Page 82 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

“I thought you were a demon of your word,” I said, jutting my chin up at him. “If you’re reneging on our deal, then say so.”

It was a low blow to insult his honor, but it was the last card I had. So far, Vain had kept all his promises, and he seemed to take pride in that fact.

The demon pressed his lips together and sighed deeply through his nose. “I have conditions.”

I tried not to break a smile. “Fine.”

“I mean it, Ava. I will let you amuse yourself with this little experiment, but the moment I feel it is getting out of hand, it stops.”

“Deal.”

“Now, unfortunately, the ichor won’t be easy to obtain since Alastair is away and cannot give his willingly. We’ll have to wait for Nesera to collect a sample for you.”

“I can wait,” I said, deeming the conversation over. But as I turned away to retreat back into Vain’s library, he reached out and grabbed my wrist.

“Ah, ah,” he tutted. “That’s not all.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not removing the mark, Vain.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to. Though I do find it curious how adamant you are about keeping it. Is it your way of claiming me? Or have you not removed it yet because you’re afraid if I were to escape, then you’d be left all alone, and I’d become another name added to the list of those that have abandoned you?”

I had to fight to keep my expression neutral. “We’re not talking about this.” Not with him. Not now, not ever.

Vain blinked. “As you wish. However, I did want to speak with you about last night.”

It was impossible to look him in the eyes, so I stared down to where he'd wrapped his hand around my mark. “What is there to talk about?”

“You had some very choice words for me.”

I stopped myself from releasing a whoosh of breath, thankful he only wanted to discuss our argument and not the heady display of arousal I wanted so desperately to push from my memory.

“What of them? I said everything I needed to say to you.”

“And I did not.”

He closed the distance between us until we were practically chest to chest and the force of him made my skin buzz.

“You are beautiful when you get angry with me, mellilla.”

I kept my eyes fixed on our hands, down to the floor—anywhere but Vain’s smoldering gaze. And though I held onto the strong desire to punch the audible smirk clean off his face, that feeling was overshadowed every time I remembered the touch of his hands and of Rory’s mouth as they devoured me until my body sang for them.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice low as he tipped my chin up with the ginger caress of his long fingers.

It was painful letting him search my face as if he were looking into my soul. I didn’t dare to move an inch as he took me in with a tortured longing etched onto his features.

Since when had Vain become so easy for me to read? I had never encountered a demon who laid out their desires so plainly and openly. But, in many ways, Vain was still an enigma. Maybe he always would be.

“You lied to me yesterday,” he said.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Don’t try to cover a lie with another, Ava. You lied when you told me I had leashed you like a dog. That I had made you my pet.”

“Was that a lie?” I challenged.

“It was. The truth is, that you are not the one that’s leashed. You are the one who has leashed me.”

The hand still clamped around my wrist said otherwise, until I realized that Vain’s grip was shaky at best, like he was clinging to me for dear life, afraid to let go.

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