Page 93 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

The hair on the back of my neck stood and an icy shiver shot through me. I tore myself away from him, scrambling from beneath the sheets, and I jumped out of the bed to escape him.

Vain threw his head back and laughed, baring a smile that was all teeth. His black eyes raked up and down my body, feasting on every exposed inch. “Why so frightened? You know I prefer it when you fight back. You’re so deliciously good at it too.”

I had known my choice to push Vain away last night was going to have consequences when he eventually took back control. A vengeful demon fueled by lust and spite was a dangerous thing, and I could see the promise of that consequence swirling just beneath the surface of Vain’s calm demeanor. But faced with him again, I was surprised to find that there was still a ghost of the desire I’d felt for him last night.

I’d thought the lust had been fueled, at least in part, by the ichor. But even in the aftermath of that frenzy, I could still feel that same glimmer of desire low in my gut, tempting me. What if it had been something more?

“Where is he?” I asked.

“Rory needed his beauty rest. Now, come be angry with me in bed.” When I didn’t move, he laughed and gave me another wide, toothy grin. “Honestly, mellilla. I won’t hurt you.”

Normally, I would have believed him. The demon hadn’t gone back on his word once. But it was hard to imagine him holding to that promise when he was eyeing me with such vicious hunger.

“You said you would punish me…”

“I did.”

“And will it be worse because I used my favor to deny you for Rory?”

Vain waved a hand dismissively. “Think of it not so much of a punishment as it will be a lesson. You made your decision. I respect that. But I must know, if given the option, would you deny me again, Ava?”

I swallowed hard. My voice came out weaker than I intended. “I should.”

“Ah, you feel ashamed?” Of course, he could tell.

“I’m not sure what to feel.”

I shouldn’t want him. I knew I shouldn’t want him. And yet I couldn’t deny how I felt—how the demon made me feel.

Vain eased back into the pillows while keeping his dark gaze on me as he said, “You do not need to feel shame because you want what you’ve been convinced you shouldn’t have. By denying yourself your true desires, you are only denying yourself happiness.” He licked his lips and then his gaze turned molten. “Darkness calls to darkness. You’ve always felt a pull to it—an insatiable, obsessive need to seek it out and discover what it might have to offer you. It’s alright to admit it.”

When I didn’t answer, Vain cocked his head slightly. “You’re still unsure of me? Even now?”

I shook my head, folding my arms tightly across my chest. “It’s not that. I’m just not sure how…”

There were a lot of things I was unsure of, and even more that I struggled with how to vocalize. How to give myself to him fully without fear. How it would change everything I had once believed about him—about all his kind. And how to learn to be okay with it. It overwhelmed me to the point of fear, and I froze, unable to move or speak.

“Then allow me to show you,” Vain said.

I let out a shaky breath and said, “Okay.”

One moment I was staring straight at Vain lying amongst the sheets, a slick smile creeping up the corners of his mouth. The next, shadows poured into the room, enveloping everything around me in pure darkness. I could barely make out my hand in front of my face as I scrambled to hold onto something—anything.

“Don’t be afraid of the dark.” Vain’s voice cut through the shadows, and I jumped. He sounded like he was all around me, his words echoing from every direction. “Just listen to my voice.”

Wispy tendrils, soft as silk, curled and brushed against my skin and then would dissipate before reforming elsewhere and licking at me again.

“Even though you're so pretty when you’re frightened.”

My heart skittered knowing he could see me, vulnerable, naked, and trembling within his shadows.

“I love seeing the way your pulse flutters against your neck.” Vain’s voice was velvet soft and just out of reach, sounding close and far away simultaneously.

His next words sounded as if they came from directly over my shoulder. “Even your breathing has shallowed as you try to anticipate me.”

I whirled to face him, but he wasn’t there.

Vain laughed and it echoed around me. “Such a nervous little mortal. I am so very eager to have my turn with you.”

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