on here.
“I… I came here for your help,” I told him in a small voice.
“And you will receive it,” he replied resolutely.
“But?” I asked, as I knew from his tone that he was holding back that part. I knew it when he released a sigh before telling me,
“But everything comes with a cost, Eliza,” he said, nodding down at my injured hand.
Naturally, my instincts kicked in as I thought back to when I foolishly put my hand inside that stone monster’s mouth.
Bo’s words of warning came back to me like a wet slap against my cheek.
Which was why I wisely took another step back, and then another, my retreat continuing as the full weight of my mistake in coming here finally sank in.
His gaze followed my movement, and I could have sworn I saw a brief tick of annoyance tighten along his jaw.
But the flicker of irritation at my fear vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by something far more intentional. He took a single step forward, closing the distance I’d tried to create, and in that instant, the air between us shifted.
“Costs?” I practically squeaked out the question.
“A price for my help, yes, but nothing for you to fear from me,” he murmured, his voice a warning wrapped in a velvet promise of safety… safety I knew I couldn’t yet trust.
That I would be foolish to do so.
However, before I could question what he meant, he reached out, his fingers brushing along my jaw.
The featherlight touch sent a shiver racing down my spine.
The contrast between the gentleness of his touch and the danger I felt radiating off him made my pulse skip.
I hated that I couldn’t decide if I was more terrified or intrigued.
“What do you want from me?” I managed, my voice barely a whisper. He leaned in, his breath a warm whisper against my ear.
“All in good time, little Inanna.” His thumb traced the corner of my lip, and for a heartbeat, I couldn’t breathe.
The world outside that room ceased to exist, leaving only his touch.
Only the promise of something I didn’t yet fully understand, and the unsettling realization that I might not want to escape it.
Then, as suddenly as he’d closed the space between us, he stepped back, leaving me feeling unsteady and more confused than ever.
“I’ll return soon,” he said, his tone shifting back to that cool, controlled authority.
“Don’t go anywhere, Eliza, for we are far from finished here.”
And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving me alone with the echo of his touch lingering on my skin. That, and the unsettling knowledge that I was no longer sure if I was a guest or a prisoner.
An answer he quickly provided when I heard the distinct sound of…
The door being locked.