Page 53 of The Shadow Prince's Ruin
“I wish,” I admit and cuddle him closer, gently rocking him in my arms as the unpleasant rift between us closes. “But I’m not going to make this so easy on you. Whatever flaws I have, you need to discover them for yourself.”
He leans back to look into my eyes and strokes my cheek. “Well, we already know you’re too attractive for your own good.”
I laugh and tap his nose. “It’s serving me well right now.”
“Do you want to dissolve the body with me?” Sylvan asks, offering me a shy smile. “I’ve found the right ingredients.”
Is it morbid? Sure. But it feels like being invited into his world. “I’d be honored.”
Chapter 20
Sylvan
Hawk rearranges Tassarion in the bathtub and pushes his hand under the water’s surface. In the past, I’ve often worked with assistants, but this feels different. Iwanthim to be here with me, even if some things would have been easier to deal with on my own.
“This one won’t dissolve the body, but it will prepare the water so it’s receptive to the next ingredient,” I tell my lover and hesitate when I open the vial filled with purple powder. “Do you… want to do it?”
Hawk’s eyes glint, and he nods, grinning at me. “And this won’t hurt our skin? Don’t we need gloves, or something? I know nothing about thisBreaking Badshit.”
I shake my head and pass him the vial. “Not this one. The residue won’t be a problem unless we’re submerged in a large quantity of liquid. We will, however, need to be careful with redpoles,” I tell him, nodding toward the jar on a nearby shelf.
“And you just know all this by heart?” He asks with amazement and spills the Doe Dust into the tub. The tiny grains melt as they meet the water, making it shimmer with a yellowish hue, which brightens Tassarion’s slack features. I always thought this effect was very aesthetically pleasing.
Hawk looks at me with so much adoration my heart beats faster. Alchemy is a difficult skill to master, dangerous in the wrong hands, and contributes to so many conveniences my world depends on for survival, yet it is seen as a lesser art, something anyone could master with enough effort. It only now occurs to me that I’ve never been praised for knowing my way around concoctions and solutions before. It was scoffed at as a way to go around my lack of talent for shadowcraft. “Well… yes. I spent a lot of time learning about all and any ingredients, their uses, and how they interact with each other. You don’t need talent for that, just time and a good memory. Now, step back.”
I grab one of the massive leather gloves I found in the forge and use it to pick up the next jar. “These are live redpoles.” I show him the finger-sized creatures floating in the concoction that keeps them in suspended animation. “They’re asleep, but they will awake when they sense blood, and become voracious. They eventually grow into lovely frogs. It takes them about a month.” I worry I’m boring him, but when he leans in with a glint in his eye, I continue. “I kept one as a pet a long time ago.”
Hawk grins. “That’s awesome! I always liked frogs. They taste good too!” he says but obediently takes a step back as I unscrew the jar. “You’re a real brainiac, aren’t you? If I were your lord cousin, I would have kept you imprisoned in some tower. Sending you out here is such a waste of the skills you have.”
I blush when he tickles me between the shoulder blades. “Thank you. I know that for you all this is new and different, like electricity and phones are to me. You’d probably find even something as simple as swamplight impressive, but I won’t denythat coming up with the combination of ingredients I’m using now required thought and ingenuity.” I drop the redpoles into the bathtub one by one. “I do have a lot to offer, and once I have access to your shadow, my power will be multiplied so many times that my cousin will have to respect me.”
When the critters dive underwater to start their ferocious dance, Hawk steps behind me and kisses the top of my head. “Plenty of things are normal in my world—building space ships, chemistry, and so on—but if I tried my hand at any of that stuff, I’d probably lose all my limbs on day one. It’s hot that you’re so confident in your skills,” he whispers as the tub fills with red foam. “And that you’re fine with everything that happened here. I’ve never dated any guy who wouldn’t have freaked out over so much blood.”
I lean back against him, calmed by his size, his sturdiness. It’s like resting against a statue made of flesh. “I guess I’ve always had an interest in learning how things work and was excited when I could find unusual connections between them. I see no reason to be scared of a corpse. He was much more frightening when he still breathed.”
“You havethatright. My aunt’s husband beat her. She tried to hide it at first, but when my father and uncle found out, they went to have a talk with him. I don’t know what their real plan was, but by the end of the night he was found dead just off his porch. Twisted his neck as he ‘fell’. Apparently. He didn’t seem so scary when he lay cold, with flies coming in and out of his mouth.”
I put away the empty jar and remove the gloves. When the contents of the tub rise beyond its brim and overflow, Hawk picks me up and steps away, making sure I’m safe.
“There’s nothing wrong with righteous violence. I’ve witnessed my first execution at seven, but I’ve not killed anyone before tonight,” I confess and turn in his embrace. “I wouldn’t say theact of taking his life made me happy, but I’ve never been more furious. So much was taken from me over the years, be it by my siblings or by circumstance. You? I will not allow anyone to take you from me,” I tell him with sparks spreading through my body. I cannot bear the thought of someone else having his shadow, havinghim—
“Never had anyone fight like that for me either. Is it a bit psycho that I’m getting hard just thinking about you calling me your man and cutting his throat?” Hawk mutters, carrying me out of the bathroom. He leans in, and as his hot breath tickles my ear, I barely contain a soft moan.
Oh no.I’mverynew to pleasures of the flesh, but I fear I recognize the excitement building inside me at his touch. “Oh. I… I am flattered. But we do need to go. I would like to be in the Nightmare Realm by the time the moon rises.”
I’m relieved when he puts me back down, but then his hand pulls mine to the hard bulge at the front of his pants, and I know we’re not done negotiating. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to focus like this,” Hawk tries, but his wide smile reveals he’s joking.
Which I’m not used to. The games of my siblings were cruel when they involved me, so I’ve not developed a playful nature. My friendly human co-worker at BBB has taught me that not every interaction must be a verbal duel, but I still struggle to navigate the idea that this manlikesme and wouldn’t hurt me just to get the result he wants.
It’s so hard to pull my hand away from Hawk’s stiffening cock when I do want to pull down his soft pants and suck it. But that could devolve into hours of lost time. We don’t have those.
“And I won’t be able to focus until you’re my Dark Companion. Would you like to keep one of the redpoles?” I ask to distract him. “Now that it’s fed, it will soon grow into a frog.”
He looks back to the bathroom. “Yes,” he tells me with a grin, but just when I think the danger of sex is over, he pushesme at the wall and rubs his stubbly chin against my cheek. It’s like being stroked by hot moonrays, but I shouldn’t succumb to temptation. There’s too much at stake.
“We’ll indulge once we’re wed, my sweet beast.” I give him a kiss to ease the pain caused by my rejection and slide out of his embrace.
I know I’m disappointing him, but he doesn’t complain and lets go.
