Page 11 of Darkness Consuming
Chapter Five
Imaginary Friend
Violence
Every bolt within the wall has been counted and recounted. The steeliness of it has been properly studied. And yet I don’t see any of it.
Where is he?
I’ve tried to envision him, tried to force Nollix to appear, and yet my comforting hallucination seems to have better things to do. Huh, I can’t even force my imaginary friends to hang out with me. How pathetic.
Just as I’m glaring a new hole into the wall, his body flickers in. Dark and messy hair frames his intense features. The scar of the Wild Hunt slices up his neck and across his sharp jawline. The porcelain bathtub just behind him reflects the golden glow of his skin, casting pretty colors across the dark flooring.
A smile almost touches my lips when he finally comes into focus. My index finger pushes back and forth against my own scar, realizing how tender the flesh is there against my knuckles. It causes a shiver to race across my flesh. And that small movement has a dirty thought circling my mind that I can’t seem to ignore.
In just a few short steps, I’m right in front of him. His gaze flickers over my features. When my hands meet his shoulders, his muscle tenses beneath my touch. I meld against his body until my lips are poised just against the column of his throat. The glittering scar tingles against my lips as I place a slow kiss there. He tastes … sweet. My tongue rolls across the tender flesh of his scar.
The moment my tongue meets his skin, his big palms grip onto my hips. The feel of his hands on my body makes me want to rock my hips against his.
But I don’t. I keep my mouth busy and he angles his neck perfectly for me.
My teeth rake across his skin and a low and rumbling groan shakes through him.
“What are you doing, Vi?” His voice is nothing more than a rasping sound in the darkness.
Another slow kiss is placed against his sexy jawline. I could press my mouth against his right now if I wanted to.
He was a good kisser. Incredibly good.
I shift in his arms, keeping my face tilted against the curve of his shoulder.
“I’m doing what I always wanted to do but never had the nerve to do. I want to do all the things I should have done when I had the chance.” My hand pushes down the hard muscle of his abdomen, skimming lower and lower and lower. When my palm meets the thick bulge in his jeans, he jerks back from me.
An astounded smile kisses his lips.
“Shit.” His warm body slips away from mine. He shoves space between us and his hands push through his hair like he’s trying to push away the thoughts in his head. “Listen, I’m not Link. If you keep messing with me like this, I. Will. Fuck. You.” The glint in his eyes is a promising look that makes my heart race.
“What if I said that’s what I want?” I take a small, daring step toward him.
His brows raise impossibly higher.
“I’m not cut out for this. Chivalry is not for me, I’m sorry. The Reveries apparently sent a weak man for this job.”
The Reveries? The Witches?
The pink of his tongue slips across his lips slowly and he levels me with a look. He looks like he’s reconsidering every mistake he’s ever made. Finally, he steps forward, his palm pushes across my hip and with a hard pull I stumble against his chest. The warmth of his hidden magic caresses mine. His arms wrap around me, settling low on my back. My hands rest between us, against his chest. For several long seconds he only studies me.
“Are you okay, Violence?” The gentle tone of his voice is unlike anything I’ve ever heard him say.
“I’m not okay.” A whisper is all I have. My fingers push up his chest before lightly skimming over his jawline. He leans into that small touch. “I don’t think I’ve ever been okay. Maybe none of us have.”
His lips part to speak but I cut him off.
“But being not okay isn’t going to stop me.” Another day of injections passed and I feel used and lost. But now that I see a pattern, tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I have a plan. Tomorrow is a dangerous day indeed.
The length of his body settles against mine as he holds me closer to his chest.
“Where are you?” Dark blue eyes bore into mine.
