Page 117 of She Who Holds My Wrath

She lifts her head, golden hair spilling over my chest, ocean-blue eyes searching my face with nothing but concern.

“I’m sorry,” I breathe, forcing out a long, uneven exhale. “It’s The Void.”

She doesn’t say anything, just continues watching me, waiting patiently for me to continue.

“It keeps telling me I’m going to hurt you. That I’m going to kill you.” I avert my gaze back to the ceiling, too afraid to see the judgement in her stare.

“Korithax, look at me,” she says with a firmness to her tone that I’m not used to. Steel where softness once lived. Queen where girl once stood.

But I don’t move. I can’t. Because I know she’s going to tell me I’m being stupid. Or worse… that she agrees with The Void.

The mattress shifts, and before I can understand what she’s doing, she climbs atop me, bracing herself above my body so her face hovers over mine, leaving me nowhere to hide. Her hair falls like a curtain around us, shutting out the rest of the room. I’m trapped with only her. And gods help me, I’ve never wanted to be trapped more.

She smiles softly, filled with warmth. Looking down at me the way she used to. As if I’m not broken at all. A small laugh escapes me before I can stop it.

“Stubborn thing,” I murmur, a reluctant smirk pulling at my mouth.

I hesitate for only a heartbeat before resting my hands gently on her hips, terrified of the tenderness in the gesture… and how natural it still feels to hold her there.

“I know you’d never hurt me,” she says calmly. “I trust you with my life, Korithax. Void or not, I don’t see you as a threat.”

The certainty in her voice hits harder than any plea could have. She places her warm palm against my cheek, and I instinctively lean into it. Her touch is soft, grounding, the kind of gentleness I still don’t know how to deserve.

“You fear me, Daisy,” I say quietly. “I saw it the other day when you were with Maelkar.”

“I did,” she admits without hesitating, her thumb brushing slowly over the stubble along my jaw. “But I don’t anymore.”

She meets my eyes, her gaze steady and unflinching. “You choosing to isolate yourself from everybody, from me, shows me you’re not a threat.” Those words settle somewhere deep in my chest. Because she sees the sacrifice in it, not the cowardice I accused myself of.

She leans across me, reaching into the bedside drawer and pulling something free. When she straightens again, still straddling me, the shift of her body sends heat straight through me. Her hips drag lightly over me, the soft curve of her body brushing where I’m already hardening beneath her.

A low groan slips from my throat, and her eyes brighten instantly. Mischief and triumph glittering in her gaze. My wicked little flower.

I narrow my eyes at her. “You did that on purpose.”

She giggles softly and the sound fills me with near euphoria. I didn’t realise how starved I’d been for it until now.

“Fuck,” I murmur, my voice rough. “I’ve missed that sound.”

“Do you want to know how much I trust you, Korithax?” she asks, her voice dropping lower, like velvet over flame.

My pulse kicks hard. I nod slowly, letting my gaze track down her body. She’s wearing a short black silk nightgown with thin straps, the fabric clinging to every curve of her hips and soft belly. The low lace-trimmed neckline reveals the swell of her breasts, the faint outline of her peaked nipples visible beneath the silk. My mouth waters at the thought of licking and sucking on her sensitive flesh. Even after death, after darkness, after everything I became—she can still bring me to ruination with barely touching me at all.

My attention is drawn away from her breasts by a glinting in her hand. My eyes widen. “Daisy,” I growl. “What are you doing?”

She lifts her other hand and presses the tip of the dagger to her palm, hissing softly as she slowly drags it across her skin. Beads of blood bloom instantly, the bright red crimson a stark contrast to her ivory skin.

The Void surges awake with a scream that makes my body ache. I grit my teeth, ignoring the way my pulse stutters—whether from The Void or the sight of her blood, I don’t know.

“Blood play, remember?” she purrs.

I watch, utterly transfixed, as she places her palm at her throat and drags it slowly down her chest. Blood smears across her skin as her nightgown slips from her shoulders to expose her to me, the bright crimson looking exquisite against her pale flesh. Her head falls back, a soft moan escaping her lips as she coats her nipples in red.

My cock throbs painfully beneath her, trapped by my trousers. “Fuck, Daisy,” I growl. “You’re killing me.”

She looks down at me, heat blazing in her eyes, and takes my hand, placing the dagger into my palm.

Stab her. Kill her. Bathe in her blood, The Void screams.