Page 63 of Fairies Don't Fall

I sniffed as a tear rolled down my nose and plonked onto his skin. Finally, I was crying? Now? I was so tired. And everything was so awful. I was in love with Max, but there was no Max, just Slaughter the lupin sorcerer, second to Malamech the Devourer. I guess he became the first after I ate Malamech’s heart. It’s because of that devourer bit in his title. I did it for irony. And vengeance. I sniffed and two more tears fell down before I closed my eyes, wrapped my hand around his neck. I willed myself to relax and think happy thoughts.

I slept, but more from exhaustion than anything else. I woke up warm, with a sense of energy that told me my consort bond had been working very well. And now I was sleeping on Slaughter.

I jerked up and came to a rough stop on the hands holding me in place. One of his palms was on the side of my head, a gray-blue claw resting on the bridge of my nose as he held me very securely.

I writhed, but his other arm tightened around me, showing how completely I was in his power. I took a deep breath, fighting down panic. He smelled like the enemy. Maybe he was, but he was my consort. He was under my control.

“Release me,” I commanded, sounding quite queenly.

“No,” he whispered, right in my ear, in the creepiest voice I’d ever heard.

I shivered and blinked at that nail, which was basically the only part of him that I could see. “You’re my consort. You will do as I say.” I sounded less confident for some reason.

“You’re my mate. I may do as you ask, if you make it worth my while.”

I blinked at that grayish-blue nail while cold dread swam around in my stomach like live eels. Come to think of it, I did claim him as my Consort-mate. Good job, Princess Sparkles. Let’s go save the world one incredibly bad idea at a time. I wriggled, but not seriously because he had the upper hand. And the lower hand. He had all the hands.

“I’m going to break the consort binding,” I said, trying to sound like I wasn’t terrified. I failed. His diabolical whisper in my ear didn’t help.

“And that would leave us as sworn mates. By all means, if you’d like to put your life in my hands.” His hands were exactly where my life was, particularly the one on my head. Particularly when he’d so recently demonstrated his decapitation skills so graphically.

I shuddered. “What do you propose I do? Stay here indefinitely? I’m hungry. From this position, I could eat your heart.”

“And I could eat your brains.”

“Then we’re at an impasse. Actually, I’ve given up eating hearts. I’d rather die. What do you want? Perhaps we can reach some terms of agreement.”

“You’re trying to reason with a monster.”

“You worked with Vervain, so you must have some reason beneath that creepy voice of doom and dismemberment.”

“There is no reason here. You should have let me die. Now, there is no hope of ever being free of me.” His voice was just so creepy, just like the thumb on the bridge of my nose.

He thought he had all the cards, just because I’d been stupid enough to sleep with him. “In that case, Slaughter, I won’t feel bad for what’s going to happen next.” I turned my head towards his chest, which wasn’t the direction he was expecting, and pressed a kiss to his heart. I pulled on the bindings that I’d woven through him, bindings to my magic, my court, my world.

He was mine. And I would make him suffer.

I wanted screams. I wanted him to forget he was holding me and writhe in agony, but he grunted once and then stroked my hair with a finger.

“I do not object to pain, Death Fairy,” he said, brushing my skin with both hands, feather-light, even more controlled than Max or his beast. His breathing was slightly uneven, but that’s the only response he made to the cancerous growth that was fusing to his spinal cord.

I frowned at the huge finger on my nose. “It’s okay to whimper. It’s reasonable. Ah, that’s why you can’t do it, because you’re being an unreasonable monster.”

“Do you want me to perform pain for you? Do you want to see me huddled at your feet in terror?”

I shoved against him and was brought back down against his chest with a slap that left me blinking spots out of my vision.

“Gentle, my venomous flower. Your pain would bring neither of us pleasure,” he murmured, smoothing my cheek, not the one against his chest which smarted from my own velocity.

I sputtered at the absolute ridiculousness of that statement when he was holding me against my will. “You’re telling me that I’m the only sadistic psycho on this bed?” Since he thought I enjoyed his pain. Maybe a little.

“I admit, the pain you have given me is impressive. Do you truly wish me to whimper for you? Perhaps if you ask nicely and promise more vicious kisses.”

I turned my head to his chest. He allowed me that much movement. Instead of a kiss, I bit him. Hard. Sharp. Not a venomous kiss, but one with a sleep draught. It wouldn’t do much against a monster of his bodyweight, but…

He responded, rolling us to the side and then biting me. The difference between our jaws was quite apparent when he had my shoulder in his mouth, his bottom teeth on my body overmy ribs, while his top fangs were on my back, over my shoulder blades. He could fit that much of me into his mouth.

I squeaked, waiting for him to snap those jaws closed, ripping away half of my upper body, including pumping heart.

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