Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(85)

“As you wish.”

I kissed her once more on each thigh before I pulled her night dress demurely down and slid back up to hold her.

“Thank you,” I murmured in her ear.

“For what?” Her voice sounded breathless. “You’re the one who was doing all the work.”

“Not work, pleasure,” I corrected her gently. “And I thank you for trusting me again. After all that has happened it means a great deal to me.”

She gave an uncertain little laugh. “I’m still not sure I do, you know.”

But I knew she did—now more than ever. And my heart swelled at the knowledge.





Chapter Twenty-five

Gwendolyn





“So it’s not far to the next border?” I looked out at the dismal gray sky swirling with snow.

“Not far.” Laish seemed more like himself today. He’d made me breakfast that morning—pancakes and bacon at my request—and then conjured us both some warm clothing to wear. Clothing he promised to replace once we’d crossed the barrier and entered the City of Dis.

Not that I was anxious to get rid of the gorgeous fur coat he’d given me. Yes, I know fur is murder but Laish had promised me it wasn’t made from any animal that lived in the Mortal Realm. Although what kind of creature lived in Hell and had such gorgeous, soft fur I had no idea.

The coat came down to my knees and was pure white with silver tips around the collar and sleeves. I stroked it gently, loving the incredibly soft feel of it. My little white lily-moth—whom I’d finally gotten around to naming Eryn since she seemed to be with me to stay—could barely be seen on my shoulder against the whiteness.

“You approve of my taste this time at least, I see,” Laish remarked, smiling a little as we left the hut.

“It is beautiful,” I admitted, following him around the side to where Kurex was finishing the breakfast of hot oats Laish had conjured him. “I’ll be sorry to see it go once we cross the border.”

“You need not lose it forever,” he remarked, patting the big horse’s nose. “I can have it sent to your home in the Mortal Realm.”

“Where would I ever wear it?” I asked, practically. “I live in Florida, remember? We get like two semi-chilly months a year. The rest is all ninety degree heat and humidity.”

“A pity,” he said, checking the girth—at least, I think that’s what the strap thing that holds the saddle on the horse is called. “You look lovely in it.”

“Anybody would—it’s a gorgeous coat,” I said. “But why white again?”

“Pardon?” He raised an eyebrow at me as he helped me climb aboard Kurex who snorted and stamped in the snow.

“Why did you make it white fur? And the rug we, uh slept on too. Why always white? Is the only kind of fur animal they have down here albino or what?”

He looked up as he settled me on the horse and gave me a slow smile.

“I suppose I just like the contrast with your lovely brown skin. I cannot help remembering how beautiful you looked, lying naked on the white fur last night.”

“Laish…” I protested, feeling my cheeks burn despite the cold wind whipping around us.

“What is it, mon ange?” he said, swinging lightly up behind me and taking Kurex’s reins. “Do you wish to forget about the time we spent together last night? Do you wish to pretend that it never happened?”

“I…don’t know,” I confessed as Laish urged the big horse forward onto the road only he and Kurex could see. “I should want that, I guess.”

“But you don’t.” His voice in my ear was low and intimate. “You don’t wish to forget the pleasure we brought each other. Do you?”

“I guess not,” I whispered. It was wrong and I knew it. I shouldn’t dwell on what we’d done the night before. After all, we’d only done it in order to pay the Sin Tax.

The first time, yes, whispered a snarky little voice in my head. But the second time—there was no excuse for that. Letting him touch you and make you come again—that was just for you. Just for pleasure.


I tried to push the guilt out of my mind. The voice sounded disturbingly like Grams and I knew well enough what she’d think of what I’d been doing with Laish last night.

I’ll be careful, I told myself uneasily. I won’t go too far—I won’t!

I just hoped I could keep the promise I’d made to myself.

We rode in silence for about an hour and then we came to the entrance of a long, dark tunnel. Strangely enough, it had nothing on either side of it. It wasn’t set into the side of a mountain as the Jealous Heart had been—it was just a big cylinder made of some dull ivory colored material. Also it was perfectly circular and ribbed at intervals with thick circular supports of the same color. Really, what it reminded me of most was those long collapsible tubes you can get for your kids to crawl through and play in at Ikea. Only this tube was huge—easily big enough for us to ride through while seated on Kurex. Not that I wanted to.

“Oh, no!” I gripped Kurex’s mane hard at the sight of the tunnel’s mouth. “Please tell me we can ride around that and we don’t have to go through it.”

“Alas, we must go through it, I fear. There is no other way,” Laish said calmly.