Page 123 of Chain Me
Pale daylight basted his skin, shimmering against the ivory so that he almost appeared silver. Muscle and limbs moved in tandem as he worked. So intent was he that he didn’t even look up until I pulled up a stool to the counter and sat.
The moment I did, two gray eyes drifted up to notice me there. Almost instantly, he returned to his task of slicing up raw onions. Then the knife slipped, the blade slicing through the pad of his finger. The wound healed in an instant, even before my cry of shock left my chest.
“You make it hard to focus entirely on your welfare,” he told me, his voice a dangerous rasp on the cool air. His eyes found me again, this time leisurely raking over my hastily tied robe.
Yulia, bless her soul, was a goddess. A devious, vengeful one who seemed to relish making Dublin Helos squirm. If only she knew.
“You don’t like it?” I innocently fingered an exceptionally crafted collar formed entirely from lace. Ivory lace to be exact. The whole garment in general was composed of delicate lattice-like patterns that extended just above my ankles. Modest in theory, but certainly not in action.
Dublin observed the ensemble with a look that could only be considered aggravated. Carefully, he set the blade aside and wiped his hands on a nearby rag. Then…
His hand shot out, capturing the back of my skull and drawing me in. Cool lips met mine. Briefly. Softly.
Against them, I couldn’t help but murmur, “This feels strange…”
Him in my home felt strange. Us interacting in this way felt strange. Strange as in natural. I didn’t have to think. It took so much effort to hate him.
“It does,” Dublin agreed, drawing back. “You know what else would feel strange?” Suddenly, his mouth was near my ear while one of his hands brushed the collar of my robe, nudging the panels apart. “Me…taking you against the counter, making you clutch it for balance while I…”
Dark scenarios dripped against my earlobe, each one more scandalous than the last.
“I agree,” I forced myself to rasp as my cheeks caught fire. “If only I weren’t so hungry…” My eyes were on the fangs glinting beneath his upper lip. “Then I might say no.”
* * *
Another presence in my room drew me awake.
Startled, I opened my eyes and fixated on a blurred figure nearby. “Georgie?”
No. Another woman was sitting on the edge of my bed, her skin the shade of caramel, her hair like spun gold coiling down her back. A plain black shirt and jeans disproved her potential as a maid or one of Dublin’s henchmen.
I started to sit upright. “Who are—”
“So maybe you aren’t entirely boring and worthless,” she told me with a sigh while kicking her feet over the floor. “And maybe…you were right. Why can’t you take your happiness? Why shouldtheyhave all the fun?” She stood and languidly stretched her arms above her head. “And I must admit you were good to me, even if Iloathedyou at times.” Eyeing me from over her shoulder, she stroked something encircling her throat: a light blue strip of velvet with a charm dangling from the center. “It was nothing personal, honestly. Something about that form just makes me despise all affection. As for Dublin, well… I couldn’t resist rubbing it in his face, now could I?”
My breath caught. “Mr… Mr. T-Tinkles?”
“I did hate that name though,” she hissed, crossing her arms. “Alas, I loved taunting Dublin right beneath his nose more. I can reward you for that. Or perhaps I merely want to pat myself on the back for guessing which sister he’d fall for?” She smirked. “Everyone was sure it would be the other one… But I grow bored of watching him agonize and brood. Besides, it’s just not fair if he stays young forever while you age and wither. Eww.” She shuddered, twirling to face me.
At a glance, she looked painfully young—younger than I was, even. Though who knew what her true form was, given her affinity for switching sexes as well as species on a whim?
“I’ve lived far too long for the words of a mortal to have any effect on me, but yours did for whatever reason. You said you deserved your happiness.So fine.” She waved toward the hand I had clutching my pillow. “I’ve enchanted your ring. As long as you wear it, you will never age. Only you have the power to remove it, should you decide that immortality is not to your tastes. And your daughter may have one as well when she comes of age, should you wish. The only caveat is that you cannot tell Dublin—especiallyabout my feline form.” She fingered her collar-like necklace, still smirking. “Should I need to utilize it again, I would hate for the fun to be ruined so soon. Besides, it will be so much more fun to watch him guess throughout the years. Just imagine ten years from now!” She giggled and skipped to the door. “But enjoy your happiness for however long it may last. And perhaps it’s time, I find my own? Goodbye, Eleanor Gray.”
I blinked and she had already vanished.
Epilogue
At the top of the grand staircase, I directed the movement of various pieces of furniture. It was a parade of everything from couches, to bed frames, to even a brand-new ivory piano imported from somewhere very expensive.
The frivolity would make my poor mother’s head spin.
As would the breathtaking beauty of my sole, one-man “army” of movers.
“That goes in the drawing room,” I declared, pointing to a pure-white chaise accompanied by matching armchairs. “Do be careful with it, slave. It’s worth more than your yearly wages, I’m sure.”
“And this?” the rather bold mover inquired, his gray eyes sparkling with mischief. In his arms was an ivory headboard, contrasting sharply with the ebony hue of his tailored suit. “Wherever does this go, mistress?”
My cheeks flamed. “Upstairs,” I said with the air of a queen.
