Page 1 of Lux

CHAPTER 1

Caspian

Ihold the limp body of a fae in my arms, having drained her dry. My Niamh. So sweet. So innocent.

She trusted her tender throat to me--a mistake that should be her last.

I’d heard rumors of the potent benefits of fae blood; a taboo delicacy that even Cassius--a lover of sin and debauchery--refused to let me partake in. I understand now why he was cautious.

Her taste is sinful. In every swallow, I find harmony in both body and mind that quiets the chaos and destruction left in the wake of my old master.

Unlike his, her thoughts don’t consume mine. She doesn’t aim to claim me. Control. Corrupt me in her image.

Staying within her pretty little trappings takes effort. Care. For I desire to be caged. There's no need to fight for the first time in decades - or centuries, I can't remember.

Like tissue paper, her will is soft and quivering. As fragile as her delicate skin is. Niamh. My Niamh. All mine.

I tell her as much, pressing my lips to her throat. Then I lick the healing mark there: two delicate little dots still weeping beautiful, luxurious crimson.

“I’ve tasted you,” I say gruffly. “I stopped. Don’t know why.”

The fact that she breathes at all is a mystery. Cassius believed fae blood to be dangerously addictive. One drop alone should have aroused a mindless bloodlust. Yet another one of his many lies, it seems. Though… If I had the choice between a hoard of mortals to feed from and another drop of her blood, I would pick hers in a heartbeat. No question.

“Is that bad?” she whispers in return, those dark eyes wide and soulful. Still full of life.

“No. I still want you,” I tell her.

A lie. Can’t want what I already have. In every way that matters she is mine.

Yet, she isn’t.

That is her one flaw. Ican’tmark her the way Cassius did me. Words alone aren’t enough.

Iwantto stay.

“I need you.” She clings to me, her voice a whisper, her thoughts hesitant. “I missed you. So much.”

Missed me. For all the days that I sat brainless and empty. She waited for me. Pined for me. Needed me.

My hand traces a path up her ribcage, finding that quivering, thumping mass, trapped beneath layers of pink fabric and pale skin. Her heart. It yearns for me, thumping so loudly I could dance to the tune. Perhaps, I will. Slowly, I peel away the flimsy material glimpsing the flesh beneath.

A good fae would run from me.

She, instead, shudders. Her reaction to me is damn near instant. Desire erupts in our collective mind, but I can't determine who it belongs to. Only that it scorches like a stoked flame, hungry for a catalyst. Embers to feed it. Warmth to leech from.

More.

As my gaze falls on her mouth, she laces her fingers around my neck before I can claim it. Our lips meet. Then tongues. Fuck, the taste of her…

Can’t get enough. Never need enough. She is an addiction I’ll gladly suffer for twice as long as Cassius. An eternity, if that is what it takes to become sated.

If she survives that long. The male fae is coming for her. I can feel him, scratching and crawling on the outskirts of her skull. There are others who hunt her as well.

However, she seems unaware of the danger. In her mind, I only see and feel me. Longing for my touch. My skin on hers.

Good.

If it means she can't focus on anything else, I'll give her everything. I’m her world in this moment, and it feels so damn good. Too good.

---