Page 17 of Avaritia

Interestingly, her hesitation erased mine. “You are going to live here as my mate, and I will see to your material needs while you provide power when I require it. What more is there to discuss? I can hardly unbite you.”

Verity narrowed her eyes at me, face flushed red and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. I found I liked her this way. If I could, she would look this well sated always.

“So, you’re just… fine with this then?”

“What’s not to be fine with? As far as I can tell, this is in every way to my advantage,” I pointed out. Verity huffed indignantly. “What is it you require to be content here? A grander room? A separate wing for your pet beast, perhaps? Some special foods? Jewelry? Name your price.”

Verity’s expressions were odd to me, but I hazarded that she looked considering.

“I am one of the wealthiest Shades in this realm. I will take care of you in all ways. And you will feed me and stay here with me. Make your demands, my captive.”

“Honestly, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad… Can I be bought? Yes. Maybe.” I didn’t respond, since she appeared to be asking the questions to herself. “And this knotting thing. How often do I get this?”

“As often as you like.”

Verity nodded solemnly, and I wondered if I had stumbled upon the most delightful being in the entire realm.

“I want Fester to be able to roam the house safely. Everyone has to know not to hurt him.”

“As you wish.”

“And I like the mistress storage dungeon, but I want to decorate it however I like.”

“It’s not a dungeon—” I began, exasperated.

“And I want to be able to visit the palace whenever I please.”

“Absolutely not,” I growled. “You are my captive.”

“No, I’m not. I will be visiting my friends, Theon,” she warned in a delightfully aggressive voice. “We can pretend I’m your prisoner all you like, but you are not trapping me here.”

That didn’t sound satisfactory at all. The palace was where that smug prick Damen always was, and he wanted my Hunter, I could tell. The whole court was crawling with Allerick’s sycophants, and they would all want my Hunter. No, no, that would not do.

“How about I will escort you to the palace when you wish to go?”

“What if I want to go every day?”

“I have a throne to take, Verity.” This disjointed, barely functioning realm wasn’t going to run itself, and it was clear Allerick wasn’t going to do it—not well, at least. “I will escort you there, twice per week at most.”

She nodded smugly, and perhaps I had not negotiated that well. Her reaction implied she was expecting much less.

Usually, I was an extremely strong negotiator. Verity was very distracting.

“Well, cool. I guess we’re life partners now—”

My knot softened, and the sudden gush of liquid distracted her from whatever she was going to say. I reached between us, cupping her pussy, suddenly very irate that any of it was leaving her body.

Verity swallowed loudly, staring at my hand between her thighs as I pressed my cum back inside her with my palm, careful not to break her delicate skin with my claws.

“Squeeze your thighs together,” I ordered, taking my hand away, entirely unsure where these new possessive urges had come from. Presumably, a side effect of the mating mark that needed further investigation.

But if I was going to change the shadow realm for the better, then I needed to get back to work. I didn’t have time to spend pondering these new developments.

I climbed off the bed, taking one last moment to admire her. Verity’s hair was a mess, her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat, cum leaking profusely from between her slick-coated thighs. She was a sticky, messy disaster, and it was intensely attractive.

What a novel feeling.

“Now what?” Verity asked, though the question seemed loaded somehow. I couldn’t help but feel like she thought I was doing something wrong, though I couldn’t possibly deduce what that might be. I didn’t make missteps.

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