Page 10 of Queen of Mirrors and Madness

My threat is empty, but my resolve is full. I won’t go down without a fight.

He smiles at me, throwing me off-kilter. “I would expect, and hope for, nothing less.”

Darius brings the blade to index finger and pierces my skin. A ruby red droplet appears when he squeezes the digit, his gaze fixed on mine the entire time. My blood pounds furiously and rushes to my hands as though wanting to be freed from my body. My face flushes, my breasts grow heavy, and my lips pucker.

The silver of his eyes gleams with desire, and I catch myself leaning toward him before I think better of it. He swallows deeply, working the length of his throat. If my gaze wasn’t firmly planted on his, I’d be tempted to stare at the rapid pulsing in his neck.

“The mirror demands an offering,” he says, his voice deeper than normal. “We won’t travel far, so this will do.”

He takes my hand and guides it to the mirror. A green glow appears the instant my finger smears blood on the reflective surface. Darius places his palm beside my hand, and the jade light surrounding the looking glass brightens significantly.

“Don’t be afraid,” he says.

I frown up at him. “I’ve been nothing but since I—”

My murderous past is on the tip of my tongue. This man has me out of sorts, to the point I forgot to guard my secret. I’ll have to be more mindful going forward if human connection is the cause for my lack of diligence.

“Since you what?” Darius asks.

When I shake my head and focus on the glowing mirror to avoid his stare, he lifts my hand. At the feel of his lips encircling my finger, I gasp and jerk my head in his direction. He swirls tongue around the tip where the tiny cut throbs, and heat shoots straight to my core.

I press my thighs together at the feel of my blood traveling from his mouth and down his throat, then spreading to be absorbed into his bloodstream. My pussy instantly dampens, and my eyes flutter shut. The moan that crawls up my chest and itches my throat is pulled from me when Darius bites my finger, drawing another droplet onto his tongue.

“Since you what?” he repeats, his lips brushing my ear. “I won’t ask again.”

He nibbles on my finger and I clench my teeth. More of my life force enters his body and the euphoria of it makes me high, puts me into a mental state that’s adrift and far from my current reality.

“Dearest one…”

The low rumble is followed by a sharp bite to my cut. I cry out. Not in pain but in ecstasy. It’s more potent, more intoxicating than the kiss we shared.

I shove my free hand between my thighs, dipping my fingers underneath my hospital gown, and Darius groans. My need for release is all-encompassing. Like a fire, it consumes me, burning away any hint of embarrassment.

The second my fingertips brush my clit, my body tightens with need. Darius sucks on my index finger and brings his other hand to my hip. He guides me to the nearest wall, pinning me there with his knee between my spread thighs, and his fingers duel with mine. Then they dance alone on my clit as I let my arm fall to the side with a sigh.

He plays me like an instrument, drawing a symphony of moans and gasps from me.

“Please,” I say between labored breaths.

This time, my plea is not without clarity. I know what I want, and that’s for him to make me come. I need the release so much it’d scare me if I wasn’t caught in a tidal wave of lust dragging me under, drowning out my ever-present wariness.

Darius bites my index finger at the same time that he roughly pinches my clit. My orgasm surges, rendering me light-headed, but it’s not enough to stop me from screaming. The rush, the bliss, and the intense heat hit me all at once. My body shakes from the tremors of pleasure. I’d collapse if not for Darius holding me.

I’ve never been more vulnerable than at this moment.

As soon as the rapture begins to subside, my limbs go limp, and I sink toward the floor. Darius is quick to sweep me into his arms. Without an ounce of resistance left in me, my head lulls onto his chest and my eyes close.

But not before I see him stepping into the mirror.

CHAPTER5

ADELAIDE

“Are you all right?”

Darius’s voice flows over me like a balm to a wound. That wound would be my pride.

My cheeks heat as my mind sorts through the memories from a moment ago. Me standing there, stroking myself. Darius drinking my blood and it mixing with his. Him touching me until I exploded.

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