Page 13 of Currency in Flesh

I stilled.

No.

She kept calling me her pet and treating me like property, but I wasn’t her lover. What dominion did she have over what I did with my body? I’d spent the last ten years as someone’s possession, and I didn’t want to feel that way now. Sean’s anger when another man looked at me, though completely in opposition to his obvious hatred, filled me with anxiety for a decade. I lived in a near-constant fear of upsetting him, of having him think I was “asking for attention” or looking at another man. If this was some sort of twisted second chance where I learned how to stand up for myself or whatever, couldn’t it start here? I looked down, realizing the thin tee didn’t fully hide my nipples, but ignored the voice in my head that whispered to change. Instead, I plastered a smile on my face and turned back to Anna, deciding not to press her any further about yesterday.

“What is there to do down here?”

We figured out immediately that I wasn’t able to leave the room. We found a deck of cards and I taught her to play Kings in the Corner, but I found myself growing bored after a few rounds. I didn’t want to sit in a room and play cards with a teenager. She was sweet, but young enough to have been my child. The thought gave me a sick feeling in my gut. Years ago, I had accepted that Sean and I wouldn’t have kids. But since I’d come to the Underworld, I’d been aware of my complicated feelings about it.

We finished our game, and I stood, stretching my back. “Thanks for coming to see me today,” I said to Anna. “It was nice to talk to a normal person for a little while.”

She beamed in response. “I’m glad! Maybe Charis or Christos will bring me up here again sometime. You’re always welcome to visit. I’d be happy to show you the orchard sometime.”

“That would be cool. I’ve never been to an orchard.” Anna was young, but astute enough to know I was ending her visit.She stepped forward like she was thinking of hugging me, but a flicker of trepidation crossed her face and she just smiled and gave an awkward little wave. When she stepped through the wall, I lifted a hand to see if it would pass through as well, but all I felt was hard stone. With a sigh, I sat back in one of the chairs.

“I should take Charis’s mouth for that.” Lady Cora’s voice came from behind me and I jumped. When she stepped into view, I glared at her.

“That’s the second time today someone has just appeared in here and scared the living shit out of me,” I snapped.

“An amusing choice of words for someone far removed from living,” she replied. “I neither sent for, nor approved of a visitor. Charis apparently took it upon himself to decide you needed company.” She ran her thumb over each of her freshly lacquered nails, now a matte black.

“How did he even know I was here?” I asked. “I haven’t seen anyone other than you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Charis brought you here, if you recall. He knows of each and every soul that enters the Underworld. However, you are, of course, a somewhat special case.”

Thinking of the bearded man from the bar seeing me in that condition made me uncomfortable, but it was a kind thing to consider that I might be lonely. “It was a nice thought,” I said with a shrug.

“And how was your visit?” With each word, Lady Cora moved closer to me, until she stood only inches away, looking down with an unreadable expression.

“Fine, we played cards. She’s very young, and there are only so many things I have to talk about with a teenager. She didn’t remember meeting me.”

“Do you find her attractive?” she asked.

“What?” my lip curled in indignation. “She’s a child.”

Lady Cora’s hand made a dismissive gesture. “She has beendead for twenty years, and did not enter my realm as a maiden.”

“That makes no difference. She is achildregardless.”

I could have sworn there was satisfaction in her answering smirk. “Very well.” Her eyes moved down my body, snagging on my chest for a moment before taking in the baby-pink color of my baggy sweatpants. “You appear to be… comfortable.”

I crossed my arms, suddenly very aware of the flimsy, transparent fabric covering my chest. “I am.”

“I wanted you to know, I have not yet visited your husband.” The words caught me off-guard. She had said he was indisposed, which I assumed meant she had already begun… Whatever she was going to do to him. I didn’t respond, waiting for her to continue.

Instead, she reached down and closed her fingers tightly around my wrist, pulling me to my feet. She was significantly taller than me, and from this angle her cheekbones looked sharp and severe. The faint glow of her chartreuse eyes highlighted the straight line of her nose, the perfect dip of her cupid’s bow. I knew I had stared at her lips for too long, but I didn’t bother trying to hide it. She lowered her face towards mine, and I held my breath. I hadn’t yet figured out exactly what she wanted from me, or what I would give if she asked—but my body moved independently of my mind, wanting the taste of her on my tongue once again.

Her mouth brushed mine, but I remained entirely still. She spoke against my lips and it was torture. “I will not deny you the opportunity to demand your pound of flesh. No one will lay a finger on him until you give permission.”

“Why?” I asked, every ounce of my self-control straining against my irrational desire to offer myself to her completely.

I felt the sharp prick of her nails along my jaw, running down my throat. A tiny noise escaped the stretched-thin threadsholding me back. I felt her mouth tip up into a smile, knew my whimper had not escaped her notice.

“He stole your strength with his fists and his cock.” I winced, and her fingers tightened. “He took things from you that you never consented to give. Every minute of life you spent in his shadow, in fear of him, is a minute he deserves to feel the same. Do you not wish to see the same fear in his eyes?”

“Doesn’t peace lie in forgiveness?” my voice came out a whisper.

Lady Cora laughed, the sound wicked and cold. “Oh, darling, what makes you think I want peace? I do not wish for you to feel content, I wish for you to feel vindicated. I want you to know the pleasure that comes with power. I want to see dominance light your eyes just before I snuff it out with your submission.”

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