Page 48 of Going to Hell
He lifted his free hand as if to touch my side but clenched his fist at the last moment.
“Love me,” he demanded.
I tucked in the edge of the bandage and turned away from the table.
“Love me!”
The building shook. Bits of dust and sand rained down. Fear squeezed my chest for a heartbeat before I smothered it. If I ran, he would kill me. If I turned, he would own me. One was no better than the other. So I gave him the behavior he gave me. I overturned the nearest rack of weapons. Spears clattered to the floor, and a knife narrowly missed my big toe.
The rumbling quieted. He grabbed my arm and spun me around, his fingers biting into my chin as he forced me to meet his gaze.
“You inflict your pain on me, and no other. Not even yourself. Do you understand me?”
I glared at him, refusing to acknowledge any of what he’d said. If I inflicted pain, it would be in self-defense, not because I was some kind of monster who enjoyed it. The thought wiped the glare from my face, and I internally swore.
Monsters gave pain for fun. Not all, but the majority did. Was that why C’adon was so confused about my refusal to hurt him? Because he thought I was a creature? Would he start to wonder about me if I didn’t start hurting him? I swallowed hard at the thought, knowing I wouldn’t be able to hurt him just to keep my secret safe.
“Goddess, you’re beautiful. Look at her skin. She still smells like the sun.”
My stomach growled audibly, and his gaze softened.
“She hungers. I must choose wisely.”
Not letting my pity show, I focused on the room. The weapons and torture table disappeared. Fur rugs appeared on the floor under a food table. The bowl that steamed on the surface tempted me, but I needed something else first. Thankfully, C’adon conjured more than food.
I hurried to the screened area and used the golden pot there, ignoring his low chuckle. His words were harder to ignore.
“There is nothing on you that I haven’t seen.”
Scowling, at the reminder that he could magic away my clothes, I quickly righted my dress. And not a moment too soon. The screens disappeared.
Pervert, I thought, looking at him.
He stood beside the small table, watching me, but there wasn’t a hint of disappointment in his expression that he hadn’t caught me with my skirt up. Probably because he knew he couldn’t handle seeing me naked again.
A slow smile curved his lips as if he’d heard my thoughts, and my heart skipped a beat at the beauty of him. I started to move, drawn in like a fish on the line.
He lifted his hand to me, and I realized what I was doing. Looking at him. Going to him.
I shifted my gaze to the food and veered toward the table.
This time, I found an extremely large egg waiting on the plate along with my bread. And two glasses. The clay one with water and a metal cup, not gold, filled with red again.
Under C’adon’s watchful gaze, I sat at the table and picked up my trident. He squatted down to watch me take my first bite of egg, and I did my best to ignore him, which he didn’t like.
“The past cannot be undone, no matter how much we might wish it. You will look at me. You will speak to me. You will give me what I want.”
Not today, my friend,I thought, chewing.
I ate my breakfast, drank my water, then braved a sip from the other cup. Watered down wine. It wasn’t bad. I didn’t take more than the sip, but C’adon seemed appeased by my willingness to sample.
Well, if he liked that, he was going to like what I had planned for today. Maybe. At least, I hoped so. I knew going back to the way things were, avoiding eye contact and pretending he wasn’t there, wouldn’t work for him. So, I was going to offer him a compromise.
I was going to give him some of the attention he craved.
CHAPTERELEVEN
I stood and,without looking at him, went to the door. Just before opening it, I turned back, making direct eye contact. He paused halfway between me and the table. Confusion mixed with suspicion flitted across his perfect face.
