Chapter 35

I whisked into the kitchen and set the candle on the table in the middle of the room. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely use them, my thoughts stuck on the gruesome spectacle I'd witnessed, but there was no time to waste.

I lit a tame fire in the hearth and hung a small pot of water onto the metal hook above it. My search through the pantry yielded a tin filled with dried chamomile and fennel seeds, and I spooned a generous heap into the pot.

At first sight, it would've seemed as if I was really just making some tea.

I turned to the cabinets of dishes and cookware. Behind dented pans, I found dusty alchemy supplies, and I grabbed a round glass flask, its bottom blackened from flames. Next to it laid a metal contraption akin to pliers with a screw to tighten. If I clamped it around the slender neck of the glass vessel, I could heat the solution inside without risking burns.

I rummaged around the cupboard some more, picking out a small vial with a cork stopper. It smelled faintly of soap, and I considered it clean enough for the distilled herbal solution. Finally, all tools prepared on the table, I retrieved the sharpest-looking blade from the knife block by the fireplace.

Hiking my skirt up in the front, I put one foot up on a stool and spread my legs. One last glance at the door and the dull metal met my inner thigh, taking achingly long to part my skin below the hidden bump.

I ground my teeth, had to force myself to keep looking as I set the knife aside and pressed a finger onto the sensitive wound. Seeking distraction, my thoughts drifted to Skrain's name, carved right above my mound, and a smile tugged on my lips. I adored that scar and everything it stood for. His love and his ownership of me written in pink flesh.

There was no denying how much I enjoyed the pain then, but this—no. I got no pleasure from this.

My mouth went dry while I applied more pressure. Blood trickled down my leg, and I groaned as a smoky quartz protruded from the cut. My other hand cupped beneath, I held my breath, pushing down hard one last time, and the jewel dropped onto my palm.

I put it on the table and held the flask under the gash. The room tilted, but I needed to fill it at least halfway to extract enough of the herbal solution.

My knees turned weak.

Creators, that seemed like a lot of blood.

I looked away, my lungs not responding to my desperate command of controlling those hectic gasps. My eyes focused on the marbling of the table. Scrapes on the old, light wood. Burn marks. Stains from vegetable juices, herbs, and meat.

The earthy aroma of tea wafted through the chamber, but the scent of iron from my leg was stronger.

My hands numbed with panic.

I lifted the flask. The outside was smeared red, but there was enough inside to reach the middle mark.

I tripped toward the hearth, in passing grabbing a clean dishrag from a shelf above the sink. As I used the metal rod to hold the flask into the fire—hidden by the side of the pot—I shoved the cloth between my legs and clenched my thighs to staunch the bleeding.

The clock above the door read half past midnight, my heart beating faster each second. I leaned onto the counter, fighting off another dizzy spell while I watched my blood boil. Soon, but not soon enough, the mixture had been reduced to a pool of murky green liquid at the bottom of the flask.

By the table, I filled the vial and dropped the gem inside, corking it tightly.

A long sigh rushed from my lips as I looked at the mess. Now, on to cleaning up, eliminating any traces of?—

A hand shot out from behind me, pressing onto my mouth, and I let out a muffled scream. Someone yanked me back, into an unyielding wall of muscle … and a sizable erection pushing against my spine.

Skrain ?

Was I hallucinating from blood loss? Surely, I hadn't taken that much.

Another hand reached around my waist, drawing down over my mound, and rabid arousal tightened my core. Deft fingers pulled up my robe, tugging the crimson-stained cloth from between my legs and tossing it onto the table. A growl reached my ears, its echo a vibration along my back.

"Didn't you know that the scent of blood from injured, helpless prey attracts hungry predators?" Skrain whispered, a flick of his tongue over the tip of my ear, and my breath stuttered.

It seemed like eons since I last heard his smooth, dark voice. Since I last felt his touch.

He released my mouth while I ran my fingers along his bare forearm, goose bumps making the little hairs stand. "Maybe it was a trap for the predator," I murmured.

His low, villainous chuckle had my smallclothes dampening and my nipples peaking.

"Yours is the only trap I would willingly fall into," he said, exhaling the quiet words against the side of my throat, each interrupted by a kiss, the last placed in the middle of my nape. "Have I ever told you how much I love that star-shaped birthmark you have right here?"

