The magic of the Other came alive around us, tendrils of it starting to lick at the swirling orb of power Belekoroz had created. I stared at it, mesmerized when it didn’t unravel as I had expected but pulsedwith renewed energy, glowing brighter and brighter, its dance wild now, holding a strange urgency. Something inside me answered to it, my hand coming up as a nearly undeniable urge to touch it swelled within me.
“You feel the pull, too, don’t you?”
I froze at the sound of Belekoroz’s voice so close to my ear. I had not even noticed him move. With a wave of his hand, the magic died away, a wistfulness tinging his smile as his eyes met mine.
“The Kritak are beings of Darkness and Chaos. They crave what they cannot have: the essence of Order and Light. Unable to possess it, they seek to devour it.”
Those words struck me with chilling intensity. Was that what he felt as well?
“Well, we cannot allow them to continue. We must inform the Council.” I tried to mask my sudden unease underneath a decisive tone. “You can sense where the Veil is thin, right? Maybe we can strengthen those weak points before the Kritak use them to cross over into Aron-Lyr.” Belekoroz remained silent, his expression unreadable, but I pressed on. “I could help, like in the village when we closed the gate together.”
When I moved away with a sound of frustration at his lack of response, he grabbed my wrist, his grip firm and unyielding. “Not so fast. We should discuss this before running to my brother and the Council like overeager fools.”
“Belekoroz.” Incredulity rose inside me as I took in his stony expression. He was not going to help me.
“Give me one good reason why I should help the Council,” he demanded, his tone cold.
“The Kritak are a danger to every living being in Aron-Lyr,” I snapped, disappointment mixing with my anger. How could I havebeen so foolish as to deceive myself into thinking he cared about anything other than his own ambitions?
His scornful laugh held no compassion. “And why should I care about the fate of the mortals you and the others created?”
I fought to keep my raging emotions under control, knowing they would gain me nothing. Sparks of Light danced over my skin. “Because it is the right thing to do. Because you are a member of the Council, even if you don’t like it.” I hesitated, a sudden idea flitting through my mind. He had held back at my command in the village. I did have some power over him. “Because I am asking you to.”
It made him pause. A nearly imperceptible tilt of his head. Then, that challenging smile returned. “What are you willing to offer me in return for my help?” he asked, his smooth voice dripping with innuendo.
“You’re not really suggesting I trade sexual favors for your help!” I hissed, my voice sharp with indignation.
“No. That was your idea.” Belekoroz tapped one long, elegant finger against his lips as if contemplating the merit of such a suggestion. “Sounds interesting, though. Tell me more.”
For a second, I wondered why he bothered with this. I had been quite willing to sleep with him earlier, and I was sure he knew that. Unless…
I remembered the moment he had interrupted me and Aramaz during our dance. He hadn’t enjoyed seeing me at his brother’s side at the feast. What he detested even more was the weakness his jealousy exposed. Belekoroz was trying to regain control again, to prove that our connection was nothing more than a game to best his brother and me. That he was unaffected by the violent pull between us.
Fine. If he wanted to play games, I would indulge him—and win, by proving he craved my touch as much as I craved his.
“You assist the Council with the Kritak threat,” I said, my voice deceptively serene. “In return, you get what you desire.”
“What I desire?” He was too close suddenly, pale fingers hovering at my cheek but not cupping it yet, the promise of a touch making me sway toward him. He smiled, a predatory gleam in his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ll need to be more specific, little queen.”
“I am going to pleasure you.” I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “With my mouth.”
He tilted my face up to his, open hunger burning in his eyes as his thumb traced my lower lip in an oddly tender gesture that sent shivers through my entire body. “On your knees,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper but full of dark promises.
“Enjoying the idea, aren’t you?” I managed to force out with difficulty, the presence of his taller body, his raw power, making it nearly impossible to draw breath. Somehow, we had moved, the jagged, foreboding stone of the Other looming behind me as he pressed in.
Dark flames swallowed his pupils in a surge of emotion. “Immensely.”
I gasped as Belekoroz suddenly released me, sauntering past me to lean nonchalantly against the rough stone wall. He thought this deal would give him power over me, would prove he had the upper hand in our endless dance of dominance, all self-satisfied smirk and relaxed condescension as he waited for me to come to him. But I would show him otherwise. He had admitted it himself: the Darkness craved the Light.
That infuriating smile remained on his lips as I stepped closer. Did he expect me to plead with him to reconsider his price? I never backed down from a challenge. Especially not from him.
“How do you like it, then?” I murmured, reaching for the bindings of his breeches and tugging them open with a decisive pull.A flicker in the darkness of his gaze at some thought flashing through his mind.
“Deep and slow,” he answered softly.
A beat of silence. Anticipation coiled between us like a living thing. I felt it all—the Other’s icy winds playing with my hair, the firm rhythm of his power drawing me closer, the solid warmth of his body so close to mine.
I dropped to my knees without another word, my gaze never leaving him. Surprise flashed across his features, followed by near-desperate desire before he masked it with languid amusement.
