The door opened, and Lachlan framed the doorway. She was immediately aware of him, every one of her senses springing to life. He was dressed in stark black with only a white shirt to lighten the overall impression of darkness. Every part of her body ached, hurting for his touch. She dropped her hand abruptly from Cronus’ head and stood, confused at her reactions to Lachlan.
“Lachlan Ravenswood, hello,” she said softly, a dangerous thrill bursting in her heart.
“Shilah Symonrah, hello.” His enigmatic smile was fleeting, but she could feel every nuance of his stare as it skimmed across her features.
He walked over to her, gripped her chin, and lifted her face to his. His eyes searched her expression for the longest time. Then he leaned in and took her mouth with his in a long, slow, incredibly tender kiss. And in it, she felt the apology and sensed the fear he had been too rough with her throughout their time of loving.
“Are you well, Shilah?”
She peered up at him and almost against her will a smile softened her mouth. “You did not hurt me.”
She felt the burn of relief along their link and wondered at it. He took her lower lip between his teeth and bit down gently, teasing her lips to part with soft nibbles and hot, urgent kisses. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.” Her stomach grumbled alarmingly. She only recalled eating food once but consuming his blood at least three times.
“Were we really in here for three days?”
“Yes.”
And through their link, she saw him as he held her sleeping form cradled against his chest for hours. Then when she roused he would take her repeatedly. Then the same rest and frenzied loving would repeat.
His eyes darkened as the memories flowed through them, lust flavored the air, and inexplicable heat speared down to the valley between her thighs. Shilah smiled, truly amazed she could feel the stirrings of sensual need so soon. “I am dreadfully hungry.”
And with a burst of shadows, she appeared in a large dining hall, a table laden with savory meats, fruits, and wine. Dozens of great torches lit the room, and she appreciated that his castle was a beautiful and elegant one. Beautiful tapestries graced the stone walls, their color magnificent, and the cloth rich and vibrant, unlike anything she had ever seen. Her home was just as beautiful but different with every graceful line shaped in cold steel and crystal glass. It did not feel warm and comforting as this castle.
“Eat.” A soft command in her mind—tender, intimate.
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Shilah glanced around the empty hall, then back at him. “Are we to be joined by others?”
“No.”
She lowered herself and ate her fill, painfully aware he watched every bite, every swallow, and hum of greedy pleasure she made as each unique flavor and spice burst on her tongue. “Will you not join me?”
“No.”
Shilah barely prevented the need to roll her eyes. The realization of how little she knew him filled her with an odd sense of discomfort. She had spent the several nights in his bed, his body connected to hers, driving her to heights of pleasure and she did not know what he dreamt of, what he despaired. She only knew that over the centuries, the other kingdoms had failed to recognize Darkans as people, instead seeing them only as monsters, demons, or mindless beasts worthy of fear and disdain. In her opinion, it was the Empire they needed to fear.
Lachlan was a ruthless warrior who did not hesitate to kill when he deemed it necessary, and he was an incredible lover. But surely there was more to the man silently watching her on the chair.
When she’d had her fill, and cleaned her hands, Shilah stood and faced him.
He held out his hand to her. “Come with me mate.”
“Where?”
“I want to show you your army.”
A million birds took flight in her stomach, and insidious temptation slid through her veins. Shilah placed her hands in his, he took her in the Shadow space, and within a few seconds, she was in a large courtyard overlooking hundreds of training warriors in some sort of stone paved battle arena. No battle cries rung, or pants of exhaustion or even effort. Their silence was eerie as they flowed in a fighting style that seemed ageless and almost beautiful in the brutality of the moves it displayed.
She walked to the top of the steps watching the warriors below. The courtyard was lit with hundreds of great torches, and at the edge of the courtyard magnificent stone sculptures of massive monsters—wolves, lyons, dragons, snakes, chimeras, hydras—frozen in eternal combat surrounded the ring in which they trained. Beyond them, massive trees rose as if towering to the heavens, and through the tree lines, she spied rows upon rows of elegantly large stone dwellings with bricked roofs.
It took Shilah several seconds to realize her vision in the dark was perfect. Shock tore through her.
Heat stirred through her mind. “What is it?”
Her lungs felt a little as if they couldn’t quite get enough air. “I…I can see as if the land was under the sun. I can see for miles beyond the hills and the houses sprawled below, I can hear the flapping of a bird too far for me to hear, and I can feel the insects crawling through the earth. My senses have transformed.”