Chapter Eight
Willow
The short man’s hands hovered around my waist, and I wondered whether that was where he actually needed to focus his healing power or if he was looking for an excuse to grope me. The urges I stirred in men had always been both a blessing and a curse, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Just as I was about to ask what creature he was, given his dainty stature and peculiar features, a knock resounded on the door, making him flinch. I just hoped it wasn’t my stalker. The idiot couldn’t stay away, which was understandable, but he was insufferable.
Another knock.
‘Do you expect me to open it for you?’ I shouted, and the elf-looking man startled.
What was his problem?
He momentarily stepped away, seemingly done with patching me up, his overgrown ears tucked back. He looked almost… afraid. Did he expect me to attack him in my state? And why would I? What a weird place.
The door opened, revealing an infuriating brown-haired girl, eyeing me with unmistakable judgement. Ava always had a knack for painting everyone in the worst light. Within moments, she would probably pin the massacre on me.
Leaning back in the chair, I channelled my currently limited inner power. ‘Unless you’re here to guide me toward a portal, piss off.’
A deep frown flickered across her oddly vibrant face before she schooled it into nonchalance.
Dear Gods, was our baby Ava finally growing up? The way she carried herself was different. I noticed it yesterday too.
She stepped over the threshold, allowing the healer to leave, and looked around the room. Her unimpressed gaze slid over the amenities and furniture like she looked for something. ‘No television. This must be your personal hell, no?’
Bitch.
‘Excuse me?’
‘You heard me,’ my younger sister bit back, and I wondered what sparked such an uptake in her confidence. ‘I need to know what happened at home.’
‘Tough shit,’ I smiled, flicking my hair back. ‘You need something, I need something. Information’s never free, don’t you know that?’
Taking the seat across from me, on a well-cushioned but obsolete rocking chair, she observed my form with a scowl. ‘There is no portal. They don’t need them in case you haven’t noticed.’
Fuck. ‘There must be one somewhere!’
‘There isn’t.’ Her eyes narrowed into slits. ‘Their powers allow them to spontaneously portal on their own.’
I racked my brain for ways to entice her to help me break out of this hellhole, but a miserable cockroach like her didn’t need much. Creatures like that were content living in mud and shit.
Little Ava crossed her legs, straightening her back, and I nearly gasped at her boldness. ‘Now, answer my questions.’
A grin worked its way to my face. Winding her up used to be my favourite pastime. How I missed the simpler times… ‘You get one. Choose wisely.’
‘Have you been drained?’ she asked solemnly, as if she weren't sure she wanted the answer. Why it interested her was beyond me. We weren’t close.
Nonetheless, a deal was a deal, though it stung to admit my defeat. ‘My powers are already recovering.’
Ava leaned in. ‘Have they vanished for a while?’
Something in her eyes said she wouldn’t stop until I answered, and I wasn’t in the mood for bad company.
‘Not entirely, but to answer the question—yes—they have been drained. What’s it to you?’ I seethed, baring my teeth.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, like there was something she was afraid to say.
I still affected her. Nice.
‘Worse than when you exhaust yourself?’ she asked quickly, her features composed into a mask of stoicism.
‘What exactly are you getting at, sissy?’ I hissed, enjoying how badly she wanted me to notice the change in her.
The hate in her eyes made me giggle. They always exposed her emotions so openly, like she hadn’t yet understood they were windows to her soul. That kind of vulnerability should be guarded, though she seemed unaware of it even while she was clearly evolving.
‘What happened to you to spark such drastic change? Did somebody take your dummy?’ I asked when she hadn’t responded.
Flames burst from Ava’s hands, winding around her forearms, aggressive and ready to strike.
What the fuck?
‘Fuck you, Willow. I hope the shadow dragon eats you,’ she shrilled before slamming the door.
A tad immature, though I would have done the same.
Feeling slightly better after what must have been hours of healing from various medics, I exited the room, since I was forced to find my escape route on my own.
Nobody stopped me when I made my way through the corridor, down the squeaky stairs and eventually outside. In fact, it was so quiet that if it weren’t for seeing Ava minutes ago, I would have assumed I was alone.
Warm air rushed through my hair, tossing it around in a pattern that felt strangely indecisive. This whole island was weird. It felt sinister, like at some point it would try to get rid of me by pushing me off the edge or opening a crater beneath my feet.
And where was the sun?
This bluish light couldn’t compete with the strong rays that usually tended my skin so deliciously I changed hues. And the grass—it had to be black. It wasn’t a problem with my eyesight since I had seen Ava’s irises clearly.
Turning the corner, a man sat on a cushioned sofa in the corner of a wide porch overlooking a hilly meadow.
Maybe he could get me out.
Fixing my unruly blond strands, I started to walk toward him, swaying my hips ever so slightly. The moment he noticed me, his eyes lit up and his shoulders tensed.
Men tended to think women were the prey. They never realised that when I set my sights on them, they were already caught.
Some traps didn’t even require magic. All it took was the right look, the right tilt of the head, and they would walk willingly into it.
‘Enjoying the view?’ I asked, stopping a few feet away and arching in a way that accentuated my figure.
‘I didn’t mean to gawk,’ he claimed, while his hungry eyes remained on my bosom.
Warmth spread through my body, settling low in my belly at his undivided attention. I didn’t particularly like him, but he would serve his purpose.
You will worship me.
‘It’s alright; I meant the scenery. Not that I didn’t enjoy you looking at me.' The faint hoarseness in my voice broke his arms out in goosebumps.
How easily he fell into my clutches. It was almost pitiful.
His throat bobbed before his widened eyes moved onto my hips. ‘Did you? You like to be observed?’
