Chapter 12

ChapterTwelve

Why did he have to show up and ruin everything?

She was trying her best to stay utterly avoidant. He didn’t have to look that good. He didn’t have to wear that smirk that made her entire body shiver every time he looked at her. And he didn’t have to tease her with all those dirty words that kept echoing through her mind.

He was Greed. The king of this kingdom. A terrible demonic beast who had ruled these lands for a thousand years. The idea that he was interested in a thief like her? That was a ridiculous thought.

She’d thought he was bored in the cave. A man had to entertain himself somehow, and someone as old as him likely wanted to toy with whatever he could get his hands on. She’d admitted that it was all right. She’d kissed him back, and it had been the best kiss of her life and that was fine. Moving on would happen eventually.

And then he saved her life.

Not only that, he wrapped her up in his arms, breathing hard with his lips pressed against her head, and it felt like he cared. It felt like he would have been devastated if she fell into the water and he never saw her again.

What was that? How was she supposed to talk herself out of liking him at all when he seemed so genuinely concerned?

Cautiously, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. Her heart wouldn’t stop thudding in her chest and every time it tried to slow down, it thundered right back into that horrible drumming sound that echoed in her ears.

She almost died.

She didn’t, though.

And now this man was holding her against his heart like she mattered and all those walls she’d built up around herself to stay safe came crumbling down. Just like the tomb they stood in.

“Varya,” she whispered against his shoulder. “My name is Varya.”

He repeated her name, savoring the sound of it on his tongue. “Varya. It’s a lovely name.”

“Is it? I have heard no one else with the name before.”

“Because it is as rare as the woman who wields it.” He leaned back, frowning down at her. “You are unharmed?”

“I’m fine.”

“I didn’t pull your shoulder too hard?”

“I’m tougher than I look.” In fact, he’d been quite careful with her. Other than her stinging wrist that he had squeezed a bit too hard, she was fine. Alive. Whole.

And embarrassed to look him in the eye after all that. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her attention to what had been revealed on the floor. “Is that another puzzle?”

“I think we’ve done enough puzzles for the day.”

“And I think we’re close, so we’re going to keep going.”

Greed hissed, his teeth bared and sharp in the flickering firelight. “You almost died.”

Yeah, she had. Varya shrugged before replying, “Hazards of the job. It’s not the first time.”

She wanted to take advantage of the adrenaline flowing through her veins as well. If she didn’t, then they’d be standing here for a while as she emptied her body of liquid through her eyes.

She wasn’t a crier, and she certainly wouldn’t cry in front of him.

Stepping out of the warm circle of his arms, she flexed her wrist once before continuing to the edge that had been revealed. There were stairs descending into the darkness, crumbling and old and missing whole portions. She hoped it was solid enough. The fire trailed down the outline of the stairs, sluggishly following the oil tracks that seemed much thicker than the others. Perhaps older, or affected more like the water on the walls.

Hopefully, that fire continued deep into the underbelly of this place. Otherwise, she’d have to find a makeshift torch since she’d left her other one behind.

Sighing, she picked her way down the stairs. One by one. Testing each step to make sure it would hold her weight. And the entire time she felt a massive shadow lurking behind her, watching her with troubled eyes and an expression that said he wasn’t happy they were still moving.

But he didn’t argue.

He didn’t ask about all the other times she’d almost died.

Varya didn’t know if that made her more nervous or less. His silence was almost worse than his endless chattering.

The bottom of the stairs came too quick, but at least now they faced only a wide circular door made of the same material as the trees in the other room. This one had a massive symbol on it, one that she didn’t recognize. It looked a bit like a snake eating its own tail, with leaves woven all around it.

“Now what?” she muttered, trying to look closer into the design. “Is the snake a clue?”

“No.” Greed pointed above them. “There’s a pattern.”

Ah. All along the walls were more tiled creatures. Butterflies, snakes, mice, cats, owls, so many creatures, it made her head hurt to look at them. “And what are we supposed to do with these?”

She had no idea. But it was a challenge, and she loved those. Varya set her bag on the ground by her feet and turned her attention to the creatures. “Is the pattern what eats what? The snake is eating its own tail, though, so that wouldn’t make sense. What will happen if we touch things out of order?”

Greed rolled his eyes. “I am tired of this game. Do you want your treasure or not?”

“Of course I want the treasure, but I also want to keep this cave intact. What if they rigged this so the entire thing comes down on our heads if we get the wrong pattern?” Glaring at the demon, who clearly did not care about his life at all, she turned her attention back to the pattern. “We don’t even know if this is the treasure room.”

“It is.”

“Oh, and you’re so certain of that?”

