Page 84 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

Vita circled her arms around his neck, eyes narrowed. “Don’t you?”

A sharp laugh punctured the moans and whimpers, the smirk returning to his face. “I’ve had more than my share of fun… enough to last many lifetimes. But you, my dear,youshould enjoy yourself.”

She bit her lip, not at all fooled by his lack of subtlety. “Why? Do you really wish to see me strung up by my arms? Tied to a cross while someone tortures me?”

A low groan rumbled in his chest, and Renatus tightened his grip on her. He pressed cold lips to her neck in a gentle kiss, and it took everything in her power to resist a moan, to resist grinding down onto the erection she felt pressed against her ass.

“Vita, I can think of nothing more I’d like to see than you writhing in pleasure.”

His tongue brushed along her neck and a whimper escaped her. Fangs scratched against the tender flesh and she held her breath, certain he would bite her like last time.

But no, he just pressed another kiss to her neck, then one on her cheek, the moment too sweet, too much. She needed space, stifled by the scent and sounds of sex, the icy grip of the High Consul, the confusing signals he continued to send her.

Vita pushed herself out of his arms and his brow quirked in question. She opened her mouth, then closed it, no words coming to her.

Instead, she turned, rushing down a darkened corridor jutting out from the main room. The collective moans faded as she hurried down the hall, not sure where she was going, but desperate to get away. Emotion welled in her throat, a knot that wouldn’t go away.

Why must healwaysplay with her like this?

She stumbled, almost tripping over a person seated against the stone wall. It took her a moment to realize who it was.

Gaius.

The thrall grinned up at her, nodding to the spot next to him. Vita took a big gulp of air, glancing around the empty corridor before taking a seat on the hard ground.

“Are you alright, Domina?” he asked, examining her.

His auburn hair was a mess, though his red eyes were calm, pupils contracted.

“Yes, of course. I’m fine. It’s just… a lot to take in.”

He turned away with a chuckle. “That is not untrue.”

She shot him a glance. “I’m surprised you’re not out there…”

“I was. Needed a bit of a break, some time to recover.”

Now she noticed his shirt, mussed and incorrectly laced, the satisfied smile that curled his lips.

Silence permeated the darkened hall before Gaius spoke up. “Thank you. For before, with Renatus. I… wouldn’t have killed you, but it was wrong to try to drink your blood. I’m still working on my control.”

A warmth pooled in her chest at the gratitude, though it was not necessary. When she didn’t speak, he continued.

“He’s really not so bad, you know. He saved my life. I… can never repay him for that, for what he did for me. What he’s still doing for me.” He turned to Vita, ruby eyes blazing. “I should be dead, but Renatus gave me a second chance.”

The words echoed through the hall and in her head. She’d never considered how his thralls came to be, that he may have done it tosavethem.

She placed her hand on Gaius’ and he jolted, surprised, before his face softened into a smile. “He enjoys your company, you know. In all the years I’ve been here, he’s never brought someone to the palace. Someone like you.”

A mortal guest.

No, the only mortals who seemed to grace the High Consul’s presence were Aurora, Petran, and the servants. Still, the thought that heenjoyedher company, beyond the teasing and fucking… it was difficult to imagine.

Footsteps sounded from the far end of the hallway, and Vita squinted, struggling to see in the dim light. A servant, one she recognized from around the palace, stopped in front of them, looking down at her.

“Domina, your friend has arrived.”

“Verian!” Vita couldn’t resist a shout as she spotted him in the very center of the…celebration.

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