Page 28 of Seized to Sacrifice
She glanced at him, scowling at his condescending words.
‘I know you’re a monster,’ she blurted before she could think the better of it.
She clapped a hand over her mouth.
‘Do you now?’ His tone was frosty. He stalked towards her. ‘What else do you remember from when I tended you in your illness?’
She winced at his tone. ‘I remember you scaring me, but it wasn’t from then. It was from … the other night.’ She hung her head, wondering why she was telling him the truth. ‘You were in bed.’
‘So, you’ve been sneaking into my room to sleep.’
She nodded, cheeks reddening again.
‘Which brings me back to my first question. Why?’
‘Because I feel safe with you,’ she whispered, inwardly cringing.
But of all the reactions she imagined he’d have, throwing back his head and laughing loudly wasn’t one.
She drew back at his guffaws, eyeing the door.
The air around him seemed to shift and before her appeared the monster she’d seen before.
‘How about now?’ he asked in challenge, his voice deeper than it had been before.
It was almost as if he wanted her to be afraid of him and she took a small step back. She couldn’t help it. He was so large. Her eyes drank him in. His skin was the color of a cloudy day. He had gold rings in his ears and his nipples and from his head came two golden horns. The rest of his features looked similar enough to his human form that she would recognize him, but he was much taller and broader. She thought she would be terrified, but she wasn’t.
‘What are you?’ she asked.
He snorted. ‘You should know. If you’re who the others believe you are, you stole me from their ranks yourself once upon a time.’
She shook her head in confusion.
‘You don't remember taking me to your home and demanding I pleasure you?’
Her eyes widened at his words.
‘Perhaps you simply need a reminder,’ he murmured.
‘No,’ she said, backing away while her traitorous body began to feel the same as it had last night, and she realized it was him she yearned for.
‘Why not? Is my monstrous form not to your liking?’ he asked caustically.
‘No! I mean yes! It’s not that,’ she said, beginning to move away from him.
‘Since you abandoned us here, I've not taken another, you know. It’s been a very,verylong time.’ He followed her around the room as she began to evade him, prowling after her. ‘But I’m sure I’ll remember how you like it and I’m sure I’ll make you forget about Eruk from the kitchens.’
Eruk?
She froze, bile rising in her throat. Did he know what Eruk had been doing to her at night? An awful thought crossed her mind. What if they’dtoldhim to do it? They hated the real Elle. Had it simply been more torture for her to endure?
‘You care for him?’ he asked, with a scowl, clearly mistaking her expression.
She shook her head, but he didn’t look as if he believed her.
He came closer to her, and she looked up at him, her chin wobbling. He brushed her hair away from her face and leant down to her, brushing his lips against hers and letting out a soft groan.
‘I’ve missed you,’ he breathed, and he sounded so broken and tormented that she ached to comfort him. Instead, she backed away just as his door flew open.