Before I could respond, his digits slid under my robe again, teasing upward along the cut I made, his cock throbbing when I shuddered from the ache. He cupped my sex, and I rocked against his palm while his tail slithered up my leg, caressing.

"W-what if someone comes in? Skrain, we can't be caught like this …"

My complaint was weak. Nothing but an unwilling, halfhearted attempt to convince myself to resist. I didn't stand a chance, and I knew it.

"Is that supposed to stop me?" he asked. "We'll just have to keep quiet."

What a horrible idea to do it now … What a fucked up idea to let him do this to me, and yet?—

Excitement rushed through me. We'd done it in public at the party and I loved that, but here, the risk of getting caught was equally tantalizing.

I shook my head, choking on pleasure as I used his hand to rub myself. "No. Creators … n-no. I missed you so much. Please, master, I need you right now."

"Only a Hells-forsaken whore like you would beg for my cock in this shit hole of a monastery," he whispered, thumbing my clit. My legs buckled, and I gasped as he pushed me forward, down onto the table, my breasts pressing against the wood.

The hem of my robes flew up to my shoulders, my panties getting yanked down to my ankles. His hot length pushed between my thighs, sliding along my wound, and I whimpered.

"You really want to get fucked right now, huh? Do you want me to drench my dick in your blood before I impale you on it?" he hissed into my ear, one hand on my hip, the other fisting my hair, bending my neck back to the point of aching.

"Yes, master."

His face hovered at the edge of my vision, shining eyes reflecting the flames in the hearth, his cruel grin sharp as the tip of an arrow. He looked otherworldly, horns throwing flickering shadows onto the stone wall.

He was dangerously handsome.

"Tell me who owns you, Kerys," he snarled. "Tell me who this pretty, wet hole belongs to."

"You, Skrain," I whined. "All of me belongs to you, master."

"Then shut up and spread your cunt for me."

I reached behind me and dug my fingers into the soft, slick folds between my legs, pulling them apart. Cheek against the table, I waited, anticipation squeezing my chest.

"That's my good little wife," he said, the head of his cock lingering at my entrance. "Look at that gorgeous, pink pussy. All mine. I'll never get enough of this sight."

His hips canted, and he drove into me in a smooth, slow movement.

"I'll never get enough of the way you grip my dick," he groaned, and as if my body only existed to serve him, my inner walls clenched tighter. "I want to take my time with you, enjoy you. Shit, you have no idea how much I missed you, how much I need this—how much I need you , Kerys."

He kissed my cheek, the side of my eye, and I giggled breathlessly.

"Then tell me," I said.

"I'd rather show you, my priceless treasure." His hand snapped from my hair onto my lips once more. "But I know how loud you get."

Without warning, he pulled back and slammed into me again. I moaned into his palm, his tail lodging itself between my legs, rubbing my clit with each thrust.

I was desperate for his touch. So desperate, so quick to dive into the heat coiling in my middle, I didn't feel my climax approach until it hit me with all its might.

Sparks lit up the dark canvas of my eyes as I squeezed them shut. Pleasure rippled along my spine, streaming into every inch of my body. Skrain came as fast and hard as I did, his form convulsing against my back as his release flooded me.

"Damn," he panted and pulled out. "One orgasm isn't enough for my wife, but we don't have time for more."

He grabbed me by the shoulders, standing me up and turning me around. I blinked at him, dazed. He kissed me and took another fresh cloth from the sink, giving me a superficial clean before he pulled up my panties, favoring my mound with an appreciative tap.

His seed dripped from my entrance, and I squirmed while I smoothed over my robes, my uncomfortable groan making him snicker. He wiped himself down and tossed both rags into the fire before he tucked away his cock and tied his trousers. I was still reeling, barely managing to stand.

"We have to get this wrapped up and meet our new friend," he said, still whispering.

Friend ?

My brows rose with a few urgent questions, my mouth already opening to voice them, but Skrain lifted a placating hand.

"Trust me, he'll be useful," he cut in before grabbing the alchemy supplies from the table and marching to the cupboard, shoving everything inside. His tail swung as he rushed to the fire, extinguishing it, pouring the herbal water down the drain before stowing the pot with the others.

I grinned at him, sliding my cum-sticky thighs together. "Fine. But you owe me an orgasm."

"More than one, my darling wife," he said, favoring me with a mischievous wink. "Grab the vial, and let's go. The sooner we're out of here, the sooner I can fulfill that promise."