Chapter 27

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Lust practically waltzed to meet with his brother. He found it strange how light he felt after spending the night with her, but he also realized there was no other way he could have felt.

Something new, after all these years.

He’d been so caught up in the repetition of life. He would go to the villages, find a lovely young woman, continue the myth that he was grand and adventurous and more than any other could possibly be. He stayed to himself in the castle with those who knew him well, so he didn’t really need to live.

All of those had been done to keep himself safe. And he was. Safe, that is. Living life in a bubble of his own creation without ever looking outside of it.

Now? She was there. On the outside of the bubble, daring him to look through the glass orb and see her for what she was.

A woman unlike any other he’d ever met.

No, that wasn’t right. He sidestepped a servant who walked past him with a shocked expression on her face. Selene wasn’t any different from any of the others, and maybe that was what made her so unique. He’d met a hundred women who looked just like her. At least fifty of them had smelled like peppermint or had eyes the color of caramel when they got angry. He’d probably made someone so angry that they couldn’t think straight on many occasions.

But none of those people had been her. And therein lay the strangeness to the entire situation.

It didn’t matter that she wasn’t entirely unique or a unicorn who had crawled out of the mist to bring him good luck. She was a woman with real wants and needs and desires, and he was obsessed with her. Entirely. Utterly.

Just thinking about the sounds she’d made when he had licked between her legs was enough to make him turn right around and join her in bed again. Was she still there?

He made to turn before forcing himself to stop. No, there was time. Like he’d said. He wanted to take his time with her, to learn what she liked, what she didn’t like. He wanted to hear every sound she made, even if those sounds were in frustration.

Whistling a tune he hadn’t heard in years, he walked into his study where Greed was waiting for him this morning.

His brother stood by the windows, hands clasped behind his back and tail angrily flicking behind him. “Finally. You should know there is no security in your castle to speak of. I’m disappointed, brother. You should at least have guards at the castle gate.”

“There is no need for guards while I am in the castle.” Nor did he care to argue about that this morning. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the tray one of his servants had left out and sipped at it. “Are you enjoying your visit?”

“Not in the slightest. I came here to talk some sense into you, and instead I find you wrapped up in a woman who couldn’t care less about your existence.”

Lust waited until Greed turned around and then grinned.

His brother rolled his eyes, but let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Ah, well nevermind then. She’s finally given in?”

“I wouldn’t call it given in as much as finally accepting what she needs.” He took another long sip of his coffee. “It’s different with her. I don’t know how to describe it. She’s...”

Greed’s eyes narrowed. “She’s...”

“Different.”

“Yes, you already said that. I don’t understand why you think saying it twice will explain it any better.”

A mist pooled underneath the door and then rolled toward them. Affection gathered itself up, almost to his knee in height now, shockingly. The spirit hadn’t grown in ages and yet here it was, larger than it had been since the first time he met it.

Lust looked down as his jaw dropped open. “What are you doing here?”

“Of course, this is different!” The spirit almost shouted. “This is the first time he’s had to work at getting a woman to like him.”

The loud snort that echoed from Greed broke the silence that followed those words. His brother shook his head, clearly trying to hide a smile. “Well, you would be right about that one. Women fall at Lust’s feet when he wants them to. Literally.”

“And I tried with this one many times, but she had no interest in falling at my feet.” And considering the evening he had, and the morning reception he’d gotten, he added with a grumble, “I still don’t think she has any plans to do so.”

Greed and Affection made eye contact before they both burst into laughter. His brother pointed at the spirit while saying, “I like this one. Where did you get it?”

“I didn’t get it anywhere. Affection has been with me since the beginning.”

“Affection, is it? Curious little spirit.” Greed bent down to look at it, his golden eyes glowing with desire. “Perhaps I should take this one back with me.”

“Absolutely not.”

Affection puffed itself up. “You’d find I’m very hard to contain. Besides, we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about Selene and how Lust is going to keep her.”

