Page 12 of The Goddesses' Gifts

Adequate?! While thoroughly offended, I wasn’t quite stupid enough to fall for his goading.

Dulanzo finished his prowling and stood before me, still frowning. Perhaps there had been something to Zelfek’s advice after all. Dulanzo raised a hand and wrapped long fingers around my throat, slow enough I could have stepped away, but I didn’t. He pulled me toward him and pushed my jaw upward with his thumb and forefinger, snarling, “Look at me!”

Instead of meeting his gaze with fury, I gave him what I hoped looked like a resigned grimace. It wasn’t natural for me, and perhaps he could tell. He yanked me closer.

“Where did you go, little fighter?” My skin crawled as his words wafted over my face and my thundering heart demanded I act. I was weakened, but not helpless! “I know you’re in there, I’ve seen you—tasted your fury and fear in the same breath.” He lifted me slowly onto my toes by the grasp on my throat. I grabbed his wrist and pulled upward, taking some strain off my neck. I gasped and almost moved to slip away, my nature forgetting for a moment that I was supposed to be compliant.

Then he rubbed his groin against my hip. Wrath burst through caution, burning its way through my belly and straight into my throbbing head. I was going to lash out and rip his face to shreds with my bare fucking hands!

I was on the very edge of acting when two things happened. First, I locked eyes with Zelfek as he burst into the room, complaining loudly at his commander from the threshold. Second, that Dulanzo, despite all his effort, wasn’t even a little hard.

Dulanzo’s frustrated scowl twisted into a cold smile. He gave me a rough shove and I careened backwards onto the bed. “It’s rude to speak a language our guest doesn’t understand, cousin,” he said and turned to face the other elf.

I propped up on my elbows and watched them. Zelfek must have seen the murder in my eyes and gave me a meaningful look.

The subcommander held his ground, though, jaw clenched, and arms crossed over his chest while Dulanzo approached him. The air between them all but crackled with unspoken, nearly tangible hatred for one another.

“He demanded to know why I summoned him since he has better things to do than stand here and watch me defile you,” Dulanzo translated for me. “But I beg to differ.”

“I do have better things to do, like actual work,” Zelfek said in the trade language. His gaze slid over the blood on the floor, the pile of bloody linens, and the bed before settling on me for a heartbeat. “Not watch you engage in your … hobby,” he said and gestured at me.

Dulanzo tipped his head to the side and nodded, “Yes, but my new pet isn’t what she was yesterday. I have to wonder what might have brought on such a change in disposition.” He peered at his subcommander with narrowed eyes. “You’re the only one to speak to her since she arrived. Do you have any idea?”

“I haven’t a clue,” Zelfek drawled in answer with a roll of his eyes. “I attended the pregnancy and explained why it had to be done. She asked a few questions about the process but wasn’t otherwise talkative.”

“Hmm.” Dulanzo approached the door as if leaving. Zelfek moved to step back into the hall to allow him, but the commander paused and gestured for Zelfek to come further into the room. “I’ll have to consider how to reignite her fire,” Dulanzo said, thoughtfully. “But you’ll need to attend the baby again.”

Zelfek groaned but did as ordered. “I suppose the blood is Avry’s?”

“Indeed.” Dulanzo nodded. “You’ll need to punish her for killing him.”

I swallowed and pulled the blanket to protect myself from the chill before I started shivering again.

“Don’t even think about covering up,” Dulanzo ordered over his shoulder. I glared at his back and pushed the blanket away. At least it was easier to do what he said when he was further away. “I can’t defile her as she is, so I’ll leave it to you, my trusted right hand.”

“Me?” Zelfek asked with a grimace. “Commander, I truly have more pressing business.”

“I’ll see to it.” Dulanzo waved off Zelfek’s rebuttal. “Consider it a trade. Your aides are adequate, and my morning just opened up. Just don’t put anything in her mouth that you wish to keep.” He left and closed the door behind him.

CHAPTER 6

ZELFEK

Ozanna watched me with narrowed eyes as I stormed toward her, unable to conceal my fury and frustration, though she was not the source of either. Dulanzo was. Of course he’d known her odd behavior was my doing. I’d considered that risk before I talked to her on my own. The point was to keep him from doing more than roughing her up, but he didn’t react the way I’d anticipated. He’d never handed one of his little pets over to someone else before the novelty wore off. This was some kind of test—an attempt to uncover my motivations. Was I trying to protect the woman or was I simply aggravating him as a diversion? Or possibly even take the woman from him, which was foolish because all I’d have to do is wait until he was ready to share. Not that I’d partaken in the past.

Yes. It was a suitable counter to my earlier actions. If I followed his orders, he would know I wasn’t trying to protect her. If I didn’t, he’d assume it was a distraction. Or should I try for the red herring and make him think I wanted the woman for myself? Which did I want him to believe? Which would play out better in the long run?

While I disliked taking someone against their will, I could do it if I had to … in fact my body responded enthusiastically to the sight of the curves over her athletic frame. She didn’t even bother to bend a leg and hide her cunt or the sparse curls around it.

No, arousal wasn’t the same as willingness to do such a thing, and it would only serve to make enemies of her mates.

So, the herring it is.

Instead of grabbing her ankle and dragging her closer, I snapped up the blanket and tossed it over her before turning back to the door so, just maybe, she wouldn’t see the effect she had on my fucking trousers.

I stood by the door as if listening for eavesdroppers though I was actually desperately trying to will away my arousal. There were so many things my self-loathing could have latched onto, but it chose how I’d embarrassed Rhemvile the day before. The confused sadness on his face. How I’d been a wretched bastard to a simpleton that was just happy to see me and wanted to please me. A normal, healthy person wouldn’t react the way I had. A normal, healthy person would have smiled and teased the beautiful simpleton back before fucking him to our mutual satisfaction. But normal, healthy people didn’t live here.

Ozanna sighed heavily. I couldn’t be sure why. Probably relief that I’d gone for the blanket. Because while the view had been magnificent, she’d also looked cold. Her pale pink skin marbled with white from where it had been in contact with the chill air for too long. Surface dwellers just didn’t seem to fare as well in the subterranean cold.

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