Chapter 23
Once inside, I carry Elly to the library and settle into one of the sofas with her on my lap, keeping her close.
Elly faces the fireplace while she heals, and even though she’s silent, I can tell she enjoys the warmth of the fire against her skin.
After a few moments, she closes her eyes and leans back against my chest while I rest one hand on her stomach and the other plays gently with her hair.
“My arms seriously hurt,” she groans. “Can’t you speed it up a bit?”
I chuckle, shifting my hands to her waist and pulling her closer. “Bear with it; it builds character. Besides, you’ve had worse.”
“That’s an understatement.” Elly laughs dryly. “And I have no doubt that there will be even worse at some point.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing, but you loved it.”
“I did.” She sighs, her eyes still closed. “You’ve thoroughly ruined me with your wicked ways.”
I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight.
“And you enjoyed inflicting it,” Elly counters, opening her eyes and craning her neck to look at me.
I return her gaze with a slow smile. She knows me well, my wife. I like hurting her, making her bleed for me. What I didn’t expect was for her to revel in it as much as she does.
Elly turns to face me fully, her eyes drifting to the blood that still stains my skin. Our blood. It’s mostly dry now, but a pleased little smile tugs at the corner of her lips.
“I remember the first time you got my blood on you,” she whispers, tracing circles on my chest. “You were disgusted.”
“Was I now?” I raise an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.
She looks up at me, frowning. “You were. You couldn’t stand the sight of it on your skin, on your clothes.”
I place my hand on her shoulder, my thumb caressing up and down her neck. Looks like she doesn’t know me as well as she thinks. Then again, I can’t blame her. I remember my reaction the first time I saw her blood on me—it was a bit… severe.
I swallow, needing to explain. “I couldn’t stand it because it looked and felt too right.
Like I had finally found a part of myself I didn’t know was missing.
” My voice is raw from the admission, and Elly sucks in a breath.
“That’s why I came to you in the shower.
I needed you right then and there, no matter the cost.”
Elly’s magic tingles against my skin, the touch almost lovingly. I won’t apologize for what I did to her or everything I put her through in our prison. The way her magic caresses me tells me she doesn’t expect me to. That she doesn’t need me to.
I know I’m not an easy man, with my insatiable bloodlust and need for control.
But Elly takes me as I am, sometimes skimming the boundaries, seeing how far she can push me, knowing all too well that she revels in being dominated.
It’s who I am, and it softens my heart that she accepts me like that.
She’s the first who’s not repulsed by it, and it means the world to me.
She’s also the first to make me feel things that I’m not used to.
“I wanted to paint you in blood from the moment you first awoke there. That moment in the red room nearly pushed me over the edge.” I look into her eyes, her blue and green ones shimmering brightly. “I still want to, and I always will.”
Elly shifts in my lap until she’s straddling me, her eyes filled with desire—desire for my darkness. A darkness I forced upon her, but she’s beautifully making it her own. It seems like she’s finally starting to understand that. “Then paint me.”
My eyes light up at that, and my lips curl into a snarl filled with promise. “I will.”
I lean in and place hot kisses along her neck, each one igniting her skin beneath my touch. Even when they turn into bites that make her squirm against me.
I can’t stop touching her, wanting her, needing her in every way imaginable. I’ve always been an overly physical person, but she brings it out even more. With her soft skin, her breathless gasps, and her magic buzzing against my skin with every little touch. Perfect—she’s perfect—and all mine.
I grin in her hair, knowing how much I’ll be testing her going forward, but I can’t help myself. “I will paint you in the most beautiful red. I will have every part of your body bleed for me.” Her breath falters at my promise. “But not today.”
The effect of my words is instantaneous, like I’ve doused her with a bucket of ice water. “What?” She frowns at me, clearly assuming she misunderstood.
“Why?” she growls when she realizes that she didn’t, anger lacing her voice.
“Because I’ll be leaving for a few days, and I want you unable to think of anything else until I return.” I nearly hold my breath, waiting for her reaction.
“You…” She seethes, rage clouding her vision. “You asshole.”
I laugh as she breaks free from me, her reaction not disappointing, and then takes a few steps back. The urge to lash out at me is evident on her face. Oh, how I love to push her buttons.
“Fine,” she snaps, striding past me toward the door. “Have it your way.”
She leaves the library, slamming the door behind her.
Her magic lingers after her, electrifying the air around me, nipping at my skin in annoyance until it fizzles out after a few minutes.
It’s amazing how quickly her magic has become an extension of herself, as if she was born with it, not given it.
Then again, one of the reasons I initially had my eye on her was that I could sense she would adapt quickly.
I lie down on the sofa, stretching my legs out, eyes on the fire beyond. Using one arm to prop up my head, the fingers of the other drum against my chest while I think. Right above that spot that connects me to her, softly pulling me toward her.
I know that I have to leave on my business trip soon, but I hate leaving her behind. Elly can take care of herself; that’s not the problem. The problem is that I want her by my side at all times. I want her to be part of this, but if we actually go along with our plan, we can’t take the risk.
On the other hand, leaving her here is also a risk.
I bite the inside of my cheek, knowing that I’ll need to ask Alix and Désirée to keep an eye on her, even if it’s only to be sure.
This will have to happen through text since I don’t want to face them right now.
Not when I think that I’ve finally had a breakthrough, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep it from showing on my face when I see them.
A smile curls my lips as I imagine their reactions. I would hate to ruin the surprise.