He set his coffee cup down a little harder than he’d planned. “There’s nothing to talk about. Of course I’m keeping her.”

“Just because you slept with her doesn’t mean she’s going to stay.”

“I didn’t exactly...” Lust heaved a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. “We didn’t exactly sleep together.”

Again, silence. From both the spirit and his brother.

Greed straightened, the creaking leather of his clothing the only warning before he said, “What do you mean you didn’t exactly sleep with her? Did you fuck her or not?”

“Not. I mean, kind of. We certainly did enough of other things. I don’t—“ Lust shook his head and frowned at his brother. “Why am I telling you any of this? You don’t need to know what happens behind our closed doors.”

Greed stared at him for a few moments before tilting his head back and barking out the most awful laugh. Loud and like a thunderclap, the sound carried throughout the entire room before he got a hold of himself. “You know what fucking is, Lust! Does that sound like fucking to you?”

“There are layers to it, and please stop being so crude. It wasn’t fucking.”

“What was it then?” his brother asked, amusement glittering in his golden eyes. “Making love?”

“Both of you get out.”

“You’re visiting me.”

“You’re in my castle!” Lust threw his arms out in disgust before pointing at his brother. “You have no say in how I feel about this. If I say we fucked, then we fucked.”

“I suppose having your fingers or mouth in her is one thing, but I’ve never seen you so upset. Fucking is getting your dick wet, brother. You didn’t manage to do that.”

His dick was soaked by the time they were over, but he didn’t need to tell his brother the finer details. Grumbling, he shook his head before looking back at Affection. Though the conversation was not one he wanted to have, it felt important to ask, “What did you mean we have to figure out how to keep her?”

The spirit drew itself up, and he noticed for the first time that it had eyes. And a mouth. And what looked like a nose it was trying to conjure up, but it was very much in the wrong place. “There are nuances to keeping someone in your life, and you’ve never done that before. Just like you’ve never had to work to get someone in your bed—no, don’t argue, we all know that’s the truth—you’ve also never had to convince someone to stay with you.”

“Isn’t it enough that I am the king of this entire floating island and that she is lucky to have me around?” He shook his head. “I will fulfill every fantasy she has and provide her with startling new ones. There is nothing that will stop me from pleasuring her until she is uncertain which direction is up. Is that not enough to keep a woman around?”

Even Greed gave him a look that said he was an idiot.

As one, both the spirit and his brother said, “No.”

Lust sank into one of the plush leather chairs in his study and held his head with both hands. “What do you mean, no? I will give her everything she’s ever wanted.”

“Do you even know what she wants?” Affection asked. “She’s told you stories about her childhood, and she’s invited you to enjoy in her body, but how much do you know about her?”

“As well as anyone else.”

“Precisely.” Affection rolled its eyes when he nodded like that was a good thing. “Women don’t want to be fucked all the time. They want to know that you care, that’s how you keep her around. By caring.”

“And how do I show her that?”

Greed made eye contact with him and then shrugged. His brother sank into the opposite chair, leaning forward on his forearms so he could better pay attention. Apparently, they both needed to learn this lesson.

The spirit was all too happy to oblige. It rolled in front of them and gathered itself up again. “Flowers. Affection. Kisses! Romance her to show her that she means something to you.”

“Romance?”

“Yes.”

“What is that?” he asked, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.

“What do you mean, what is that?” Affection shouted, the wispy edges of its form rioting with the question. “Are you an idiot? Romance is romance! It’s about love and feelings and telling someone else your feelings. It’s about caring how they feel and learning what they like and listening when they talk. How do you not know what that is?”

He glanced over at Greed, who, again, shrugged. “We are the embodiment of what we are. Just as you are the embodiment of affection. Lust and romance do not... Not necessarily mix.”

