River of Shadows (Underworld Gods #1)(61)

His hands now trail up over my breasts, his sheathed fingers delicately rubbing along my hardened nipples, making my breath hitch sharply. I can’t look away from his eyes, the way they shine like the moon in the dark depths of the mask.

“Now, I want you to spend the night on that bed,” he says, quietly commanding. “Naked. On all fours. Your ass in the air. I will come for you when I feel like it. You will not turn around, you will not look at me. You will take whatever I give you and you will take it well. Do you understand?”

Oh Jesus.

I nod. I’m drunk, still lost in his feral stare, and I’m nodding. It scares me and it’s dangerous and yet, right now, it’s exactly what I want.

He straightens up, the connection between us severed, and gestures for me to go in my room. “Fly along to sleep, little bird. I shall wake you soon.”

I stagger inside and then I’m alone.



* * *





* * *



I’ve never been more awake in my life.

The entire castle is silent, except for the occasional gust of wind against the panes, and the far-off pounding of waves against the rocky shoreline below. My own heart makes the most noise of all, like a drummer on a tangent, filling my head and ears with a shaky rhythm.

I’m lying on my stomach, on the bed, just like Death asked me to. I’m wearing the nightgown, but it’s comfortably covering my ass which also isn’t in the air. After he escorted me to my room and warned me what was going to happen, I’ve been a barrel of nerves, torn between wanting to rebel and wanting to comply. I think I’ve come to some place in the middle, though I don’t feel good about it.

Tonight, Death showed a charming side of him. To see the way he interacts with his daughter was heartening, and I really could see the love between them. I know he would do anything for her, and even if all she wants to do is run away, I know she looks up to him greatly. And the way he came to my defense whenever Surma said anything was both appreciated and surprising.

But then all the deflating talk about being his prisoner came up.

And I got drunk and agreed to some midnight tryst, my hormones absolutely on fire and taking over all rational thought.

And now, to know that he’s going to come into my room in the middle of the night and most likely have sex with me, is pushing everything onto a whole other level. I know I told him that I would do anything in order to have my father free and I know I have to uphold that end of the bargain. I just didn’t think that would happen so soon. I’m not uptight about sex, I know what I want, I love the male (and female) body, I love the wanton pleasure of it all, and I love the power that comes with it, the power over someone else, the ability to make their eyes roll back in their head.

And yes, I’ve had sex with strangers, guys whose name I never knew, whose face I’ve forgotten, and it’s never been a big deal. But the difference was, I pursued them. I wanted them. Right now, Death has all the control in the world, right down to the exact position he wants me to be in when he comes in.

Naturally, I took advantage of having Bell in my room and through hushed words and drunk whispers while I sat beneath the fish tank, she tried to give me advice. Mermaids take sexual freedom to a whole new level, that’s for sure, and she can’t really understand my problem, I guess because she knows Death intimately already. But she made sure that I knew I could still have control. I didn’t have to hand all the cards to him. I could go into it wanting it.

I just don’t know how that’s possible now that the wine has worn off. Yes, there is a teensy tiny part of my libido that finds this all intriguing, but it’s the same reason why my nipples got hard around him. He gives off this strange energy, I don’t know if it’s all the danger, power and uncertainty, but it crackles between us. Maybe he just smells good. Maybe he’s just a big guy and while the most I’ve actually seen of his body is his hand…it’s a good hand

Aside from the immediate death aspect of it.

Whatever works, I tell myself, fidgeting on the bed. Whatever works.

I’m just glad that I put a towel over the fish tank, much to Bell’s disappointment. While she obviously has no problems with watching Death have his way with me, I don’t want her witnessing this…whatever this is.

I move my face to the side and take in a deep breath, staring out the window. I was hoping to see the stars because that would mean that Death forgot all about me and is asleep, but it’s as misty as ever.

The sound of a lock in a key fills the room.

Oh god.

He’s here.

I keep my face where it is, remembering his instructions. I don’t dare look over my shoulder. A faint splash of light moves across the room as the door opens and then closes, latching shut.

I close my eyes.

I hear his heavy footfall as he slowly walks across my room, his strides deliberate and purposeful, his boots echoing. He gets closer and closer until I feel his presence right behind me at the foot of the bed.

He exhales, low and deep, and I hear a buckle being undone, perhaps his belt buckle.

Oh god.

I swallow, my heart in my throat, and try my best to keep it together.

“You’re not complying with my wishes,” Death says in a rough voice that sends a shiver down my spine. “Perhaps I should have made it more of a command.” The bed shakes a little as I know he’s pressing himself against it. My mouth goes dry with fear. “I wanted you naked with your ass in the air. You’re not doing either of those things.”