Page 174 of Eldritch
“You don’t have to ask. It was yours the moment fate seared your name into it.” He pressed my palm against his ruined skin, and I winced at the depth of his wounds. “This flesh is temporary, but what you’ve awakened in me is eternal.”
Ilay with my back against Zevander’s chest, the warmth of the bath soothing my aching muscles as he dragged his palm over my arm. It must’ve been twilight outside, but the darkness of the room with the drapes drawn made it feel so much later. From the floor beside the tub, he lifted one of the bottles of liquor he’d swiped from the pantry and tipped back a long swill.
As he lowered it back to the floor, I grabbed his arm and flicked my fingers for a sip.
“It isn’t morumberry wine.”
“Not everything I consume needs to be sweet.”
“This would knock you on your ass, if you weren’t already lying down.” He handed me the bottle, and I tipped it back for a small sip.
The pungent, earthy liquor burned as it slid down my throat, and I grimaced, shaking my head. “What is it?”
“A shit version of whiskey.”
I tipped it back again for a longer swill, gulping past the burn in my sinuses.
“Easy there, wet tongue,” Zevander said, and I lowered the bottle, coughing as the liquor seared my mouth.
My coughing turned to a laugh as I handed the bottle back to him. “What is a wet tongue?”
“What we called the stumbling drunks in The Hovel. Used to carry around a bottle all the time. Never let their mouths get dry.” One more sip, and he held the bottle as he rested his elbow against the tub. His other hand drew warm water up onto my breasts. “Wouldn’t want them to get too cold.”
Smiling, I gently scraped my metallic nails over his thigh beneath the water’s surface, and his leg twitched. “The last time we lay together, you disappeared.”
“I followed an intruder,” he said, entwining his fingers in my ungloved hand.
“Who?”
“Theron.”
I snapped my head to the side. “Here? In the temple? I thought you killed him.”
“He healed. It’s his blood magic.”
“So, what did you do with him this time?” I pitched upright, the room wobbling with the movement and his arms braced around me, urging me back against him.
“I locked him in the vault below.”
“Is it secure enough to hold him? I’m not sure I feel entirely comfortable sleeping in the same vicinity as an assassin…aside from you, of course.”
“It’s secure.” He sighed, wrapping me tighter. “In the event we don’t find the vein, or vivicantem, I wanted a possibility.”
Aleysia. He’d mentioned the plan before, and I’d chosen to ignore it.
“You told me bonds were eternal.”
“They are,” he said, pressing his lips to the top of my head before raising the bottle for another drink.
“So, why would I wish to bind my sister to a man who seeks to kill us?”
“Mating bonds are very painful, if broken. His loyalties would be to Aleysia, if they were bonded. He’d never hurt herby killing you, because her pain would be his pain.” He stroked his knuckles over my shoulder and kissed me there. “I know you have your reservations, but I dare say Theron would consider it.”
“Why?” I asked, frowning.
“He attempted to make peace with me.”
“You don’t trust him, though.”
