Page 56 of Bound By Darkness

“I don’t know why the fuck we’re even here,” he slur real bad, an’ then look over at Pretty—er, at her tits, anyway. She drop her attention to her lap, where she got her hands folded an’ I’m sittin’ on top o’ ‘em.”

No one ‘round the table say nothin’, so he continue. “Aima’s been warming the bed of the Unseelie King like some kind of worthless whore,” he continue. Pretty’s eyes go wide as she glances up at him, clearly surprised ta hear him sayin’ somethin’ so crude—an’ right next to his supposed friend, no less! Fuckin’ Satyrs, I tell ya!

Well, Assface keep on starin’ at Pretty like he turned on by the fact that he jist freaked her the fuck out.

“We can’t trust someone who’s loyalty lies between her thighs, eh?” he continues, reachin’ down ta fondle his Satyr rodall the while he be starin’ at Pretty somethin’ obvious. He might as well be sayin’: this sausage fer you!

“That’s enough,” Dragan growl, real low.

Assface’s big worthless mouth turn up into a ugly smile that make me want to shove my fingers right in his eyes an squish ‘em ‘round real good.

Aima don’t say nothin’, an’ everyone ‘round the table is like holdin’ their breath. Then, in the blink o’ my beedy eyes, she pick up her butter knife from off the table an’ she stab the fucker right through the hand! Pretty gasps an’ Dragan start chucklin’ and Assface is screamin’, an’ blue blood is spillin’ out from his fingers like a river.

I glance over at Vampy Bat an’ notice him starin’ at the blood an’ lickin’ his lips. The thought make my belly feel all quivery. Nasty! Then Kulver flinch away from the Unseelie fang chick like he a little bitch.

“Variant must be stopped,” Pyre speak up in a real deep voice, all grumbly-like, in a way that remind me o’ the gargoyle. “Whether Aima’s allegiance lies with Theren or not, it certainly doesn’t lie with the false king. That alone is enough to trust her.”

I want to pull that mask off his face and see what he look like under there, mainly ‘cause I wants ta know what kinda damage squirrels can do. But, even if I ain’t never get the chance ta see his eaten-away face, if the three o’ thems help us against Variant, then Variant gonna be real scared. ‘Cause I ain’t seen nobody scarier than these three fuckers in a long ass time.

Well, maybe except for King Shadow Butt.

An’ King Vampy Bat ain’t exactly the warm an’ fuzzy type, neither.

But, yeah, these three newbies is definitely scarier than Elfie.

***

EILISH

Our new allies are not what I expected.

Aima is beautiful in the way fire is beautiful: lovely from afar, but lethal if one gets too close. Her ebony eyes and golden skin are unlike other Unseelie females, or so Baron tells me. Her full lips and long lashes soften her otherwise sharp features. Long, talon-like fingernails tap against the wooden table as she observes the room. She’s tall and thin but well-built and curvaceous in all the right places. I find myself in awe of her a bit because she has that sort of energy about her.

And of course I find myself wondering if Dragan and Baron are attracted to her. I watch them and occasionally their attention shifts her way, mainly when she’s addressing all of us.

“Do you know her from before?” I whisper to Dragan.

Dragan leans close to me and I breathe in deeply, loving the scent of him. I miss him. God, how I miss him. I miss how we used to be, how caring he used to be.

You can’t think about the way things used to be, anymore,I tell myself.That relationship is dead and buried and now you and Dragan are… different.

“Different” is a nice word for whatever we are now.

At least you have Baron…

“Not well,” he says.

I nod and continue to watch her.

Dragan’s breath rustles my hair as he whispers into my ear. “Cambion has known Aima since he was a child. They grew up together.”

“Oh,” I reply and focus on Cambion, watching the way he looks at Aima. There isn’t any of the anger or hatred that appears in his eyes when he looks at me. Instead, there’s nothing but admiration in his gaze, now. I feel my stomach clench with what I imagine is jealousy.

“Aima was Cambion’s first love in many ways,” Dragan continues. “But ultimately, she fell for Theren, Cambion’s brother.”

I imagine that had to sting, and I wonder if that was part of the reason there became a rift between Cambion and Theren?

I turn my gaze back to Aima. She’s striking and regal, even though the dark energy surrounding her is like a physical thing. I’m surprised she was Cambion’s first love—she isn’t of the same light magic as he is. As a member of the Unseelie Kingdom, she’s obviously driven by shadow magic.

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