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Dagny

A growl rumbles in Cyprien’s throat as Malice’s sinful voice echoes along the walls, sending a shiver down my spine and filling my head with a loud whirring noise. I can’t take my eyes off him, can’t move, can’t breathe while he’s looking at me like that—like he wants to eat me.

“What do you want?” Fenryr demands, clutching my stomach possessively. “You weren’t invited.”

Malice gives Fenryr no indication he heard him. He just keeps staring with that eerie, all-knowing smile. My neck heats as his gaze lowers to my bared center, thick shadows swirling in the corners of his eyes as he watches the line of cum dripping from my pussy. “You’ve never looked more beautiful,” Malice murmurs, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip. “You’re glowing. ”

My lips part as the bond tightens, attempting to pull me toward my traitorous mate. I shake my head to clear the haze of desire, then reach for one of the furs. Malice’s smirk drops to a frown as I pull the blanket over my body, followed by a muted whimper that strikes a chord in my heart. “Are you okay?”

“Just sorry to watch you cover yourself,” he murmurs, his eyes glossing with a faraway look, a fantasy swirling in the darkened corners of his mind. “You said you wanted a bath? I can help you down there.”

“Aren’t you the one who always says she doesn’t need any help?” Fenryr snaps. “You just want to take her from me.”

“I don’t want to. I’m going to,” Malice deadpans. “If you’d like to join us, you’re more than welcome.”

Fenryr ponders for a long moment, then loosens his grip, allowing me to push into a sitting position. I clutch the blanket to my chest as I meet Malice’s gaze, heat creeping up the back of my neck at the gleam of hunger that greets me.

“Follow me,” he murmurs, crooking his fingers in my direction before turning and stalking out of the room. I fold the furs around my body as I stand on shaking legs, focused on staying upright as the room tilts on its axis.

Cyprien and Lir rush to my sides, offering their forearms to help me balance as Roark and Fenryr lead the way out of the bedroom and down to the bath house. A blast of humid air greets me as I step into the heated room, filling my lungs with condensation and causing me to choke. I blink against the swirling fog as I attempt to locate Malice, but instead, I’m met with Kaebl’s stony expression, his eyes like twin golden flames flickering in the void.

I follow the valley of muscle trailing down his chest and abdomen, stopping to appreciate the deep v cut into his hips. I try to see where it leads, but the glare from the water's surface conceals what’s beneath, and I’m struck with a pang of disappointment.

Kaebl’s throat shakes with a silent chuckle as he observes the conflicting emotions running across my face, but before he has a chance to comment on it, Malice’s voice rings out from the far end of the pool.

“It’s not as impressive as you might think, I’m afraid.”

Kaebl cuts a heated glare toward Malice, his shoulders tensing. No one was talking to you.

“Ah, but the silence was stifling.” He leans back against the stone ledge, his smirk widening to a grin as he crooks his fingers, inviting me inside. “Come. No blankets allowed, though.”

I keep his stare, refusing to back down as I step away from Lir and Cyprien, unfurling my arms and allowing the furs to slide from my shoulders, pooling on the stone floor in a heap. Roark steps to the side, an appreciative hum vibrating in the base of his throat as he watches me pass by. The water laps my ankles as I step into the shallow end, the heated magic tickling my skin, traveling up to my waist as I wade deeper into the pool—toward Kaebl.

I stop directly in front of him, Malice’s heated stare burning into my profile as I tip my chin up to meet Kaebl full on. “Can you help untangle my hair?”

He nods, lost for words as I turn, lowering my head backward into the water. My hair spreads out in a sheet of dark brown strands, rippling with each slight wave and vibration.

Jealousy ripples from Malice’s shoulders in heated waves as he looks on, his skin roiling with the need to touch me, to take me from Kaebl. While the two of them exchange hostile glances, Lir, Cyprien, Kaebl, and Roark slip into the pool, their eyes wide as they wait with bated breath for the situation to play out.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” I ask, gazing up at Kaebl through my lashes. “Lir mentioned it after…” My face flushes as the memories come flooding in, causing Kaebl’s mouth to tip in a small smile, his eyes creasing at the corners.

There’s no need to be embarrassed, little one. You should take pride in pleasuring your mates.

I lower my gaze as the heat creeps up to my eyebrows, unable to come up with a good response. “I will… from now on.”

Good. He nods resolutely as his fingers continue working the knots from my hair, careful not to make direct contact with my skin. As for what I wanted to talk about… it depends if you’re ready for it.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” I murmur, my eyes lowering in bliss as he rakes his claws lightly against the base of my scalp. “Go on. Spill.”

Kaebl sighs, turning his head toward Malice, bringing attention to the knowing glint in his eye. Malice and I spoke last night. I truly believe we want the same thing. And I’m not asking you to forgive him, but I do want to ask if you’ll give him another chance to prove himself.

“I honestly never thought I’d hear you ask me to trust Malice,” I whisper, my head reeling from his request. “What changed your mind about him?”

Just something he said. It reminded me that beneath his many flaws, there’s still a soul worth preserving. He turns his attention back down to me, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. Plus, he’s far more knowledgeable when it comes to halflings. It would be a shame to cast him out without trying to use it to our advantage first.

“Okay…”

Which is why I want you to let him train you.

I whip my head, my mouth falling open in shock at the dead-serious expression pinching his face. “Train me?”

Yes.

“As in?—”

“Magic.” Malice’s smile widens as he wades closer toward me through the pool. “I’m going to show you how to harness that lovely power in your veins.”

“Can’t someone else show me?”

Malice clutches his chest, covering up the gaping cavern where his heart should be. “Such cruel words. And after I went through all the trouble of getting you out of that disgusting dungeon.”