“Then it’s time for you to learn. Or she’ll leave this place and go back to the Tower with all those dreary white walls and women who hate her.” Affection sniffed. “You’ll lose her, Lust. If you only want her for her body and all you do is reaffirm that you’re only interested in her for sex, she’ll walk out of these doors and you’ll never see her again. Mark my words.”

And with that, the spirit rolled out of the room with a huff. The edges of its mist vibrated with anger.

The two brothers sat in silence for a little while. Lust leaned back in his chair, gently tugging on his bottom lip as he thought about what Affection had to say. Would Selene leave? No. She enjoyed being here far too much for that. And last night had certainly solidified that she would want to stay. Who would ever pull themselves away from such incredible sex? And it would be incredible sex. Maybe tonight, if she was a little less shy.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he saw Greed staring at the ceiling. His jaw ticked, so he could only guess whatever his brother was thinking wasn’t all that pleasant either.

“What do you think?” Lust asked.

“I think this is still dangerous. My gut says there’s something about to happen that we cannot change, but I can’t figure out why.” He looked down, catching Lust’s gaze and holding it. “I want to tell you to be careful. Danger’s afoot. But I also want to tell you to run headlong into this because it feels right for you. It’s a strange feeling.”

His brother’s feelings were usually right. Greed didn’t know how to see the future, but he had some sixth sense to him that Lust had always trusted.

“Two very different kinds of advice,” he murmured.

“Indeed.” Greed slapped a hand to his thigh. “And yet, I think right now you should go find her.”

“Find her?”

“If Affection is right, then she’s already planning to make her great escape. Change her mind, Lust. Whether she’s dangerous or the woman that will alter everything, we need to keep her around.” Those golden eyes flashed with humor. “For some reason, I don’t think you’ll allow me to be the one forcing her to stay.”

The words made him imagine Greed’s arms around Selene. She’d hate it, but in his mind’s eyes he saw her lips curve into a polite smile. He saw that long neck tilt to the side as Greed pressed his damned mouth against her neck and he refused to indulge his imagination any further.

Lunging to his feet, Lust stalked out of the room without another word.

Instead, he went to find her.

First, he searched their bedroom. She might still be getting ready, but he couldn’t find her there. Not even the faint hint of her scent remained. Curious now, he walked through the halls where he usually found her frequenting. But again, Selene was nowhere to be found.

He even asked a few servants if they’d seen her, but they only gave him blank expressions and asked who Selene was.

Right, because he hadn’t been parading her about the castle as someone that was important to him. Sure, there had been the rumors of a queen. But even those were getting a little less frequent the longer they didn’t see her. Only the servants who worked at the feasts knew what she even looked like.

Damn it, so where was she?

A feeling in his belly whispered that perhaps she’d gone out to the gardens. He tried to still himself, wondering what that feeling even was. Lust had never been one for premonitions like Greed. He’d never even had much of a power other than electrifying people with their deepest desires.

As he stilled in the hallway, closing his eyes and focusing on that feeling, he realized there was a warmth in his chest that was new. A warmth that at first seemed like the cold bite of winter but inside, the warmth of a cottage with a hearty fire, good food, and a warm bed filled with long limbs and dark hair.

It was her, he realized. A connection between the two of them that had bubbled up since last night. He’d tasted her lust, yes, but it had also fueled him in a way no other had before. This new power came entirely from feasting upon what only she could give him.

She was in the gardens, he knew without question. And she wasn’t alone.

Lust took his time now, wandering through the halls to the second level, where he could peer down into the flower beds. And there she was. Her dark gown trailed behind her like the shroud of a woman in mourning. She wore the dress that covered her up the most today, the dress he hated more than any other. The dark embroidery glistened in the sunlight as she meandered through the rows. And beside her? A little glowing spirit who had already shouted at him today.

Affection. He should have guessed it would meddle.

Lust leaned on the railing and stared down at the two of them. As he watched, a strange softness bloomed in his chest.

Where he had been in such a rush to go to her, to prove that he wanted her to stay, now he just wanted to look at her. So he did.