Chapter 38

ChapterThirty-Eight

He hadn’t thought...

By the seven kingdoms, Gluttony had thought no one could stand to be in his presence, let alone allow him to touch them like he’d touched her. She held him tightly in her arms, holding him close to her heart as they both spiraled down from the madness that had claimed them.

He hadn’t even gotten her dress off, he realized. He should have laid her out on the moss, given her a fantasy night to remember, and made her dream of this evening for years to come.

Instead, he’d knelt on the ground and rutted her like an animal in his lap and she’d... enjoyed it? She’d liked it. He was certain of that. She’d whimpered in his ears with pleasure and he didn’t know how to take that.

It was still almost impossible for him to consider that she liked him. That she wanted to spend time with him, and him alone. She’d given him the greatest gift of her body and time, and here he was with his teeth still digging into her neck as her blood sluggishly pooled over his tongue.

Carefully, he eased his fangs out of her neck. At least he could remove those and make her a little more comfortable. With a soft lap of his tongue, he soothed the aching flesh that was bright red after he’d...

Damn it.

He wasn’t supposed to do that to her again, not when he’d nearly lost her yet again. He was supposed to be more gentle with her, be the man she needed, not the monster.

And yet, when he leaned away from her to skate his fingers over the wounds, she smiled at him like he’d lit up the sky.

“You are well?” he asked, tugging her dress up from her hips.

“I’m fine,” she said with a chuckle. “Better than fine.”

His brows must have creased in disbelief because she touched the wrinkles there. He was giving himself away a little too easily for his liking. Or maybe she just read him better than anyone else.

And he would not hide from her anymore. He would not pretend that he was a better man than he was, because he’d proven to her that he wasn’t.

Again, he touched his fingers to the wound at her neck, frowning at the twin marks there. “I should not continue to drink from you. It is too dangerous for us to do this.”

“I enjoy it.”

“I’m telling you, Kat, it’s too much of a risk. We need to be more careful with your life.”

What would he do without her? Flashes of returning to the loneliness that had nearly destroyed him made his stomach churn. He refused to go back to that darkness. Back to that life where he had drowned in that sadness. He couldn’t. Gluttony already knew what would happen to him if he returned to that life, and it was not a life of happiness like this one. He’d return to the darkness and this time... he might never return.

She held his hand in hers, cupping his fingers and squeezing them. “Listen to me, Gluttony. I enjoy it when you feed from me.”

“No one enjoys that.”

“I like the pain.” She shifted a bit in his lap, clearly uncomfortable admitting such a thing, and just that tiny movement gave him hope. “And I like knowing that you’re enjoying yourself to the fullest. I don’t want you to hide who you are just because you think I’m uncomfortable with what you need. I’m not.”

Something warm bloomed in his chest. Somehow soft and heated at the same time, and it burned him from the inside out. Quietly he asked, “You enjoy it?”

“I do.” Katherine smiled at him and his entire soul lit up. Taking flight as he realized that she accepted him. Even as monstrous as he was. “I enjoy it quite a bit, actually. I thought that was rather obvious.”

But then she winced as she shifted, and reality came slamming back into his mind. He was still kneeling on the ground, half hard inside her, and her hips were stretched so wide over his that he was certain she was in pain. Again. Because of him.

“Shit,” he muttered, drawing her dress all the way up and covering the mounds of tantalizing flesh that now wore the marks of his teeth. “You must be sore. I’m sorry, love. Let’s get you up.”

It was one of the worst sensations to withdraw from her comforting heat, but he did. He tucked himself haphazardly back into his pants as he stood with her in his arms, making sure that she could stand on her own two feet before he yanked his shirt back over his head.

He needed to get her back to the castle and into a warm bath. Somewhere comfortable. What had that book said about people who had these kinds of injuries? Heat was better for old wounds, ones that won’t get fixed easily. And then he was supposed to add something to her food that would help with inflammation, of which he must have just given her plenty.

