Laurel’s response came first, naturally.
Ugh. Stuck at some stuffy ass dinner party in Pyrhhas. Some of Papa Ansari’s business associates are in town, so I gotta rub elbows.
Why, did you finally get bored?
I rolled my eyes. The one damn time I needed my emotional support social butterfly…
Sienna’s response came shortly after Laur’s.
Dinner with Theia! Wanna come with?
I grimaced. As eager as I was to distract myself from Kieran’s absence tonight, joining Sia for dinner with the High Scholar and Lady of Light sounded like even more of a nightmare.
Despite the role she’d played in my nightmare, I’m sure therealLady Frey would be perfectly kind and welcoming. But with the way my scholars were constantly encouraging me to seek mentorship with the woman, I wasn’t sure how to navigate those waters. Not yet anyway. It was irritating enough dealing with the constant spotlight that came alongside being “the new Light Conduit”of Sophrosyne. I still needed some time to breathe and figure my own shit out before voluntarily intensifying that spotlight by kicking off rumors that I was the next Lady of Light in training—a suggestion that already flew around the grapevinefrom time to time, regardless. No, thank you. I would be a gods-awful politician.
Nah, I’m good. Thank you though, Si—I’m probably just going to stay in and study. Have fun!
“Study” she says. Enjoy your anatomy homework, then ;)
I couldn’t help but giggle before tucking back in to finish the rest of my lunch.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
KIERAN
We’d gotten lucky.
We’d gotten so godsdamned lucky.
In what felt like a sickening sea of fury and frustration when it came to my work as of late, for once, I was greeted with some good news as I walked into headquarters.
As it turned out, Jocelyn Attwood hadnotbeen a victim of this confounding, ever-growing series of disappearances across the continent, but rather, her family had fallen victim to some good old-fashioned teenage delinquency.
The reason she’d been reported missing, leaving her parents frightened and frantic, was not because she’d been taken. My cadre had discovered the girl had a secret beau back home—a surprisingly well-kept secret for a fifteen-year-old, all things considered. The two little idiots had snuck off to an old cottage in the woods to canoodle, so far off the route she was supposed to be taking home that it hadn’t been covered by our initial search. Anaïs had found them this morning, following her instincts on a lead.
The Ithreacean Guards apologized profusely for wasting our resources on the premature request for our assistance.
Jeremiah and Hans had exchanged a look, glancing back at me with a grimace as we got the news. I think they both felt guilty, knowing that Selwyn Skielg had died under false accusations, but honestly? Fuck that. I, for one, would sleep easy knowing that fucker was dead and buried. Or, rather, burned to a crisp and scattered like dust in the wind. The perks of having a Fire Conduit in your cadre.
It was still going to be a long day, but it had been a good day so far. If only the Fates weren’t about ready to torture me tonight.
Alas, it was inevitable. The only thing that awaited me this evening once my duties had concluded, was a lonesome, loathsome night of abject torment.
I was being melodramatic, but still.
After Arken had finally shown me her teeth last night, I was feeling ready. Visions of my blood on her tongue had me feeling not only ready, but compelled to finally let go myself. Let the man shereallywanted to see come out and play. If not immediately, then soon enough—because after that vicious little display of hers, I’d seen everything I needed to see. I knew what I needed to know.
I knew that Arken could take what I had to give. I knew she could handle the power exchange and come dance in the beautiful dark with me. And I also knew there was no use in holding myself back any longer—the consequences I feared had already come to pass.
I was never letting this woman go—not willingly. Not by choice. Arken had me bespelled, enchanted, and utterly ensorcelled for life. I was wrapped around those glowing fingers for good, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Which is what made itagonyto keep a straight face this morning when she asked to spend the night alone, requiring some time to herself. That was bound to happen eventually, but the timing of it all had felt cruel.
To be fair, I didn’t need to dominate Arkentonight.Just soon. And besides, I wanted to craft those plans carefully, to design the situation and set the scene with intent. My girl had been fantasizing about this for quite some time now, that much I knew, and I wanted to be sure I not only met her filthy expectations but surpassed each and every one.
I had already spent far too much time this morning ideating on how it would unfold.
I’d make her play with herself first, I think. Make her strip for me and see how good she is at following instructions. I’d make her wait, make her beg—and gods, at some point, we’d need to work the breath play in so that I could choke her in the ways she so desperately wanted last night. Fuck, that had been hot. She had no idea how hard it had been to say no.