Page 44 of Her Dark Promise

“I said,ifI was in the mood to play games. Luckily for you, I am not.”

“I will stay,” Soren said defiantly.

Bastian raged. “No, you won’t.”

“You don’t own me. I can make my own choices.”

“You don’t understand!” Bastian exclaimed.

“You heard your brother.” I turned my attention to the fiery blonde. A thought came to me and I ripped his shirt open while maintaining eye contact and ran a nail down the length of his breast then sliced the bed of my finger and pressed it against his wound.

I winked as I brought my bloody finger up to my lips and sucked his blood, and faced Bastian. “And now he is spelled to stay with me until I die or if I give permission.”

Bastian cursed and punched the top of the chair that he had been strapped to. His hands were pulling at the little hairs on the nape of his neck.

“Beg me to stay.”

He wasn’t looking at me, but at his brother behind me, his eyes pleading. Whatever silent fight they were having with their eyes ended with Bastian sighing.

“Well, pet, what is your choice?”

He hung his head and said, “Please, allow me the honor of serving you until I become a shell of the man I once was until the reaper takes pity on my soul.”

He was so dramatic.

“Don’t want to leave him with the big, bad beast?”

“No.”

“No, what?”

He sighed. “No, your grace.”

I moved closer to him, whispering into his ear, running my hands through his chest hair, allowing myself this small reprieve from the growing heat between my legs. “This will be a lot more fun. Don’t you think?” He had fought me at every turn.Throughout all of the torture, he always had a witty retort. “You will behave yourself. Do You. Understand. Me.”

He nodded. His chest was already exposed, so I ran a finger down the same spot as his brother, pressing down as he hissed. I sliced my finger back open, and placed it over his chest.

“This cut will ensure that neither one of you leaves these lands ever again.”

I could tell by his expression that he regretted ever coming here. I could also tell that he would keep his word in trying his best to kill me the first chance he got. He would fail, but it would be fun to watch.

I stood back and said, “Oh, and since we are going to be living together for the foreseeable future, I suppose I will let you in on a little secret.” I smiled down at him. “You could have escaped if you were to make it out of the tower. There was no spell binding you to my lands.”

“What?” His skin paled.

The only answer I gave him was a simple shrug.

I walked to the middle of the room so I could address them both. “If you are starting to hesitate and regret your life decisions, it no longer matters. You both belong to me.”

I turned to walk out of the room when Bastian spoke up. “I will stay up here and continue upholding our end of the deal. I will never complain, and I willnevertry to escape. I am yours to do with whatever you please. Just…let my idiotic brother go.”

He is quite persistent, isn’t he?

“No.”

I ignored Circe, and continued staring down into the eyes that wanted to murder me in the most gruesome of ways. There was a twitch in his jaw that gave him away, despite trying his best to speak to my human side. They would learn that the human side of me died out long ago. All I had left were two humans toprotect, and now both brothers stood to jeopardize the sliver of peace I’d managed to obtain.

He took a few deep breaths and said, “Then please, I beg you, don’t torture my brother. Whatever you have planned for us—I will take both punishments.”

---