Page 24 of Queen of the Wicked
“If you knew me well, you’d know I’m not.”
“Right,” she hummed. “You can return to Catalina now. I’m sure she’s waiting patiently.”
Erebos relaxed further onto the desk, resting his hands behind him to hold his weight. It only elongated his body towards her, showcasing the meticulously crafted muscles that Alessia could only compare to those of a warrior.
Tiny scars peppered his flesh, but the tattoos distracted her from them. Trills of smoke were inked across his pecs, warped around a cross in the center of his chest. The symbol confused her, as she believed those in Hell weren’t religious, but she assumed there was more to the story from the way barbed wire was wrapped around the cross, provoking teardrops of blood to bubble to the surface of it. They looked so similar to the one tattooed on her forearm from their blood pact that she almost?—
“It’s of no concern of yours who is waiting in my chambers for me, Alessia.”
Her mouth snapped shut before forcing her gaze away from the planes of muscle that were nothing more than a distraction. “Right. Well, I’m assuming this is your study, so I’ll see myself back to my room.”
She attempted to rise from the chair until Erebos’s hand landed on her shoulder. A single touch from him had the breath stalling in her lungs, evoking a flurry of unwanted emotions to bubble in her chest. “Stay,” he said. “You’re enjoying the warmth of the fire.” Alessia was rendered speechless when he grabbed a quilt from one of the shelves and set it on her lap. “Get some sleep. You have an early morning.”
Curiosity piqued, she slowly blinked her eyes open, fighting to stay awake at the peace she felt since Erebos set foot in the study. Her panic attack was non-existent now, a distant memory. It was like the mere presence of the insufferable man was lulling her to sleep.
She despised it.
“Early morning for what?” she mumbled.
Before she drifted into the best rem state of her life, she was convinced she imagined it when Erebos smiled softly at her, almost in awe. “You’ll see.”
Chapter 12
Erebos
“Seriously?” Eryx wrinkled his nose in disgust the following morning when he found Erebos alone in his study. “Can we open a window? The scent in here is horrendous.”
Erebos groaned and lifted his head off the desk. He didn’t remember falling asleep last night, but Alessia had been blissfully asleep for the first time in days. He could sense her unrest, which weighed on him too. Sleeping in here with her made sense, given they both needed clear heads to regain his powers. It had nothing to do with how content he had felt last night for the first time in decades.
At least, that was what he attempted to convince himself.
With that, he was aware the mating scent was oozing out of him, but he couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard he tried. The mating bond was irrevocably cherished in their realm, and one should only be so lucky to find the person they’re destined to be with, but Erebos didn’thave time for love, especially not with Alessia, who hated his guts on agoodday. She was oblivious to it, assuming only his powers gave them this connection, and he planned on keeping it that way.
The bond snapped into place the second he laid his eyes on her. It was the reason he couldn’t bring himself to restrain her at first, in fear of harming her. It was the reason a piece of his soul cracked when she fainted in his arms, that tether between them fraying with each second that passed to Allegra’s house, and it’s the reason he couldn’t follow through on bringing Catalina to his chambers when the mere thought of touching another woman suddenly repulsed him.
It had angered him to the point he could hardly see straight. Of all the years Erebos had lived, finding hernowwas the worst possible time when the realms were falling apart at the seams. He suspected Bastian was up to no good, following an agenda he wasn’t privy to yet, and the last thing he needed to deal with was a mate who would take control of his heart and mind, nothing but a distraction during a time he couldn’t afford it.
He was content being alone.
He had accepted his fate being sequestered to Hell to ensure his protection, and having Alessia here was only a reminder that he couldn’t have her. Not when Hell was the last place she wanted to be.
The hateful barrier Alessia had put up between them was perfect, so Erebos had no problems fueling it, if only to push her further away. He could pretend it didn’t exist, but last night, he couldn’t stay away. Not when he could feel the crushing of her heart, the sorrowin her mind, the guilt… He physicallycouldn’tkeep away from her, and whatever barrier of bricks she had built between them, he knew a couple fell off last night. He felt the wall beginning to crumble.
He’d have to work twice as hard to ensure he replaced those bricks.
“It’s not that awful,” Erebos protested, but even taking a long drag through his nose, he smelled it, too. It was a miracle he had been able to mask it from Alessia last night. It took everything he had.
“I came to find you to let you know that Izara and Alessia have started training in the courtyard.”
“And how is it going?”
Eryx’s mouth quirked to the side. “About as well as expected.” He sniffed the room again, covering his nose with his shirt. “Whathappenedin here last night?”
Absolutely nothing aside from an exchange of words,which was the terrifying part.
“Don’t you have moreuseful things to do with your time than jest me? Like anarmyto maintain?”
“Have my abilities ever let you down?” he asked.
