Page 78 of To Hunt a Demon King

“Food first,” he said, standing and retrieving a fluffy towel from a pile next to the tub. “Will you come out?”

I stood, letting the soapy water spill down my body as he watched a little slack jawed. Again, I wavered as I asked myself if I really wanted to do this. When Carnon looked at me, I felt radiant, like he had said. Even if it was a lie, did I want that to stop?

“Goddess above,” he growled, eyes going molten and steely at the same time. “Get into this towel or the food will be cold when I’m done with you.” I laughed, stepping out of the tub and letting him wrap me in the towel. He dried me like I was something precious and fragile. I felt a little precious and fragile with him, and now…I knew I would miss that.

“I just realized I don’t really have anything to wear,” I said, frowning as I left the bathing chamber still wrapped in a towel. Other than my travel worn clothes and the cleaner ones Carnon had procured in Mithloria, I had nothing. Not even a nightgown. “Nothing appropriate for meeting a king, at least.”

“I’ll see if I can find something in storage,” he said with a frown, looking down at my towel-wrapped body. “Not that I mind this view, but maybe there are some clean night clothes and other things in the servant quarters.” He leaned down, brushing a soft kiss against my lips and groaning a little. “For now, you can borrow one of my shirts if you insist on covering this breathtaking view.”

I laughed as he released me, producing a white shirt from a drawer in the elegant armoire. It was loose and buttonless, with ties at the neck, and I tossed it over my head as he watched me intently, perched on the back of a couch. It came down to my mid thigh, and I turned in a little spin.

“Will this do to meet the king?” I asked, feeling warmth flood me as he laughed. I wondered if he would still laugh so easily after tonight.

“I don’t think I want anyone to meet you wearing only this,” he said as I went to him, stopping to stand between his legs. He dropped his hands to my hips, brushing my wet hair behind my shoulder. He groaned, pressing against me until I could feel exactly what he wanted to do. “We should eat. Now. Quickly.”

I laughed again as he released me and took a seat on the couch. A few dishes had been placed on the little table, and I saw a few things I recognized and a few I didn’t. There was some kind of fish in a delicious buttery sauce, a rice dish cooked with scallions and seasoned with pepper, and more mango mixed with some other fruits. Staying here would not be all bad, if the food was any indicator.

“What’s this?” I asked, pointing to a little plate of round pastry-like confections. It looked a little like a cookie, but lighter, with something creamy in between the two halves.

“It’s called a macaron,” Carnon said, raising a brow at me. “It’s a dessert. You’ve never had one?”

“No,” I said, frowning as I picked up the cookie-pastry thing. I bit into it tentatively, feeling the pastry crackle then melt in my mouth. The cream was sweet, but not too sweet, and it tasted floral. Maybe roses? I moaned.

“I take it you like them?” Carnon asked with a grin, watching me as I consumed the macaron and made a wholly indecent noise.

“Goddess, yes,” I said, licking a little of the cream off the tip of a finger. Carnon’s gaze heated at the move, and I blushed. “Sorry.”

“Never apologize for enjoying something, Red,” Carnon said, moving to sit next to me and bending in for a kiss. He licked the corner of my lips, where some of the cream or pastry must have remained. “Or for being irresistible.”

He kissed me, and I let him seduce me, despite knowing what I was about to do. His kisses were intoxicating, and I let myself fall into the pleasure I knew he could offer me. He moved down my throat, kissing the place where his shirt parted over my bosom.

“Let me take you to bed,” he growled, a little breathlessly. “To my bed.”

“We already did that once,” I gasped as he curved his hands over my backside and squeezed gently. I wasn’t wearing any undergarments, and I could feel the heat he was already building in me curl low and delicious.

“Not this bed,” he replied, trailing kisses over my shoulder as he pulled the shirt aside a little. “Gods, I want you on every surface in this room.”

“Then take me,” I breathed, setting my plan into motion.

He growled, lifting me in a single move and striding purposefully toward the bed, dropping me in its center. It was a huge, four poster thing with velvet covers and silken sheets, and I shivered a little as the soft material kissed my skin.

“Take off your clothes,” I said, making Carnon stop in his tracks as he prowled toward me.

“Are you taking charge tonight, Red?” he asked, the bulge in his trousers seeming to strain to break loose. I smirked.

“Yes,” I said coyly. “Is that a problem?”

“Not even a tiny bit,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head and unlacing the straining fabric at his groin. He sprang free, and my mouth felt a little dry, knowing that this could be the last time for us. He might not forgive me for wrestling his truth out of him, and I might not forgive him for whatever he was about to reveal.

“On the bed,” I said, pulling off the shirt he had loaned me and letting him see all of me. Letting him get one last really good look.

“Gods, is this what the afterlife feels like?” he asked, crawling over me to lie on his back. He propped his head on his arms and gave me a lazy smile. “Because I could get used to it.”

“I was thinking,” I said, climbing over him and straddling his hips, “of trying something a little different tonight.” I bent low, brushing my lips over his and my breasts across his chest. He pressed against me, and I steeled myself, quickly whispering the incantation for the binding spell under my breath. The candles I had hidden strategically around the room burst into flame as I finished the incantation, and I quickly pulled the athamé from beneath the mattress to cut a lock of my hair, the price for the magic.

“What are you doing, Red?” Carnon asked, less panicked than I thought he might be, and more interested in this new development. He wriggled his hips a bit, clearly trying to move from the protective circle I had chalked beneath the bed while he had been getting us dinner. “If you’re into bondage, Red, it’s a lot more fun with ropes.”

“I’ll pass,” I said, humor gone from me as I concentrated on what I had to do next, repeating the incantation for truth three times before finishing with, “The spell is cast.” Carnon frowned as the candles went out, and I sighed, finally letting a single tear fall from my eyes as I looked down at him beneath me. I pulled the shirt back on, feeling the need for some kind of armor while I did this, and realization lit his face.

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