Page 31 of Dark Goodbye

His words slither down my spine, zipping straight to my clit. It takes every ounce of willpower not to moan and give myself away. Just one kiss… that’s all it took to pick at the defenses I kept close around me. I thought I could hold out longer, but now I see just how dangerous this game really is.

Pulling me back out of the bathroom, he leads me over to the bed, and I stare at it, disappointment flooding my system like cold water splashing against my skin. I don’t want to go back there. Just because the sheets and pillows feel nice doesn’t make it any less of a prison.

But I keep silent, not wishing to add to the punishment that’s coming. Again, my stomach flutters like tiny wingwinds flapping about and never settling. This time, when he slides the harness about my neck, there’s something else there, another layer to our interactions.

No longer does his touch feel cool and detached. Now, there’s a darkness there, a heat, a longing that won’t go unsatisfied. Wrapping my free arm about my waist, I claw at the gown. Even the soft fabric feels far too hot, far too confining.

Davix lowers his hand to mind, taking it into his firm, warm grasp. “Settle, my little omega.” His words drift about my head, making everything hazy. “This is your first punishment, so I’ll certainly take that into consideration.”

He seems to misunderstand my apprehension. As of right now, it has nothing to do with the threat of violence hanging in the air and everything to do with the threat of sexual awakening that might come from said violence. But I’ll allow him to continue with this line of thinking. Perhaps him going easy on me will be a big benefit.

Lowering his hands to my waist, he curls them into me, kneading at the muscles in my low back before lifting me onto the bed. All too soon, his hand is back at my uninjured wrist, pinning it up against the headboard. And this time, I don’t fight.

He moves my arm in slow increments, staring down into my soul as he does. His gaze roves over my face, taking in everything — every gasp, every sigh, every twitch. Can he truly read me as well as he claims?

“Are you hungry, my omega?” His words feather over my heated skin, interrupting all thought.

“Yes,” I manage to whisper as he leans forward, stupidly wishing he’d kiss me again.

“Good.” Pulling back, he turns toward the door where a man walks in holding a tray.

Shifting his body, he soon blocks the man, keeping me hidden away. In some ways, it’s sweet of him to consider my state of undress, but on the other hand, what does he have to hide? Surely all the staff in his house knows about me. Right? Or is it that the chef is a man?

All thoughts of arousal fade as the scent of food wafts forward, filling my gut with a far more practical hunger. Craning my neck to look around Davix’s broad shoulders, I stare at the tray, trying to figure out just what he’s planning on feeding me.

“Thank you Galansce.”

The strange man with alabaster skin bows his head for a moment before holding out the tray. Davix takes it from him before smiling down at me, his eyes dancing with mischief.

“Everything is as you requested. Mogen didn’t leave my side once.” Galansce’s lips curl up for a moment as he says her name, and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes.

“At least she didn’t put a leash on you.” I toss my head back and forth, letting the metal jingle against my breastbone. With a soft clearing of his throat, Davix once more straightens his shoulders, blocking most of the man in front of me.

Galansce smirks and steps to the side before bowing. “Would be far more likely that she would wear the leash and I would be the one to tug her into compliance.” With one more bow, he disappears into the house, shutting the door behind him.

Setting the tray between us, I watch in rapt attention as Davix drags a small bowl to the side and places slices of an unknown root into the bottom. With strong, sure movements, he picks up a slim club and grinds it into the bowl, turning the pieces into a fine powder.

“Before I feed you, I want to make something abundantly clear. When it comes to your health and safety, nothing else matters. What I’m doing to you and for you is for your benefit. You will not fight me again.”

“That’s not fair. I-.”

He pins me with a fierce scowl before going back to grinding. “This isn’t about what’s fair or not. When I found you, helpless, bleeding. It took the gods themselves to hold me back long enough to see that you were safe. You seem to not understand. I fucking died the day you left, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens again. Including this.”

“What, feeding me?”

“No, little omega. Teaching you a lesson.” With a few more twists of his wrist, he pulls the club out and places it on the tray before grabbing a different tool and another odd piece of food. “This is ignisradix. A delicious, rooted plant that’s used for spicing up dishes. However, so that I may make an impression on your recalcitrant little body, it will be spicing up your mouth instead.”

A startled gasp pulls from my lips as I watch Davix squeeze the juice of the root in with the fine powder. I have heard of this root in passing but never had the opportunity to try it. My mother couldn’t abide spicy food and the commune had no way of storing such frivolities. Judging by Davix’s smug smirk, he’s probably misunderstanding my reaction.

Knowing him, he’s looking to incite fear or worry, but thankfully, he seems to have forgotten my love of all things fiery and spicy. As a child, I used to sneak off to sample foods from my friends, each of us piling more and more into our mouths until the delicate tissues became swollen and tingled.

Since mother never ate anything that wasn’t bland or flavorless, she never understood why my lips were so bright and enlarged. Laughably, she was convinced I was kissing boys when the reality was far less scandalous. The boys my age didn’t interest me. They were annoying nuisances that only wanted to play idiotic games.

I only had eyes for one man, but he was so far out of my league in both age and stature that the very idea of kissing such a paragon was unfathomable… and yet, just moments ago, he sealed my lips with his, igniting a fire in me that would no doubt surpass the spicy concoction he threatened me with.

Davix continues to stare at me, his brow rising a bit every time he swirls the two together. Should I be honest and tell him that his “punishment” is probably going to be the highlight of my culinary life and not a hardship at all? Or should I allow him to think that he has the upper hand? His biceps ripple as he completes a final pass, thoroughly combining the potent powder and juice.

I should allow him this moment. Give him one little fib in the mission to save his ego. What would one little lie hurt? Making a grand show of trepidation, I push my head back, grinding it into the headboard when all I really want to do is rock forward and lap at his glistening fingers.