“I was here, woman!” He threw his hands up in the air as if she frustrated him to no end. “I was here when this place was built and then countless times after. They would greet people at the front, where we came in. They tested to see the truth of people’s ambitions in the second room. And then once they had passed those tests, they were brought here to leave all their valuable items before they entered the city. This is the treasure room, and the pattern is not that difficult. By all the seven kingdoms, I am tired of this.”

She blinked and suddenly he had a fistful of knives. Where had he been keeping those? One moment he was just standing there and the next, those knives flew out of his hands. One hit the wall above the butterfly, the next the owl, a third over what looked like a toad, and then the snake.

The door behind her grumbled and groaned. Years of sand and rust made it difficult for the mechanism to open it, but there was more than enough room for the two of them to slip through.

Blinking in shock, she eyed him and asked, “What the hell was that?”

“The combination you were looking for.”

“How did you know it?”

He gestured toward the floor, which was little more than chunks of earth and dirt. “There used to be a mural on the ground here. One for each of the four clans that lived inside the walls. Depending on the order you chose, that would be the room that was revealed. You wanted treasure. This is the treasure room.”

“How is that possible?”

“Magic,” he grinned. “And also there is a set of four rooms on top of each other. They all can be lifted and moved by a pulley system hidden on the outside of those rooms. I remember thinking it was rather genius at the time.”

She agreed it was genius. And she hated how impressed she was because it made her want to see him in a different light, and she didn’t want that.

“Come on then, I guess,” she grumbled as she picked her way over fallen stones to the small gap in the door.

“I’m following your lead, treasure.”

She shoved her bag through first and then slid through the opening, which wasn’t all that tight for her. But the door was at least six feet thick and she thought it would be a tight squeeze for the massive man following her. He really did dwarf her entire body. Every time he touched her, it reminded Varya just how small she was compared to him.

Not that she’d ever met a person who wouldn’t look small next to the redheaded giant that wouldn’t leave her alone.

She might have even told him to wait outside the room if what was inside the treasure room hadn’t made her breath catch. There was so much gold in this room. Beyond anything that she’d have ever guessed. It was...

Immaculate.

A kingdom’s worth of treasure laid out in front of her and down a set of stairs into a second room. Piles of gold coins. Countless gemstones and necklaces and bracelets and rings and crowns, and was that even armor? Not to mention the heaps of magical artifacts that hummed with power just a few feet from where she was standing.

And there it was. The Eternity Goblet. It was already brimming with fresh water and she knew that even an entire city couldn’t drink it dry.

They’d prepared for this. Altan had sent her with a slice of worn lamb skin and a rubbery thread that would wrap all around it. It should stay waterproof in her bag and not douse her in water for the rest of her trip. And hopefully that wouldn’t empty it. No one had ever left the Eternity Goblet on its side, so she could only hope that... that...

The massive demon who followed her slid through and then chuckled when he saw what she was looking at. “That’s what you risked your life for? That old thing?”

A flash of anger burned her cheeks and chest. She stomped over to it and started sealing the water inside. “This old thing can provide water for an entire village for the rest of their lives. It should be used.”

“By whom?”

“By anyone who needs fresh water to drink.” She turned in a flash, anger churning in her stomach as her palm itched to slap him. “No one should have to go to bed thirsty. No one should fear where they are going to get their next sip of water that wasn’t gathered from a rainstorm or collected in a pit of mud. But you wouldn’t know a thing about that, would you Greed?”

She hadn’t meant to say so much. She’d just been so insulted that he would think it was all right to say that the goblet wasn’t worth risking her life over. Like she was more valuable than something that would water an entire village, provide clean drinking water to children who were dying because there wasn’t anything for them to drink.

It was just... Horrible to think about. Him saying something like that made it hard for her to even breathe.

“Hey,” he whispered, approaching her like she was a wounded animal before he gently cupped her jaw. “I didn’t say any of that. I didn’t know.”

“You are our king. You should know.”

His jaw tightened, his eyes darkened, and she saw something pass between them like a shadow. But then he was back to his joking self. That flash of a grin suggested he’d already thought of something wicked to fill their time.

Greed reached over her shoulder and dangled a necklace in front of her face. “Did you see this?”

It was a beautiful necklace. A bright emerald at the center with a ring of gold and diamonds around it. It hung on a gold chain, swaying slightly in his grip. “It’s a necklace.”

“It’s more than a necklace. It’s an amulet.” He winked. “Want to guess what it does?”

“Not really.”

He slipped it over his head and disappeared.

Varya gasped, then got angry at herself for making the noise. Of course, he disappeared. The asshole knew every magical item in this room and would use them to his advantage.

His touch disappeared from her face and she felt a small shiver of fear travel down her spine. “Where are you going?”

“Find me.”

“I will leave you in here.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from the goblet. “I’m not playing this game with you, Greed.”

A warm breath fanned over her ear and she felt it deep in her core. “Oh, come on, now. Play with me.”

