Page 69
The wine she thought laced with godsbane poison had not yet passed her lips.
Lucan had not yet kissed her, the faint sweetness of his breath lingering in her mouth.
No…
The vampire prince may have used her until her body melted into a pool of bliss even as shame burned in her blood, but he only took what she placed willingly into his hands. She told herself it was all a ruse to get close, yet even she could not fool herself. Ever since Reshva granted her leave from his side, she had secretly hoped never to return to the Knight-Saint’s embrace.
She should have wished for death.
Instead, her lips quivered as the words use me again, Lucan danced across her tongue.
Lucan’s gaze drifted down to her breasts. Deep red marks fanned across her chest, converging at her sternum like skeletal wings of some grotesque fey creature.
“Now, don’t be foolish, Elarian. We both know you could have killed me at least five different times between leaving the ballroom and you sucking my cock like it was your first good meal in decades.” His eyes danced with wicked delight as he spoke. “As I recall, you willingly cast aside your silver.”
“Fuck you,” she spat in his face.
The thick glob landed just below his eye; he wiped it away with an eerily calm face, almost amused as if watching a child misbehave without knowing any better. Leaning in close, he yanked the chains around her neck until the collar bit into her neck. Elarian gasped as his teeth nipped the edge of her earlobe.
“You will be doing plenty of that, my sweet, deadly plaything,” he purred.
Despite herself, Elarian’s stomach clenched. Plaything. Why did the word sound so fucking delicious coming from his accursed mouth?
“The only thing you’ve truly misunderstood, Elarian,” he continued, “is that I never once thought you were a courtesan. I’m offended you think I could ever forget those wild, pale eyes.”
His words smacked her across the face, tears springing to her eyes at the realization that she had never been in control. When she offered herself, he took her willingly, certainly all too eager to help her betray Melistra.
“W-why?”
The broken sound barely registered in her ears. For a moment, she thought Lucan had not heard; but then he leveled his gaze with hers, and that fiery intensity strong enough to rival a supernova returned.
“Because you have always been mine, Elarian.”
Lucan stood abruptly and turned away, angry black veins pulsing over his forearms as he balled his hands into fists. Though she knew she should hate him, suddenly Elarian wished to understand more. Why did he speak as if he had known her in some other life? She puzzled over his rapid change from taunting to retreating, as if he were a pup testing the boundaries of an elder fey wolf.
But before she could find her words, Lucan spoke again.
“You will be attending the council meeting today.”
Elarian laughed.
Lucan turned back to face her, an eyebrow arched high.
“Amusing, is it? By now, I am sure if I were to investigate further, I would find that useless countess dead in her chambers, her putrescent, bloated corpse writhing with maggots.”
At that, Elarian shifted uncomfortably. He was not far from the truth; in her haste to prepare for the masquerade, she had merely dragged the countess’s corpse to the small balcony outside her room. If she still had any of Melistra’s blessings, the condors had descended, and little remained of the vampire now.
Still, it did not change the fact that Lucan already knew she had carved her way to him through his court.
“Oh, it matters little to me.” Lucan sighed, exasperated. “She outlived her usefulness. But it does present an issue. You see, she was important to someone I would rather avoid involving in our little game—the fun would end much too soon, I fear. I will deal with it, of course, but you, dearest pet, have an important role to play.”
By now, Elarian’s skin crawled with shivers, a cold sweat breaking across her brow with every venom-laced word. It was useless to tell herself she would not comply. What else could she do except play his sadistic game until his attention slipped and she could finish her missive?
She refused to acknowledge the part of her burning with curiosity.
“There are traditions in this court, and now, they expect a courtesan from the Bloodlord to cater to their beloved prince’s every need. Even if the court did not demand it, I have little interest in letting you out of my sight.”
Lucan’s smile shifted. Quickly crossing the distance between them, his hand wrapped around the soft flesh of her upper arm, talon-like nails biting into her skin until she gasped. He wrenched her up with a savage jerk. Elarian’s vision faded as her boiling blood rushed from her head.
