“Your turn, Stella.” Costa’s voice is so soothing, yet I realize that I’m closer to panting than slow breathing.
Costa kneels again. His hand is on the side of my jaw, and he traces his thumb over my lips. “Just keep looking at me.”
His eyes are dark, glimmering, and it’s easy for me to stay fixated on them. I feel Sam’s hands move to the hem of my shirt, and he raises it, exposing my stomach. In my fog, I see Costa undo the top button of my pants and lower the zipper just a few inches so that he can tuck the corner under. The knife is still in his hand, and colors from the fireplace flash in the metal. I push Sam’s hands higher under my shirt until he has my breasts in his hands.
“Costa, please,” I hear myself say. “Please do it.”
“Whatever you want, pretty girl.” His gaze travels over me, cradled in Sam’s arms. “The three of us again…”
Two fingers stroke my lips and then slip into my mouth just as his body thrusts a few inches toward me. The knife goes into my abdomen, and I moan sharply and suck as his fingers move in and out.
“Good girl,” Costa breathes. He takes his wet fingers from me and covers Sam’s hand with his, their hold tightening around my breast.
“Again,” I murmur. The knife is still inside me, but it’s not enough.
“You’re just like me, aren’t you? Always wanting more.” He checks with Sam though. “You want to go first? Easier to catch her when she trips?” He waits until Sam can speak.
“Yeah. Not yet though.” Sam breathes hard for a moment.
“It’s good today, isn’t it, Sammy?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes,” Costa says, looking at me, “the longer it takes, the deeper you can go under. And you look like you’re just fine taking your time.”
I can hardly see, but I drop my hand to the side and soak myself with Sam’s blood. “More. Do it again.”
Costa gives me a wry smile. Then, just a hint, he jiggles the knife a fraction inside me. “Like that?”
Every nerve reacts with gratification to the movement, and I would do anything to stay like this forever. The sensation is beyond provocative, beyond just sexual. It’s everything.
“You really do have a thing for this, don’t you?” he coos. “Being with you makes this so much better for Sam. I’ve never seen him enjoy it this much. And I don’t know that I’ve ever enjoyed it this much either.”
Costa presses his lips together, and with two hands, he rips the knife from my stomach, immediately plunging it into his own stomach. His focus stays on me, and I’m further intoxicated by the mix of heat and death on his face. He doesn’t make a sound, even when he moves the blade back and forth the way he did for me. He blows me a kiss and takes it out, blood beginning to stain his shirt, beautifully soaking into the fabric.
“Oh God…” He braces himself on the couch as the rush overtakes him.
As though he can read my thoughts, he raises his shirt a bit. Then, he takes my hand and presses it to him so that I feel his blood. It’s like velvet—so thick, so soft. Slowly, I rub my hand over his abdomen, coloring his skin. He gives me time to explore the shape of him, the brilliance of the red, the feel of the thick liquid.
When my charge level has left me breathless and nearly blind, he speaks softly, “Sam’s ready. Are you?”
“Yes, Costa,” I hear myself talking, but I’m not sure how I’m making it happen. “I want to go under now.”
Costa moves my arm out of the way and angles his body over Sam and me in an embrace. “Go get my kid, Sammy.”
“With everything I have,” Sam gets out.
Costa drives the knife into Sam one final time, and when the love of my whole world stops breathing, the taste of his death pours into me.
Costa whispers, “He’ll be right there when you go. Don’t be afraid of the dark. You’re not alone.”
“I know…” I want that knife back. Now.
Costa touches his lips to mine. “Make Sam see.” He gently kisses me, and just as his tongue eases into my mouth, the knife enters my side. He shakes it inside me, sending vibrations through my entire body, as he presses his tongue deeper into my mouth.
And then, the darkness comes.
It’s such a fast transition. The pleasurable experience is taken from me as I’m tossed into the heavy gel of the underworld. Immediately, Sam has me against him though, so there’s no time for any panic to set in. Slowly, I lift my head. He looks at me, and I’m able to move enough to indicate that I’m all right. I want him to do what he needs to do. I let myself float in his arms while he scans. I watch him and wait.