Her fingers itched to do that. She wanted to slap him, or maybe she wanted to kiss him. She didn’t know, and that drove her insane. Her body didn’t react to him the way it was supposed to. Instead, she was lost in this feeling. This need. This desire to indulge in her senses.

He made her lose her mind. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Stepping further into the treasure, her eyes narrowed at the coins that skittered under his feet. “I see you, demon.”

“Do you?” His fingers slipped over her belly, tugging her back against a warm, hot chest that felt suspiciously bare of his shirt. His fingers tickled up her ribs, ghosting underneath her soft breasts. “What do you think you see?”

Her breath caught. She shuddered, heat flooding through her entire body. She froze in his arms, suspended as though waiting for whatever he might do. Touch. Claim.

Damn it, she was better than this. Wrenching herself out of his arms, she backed down the stairs, watching the coins that should shift underneath his weight. They didn’t.

Was he not following her? He must be. He wouldn’t let her get away that easily.

She bumped into a warm body. Impossibly behind her, even though she’d been watching.

“So?” he growled in her ear. “Do you want to play with me?”

Damn her. Damn him. Damn this connection between them that he felt too, because she whispered, “Yes.”

He lifted her by the waist, his big hands nearly touching as he lifted her up onto one of the platforms that was covered in gold and gemstones. She flattened out on them, not caring that she sent priceless stones tumbling onto the floor and plinking away from her. Because he’d ripped off the amulet and suddenly appeared, crouched above her like a lion who had run down its prey.

Eyes gleaming like the gold he’d laid her out on, he grinned. “I have yet to claim my kiss, treasure.”

Oh, she would kiss him. If he wanted her to kiss him, then she would devour his lips just like she had last time. But he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he leaned down, warm breath fanning over her throat as he slowly dragged his tongue along the vein that throbbed there.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, and somehow it sounded like he was asking permission for something very different.

“What?”

“Can. I. Kiss. You?” Greed repeated, his lips sliding down her shoulder and hovering over her breast.

Oh.

Oh.

Yes.

No. No, definitely not. She hadn’t said yes to this, and she couldn’t. Her entire soul was on the line right now and if he did that then she would never...

“Please,” she heard herself whimper.

The growl that came out of him was nothing short of animalistic. He latched onto her nipple through her shirt, his tongue flicking at the tip until electric shocks zinged between her legs. And then he bit hard. Hard enough that she arched up into him, and shouldn’t she be arching away? She should not be trying to shove herself closer to that wickedly talented tongue that flicked and circled and made her wild with need.

His hands flexed on her sides, drawing down and over her hips, digging into her flesh in a way that made her see stars.

She wanted him. The same desire as before burned her up from the inside out, and she didn’t think she would survive if they didn’t continue. If he didn’t touch her the way she needed. If he didn’t plunge inside of her, as only a demon king could do.

She opened her mouth to beg him, only to feel a cold breeze on her chest. She sat up on her elbows, looking down to see... nothing. No one. Just the pale outline of her nipple through the wet cotton of her shirt and her legs spread obscenely wide.

She didn’t have time to feel embarrassed. Her pants slid down to her thighs, just enough to expose the shaved mound there to the same breeze. And then warm breath.

He was still here.

Her breath caught, shocked as she stared at what couldn’t possibly be an invisible demon king who leaned down and licked.

Varya’s head fell back and her eyes fluttered closed. He did it again, wrenching a moan from her lips as that wicked, rough tongue licked between her folds. She felt how wet she was. How embarrassing that should be. But all she could think about was the friction of that wonderful tongue against her clit as she ground herself against him.

Over and over. He licked and sucked and flicked and she couldn’t think.

Until she was right there. Right on the brink. Right where she desperately wanted him to bring her, and then he stopped.

She felt the rush of heat as he loomed over her again. Heard the wet sound of his tongue licking up her juices from his lips and if she focused hard, she could almost see it glistening on his beard.

“Come find me again, little thief,” he snarled, his voice echoing in her chest. “That’s just a taste of the hours I would give you. The pleasure you would find in my castle.”

“I found no pleasure,” she spat. How dare he stop now? And then to talk to her like he’d given her a gift when the man had done nothing.

He chuckled, and the sound turned her cold. “I know. You don’t get to come unless it’s on my tongue, Varya. You don’t get to feel that rush unless you’re wrapped around my cock. Do you hear me?”

“You don’t tell me what to do.”

“Oh, I do.” He leaned down and nipped at her ear, hard enough to draw blood. Hard enough that she gasped and flinched away from him. “If you disobey me on this and touch yourself, I promise you that your punishment will be most severe.”

And then he disappeared. For real this time. She felt the cold air rush into his wake, leaving her sprawled out on a massive mound of treasure. Alone.

Breathing hard, she stared up at the ceiling and wondered what the hell had just happened?