Page 6 of Iblis' Affliction
“I wish Master was here.” He dropped his gaze to his ticket. “I don’t want to go alone…”
‘If you’re good, I’ll reward you.’Talha’s words replayed in his mind. The invisible clamps of loneliness squeezed his heart as he remembered the rest.‘But if you’re bad, you’ll never have freedom again, you understand?’
He tilted his head to the side.
“I don’t want freedom. I want to see Master…” His fingers unclenched, dropping the ticket to the gray carpet. With the decision made, the invisible weight, that had crushed him the whole day, lifted from his chest. Stepping on the ticket, he strolled toward an airline counter.
A STRONG AIR CURRENT HIT HIS FACE, stirring his hair and welcoming him into the darkness of the suite. Ghosting through the shadows, Slater stalked toward a wall-size window; his gaze stumbled at the panoramic view across London that sprawled under the dark, cloudless sky. The bright moon reflected in the black waters of the Thames. Its bluish light leaking through the window illuminated the room’s luxurious atmosphere. Slater couldn’t help noticing that water still bubbled in the Jacuzzi, and two wine glasses guarded the rim.
Something twitched in his guts, awakening an unfamiliar, burning sensation that resembled irritation. Mixed with longing, it poisoned his blood. His jaw hurt with tension as he bypassed a fireplace and a low marble table on his walk to the bedroom.
The acrid stench of sex and a woman’s perfume slammed against his face as soon as his foot crossed the threshold. Flinching back, he tugged his shirt over his nose. All his being rebelled, screaming at him to get out of the bedroom, but the insurmountable tug of gravity inched him forward. Lurking in the shadows of a closet, he edged to the bed.
The dead light of the moon silvered the crumpled, messy linens and played with the platinum hair of a woman sprawled across the bed. A pale, dead-like hand, so slender that any strong wind could break it, twined around Talha’s tanned torso.
“Is that so, Master…” A muscle under Slater’s eye twitched as a bitter taste flooded his mouth. The spring in his body tightened, vibrating with pressure. The barely audible sound it emitted penetrated his ears. He couldn’t understand what caused the discomfort, but the tightness in his chest only aggravated.
His gaze darted all over the scene until returning to the arm, long fingers, and polished nails that sharply contrasted with Talha’s dark body.
The hand doesn’t belong…
Twirling on his heels, he stormed out of the room.
“YOU’VE BEEN GOOD,”Talha murmured and wrapped his arms around Slater’s torso. The clean, heady scent filling his lungs, he dug his face in the ripper’s soft, short hair. The strong muscles tensed under his touch. Even through the black hoodie, Talha could outline the relief of his rippled stomach.
“Where have you been, Master?” The liquid, unstable voice trembled in the gloom.
Talha frowned. Usually, Slater would be delighted to get his reward, but he didn’t look happy at all. Eyes cast down, Slater avoided meeting his gaze.
What the fuck is wrong?Alert, Talha studied the perfect profile. Calm, beautiful, rough; who could say it belonged to the bloodiest ripper in Anatolia? Releasing the man from his embrace, Talha switched on the night lamp. A soft, golden light illuminated the carved wood of his Mauritanian style bedroom. Strained shoulders, downcast eyes, clenched fists made Slater look...guilty?Examining the ripper’s tense frame, Talha went for his usual, matter of fact statement. “None of your business, Mutt.”
But instead of acceptance or submission, Slater spat out, “You reek of a bitch, Master.”
The words worked like a slap, flooding Talha’s face with searing heat. For a moment, he wasn’t sure how to react. Alertness spiking as his wary gaze roamed over the floor, then back to Slater.
How does he know? Who told him?Slater’s abilities to detect sounds and smells had always been above average, but even with his sharp sense of smell, he wouldn’t be able to say what had happened a day ago, as Talha had showered twice since then.Or…He swallowed.Fuck me...
Subduing the defensive impulse to cross his arms over his chest, Talha let them hang freely alongside his body. “Are you jealous?”
“No, Master.”
“Good.” Adding a fair amount of dissatisfaction and ice into his voice, Talha forced the words through gritted teeth, “Then why don’t you clean me up with your tongue, you disloyal dog?”
Slater spun, finally facing him; his lips twitched, but he didn’t drop on his knees. His shoulders squared, head tilted to the side, and a deadly warning glinted in the depth of his squinted eyes.
“Look down, Mutt!” The back of Talha’s hand connected with Slater’s cheek with a ringingSMACK. Head whipped to the side, the younger man blinked. Confusion crossed his face as he raised his eyes.
“I said, drop your fucking gaze!” This time, knuckles colliding with a cheekbone, threw Slater to the floor. Shaking his head, the ripper wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and froze, examining a red, glistening line stretching over his skin.
“You disobeyed me,” Talha stated, trying to shake the chill of disappointment that panged his heart. “You’ve been in London, haven’t you?”
Silence. Talha clenched his teeth and crashed his shoe against Slater’s ribs. With a gasp, the ripper doubled over on the fluffy, red and white carpet. Hands clasping his torso, his body convulsed, seized by a violent fit. Harsh breathing filled the air, interrupted by barking coughs. Despite the obvious pain, Slater’s arctic glare stayed glued to Talha.
Shifting his focus from the ripper to the white plaster molded ceiling, Talha searched for the right words. His gaze slipped down a golden stone wall until it reached a massive bed, draped over with an embroidered bedspread and silky pillows.
“Slater…” The impact from the punch still buzzed in his knuckles, and Talha brushed his fingers across them. Smearing Slater’s blood over the skin, he watched it dry under his touch. “If you don’t follow my orders, get the fuck out.” The words scratched his throat, but he still forced them out. Reaching Slater’s ears they sank deep, clouding his eyes with confusion and disbelief. “I don’t need a disloyal dog.”
Cheek twitching, Slater’s lips drew up baring his teeth in a painful, animalistic snarl.
