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Something wasn’t right. Dank tunnels shouldn’t smellgood. Warmth flooded my veins, and I shivered, my nipples pebbling against the fabric of my dress. I inhaled another breath of the sweet fragrance. There was something vaguely familiar about it.

Custodis muttered a low growl, stumbling a step before catching himself.

My head spun, and I pressed my palm to my sweat-slicked forehead. “I feel funny,” I murmured, my voice a husky rasp. “We need to get out of here. Do you see anything?”

“We’re nearing another opening.”

Finally, we cleared the tunnel, stepping into a vast, open area. “Oh, wow,” I gasped. “It’s beautiful.”

Glowing crystals illuminated the space. On one side was a turquoise pool, the water shimmering in the soft light. Scattered around the walls were clusters of purple flowers with fuchsia centers. They clung to the rock in small clumps, their seductive fragrance filling the air.

“Why would Idris include this in his challenge when his goal is to punish and torture us?” There had to be a catch.

“These flowers…” Custodis strode closer to one, eyeing its dramatic blooms. “I’ve seen them before—in a book.”

“Please tell me they’re not carnivorous.” Sure, I’d lived in Carcerem my entire life. That didn’t make me a specialist on every twig and leaf.

“No. But their effect can be almost as deadly. We must leave this place. Now.” He drew a breath then groaned, bracing a hand on the wall. Energy pulsed, vibrating through the ground.

What was that? Was he hurt? Strange, but that didn’t sound like a groan of pain. I studied his tension-riddled frame, staring at his tortured expression, then his straining shoulders and lean torso.

Finally, I let my gaze drift lower to the impressive bulge in his pants.

Gulp. Nope. Not a groan of pain, more like…

Lust.

Victor Custodis was aroused.

At the discovery, my blood heated, warmth pooling between my thighs.

He wasn’t the only one.

“Fates. The flowers. They’re an aphrodisiac.” Simply saying it out loud had a soft moan parting my lips.

At the sound, Victor snapped his head in my direction. His eyes shimmered with a golden light. “Their pollen unleashes inhibitions. Hold your breath,” he snarled through gritted teeth.

“Too late,” I gasped, a haze clouding my brain with every inhalation.

I needed…to leave.

Thoughts grew fuzzy, my blood heating.

“I need…” I trailed off, my tone rasping. Warmth spread through my center, and I squeezed my thighs together, moaning. “I need to be touched.” I glided my hand down my throat to my chest, trailing my fingers over sensitive flesh.

“Damn you. Stop that.”

“Stop what?” It wasn’t as if I was the one in control here. My fingers had a mind of their own. That wandering hand dipped beneath my corset, shoving the cups of my bodice down, leaving my breasts in little but the transparent shift. Through the thin fabric, I teased my pert nipples, sending jolts of pleasure shooting through my belly.

Victor’s glowing eyes watched my every move, burning me with the heat of a thousand suns.

I liked his eyes on me.

Watching.

Wanting.

Down, my traveling hand wandered, touching me much as I imagined my lover would, following the curve of my waist, blazing a tantalizing trail over my hip.