AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her tunic was casually draped and cinched, yet clung to her curves whenever she shifted even the minutest degree. Though it was long and covered her from head to toe, save her bare arms, it could hardly be called modest. The material of her dress was diaphanous, revealing seductive parts of her body under certain angles of light. In addition, two slits ran from hip to ankle, and it was clear that she wore nothing underneath.
No doubt many, both male and female, who beheld her would grow enamored of her beauty and drunk on her simmering sexuality. But Zai only felt unease.
She was a stone-cold killer with a pretty veneer.
“My Queen,” he rumbled, bowing deeply from the waist, though he refused to go down to one knee.
Ben followed his lead, copying his movements perfectly.
When he straightened, he saw the slow arch of her eyebrow and the subtle quirk of her lips. She was well aware that while he paid his respects, he did not kowtow to her.
This amused her.
“You hide your face, Hunter. Shall I feel insulted?”
It was protocol to lower his cowl when in her presence, not the least because anything hidden implied a threat. But also because it was common courtesy and respect.
“My face is badly scarred, my Queen, and ugly besides. I do not wish to offend,” he explained.
Her glowing dark eyes roved slowly over him from head to toe.
“And yet your form pleases me greatly,” she purred, curling the ends of her words. “Enough to compensate for other regrettable defects.”
Like mother, like daughter, Zai thought.
Gaia possessed an insatiable appetite for violence, pain, blood and sex. Public blood feasts and orgies were commonplace, and she could usually be found at the center of them.
If Ashlu desired his body in similar ways, he would use her attraction to his advantage like any trade. He didn’t relish it.
For a Dark One, he’d never found pleasure in fucking. Only release and relief. Else, it was a power exchange. To dominate or submit. Nothing else. Thankfully, he’d never been tempted to Mate.
He inclined his head but didn’t remove his cowl.
“Whatever my Queen desires, I live to serve,” he murmured, half expecting her to beckon him forth upon the dais and make use of his body then and there as Gaia used to do.
Instead, she asked, “And who do you hide behind you? I would have a better look.”
Zai felt Ben brace himself.
Despite his disguise, Ashlu would see him for what he really was—a weak, pretty human—if she looked closer. No telling what she would do to both of them then. He wasn’t ready to end the ruse yet.
So, he distracted her by lowering his cowl and facing her fully in the torchlight.
The reaction was immediate. Swords and daggers unsheathed with metallic scrapes. Elongated fangs bared with aggressive hisses. The two soldiers behind him crowded closer, armed and ready.
While the Commander put into one word what everyone saw:
“Betrayer.”
Zai stood still under the scrutiny, arms loose at his sides. He didn’t reach for his weapons, didn’t react. He merely stared unblinkingly back at the Queen, awaiting her indictment.
For a few weighty moments, she did not speak. When she did, her tone was more considering than upset.
“You must possess iron balls coming back here,” she observed mildly.
“Have you tired of your Immortal existence?”
“If my Queen sees fit to end me for my previous crimes, I will submit as you command,” Zai said.
