217- Whispers of Lust and Seeds of Betrayal
POV Elowen Grimwald:
“Hurry up, Elowen, before I change my mind.” Nerin’s voice made me grab the first one I saw in front of me—a large one, with a wooden handle. When she noticed my sudden choice, she frowned. “That’s to peel some fruit, not to slice a pig.”
Even nervous, I let out a laugh.
“Peel and slice? Into how many pieces?”
“Peel and cut into four, horizontally and vertically.”
“Yes, boss.” She laughed and shook her head. I grabbed an empty bag to let the peels fall into and cleared space on the sink counter to slice. “Are we doing all of these?”
“It’s barely started and you’re already tired?”
“Of course not, silly, I just can’t gauge how many people it takes to eat all this before it spoils.”
I started peeling quickly, or I’d be there the rest of the day.
“Believe me, before midnight there won’t be a single one left. Aldren will take them to the bar at the lust party.”
“Lust party? When are you going to tell me what that’s like?”
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
By the name alone, it didn’t sound like anything wholesome. My curious tail twitched.
“No… and you’re going to tell me, because you love your new friend and she’s too fucked to die of curiosity on top of everything.” I shoved my hip sideways to bump into hers.
“We’re not friends, girl.”
Nerin loved my company—she just hadn’t realized it yet.
“You adore me, I know it, no point denying it.” She pressed one lip against the other, holding back a smile. “What’s the harm, huh? If it’s called lust and lots of people attend, I doubt it’s some big secret.”
“It’s not a secret, everyone knows.” She shrugged indifferently.
“Then tell me, pretty please…”
“The name says it all, like I already told you. Guests go to satisfy the pleasures of the flesh and maybe find their destined partners along the way.”
I choked on my own saliva.
“My God, that’s very original. Aldren…?”
“The party is his, Elowen.”
A shiver of tension ran across my skin.
“His? Like…”
“That’s right. He used to go with Teneris and with Nala. Now I don’t know who the next lucky ones will be.”
I would have rolled my eyes at the flattery, but I needed to keep myself in check and focus on my plan.
“Nala is still alive,” I mocked.
“Watch your tongue or you might be next.”
“Ouch, that one hurt.”
“Good. That way you stay sharp.” She mimicked me, bumping her slender hip against mine.
See? She adores me…
“Tell me the truth, I’m curing your loneliness in this house, aren’t I?” I teased.
“Don’t you want to cure my insomnia too?”
“Insomnia?”
“Yes.”
“So you, like, don’t sleep?” A tired sigh escaped her.
“Thanks to Aldren’s magic drops, I sleep like a rock. I tried going without them so I wouldn’t suffer the side effects during the day, but I couldn’t.”
“What do you feel during the day, Nerin?” She fell silent. “If you feel comfortable talking about it, of course,” I added.
“Mild drowsiness. Fatigue.”
“Sometimes it’s just age, friend,” I joked.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her turn her face toward me.
“Friend… Why did I do that?” she said with feigned disdain and narrowed her eyes at me. “This centenarian old woman should have sworn not to give you intimacy.”
“It’s a joke, come on, you’ve still got it.”
“I should be better, but the medication slightly interferes with slowing our aging—even Aldren’s… Samsara at least served to rid me of them for a while.”
Confusion wrapped around me.
“Samsara?”
“Forget it.” She closed off.
“Oh no, now you finish—” Silence reigned. “Pretty please, come on…”
Nothing.
Nerin only spoke what she could—or wanted—to speak. Period.
Her only bad luck that day was having handed me enough pieces to put my plan to kill her beloved alpha into motion.
If I don’t die after killing him, I’ll miss you, Nerin.
(...)
POV Aldren Valmorin:
“Does the party start that early?” I caught her scent before she entered the bathroom, but I hadn’t imagined she would dare come near me.
I tried to ignore her, trimming my beard, but my eyes insisted on seeking her reflection in the mirror.
Dressed in a black jumpsuit—which I suspected was part of her new clothes—wavy hair, flushed cheeks and lips, and a relaxed posture, she leaned against the open doorway.
Her blue eyes, mingled with the bathroom’s warm lighting, shimmered like those of someone about to make a request.
“I’m attending a council meeting beforehand, bitch.”
“Look, if I swore by all the gods to behave… would you take me? I’m so bored…” She used her sweetest voice.
I held back the snarl that threatened to tear free from my chest.
“If you want to see Kehin, know that inmates don’t attend parties.”
What kind of unhinged, jealous male had I become?
“Aldren?” Her pupils dilated, nearly swallowing the blue of her irises, surprised. “I’m not stupid. I know he would never be invited while imprisoned…” She paused. “And more than that—if I knew I’d run into that male there, I’d never want to go.”
Before turning to her, I finished trimming my beard, washed and dried my face. Then I combed my hair and sprayed a bit of cologne.
Facing her, I realized the mirror had hidden her true beauty from my eyes.
The damned bitch truly hoped I would take her, because she had dressed up completely. On her feet, high-heeled sandals that must have been among her requests when her tastes were asked.
Little did she know that even if it were my desire to take her into the lions’ den, I wasn’t willing to share the divine sight of those curves with anyone.