13. Florencia

13

Florencia

M y neck was practically broken from the metaphorical whiplash Camazotz was giving me. That angry scowl was once again carved deeper on his face than the scars that deformed it.

I was frustrated, desperate for my own release, my thighs chafing as they rubbed together, the skin slick from desire dripping loosely down my legs. Still, I stayed silent, even as his grip squeezed my bicep with a bruising pressure. He led me through those dark halls, down the stairs, then again up some more until we were back in the tower, where I'd last slept.

Before I could open my mouth to say something, anything, he threw me inside, the back of my legs hitting the bed and forcing me on my back.

"Wash," he spoke dryly. "He won't want you tasting of my cock when he meets you."

"W-who?" I stuttered, confused about who I'd be meeting and why his fingers or one of his cocks weren't finishing what he started.

"Your groom," Camazotz answered, not giving me a moment to wrap my brain around his words before he left the room.

I groaned, rolling out of the bed and finding the large clawfoot tub in the center of the room already filled, steam rolling into the air. One toe at a time, I entered the tub, the water just the right temperature to soothe every needy muscle.

I rubbed my temple, trying to make sense of this frustrating nightmare of a god. He wanted me to piss his brother off, but now that he had me, he was sending me to him.

It was truly a joke that none of this was a dream, because every second I spent in Helios felt further and further from sanity.

I still couldn't bring the pieces together.

And Camazotz had no answers.

Maybe meeting Elio wasn't such a terrible idea. Maybe with him, I'd be able to relieve the gnawing discomfort of the unknown. He knew what was happening, I was sure of it.

I repeated the words in my head, as if they would somehow relieve the blistering I felt in the center of my chest. Elio was my soulmate. The fates had intended us to be together from the very beginning. Being attracted to Camazotz was wrong. Letting him between my legs was abhorrent. Pleasuring both his cocks at once was definitely a bad move.

Falling for him was–

I dropped my head to my hands, the tears falling freely into the water. I got on my knees for him. I gave him more than I'd ever given anyone before. I let him touch me, kiss me, and he was ready to send me away.

An overwhelming rush of shame filled every inch of my body at the thought of how I'd been used like a toy in a fight between brothers. Camazotz would never love me, and now that he'd ruined me for Elio, it was likely his brother wouldn't desire me in the same way.

It was silly to be sobbing my eyes out in a tub wondering if my god husband-to-be was going to throw me away once he found out his brother had me. A deranged laugh escaped my mouth as I took in the entirety of my situation. Finally, I decided to lean back and close my eyes.

Nothing was in my control anymore.

Fuck it.

How this wasn't a dream was beyond me. But if we're all mad here, then I might as well drink the tea too. I took a deep breath, relaxing from the strong eucalyptus scent made only stronger with the heat of the steam.

"The forest." A metallic voice spoke the words, filling every inch of my body with dread.

I whimpered, too afraid to open my eyes, somehow already knowing exactly what I would see when I did.

The metallic sound scraped past my ear again. "The forest." It sounded like a hundred voices at once. It sounded like a robot. It sounded inhuman .

Every muscle in my body trembled, every hair raised, and with my jaw clenched tightly, I fought to pry my eyelids open. One of The Silent stood next to the tub, hands extended as they held a silver tray with a neatly folded towel upon it.

"Holy sh–" I screamed out a whisper, my reaction fading halfway as it left The Silent unphased.

What the hell was that?

It sounded clearer than ever. It sounded real.

But my head had convinced me crazier things had happened before. "Camazotz," I called out anxiously, The Silent still standing there, creepily frozen next to me.

I finally forced my legs to move, rising, the water falling from my body just as he entered the room. I quickly reached for the towel, stepping out of the tub on the opposite side so I could get as far away from this lace-covered faceless thing as fast as humanly possible.

"You aren't ready." He sounded bored, like he wasn't sure why I'd called him if I wasn't all geared up to be delivered to his brother like a hot-to-go pizza.

He hadn't noticed the sheer terror exuding from my every pore.

"I-I thought you said they didn't talk?" I tried to mask my panic, but every word came out with an unsteady vibrato.

"They do not. Do you see a mouth?" He lifted an eyebrow, like he was waiting for me to inspect the maid up close.

Nope, from here was fine, and without having to get a foot closer, I could see that under the intricate lace designs of the mask covering its face, there wasn't much else there. Its body never moved the way a human body did from taking a breath. Even Camazotz faked it now and then, as if to make me feel somewhat more comfortable around him.

Where a mouth would have been, was skin. Grown over the space as if speech had never been a part of this poor creature's design.

I swallowed a lump stuck in my throat.

I heard that. I know I did.

I'm not crazy.

I'm not crazy.

I looked back at Camazotz to find him staring at me with a look of suspicion on his face. He wasn't lying. He had no need to lie. He'd proved that many times over, and even his brother had assured me of that.

He was a monster, but he was not a liar.

I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that his disregard for me would affect me. Clenching my teeth, I lifted my head high and turned to the clothes laid out for me, dropping the towel at my feet.

I felt the heat of his stare even facing the opposite direction. I lifted the dress from the bed, but before I could bring it to my body to examine it, his chest was at my back. His hand cupped my breast, his thumb stroking my nipple back to life.

"I thought you were sending me away?" I breathed out, dropping my head to his shoulder at the feel of his other hand sliding down my back.

His chuckle was wicked, something cruel and ruinous that sank its fangs into my heart the closer he held me. Did he not want me because he'd tired of my broken mind already?

And if the God of Nightmares was bored of my darkness, then how would the King of Dreams survive me? He pinched my nipple between two fingers, rolling the hardened bead and coaxing a moan from the depths of my core.

Kame growled, somehow unbothered by my nearly palpable fear of The Silent but feeling a territorial need to keep me from his master.

Camazotz's voice was a low warning in my ear. "You stole my beast."