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“Easy. They were fond of the idea of binding my magic.”

“It is so cold; I can feel it through my gloves. It must be painful, especially with how much magic you have.”

Geryon didn’t know she would experience pain from the mark, or why that made his stomach tighten. He noticed Valerie lied so easily and convincingly that Carwyn didn’t realise it.How often has she done that to me?

“The longer I wear it, the less I will notice it.” She shrugged in answer.

“I know why you have done this. You think that if you cannot access your magic, then you may be able to stop yourself from being corrupted.”

“There are many reasons as to why I did it. Yes, that was one of them. I have others.”

She is trying to stop herself from turning?She was going out of her way to avoid it. Geryon should be angry that she’d tricked him, but he wasn’t, not when it had a noble reason behind it.

She said she could not call the pixies on her own.She’d needed his help to do it.She said it was more like a favour than an offer.

“As always, you are calculating.” Carwyn shook her head and began to untie the ribbon. “I am surprised you are wearing red when you hate the colour.”

She hates my preferred colour?Yet she had worn it... for him?

“I wore it as a sign of affection for someone,” she answered truthfully. “Before I then used it to manipulate them the following day.”

Carwyn giggled freely. “I find it hard to believe you would wear anything for another, but manipulation sounds exactly like what you would do.”

Valerie began to brush her wet hair in long, rough strokes. It was knotted and matted, and she struggled with the length of it. Carwyn untied the ribbon and Valerie swept her hair to the side to brush it with more ease.

Then, the woman slapped her own sister on the back of the head to push her forward, her lips parting.

“What are you doing?”

“You wear a lover’s bite!” She grabbed her hair and violently yanked Valerie’s head back, forcing her to look at her. It forced her into a deep arch, pushing her naked chest up. “Why do you have this?”

“Perhaps I was attacked.”

The woman pouted, squinting her eyes. She came closer.

“You would not allow a man to attack you in this way. I have seen you threaten plenty of men with a dagger to their balls.” She squinted further, like she was assessing Valerie’s empty face, as if she could read it. “It was willing!”

The woman gave a squeal while running on the spot with joy. Geryon was stumped, trying to figure out how she knew that.

“Valerie has a boyfriend!” She danced around her and the bucket while Valerie shook her head, still brushing her wet hair. “Valerie has a boyfriend,” she repeated.

“I most certainly do not.” The yanks in her hair became rougher, like she wanted to speed up the process. “And regardless, it does not matter. They were someone from the palace.”

“Oh, but it does to me! You had sex with someone, and you let them bite you. People only bite another during sex when they are enjoying themselves. It looks like he enjoyed himself.”

She is rather perceptive.He couldn’t help the grin forming across his face.I did rather enjoy myself that night.Even now, his cock jerked at the memory.

“You say this to tease and embarrass me. You have no idea about the situation, and you are making assumptions based on your own hypothesis.”

She is trying to spoil the fun.He was enjoying this conversation. It was revealing much, which is why he knew she wanted it to end. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Carwyn got down to her knees to be level with Valerie and stared at her with squinted eyes.

“Did you moan?” Valerie said nothing, and to Geryon, it appeared as though she didn’t react at all. The woman went rolling to her back as she kicked her legs, squealing all the while. “You moaned! You, who did not even care that her feet were bleeding, moaned because of a man!”

His grin grew. He’d gotten her to moan only a handful of times, but it was true. Apparently, that was something he should be proud of, with how this woman was reacting.

“Cease speaking. You do not understand the repercussions of your words.”