216- Sweet Bait, Silver Truth
POV Elowen Grimwald:
I discovered that the effect of alcohol on Aldren’s body was sexual. If I gave him an opening, he would fuck me right there in that kitchen.
My body betrayed me. Chills ran down my spine and my panties grew wet. No. My quota for accepting humiliation in the name of revenge was exhausted.
“Very good… I could name it my second favorite sweet.” I hated that the compliment was genuinely sincere on my part.
He set the spoon on the counter and crossed his arms over his strong chest, staring at me in challenge.
“And what’s the first?”
“A little industrialized jar of hazelnut cream that cures any sadness.”
“Interesting.”
“You should try it.” He agreed. “May I?” I pointed to the pot.
“Be my guest.”
That’s not a smart thing to say, Aldren… what if I teased him just a little? Just a little?
I opened the drawer beside me, at hip height, and thanked the gods when I found the cutlery. I took a golden spoon and filled it with syrup and chunks of fruit.
I blew on it a little under Aldren’s watchful, interested gaze and took half into my mouth.
I hid my eyes and let out a deliberate moan.
“Oh, how delicious. I swear, it would be perfect if you liked me at least a little and could make it more often…” I tempted fate as I opened my eyes.
“Maybe that will happen if you’re an obedient bitch.”
“Hard to say… I don’t really do submissive,” I teased.
Instead of eating the rest of the spoonful, I lifted it to his mouth.
I didn’t think for a second that he would accept it. Not for a second. But he did… He leaned forward and his well-shaped lips, framed by light stubble, parted, sucking in the rest.
I shouldn’t have wanted to climb onto him, but I did—even as my caged and… offended she-wolf tried to cool my insides.
Hatred!
I made sure that if I were to fuck that man before killing him, it would be by my own impulses.
“All females are submissive when they find a male who knows how to dominate, Elowen.” He remembered my name, forgetting to call me bitch, prisoner, spy, stray, or mutt.
Thinking of a fitting reply, wrapped in the sexual energy hanging between us, I looked away and scooped another spoonful of the sweet.
“Speaking from experience…?” That was the bullshit I managed to come up with?
“And what if I say yes?” He held my chin and forced me to look at him.
You could write on my gravestone: “Here lies a young woman whose heat ends, but the fire does not.” Apparently, humiliation didn’t either.
“I wouldn’t doubt it. Not for a second…”
He tugged at the corner of his lips in response and, with his other hand, brushed a lock of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear.
Aldren didn’t look at me with discomfort or disdain, but with something that belonged to his desires and held his interest. Blinking as if coming out of a trance, he loosened his grip and swallowed hard.
“Teneris’s body was burned today.” Was that remorse dancing in his irises?
Could Aldren truly have loved her? Confused by the sudden revelation, Kehin came to mind. Was he dead too, or would he be?
“And Kehin, Aldren?”
Immediately, the false sadness in his expression revealed pure rage, and the finger that had been gently touching my chin tightened.
What the fuck did I just say?
Fucked. Very fucked.
“What interest do you have in that traitor, bitch?” And there was the nickname again.
“I-I just… got curious.”
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.” He squeezed my trembling chin even harder. “Kehin is imprisoned and will remain there for the rest of his life, so forget him—or I’ll send you to the cell next to his, so you can keep him company,” he growled.
“Flea-ridden bastard…” I whispered the thought, flirting with death.
“What did you say?” he roared, brow furrowing.
“Nothing, I didn’t say anything,” I corrected myself quickly, putting on a pitiful expression.
“Good. Now go back to your cage. That’s where you’ll sleep.”
…
I thanked the gods when I woke up and didn’t see that crazy dog, covered in lovers’ fleas, in the room. Wolves could be temperamental—I was—but Aldren bordered on unacceptable.
I asked just one question. One simple question!
And the great darling, who had just made me a delicious syrup, kicked my ass back into the cage again.
I didn’t expect Nerin to open it to let me out the next day, but the order allowing me to roam seemed to have been upheld.
Did alcohol cause amnesia in him?
With that troglodyte, there was no such thing as too much caution. I needed to be smarter than him, colder, faker, more calculating. My name wouldn’t be Elowen Grimwald if I couldn’t bend that man.
To him, I could be unworthy, filthy, disposable—yes—but for some reason, he also desired me. That was the only weapon I had left, and I would use it.
Pride? I shoved it up my ass—my only virgin hole.
War. Cold war.
Fuck the pretty clothes I never had, that had finally found their way to me. Fuck the delicious dessert. Fuck that gorgeous bastard.
“He allowed you to help?” I stopped beside Nerin, who was cleaning some tangerine-like fruits taken from a bag as if freshly picked.
“He did.”
“Then give me orders. I want to be useful to you, Nerin.”
I liked her—more than I should—but it would be impossible to get her to play on my side because of her palpable blind loyalty to Aldren, so we were adversaries. She just didn’t need to know it.
“I don’t need help right now.”
I looked at the growing pile of washed fruit.
“Do you need help peeling them?”
“What an insistent girl, by the gods!” She looked at me impatiently. “Go get a paring knife from the drawer next to the wood stove.”
“Right away!” I ran, excited to occupy myself with something.
I leaned down and opened the drawer, which was filled with all kinds of knives—but all of them were too large. I pushed them aside, searching for a smaller one, and froze, horrified by what I saw.
I would recognize that subtle metallic scent anywhere, even without all the heightened abilities that would come after the transformation.
A silver knife.
Why would they keep that weapon there?