A snicker escaped me. ‘I like to be ravaged actually, but observing will do in a pinch.’
He tried to discreetly adjust himself, and I gawked shamelessly. What was he hiding?
‘Cocky much?’ he asked, catching my stare. ‘I’ve never seen you here before. Who are you?’
Smiling, I decided on the version easiest to digest. ‘My sister resides here. Maybe you’ve met her. Avari?’
‘Interesting. You’re not related to the Nightborns, right?’ he asked, twitching in his seat.
Looking deep into his obsidian eyes, I darted my tongue across the side of my bottom lip. ‘Not an ounce of Nightborn in me.’
The man leaned back, smirking. The growing bulge in his trousers signalled my victory and was difficult to tear my eyes from.
I needed this. The last few days have been stressful.
‘Want to get out of here?’ his voice dropped lower, setting my nerves ablaze.
Bingo. ‘Where?’
He stood abruptly and crossed the threshold between us. His height was an advantage; otherwise he was an ordinary, borderline boring-looking male. Hopefully, his bedside manner didn’t match the appearance. I hated cautious lovers.
‘My place.’
My hands reached out to his muscled torso as if to make sure he wouldn’t disappoint.
It’s been too long since I fucked. I needed this as much as the escape.
‘Lead the way,’ I said.
He snatched me into darkness that swirled around us in sickening waves, unlike the sea or anything I had ever encountered.
It was disgusting and clung to every fibre of my being, as though being ripped apart was a real threat.
It was almost enough to make me not want to pursue him anymore…
before I remembered he was my escape plan.
We landed in his apartment, the walls as black as his eyes, which seemed even darker now that he inched closer, pushing my back into a cupboard.
He thought he was the boss.
Cute.
I had him exactly where I wanted him, letting him have the illusion of control while I pulled every string.
Men fought harder when they believed the game was theirs to win.
Grabbing my ass cheek roughly, my skin pinched as he threw me on top of the wooden chest that creaked the more he leaned on it. Books scattered as he palmed my waist like a man starved, quickly moving on to my breasts.
The straps of my blouse tore under his bruising grasp as he worked his way from my arching neck down to my ribs. His hot tongue dragged slowly toward my sensitive nipple before he bit down. I yelped, jolting away, but his hand clamped over my mouth.
Then he moved back up, claiming my lips in a battle for dominance I wouldn’t forfeit.
Peace and pleasure.
Nothing else.
‘You’re fucking gorgeous,’ he purred in my ear, dragging his rough hands along my spine. Shivers broke out across my forearms at his undivided attention and the way I made him lose himself in me.
‘I know,’ I chuckled, holding onto his hair. ‘Show me how much you want me.’
Biting and licking his way down, his black eyes relished in my heavy breaths, keeping my neck pinned to the wall with his power.
Growing impatient, I pushed his head down, and he finally neared the buttons to my jeans.
Popping each one open, he roughly pulled them down and pinned my arms above my head with one of his. The grip was insane. I couldn’t move them at all.
His sharp teeth left marks across my thigh until he finally reached my core, using his elbow to spread my legs apart.
‘You’re so wet for me,’ he breathed out, shoving two fingers inside and curling them until I saw stars.
The moment his tongue slashed across the sensitive bundle of nerves, I couldn’t keep the moans in anymore. He knew what he was doing, licking up and down while adding pressure that built within me until I couldn’t take it.
Ripping my hands away from his loosened hold, I pushed his head closer, grabbing onto the back of his head as his dark chuckle vibrated against my clit, creating a blinding sensation.
I was close.
The pressure held me on edge.
Just a few more thrusts.
He stopped.
A whine escaped me. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Get on your knees,’ he ordered, grinning and stepping away, as if he fully expected me to get down and suck his dick.
Men existed to service me.
‘Not on the menu, I’m afraid. You should be glad you get to fuck me. I’m the best you’ve had.’
The obsidian of his irises darkened further. ‘The best one did everything I wanted.’
‘So what? You don’t want this?’ I teased, playing with my nipples and dragging my hand down toward my clit.
His gaze followed my movements as he stroked himself. ‘Oh, I do. I know your type, though. Too good to get down and dirty, huh?’
He squeezed my ass before smashing dry lips on mine.
Once more, his tongue pushed me toward submission, and once again I met his resolve with my own. I didn’t even notice when he lifted me off the cupboard until his dick plunged into me.
It was huge and stretched my throbbing walls, which had been utterly unprepared for the vicious pace.
Thrashing like a beast unleashed, he pushed me up and down, and when I finally adjusted, he exited just as suddenly, coming on my stomach.
It was… quick.
‘I think you have the best tits I’ve seen,’ he said before walking toward the mini bar a few feet away.
I looked at the mess he’d made and wiped myself with the remnants of my blouse. ‘Thanks?’
He chugged a water bottle down without offering me any. ‘Let’s take you back then.’
‘Actually, can you drop me off somewhere else?’ I asked in a soft tone, batting my eyelashes and putting on his shirt.
Closing the distance, he eyed me suspiciously. ‘Where?’
I smiled innocently. ‘Ortensia.’
‘Why do you want to go there?’
My nerves were getting the best of me. I wasn’t good at lying on the spot. ‘Unresolved business.’
‘That’s funny,’ he snickered. ‘The moment you mentioned going somewhere else, your pulse hiked up. Why is that?’
He stood before me, chuckling at my efforts.
Shit. ‘Must be some sort of after-sex reaction.’
‘Or you’re not telling me something. Anyway, you’re going back where you came from. I’m not getting involved in anything messy for a chick that wouldn’t even suck my dick.’
What a waste of time.
Next time I would pick someone easier to control.