Page 29 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

‘I can kill you right now by dry drowning you, mortal.’ His voice was calm and deadly. ‘How dare you betray me… for Ixion.’

Then the pain disappeared like raindrops evaporating on hot cement, and I sucked in air. Before I could react, he moved like a blur and was in front of me, grabbing my throat in one hand, lifting me off my feet, and slamming me against the wall.

‘I—I…’ I croaked, still breathless.

‘Save your words, assassin.’ His grip tightened around my throat, and I struggled to gasp, my feet kicking against nothing. His thumb dragged along my thumping pulse point, slow and deliberate. ‘Your words change nothing.’

‘My… sister,’ I choked out, gasping, trying to breathe. His grip loosened… marginally. Hot tears burned down my cheeks, and my lungs sucked in shallow gulps of air as I met his eyes.

‘What about your sister?’

‘They threatened to kill her if I didn’t…’ A sob broke free, and he dropped me. I crumpled to the floor, landing on my ass, my body shaking, sobs tearing loose.

He walked away, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. When he turned to me again, the violence in his eyes had dissipated. A little. I struggled to my feet, and he moved in a flash, standing within inches of me, cupping my face in his large hands and brushing his thumbs across my cheeks to wipe away my tears. Electricity sparked across my body at his touch.

His power overwhelmed me, sinking deep into my middle, and I fought the urge to lean into him.

‘You belong to me now…’ he said, voice low and dark. ‘I own you, Little Red.’ His breath dusted my face, but my temper sparked.

‘Fuck you,’ I spat. ‘No one owns me.’

His smile was wicked. Ruinous. ‘Maybe I will fuck that sweet, hot cunt of yours, before I punish you. But I think you’d like that.’

How could he scare and arouse me in the same breath?

‘I wouldn’t,’ I lied, voice barely above a whisper.

He released a long breath that ghosted across my lips. ‘I am angry with you, Cordelia,’ he said softly. His words caused my breath to stutter. He studied me for a long moment, his gaze cutting through the silence.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ His voice was low—too low—the kind of quiet that carried a warning.

I met his eyes, throat tight. ‘Would you have believed me?’

The muscle in his jaw jumped, and a shadow passed over his face. ‘Did you think I wouldn’t believe you?’

‘I didn’t think it mattered,’ I said, the words slipping out, fragile and low. ‘I was there to kill you.’

He exhaled slowly, but it wasn’t calm—it was control.

‘Perhaps,’ he said finally, voice rough as the sea in winter, ‘I’m ruthless. But I won’t hurt you…’

My breath faltered, and his gaze darkened at the sound. A pause stretched between us… dangerous, electric.

Then his mouth curved, slow and deliberate. ‘Not in a way you didn’t like, anyway,’ he added, softer now, but no less menacing.

Red-hot desire pulsed low in my stomach, shame and want tangling until I couldn’t tell one from the other.

‘Don’t fear me,’ he murmured. ‘Knowing you were coerced changes everything.’ His eyes burned—no mercy, no disguise. ‘I can be tyrannous… I can be many things, Cordelia… but never your harm.’

He stepped closer, voice deepening, threaded with something rawer—regret, maybe fury at himself. ‘You should have come to me. I would have kept you safe. You and your sister. You didn’t have to face this alone.’

My chest tightened. I couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe.

‘But instead, you risked everything. Risked me,’ he said, quieter now, the anger curving inward. His gaze searched mine, sharp and unyielding. ‘Was it Ixion who hired you?’

I swallowed hard. ‘I think so,’ I whispered.

His jaw flexed, tightening as he fought for control. The air between us thickened—tension, wrath, and something far more dangerous simmering just beneath.