Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“It’s time for us to return.” I dip lower, finding a warm draft of air, and ride the current back to the castle.
To my relief, Renee relaxes in my arms. She wasn’t upset, simply cold.
But as soon as I set her down, she steps away, putting some distance between us. I want to reach for her, but pride stays my hand. There’s a twinge beneath my breastbone, a discordant note jarring the melody of the bond.
My Omega is not happy. Why? Haven’t I done all that she requested? An uncomfortable silence accompanies us to the great hall. I’m the first to break it. “Renee.”
“I need a hot shower,” she murmurs, and slips through the door.
“Come to me when you are done,” I command. A jynx appears in the doorway, waiting to be summoned. I wave it closer.
It drops a scroll into my hand. On a whim, desperate to distract myself, instead of tossing it on the pile, I unroll it and scan the careful script. It’s a plea from one of the village elders, asking for ways in which they can appease both me and the volcano, to ensure it stays quiet forever. They also ask for a blessing on their crops. Barely anyone can remember the last decent harvest. It is said the seasons around my birth were considered bountiful, but the crops have declined ever since. Please, Your Evilness.
With a frustrated sigh, I toss the scroll into the fireplace and snap my fingers. Flames shoot up, incinerating the missive.
How can I ensure the volcano remains quiet, when my own moods are in turmoil? It’s Renee’s fault. I never felt so unsettled before she came along. One moment she’s joyful, the next, she withdraws, stepping away from me when I would reach for her.
My frustration grows as I pace up and down the hall. I give her everything she asks for—even if she does sometimes have to wait a while. Why is she still not satisfied? What more could I do? Is this some kind of a test? Does she retreat on purpose to make me chase her?
I halt mid-step, absently stroking my braided beard. Renee adores being dominated—the crueler I am, the wetter she gets. Perhaps this is her way of telling me she wants me to be more her Master, less kind and gentle. She’s never sullen or sad when my cock’s inside her.
I lick my canines and raise my chin. Females are tricky, my father once said. They say one thing, and mean another. But while their words can lie, their bodies always tell the truth.
Renee is always asking questions, making requests… and even though I give her answers, and grant those wishes, she disobeyed my simple rule not to let go of me mid-flight. Now, instead of spending the rest of the day showing me her gratitude—as she promised—she has disappeared. Nobody needs this long to take a shower.
Taking a deep breath to combat my growing temper, I exhale slowly before setting out to find her. It’s time to remind her I’m in charge.
She’s in her bedroom, wrapped in a bathing cloth. She should be getting ready for me but she stands unmoving, frowning at the floor. In the bond between us, there’s a quiet ache.
“Pet?”
She doesn’t hear me right away, so I call her name. When that doesn’t shake her from her reverie, I resort to the one thing that never fails: growling. Arousal floods the bond, washing everything else away.
She gasps, her eyes darkening, rising to meet mine. “Master?”
I hold out my hand. “You promised to show me your gratitude.”
Thirteen
Renee
Today was wonderful. I thought that taking a flight together would be a good way to learn more about Krav, and it was. I had hoped to hear his stance on having kids, but after that story he told me about his father, it didn’t seem like the right moment. Does he realize how abusive his dad was?
Krav seems to assume cruel behavior is normal for demons, but he wouldn’t treat a child like that, would he? While we haven’t discussed how he’d parent his own offspring, I’ve seen him with Plutus. He’d be a good dad.
Sure, he has a lot of rough edges, but he’s trying. If he dropped the whole Master of The Universe but Especially You act—at least outside the bedroom—he’d be the guy of my dreams. I’ve felt closer to him since he claimed me.
And apparently the bond created by his bite does a lot more than just scar my shoulder and tie us together. He said I should now be able to feel the land through him, whatever that means. Share in his magical, kingly powers.
The downside to all this alien sorcery is that I can’t tell whether my feelings are mine, or his, or just Ulfarri biology. If a soul-bond is like their version of marriage, does that mean I’m his queen now? Does that even matter if he continues to treat me like a pet?