Page 24 of Of Mercury and Mist

“I suppose that is to be expected. Has she run away yet?” It was normal behavior to run away from a monster; I could only imagine Della had tried at least once. It was a stereotype among our community.

If we were in the same room, I’d see him shake his head and grin. “No, no she hasn’t. She does find the eating of flesh rather distasteful. But she wasn’t raised that way.” Demons and vampires partook in human flesh occasionally; it was a delicacy. Human hearts were a favorite treat of mine, personally.

I heard something shuffle in the background. “Della has made a few friends. Alastair’s wife, Devane. Smart girl; she’s been showing Della artifacts and other curiosities, has her a bit wrapped up in that. Another woman named Margaret. I think Della may be a part of her wedding ceremony to a recently turned vampire named Branko. I’ve kept Della busy, or rather, we’ve kept her busy.”

“It sounds like you have everything under control,” I mused. I knew I certainly didn’t. A prime example was currently covered with Dahlia Honey soap inside my shower.

“You know the rules, my friend,” Josiah said, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Crossing my room to open my closet, I said, “I do and I’m making sure she understands the consequences of her actions. She’s quite tasty and I’m not done drinking my fill.”

I tossed an outfit on my bed. “Are you able to get away at all and come back here? I’d like to turn it up a notch.” A plan had begun to formulate in my head, but it would require his assistance. I needed to get the woman out of my head, ruin her appeal in some way. If that didn’t work, I needed to destroy my own appeal to her.

Just then, a banging and pounding sound reverberated through the apartment. And then a screech followed by a howl. Josiah heard it, too, and bellowed with laughter.

“I forgot I locked her in the shower stall,” I mused.

He sighed. “This makes me want to play with Della.”

“Meet me at Fleur de Luna,” I said to Josiah. “But please continue to keep Della cut off as much as possible.” I’d texted him the latter request the moment I’d caught Ashley stealing in the production room, and he’d humored me without question.

Now that I’d filled him in, I had no doubt he’d continue to support me. We’d been everything to each other since our youth. Since the dark days of our education at the hands of the Collective’s court, we’d been inseparable.

Josiah’s excursion with his wife was the longest we’d ever been apart, so I felt no guilt requesting his presence, now. He’d return to her when we were done. What I had planned wouldn’t take long, and it would drive her mad, bringing my point home and hopefully separating us.

The racket emanating from the bathroom was becoming burdensome; I had to let her out soon.

After I dressed, putting on the fresh suit and tie, I returned to the bathroom. Ashley was slumped against the shower door. The humid air was ripe with her misery and the creamy scent of her signature toiletries.

I waved my hand at the glass, releasing it from the hold I’d placed it under. The panel shuddered and she stirred, swiveling her head to peek up at me. The plea in her eyes felt like a fatal wound. I quickly buried the uncomfortable sensation and yanked the door open, forcing her to grab the edge of the wall.

“Time to get out, criminal,” I announced. The love I felt for her was catastrophic. The right thing to do was throw her to the wolves and let her experience the consequences of her actions. With Josiah’s assistance, I would.

Ashley used her grip for leverage and stood as I snared a towel. “Come,” I ordered her.

She stepped out and I wrapped her up, slowly tucking the corner between her breasts. The edge of my hand slid against her firm breasts before digging my fingers in while she wiggled. I was rewarded by her nipples hardening for me into two rosy, red points, and instantly forgot about Fleur de Luna.

It was unnecessary to assist her, but I bent and lifted her bridal-style and sat her on the counter. Pets needed caressing and maintenance, right? To acknowledge wanted behavior. At least, that’s what I told myself.

Next, I tore a smaller towel from a stack to my left and buffed her dry. Her ringlets released small water droplets that trickled down her shoulders and I made sure I captured every one of them as I polished her warm, glowing skin.

“Sit back,” I directed the woman.

She scooted on her ass, the Egyptian cotton bunching up below her and I grabbed a matching bottle of body lotion from the cabinet. Her insistent gaze burned the side of my face as I massaged the moisturizer into her feet and worked my way up her legs.

When I got to her pussy, I didn’t hesitate to make sure the lotion soothed every nook and cranny she possessed. Her lower half warmed under my touch, her inner lips swelling and moistening with more than just the all-natural, organic toiletry.

“You’re going to need another shower, my pet,” I warned her. Her nipples had hardened to the point they could cut glass, and I pinched one into submission. Her fingernails dug into my shoulders, and it was all I could do not to slam her into the mirror and sink my fangs into her sweet core.

“You need to shave this messy stubble. Next time, you better be as bald as an egg,” I snarled. “Turn around.”

Ashley whimpered and did as I commanded while I grabbed a brush from a drawer. “No,” she thrust her hand out and I snatched her wrist.

“That word was removed from your vocabulary. Turn your head—now.”

“But my hair is curly, you need a wide-tooth comb,” she rasped, wincing from the pressure as I squeezed her.

Oh. I peered back inside the drawer. There were no appropriate grooming tools here. Why the fuck would I have a comb like that? But I couldn’t just leave her hair as it was—it looked like a bird’s nest. A beautiful bird’s nest but a home for winged creatures, nonetheless.

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