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The dark alfar left dinner early. Gaelin was going to be away most of the night preparing for the upcoming battle. I drifted back to the room, feeling hopeless.
Gods, I hated being so weak and powerless. In The Frey, it wasn’t too bad. At least I could still outsmart most of the humans. But here, I was surrounded by magic, powers, and years of conniving and scheming. Though, I had outsmarted the smartest male in the room, so there was that.
I stopped dead in my tracks. That was it. Erendrial was the key. He knew what I was. There was a chance I could convince him that my vision was true and not some symptom of a concussion as Gaelin thought.
I veered off towards the guest chambers. King Lysanthier had put the dark alfar guests as far away from his subjects as possible. I had to make sure I wasn’t seen. If anyone saw me entering or leaving another alfar’s chambers, I would be killed. But if I didn’t take the risk, we were all going to be dead tomorrow anyway. There would be no victory without risk.
I kept my head down. Surprisingly, the guest wing was like a ghost town. I guessed everyone feared them enough to keep their distance. I took a deep breath in and knocked three times on the door I knew to be Erendrial’s.
“Come in,” he said in a deep, rich voice.
I opened the door and slid into the room, quickly shutting it before anyone else could see me. I turned to find Erendrial seated up against the headboard. He was shirtless, only wearing a pair of black silk pants. A blonde human girl was draped across him, naked as he twirled his fingers through her hair. Another human girl was dancing at the foot of the bed, completely naked.
I turned my face quickly, not wanting them to see me, but it was too late. They both got up, reaching for their clothes, never once taking their eyes from me. This was it. I was dead. I heard Erendrial laugh as he got out of the bed.
“I was expecting dessert. Not what I ordered, but I can definitely make do with you,” Erendrial said seductively.
I kept my face turned away from the two girls as they frantically dressed. Erendrial stood in front of me looking from them to me and then smiled. “Don’t worry, I will take care of them,” he said, moving in their direction.
“Wait,” I said, reaching out to grab his arm. He looked down at my hand on his forearm and arched a brow. I pulled my touch from him instantly. “Don’t hurt them. Please,” I begged.
He shook his head in disbelief, holding my stare. He walked over to them, taking their faces in his hands. They were still bare from the waist up. I noted bite marks and bruises on their skin. Some around their breasts, others around their neck. Their skin was still flushed from the dalliance I had obviously interrupted.
Erendrial relaxed and exhaled slowly, looking at both girls. He rubbed the sides of their faces with his thumbs. The two women relaxed against his touch. Their eyes looked back at him lazily. One of them bit her lip as if she were being turned on all over again.
“You will not remember anyone in this room but me. You both will go back to your beds and only remember the incredible night we shared together. You never saw another woman in the room with us. Understood?” Erendrial asked.
They both nodded heavily. They finished getting dressed and then left the room without even looking at me.
“How did you…” I asked, shocked by what I was seeing.
“Pheromone manipulation. They will never remember you were here.”
“Is that how you got them to sleep with you in the first place? Manipulating them so you could bite and beat them to your liking?” I said with disgust.
He turned to face me. His eyes were dark and heavy. A shiver of fear ran up my spine. I had somehow managed to forget how deadly he was. I bit my lip, lowering my head in a submissive reaction. He stalked over to me, like an apex predator about to assert his dominance.
“Just to be clear, I have never had to manipulate a female of any race to lay with me. I only give them what they ask for. Bite marks and all. Believe it or not, some females like it a bit rough in bed. Not that you would understand. I am sure Gaelin treats you as if you could break at any moment.”
“I’m sorry. It isn’t my place to question your actions,” I said quietly.
He huffed. “Why are you here at this hour?” He asked, moving across the room to a table where he poured two glasses of wine.
I lifted my head, preparing to begin my plea for help when my eyes locked on a black inked marking that covered his left shoulder. Starting from the base of his neck, it covered the length of his cuff and moved down to his arm. It swirled in a pattern so familiar I could have drawn it from memory. I searched for other details that were familiar. His smile, yes, his smile. It was the same. The same full soft lips. The same elongated canine teeth. The same shade of white. His chin even had the same dimple in it that I had admired so many times.
No, no, NO! How could this be? Why had I been dreaming of him for the past two years? My angel wasn’t an angel at all. He was a demon sent to torture me.
Erendrial walked slowly over to me, offering me wine. I focused on those all too familiar hands. The long strong fingers. The veins that ran under his skin. The shape of his fingernails. All of it. He had three rings on his hand, just like I had seen for so many years.
I took the glass and gulped it down before locking my eyes on the tattoo on his left shoulder. He turned his head to his marking and then back to me slowly. He tilted his head up and almost posed, putting his strong, flawless body on display for me. I pulled my eyes back to the ground, not wanting to spend another moment in this room with him.
“See something you like?” he asked playfully, taking a sip of his wine before moving to a chair next to the table. “Come sit,” he demanded.
I did as I was told, trying my best not to look at the damn marking, but I had to know. I had to know what it meant. I had wondered for so long. “Your…marking. On your shoulder. What is it?” I asked, not making eye contact.
He refilled my glass before placing his own on the table and leaned back into his chair. “Genevieve, if we are going to have a conversation. I expect you to be able to look at me. You came here on your own, without an invitation and interrupted a very rewarding evening that I wasn’t quite done enjoying. The least you can do is look at me while we talk.”
I slowly brought my eyes to his. My whole body was tense. I crossed my arms and legs, wanting to fold in on myself, but this was the smallest I was going to get. What in the hell was I thinking? Coming here, locking myself in a room with someone—something—as dangerous as him.