Her tiny hand pressed against his chest, still bearing the marks of her ordeal. Apparently, the rusalki hadn’t healed every part of her body.

He followed the long, delicate line of her wrist all the way up to her face. She was still smiling. Even though he was panicking, she was a steady rock of patience.

“Gluttony,” she said. “Come here.”

“I’m—” He flapped his arms up and down. “I can’t get any closer, Kat.”

“Yes, you can.” She stepped into him and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck, drawing him closer down to her. “Kiss me, you stubborn man. I can see you turning back into that sad boy, and before that happens, I’d like to taste you one last time.”

He melted.

Gluttony swept her up into his arms with a groan before devouring her lips. He nipped and bit, kissing her like she was the last person in the world, and he was desperate for her touch. Because to him, she was. And he was. He wanted her more than anything in this world and to know that she was his? It gathered up every shattered shard of his soul and patched them back together.

All the anxiety and panic filtered out of his mind the moment their lips met. And the ease that she brought him, the relaxation that pushed away all that fear, it stayed with him even as she drew back to breathe.

“Wow,” she whispered, before giggling again. “Look at that.”

“Look at what?”

“You’ve got will-o’-the-wisps all through your hair.” Katherine reached up and plucked one out of the long, tangled strands. And he watched the tiny creature struggle in her grip before she released it to float back through the air like a firefly.

He had never loved her more. Standing in the moors with his arms wrapped around her, watching her eyes as she followed a wisp through the air. She was so stunning. All that tangled red hair floating around her head like a cloud. Every freckle on her cheeks that he wanted to count a thousand times over, just to make sure he knew exactly how many she had. Without a doubt, he’d never adored a creature more than her.

Gently, he pressed their foreheads together and breathed her in. “Where did you come from? What goddess put you on this earth to teach me how to love?”

“I would like to think it was meant as a punishment,” she teased. “Perhaps with a realization that you’d been wallowing for too long.”

He growled a little, mockingly yanking her hips tighter to his. “Indeed. It was a punishment, certainly, because I have thought of nothing other than you for far too long.”

“Soon there will be more to think about, I’m certain.” Katherine cupped his jaw, holding him a little closer as her eyes fluttered closed. “But for now, I’m rather enjoying pretending it’s just you and me. That there is no one else in this world but the two of us.”

And, oh, if that didn’t squeeze his heart and make his world spin out of orbit.

“Come,” he breathed, lifting her into his arms as he strode into the bog. “I think it’s time for us to return home.”

Katherine tilted her head back, dangling in his arms like she had no question that he would carry her safely. “Home. I like the sound of that.”

So did he. But only when she said it.

They talked about nothing and everything as they meandered back to his castle. He took the long way to show her all the secret hiding places of the dangerous creatures of his kingdom. She even got to see a baby kelpie. The little calf snorted at them and then tripped on a thick patch of moss. The sound of her joyous laughter made even those beasts pause.

He showed her the kingdom that she’d never seen before. The kingdom that was filled with so much dangerous beauty, just like her. And though Katherine would likely never see herself in the same light, he knew just how dangerous she could be.

She held the reins to the most dangerous creature in this kingdom, after all.

Him.

Once they got back to his castle, he made quick work of bringing her to her room. He set her down on her feet only once they’d crossed the threshold, and even then he was loath to no longer have her in his arms.

She giggled at him, then pretended to get angry. “What, you’re making me stay in my own room still? After everything we’ve done?”

He backed her into the bathroom, forcing her to move or be trampled by the wall of his massive chest. “Pet, I moved all the most comfortable furniture into this room for you. Unless you want to go back to sleeping on straw, we’re staying in this room. Together.”

“You’ve been sleeping on a straw bed?”

“I would sleep on a dirt covered floor if that would ensure you more comfort.” He held onto her wrist so she wouldn’t trip and then turned on the faucet to fill the tub with steaming hot water. “Besides, this room has the best view.”

