Page 53 of Queen of the Wicked
Hersto control.
Shifting her focus to the other side of the ring, Izara stared gapingly at the sight before her, joined by Erebos. She hadn’t heard the Lord of Hell enter the cell, but she was grateful he was here to witness this moment. Hisexpression was a mixture of intrigue and something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“Breathtaking,” he murmured.
The darkness was a part of her, just as the voice had said. It had been repressed for twenty-six years, waiting to see the light of day, and now that she had a full grasp of them, she wasn’t afraid of the smoke anymore. The way the tendrils caressed her was almost comforting, a reminder that she wasn’t alone here.
She wished her parents were here to experience this, too.
“Very good,” Izara noted, slightly breathless. “Can you control them?”
Now that the cobwebs had been dusted off, Alessia got the hang of the deathly smoke rather quickly. Like learning how to ride a bike, it suddenly clicked into place, and it didn’t take any time at all before she sent a tendril snaking along the mat towards Erebos.
Izara made to step in front of him to get in its path, but Erebos held a hand out to stop her.
“You plan to hurt me, Little Mortal?” He cocked his head to the side, studying her in a way that made her feel completely bare.
“No,” she hummed, sending the tendril to snake up his calf. Her power nearly bursted at the seams to be explored, and it seemed hellbent on practicing on Erebos. “But I could.” She willed the smoke to travel higher, ordering the tendril to brush against his inner thigh. It obeyed without a lick of hesitancy.
The lord stiffened from the contact, but not out of fear. His onyx eyes drank her in like thefinest whiskey, heating her bloodstream and coaxing that decadent scent of cherries to drift between them.
“Leave us,” he ordered Izara, keeping his eyes locked on Alessia’s. “Her training is done for the day.”
With a bow, the soul seeker took her leave, and when the door clicked shut behind her, Alessia walked a slow circle around Erebos, unable to shake the grin from her face. “You should stop calling me Little Mortal. I think we’re both aware now that I am far from human.”
He arched a brow when she paused before him. “I’m rather fond of the nickname. Aren’t you?”
“Not when it isn’t accurate anymore.” Sending the tendril along his body, she watched the darkness wrap around his neck, dancing across the skeletal hands inked on his flesh. Her eyes zeroed in on the way Erebos’s eyes slightly rolled to the back of his head. Watched them close in an attempt to hide his reaction, inhaling deeply through his nose before expelling it out of his mouth. “Are you not afraid of me?” she whispered, taking another step closer. “You are powerless, Erebos, and black magic runs through my veins. I could kill you without a second thought.”
“And go against our blood pact?” Regaining control of himself, he glanced at the tendril caressing his neck and leaned into it. “You are incapable of hurting me, Alessia. I am not afraid of you, I’m…” He scanned her eyes, an unknown emotion clogging them. “I am in awe of you.”
His praise sent a barrel of lust shooting through her. It was so unexpected that the tendril disappeared for a brief moment before reappearing. Alessia swallowed thethickness stuck in her throat, sending the tendril to brush through his curls instead, and the fluttering of his lashes stole her breath away. Alessia wished she were an artist, if only so she could paint a still life of his chiseled face.
Despite what she wanted to believe, this connection they shared was likely because her powers were mixed with his. She couldn’t determine if the urge to replace the tendrils currently stroking his hair with her fingers was due to his powers seeking their owner or her actual feelings, and it infuriated her.
They had agreed to be cordial for the sake of their upcoming mission, but between the intimate moment in her bedroom and the corn field he surprised her with, Alessia couldn’t help but wonder if they were starting to become more than cordial.
And that couldn’t happen.
She refused to fall for the Lord of Hell.
With that thought in mind, she tested the smoke a step further, her eyes lighting up with glee when they successfully bound his wrists behind the lord’s back and held him hostage. Erebos tested the strength of the grip, tilting his chin towards the ceiling when Alessia’s chest pressed against his. “Are you still fearless,Erebos?”
Being in control like this shouldn’t have been so arousing to her, but knowing the Lord of Hell—a man feared by the entire realm—was at her mercy made her feel immensely powerful.
Erebos surveyed her face, smiling sinfully when the scent of cherries flowed between them again. “I am yours to play with, Little Mortal. What shall you do to me first?”
Alessia failed to stop her imagination from running wild. She wondered how Erebos would handle it if she ordered him onto his knees before her with his wrists bound by her power. Would he enjoy it if she pulled her pants down and allowed him to please her? Would he like it if she tugged on his hair and held him between her thighs, knowing his hands were useless to him? Would he trust her enough to allow him to come up for air?
“Want to find out?” Erebos arched a brow, feigning nonchalance when he was anything but. It was in the way his body trembled. How his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were bleached, like fighting off the instinct to grab her and bring all of her fantasies to life.
Instead of feeling embarrassed, she rather enjoyed sharing these images with him and watching him struggle. It turned her on even more. “Why are you in my head, Erebos? I thought we agreed to privacy.”
“I didn’t penetrate your mind,” he replied. His voice shook, as if hanging onto his self-control by a thread. “Projection, remember?”
“Mm.” Forcing space between them again, Alessia shook her head to clear her thoughts. They couldn’t be alone without that damn scent overpowering them. It was the biggest aphrodisiac she’d ever encountered. It muddled her thoughts and made her question her feelings towards him entirely.
It wasn’t real.
