Page 94 of Satanic Shadow
I work the buttons of his shirt. It’s wet from how much he’s sweating, and I gasp when I undo his collar and see the thin black veins on his neck, stretching down his chest and merging with the tattoos there.
The more buttons I unfasten, the more of the curse I can see on his body. I ignore his defined abs as I run my fingers down them, tracing a thick vein injected with black that travels down beneath his waistband.
This can’t be good.
He doesn’t make a sound as I struggle to get the shirt off him, rushing to my window and opening it wide.
When I press a cloth I’ve soaked to his face, his eyes flutter beneath his eyelids, erratically pinging from side to side. I drench the cloth in frigid water again and squeeze it over his hair and chest.
I should go find help—ask one of the twins or Orsen to do something, but then he’d be caught and trapped. It’ll be a last resort if I have to do that.
The bathwater runs cold, and I keep checking on him as the tub fills. The shadows in the walls are watching, guarding, and seem to be concerned for their prince as I climb back onto the mattress. “Dane, I’m going to pull you off the bed, okay?”
My attempt to drag him off results in me slipping on my ass too many times, until I finally use my feet to kick him off. He tumbles to the floor, and I gasp when he groans.
“What are you doing to me, mortal?”
“You’re burning up! I’m trying to get you into the bathtub.”
He tries to lift his head to look at me and drops back. “Fuck.”
I somehow get him into the bathroom, where I flick cold water on his face by cupping my hands and throwing it at him. He doesn’t open his eyes, but I know he wants to scowl at me.
“Hips up,” I order. “I need to take your pants off.”
His brow moves, but he does as he’s told. “You’ve said that to me before. Do you remember the night of our fourth ceremony?”
I frown. “I assume you’re confusing me with a former flame.”
He grunts as he shakily gets to his feet, and I try not to stare at him in his briefs. I can see the outline of his cock, and I reallyshouldn’tlook. I focus on the black veins pulsing all over his body—that larger one that crawls under his waistband, and I wonder if…
My eyes bulge as he kicks off his briefs and I get a full show of his cursed cock—the black veins are even in his dick. If this was a different moment, my curiosity would win out, and I’d tip it up to see what the tattoo is on the underside. I’ve had it in my hand while it was hard and terrifying, but even soft, it looks thicker than his wrist. “That thing should be illegal.”
Dane lifts his wrist, studying it. “Interesting.”
But when he stumbles, and a trickle of blood drips from his nose, I catch him and help him into the tub.
A normal person would gasp or scream at how cold the water is. I should have known Dane is far from normal.
Unbothered by the water, he slouches and rests his head on the lip of the bath. And quickly, I realize he’s passing out again.
I slap him. “Wake up.”
One eye opens. “Do that again and I’ll drag you in here.”
I cross my arms. “You wouldn’t dare. I—”
I catch a mouthful of ice-cold water as Dane yanks me in with him, my entire body ramrod straight and shaking as I shriek. “Dane!”
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me on top of him, but I’m far too cold to pay attention to our position.
When I shove against his chest and straddle him in the bath, him naked and me in a pair of short shorts, my eyes go wide. “The curse is spreading to your face. Why are the whites of your eyes turning black?”
“Looks like I might be dying, little mortal. It’s your lucky day. It’s a shame we never got to do the next task.”
When he coughs up black blood, my heart stops.
“Don’t worry. A minor setback. I’ll catch you in the next life.”