And then he was given another one of her soft looks. The one where he knew she was thinking how much she loved him, and now that he had a name for it, it made everything so much better.

Tucking his finger underneath her chin, he tilted her face up to look at him. “Now you’re going to spend a good long while in this bath. Do you understand? Soak those muscles that I overused.”

“Or what?”

Baring his teeth in a snarl, he made sure she stared at his fangs before answering, “Do I need to remind you that I have use for a body that is healed and comfortable, but less use for a body that is hurting? I will make you stay in that bed until you heal yourself, pet.”

“Are you threatening to withhold sex from me if I don’t get in that tub?” Katherine crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him up and down before snorting. “I’m willing to accept that challenge.”

Bracing his arm on the wall behind her head, he caged her in between the tile and his body. He gave her another growl that he hoped was intimidating, but thought it was a little more suggestive than he had planned. “I have waited a thousand years for you, Katherine. A thousand years. And I won’t claim that I didn’t touch anyone else during that time. I won’t even suggest that I didn’t enjoy myself before you. But now that I have you, there is no one else. There will never be anyone else. So if I have to dunk you into that water and hold you underneath it so that you are well, I will do so. You are mine, pet, and I will keep you happy and healthy. There is no other way.”

Her mouth fell open at his words before she licked her lips and nodded. Eyes darting to his mouth and then back up, he already knew what she was thinking before she even said it. “And if I wish for you to join me?”

Gluttony coiled one of her curls around his finger and gave her hair a little tug. “As tempting as that is, I do not know how to behave myself around you. This is about healing. Your body needs rest, Kat, and your mind likely needs time to process what happened. I’m not giving you an excuse to hide.”

At that, she seemed to wilt in front of his eyes. All the memories came rushing back, and he knew it had to be a lot to think about.

Excluding what they had done, her people had betrayed her in a fashion that would be difficult to forget. She was, without a doubt, needing time to think about this. Time to herself.

And he... Well, he didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to take any more time away from her because he wanted her. In any way he could get. He wanted to bask in her presence, even if it became more of a torment.

Gluttony had to stand back and keep his hands by his sides as she stripped. He’d seen her like this before, of course. Bare to his hungry eyes was how he preferred her. But this time, he had no intention to touch.

Although he held out his hand to help her into the bath. She was strong and capable, but he knew the slippery surface of the tub was dangerous for her hip. Especially when he noticed the strange hitch in her step that wasn’t normal. Even for her.

Usually, she would cast aside his help and give him a glare for even offering. But right now, in this soft bubble they had created, she allowed him to help. She sank underneath the water, a quiet sigh on her lips, and he watched the blush rise up from her chest and burn into her cheeks.

He crouched on the other side of the tub, one of his arms braced on the side and his fingers toying with the steam. “Comfortable?”

“Yes.” She rolled her head to the side to look at him, a soft smile on her lips. “Why are you doing all this for me?”

“Taking care of you?”

She shrugged, but he knew that was her real question. What kind of a life must she have lived before him that she couldn’t understand why he’d want to do this?

Gluttony swirled his fingers in the water, waiting for her response. But she didn’t give him one. Instead, she just watched his movements with a faint hint of amusement in her gaze.

Finally, he relented. “You have been so kind to me, Katherine. More so than anyone else in my life. You have a heart of gold, even for people who wish nothing more than to harm you. You’ve met my brothers with bravery and a thoughtful nature that made my heart beat in my chest. And you have returned to me. Every time you left. Every dark secret I’ve told you hasn’t scared you away, and I must be honest, that still startles me. You should run.”

“And yet, I have no plan to.” Her hand lifted out of the water, wet and glistening as she traced her finger over his lips. “I would miss you if I was gone.”

Oh, she had no idea how much he would miss her.

Gluttony pillowed his head on his forearm and spent the next hour with her. Not inside the tub, just listening to her tell stories. Watching the expression on her face as she grew more animated and splashed water on the wall with each of her movements.

He’d never been more in love. Not once.