Page 45 of Obsidian Prince

Since she had permission, she looked. He was afraid. His knowledge of her species was limited to rumors and legends. He thought she wanted to poison him or bind him against his will like William Eliot’s spell.

He didn’t know that spider seer venom extended life. Now that she thought about it, Doctor Nudd, his advisor on all things Other, had only known of the healing effects. There were few people left on earth who knew the full truth.

She blinked for a moment, considering. Alexander wanted her, even though he had no idea that she could make him immortal. He didn't want her venom; he just wanted her. That was...wonderful.

"Liliana," he said, pulling her back from where her mind had wandered. "What affect does your bite have?"

"I don't want to poison you, my prince. My venom would make you feel a little bit like I feel from the painkillers. No pain, no worries, only peace and pleasure. And it would help you heal if you were hurt. Spider seer venom is meant to be shared with a lover."

"Would it affect my mind?" This was the question that mattered to him. His greatest fear was being powerless in another's control. He would never risk doing something that would put him in that position.

He trusted her to tell him the truth. She knew he wouldn't like it, but the truth is what she would always give him. "For a few minutes, you would answer me, no matter what I asked, even if the answer were a secret. Also, you would do almost anything I asked. Almost. Your will is strong enough, you could still refuse me if it were important to you."

"What were you planning on telling me to do when I was under the influence of your venom?" His face had blanked into boredom, but his soul roiled with a kaleidoscope of conflicting emotions. Fear fought with disappointment and betrayal for dominance.

"I just wanted to share venom, to taste you and watch the euphoria fill your soul. I hadn't planned on asking you to do anything, but ..." She considered what she would say to him right now if he were under the influence of her venom. She grinned, touching his lips with her fingertips. "I want you to kiss me again."

His lips twitched in amusement under her fingers, so she felt as well as saw the little smile. In his mind, she saw sparkles of relieved and delighted laughter bubble to the surface, wiping away the darker emotions.

“Only you, with a landed Sidhe prince in your power, would ask for nothing more than a kiss. I’ve never been with someone who had no hidden agenda, who wanted nothing from me beyond myself.” He gentled his strong hold on her hair, tucking her head under his chin. For a moment, he just held her, one hand stroking her cheek as his soul’s colors softened to a relieved, contented peace. He let out a long breath. "I have a serial killer to catch. I’ve already stayed longer than I intended. And I think you need rest, Little Spider."

Liliana let her head fall back over his bicep. "I guess so. I don't want to rest, though. I want to bite you and drag you to my bed."

Alexander chuckled as he stood, lifting her effortlessly with him. "I may never let you bite me, but I promise that I will let you drag me to bed another time."

He hated the thought of being controlled by someone else. If she ever wanted his permission to share venom, she should tell him that her venom could extend his lifespan indefinitely.

Liliana said nothing as he carried her to the bedroom, watching the beautiful, shifting red layers of his desire, the sparkle of his amusement, the acid green undercurrent of his fear which was not completely gone.

Alexander wanted her, not her venom.

His mother, Queen Titania, and his sister, Princess Aurore, were both immortal. Many Fae held mortals in contempt. That had stung him his whole life. His own mother ignored his existence because of his human lifespan. Immortality might be an irresistible temptation. If he knew that her venom could extend his life indefinitely, it could change everything between them.

Yet, even under the tongue-loosening influence of Doctor Nudd's wonderful painkillers, she kept that information behind her teeth. She gloried in how badly Alexander wanted her for herself. His calculating mind might find immortality an irresistible plus, a solid, logical reason to keep her at his side forever. But it wasn't his mind she wanted to win. She wanted his heart.

"You don't want me to tell you what to do?" she teased him.

"I don't want anyone to tell me what to do.” His half twist of a smile made the words a tease aimed at himself.

Liliana giggled. “You are a stubborn man.”

“And you need to go to bed and heal.”

“You are bossy. Very bossy.”

He huffed a laugh. “I don’t think anyone ever called me that before, but I can’t deny its accuracy.”

He tucked her in bed, just as he’d done the night before. She could get used to that. "You said I can look inside your head, even when we aren't kissing." She stroked his face with her fingertips, tracing his features, both smooth and scarred. His cheekbones were as sharp as blades.

"That's not the same as allowing you to manipulate my thoughts and actions."

"Not so long ago, you threatened to shoot me if I looked inside you. Today, you gave me permission."

He quirked one side of his mouth, showing that little dimple. "You have me doing a lot of things I never thought I would."

He kissed her once more, a promise as much as a farewell, and left, locking her back door behind himself.

Liliana smiled as she drifted to sleep.

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