“Are we pretending that you weren’t the one who put me there in the first place?”

Malice waves it off with a smirk. “That was such a long time ago. So much has changed—the depths of my obsession with you, for starters. Why, it’s practically endless now.”

I purse my lips as a wave of irritation crests in my veins, though it’s overshadowed by the thrumming warmth traveling down the bond. “Kaebl might be ready to forgive and forget what you did, but I’m not. A few sweet lines won’t win me over.”

“I feared as much.” Malice’s smirk drops, his mask cracking as his chest heaves with a dejected sigh. “I know the last thing you want is to spend time with me right now, but it’s necessary. At least for the first part.”

“The first part?”

He nods. “You have to block the energy you allow into your body. Right now, it comes and goes as it pleases, surging whenever your emotions are out of control. If you take too much too soon, it could shatter your mind.”

“And the others can’t teach me that because…?”

“Because I know the most about halflings of all of us—even Fenryr. With me, you’ll have the best chance of controlling your magic. Of course, the others can oversee and offer alternative strategies when we get further down the line in your training, but for this first step, you’ll have to trust me.”

I turn my gaze to the rippling water, focusing on the swirling clouds of vapor hanging just above the surface of the pool. Trust Malice… can I really do that?

“Okay,” I whisper. “Okay, I'll do it. I’ll train with you.”

I bring my head up, surprised to find a genuine smile spreading across Malice’s face. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

I jerk, taken aback by the eagerness in his tone. “You want to start now ?”

“I’m not a patient creature, Dagny,” he whispers, his eye glowing with a deadly promise. “And I’ve waited far too long already.”

The air is sucked from my lungs as my eyes find his across the distance, that invisible cord wrapping around my heart and pulling tight as a wave of lust shudders through the bond. My mouth dries as Malice rises out of the pool, his sculpted body glistening in the flickering orange light as a thousand shimmering dewdrops bead across his skin.

“Meet me upstairs in five minutes,” he says, turning on his heel abruptly and stalking toward the stairs. He stops at the threshold, turning his head over his shoulder with a smirk pulling at his mouth, his words leaving me no choice but to obey. “I have something important to show you.”

* * *

A few minutes later, the other demons and I are dried off and dressed in fresh clothing. An air of anxiety hangs heavy in the air as we all try to guess what Malice has in store for us. Kaebl stays in the bathing chamber as I lead the way up the stairs and into the main chamber where the exit tunnel lies, the lingering smell of Malice’s scent telling me exactly where he’s waiting.

We pour out of the stairwell, and sure enough, Malice stands in the center of the room, a secretive grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, highlighting the dimples carved into the hollows of his cheeks.

“Just in time. Follow me.”

Instead of heading for the exit like I expected, Malice walks to the opposite wall and places his hand on the shimmering ice, a rush of energy bursting from his skin in a glowing red light. A secret doorway opens like a gaping mouth. The shadows just beyond the threshold swirl ominously, warning me away from the space. Without waiting, Malice ducks into the tunnel, his outline disappearing as he descends into the earth, leaving me no choice but to follow.

I take a deep breath before descending the narrow stairwell, a shudder running down my spine as the air cools, whipping through the tunnel and caressing my exposed skin with its icy fingers.

I step into a small, darkened room with uneven floor and walls, as if less care had been taken to carve out this particular space. A single sconce hangs from the far wall, illuminating the room with a faint orange glow and casting flickering shadows along the outline of the fleshy creature heaped in the corner.

A gasp rings out over my shoulder, though I can’t tear my eyes away to see which of my mates it originated from—I’m too busy staring at that horrible thing.

Mottled gray skin stretches painfully over four long, gangly limbs—disproportionately sized compared to its short, humanoid torso. Its fleshy abdomen undulates with each shallow breath, the air whistling between its ribs with a horrible rattling noise that sends a shudder down my spine. My gaze travels along the bony projection of its spine toward the head, my stomach clenching as I prepare to take in its face.

The gaping mouth of the kleptak is just as horrifying as I remember—-possibly more so—because at this distance, I’m able to see every single hooked tooth lining its lipless, sucking maw. Though it possesses no means to see, the kleptak whips its head to the spot where I’m standing. The movement is accompanied by an ear-piercing shriek that reverberates off the walls and down to the marrow of my bones.

“What… why the fuck do you have that?” Cyprien whispers, his voice shaking with fright—the first time I’ve ever heard it like that. “Dagny! Get behind me!”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Malice murmurs, his glowing red eye materializing in the shadowed corner of the room. “Mor can’t hurt anyone. Not with the way she’s chained.”

“You named it?” Lir demands, his eyes wide in horror. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“So, so much.” Malice shrugs nonchalantly.

“Is this what you wanted to show her?” Roark asks, his tone equally as shocked. “For what possible purpose other than to terrify your mate?”

Malice rolls his eyes, his chest heaving with a sigh. “It must be so nice and peaceful to possess a brain filled with nothing other than fluff.” His gaze cuts across the room, narrowing on Roark’s bearded face. “I’m not trying to scare her, you oversized oaf. I went through great lengths to acquire Mor so we could use her to train Dagny.”

“ Train me?”

Malice turns to face me with a grin. “ Yes. Kleptaks are the closest creatures to demons in terms of intelligence and power. If you can learn to control Mor, you’ll be unstoppable.”

“She’s not going anywhere fucking near that thing,” Fenryr snarls, stepping in front of me protectively. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I thought they were friendly?” I ask, turning my gaze toward Cyprien, who told me the information originally. “Aren’t they?”

“I was just teasing you,” he murmurs, shaking his head resolutely. “Kleptaks… those things are some of the deadliest creatures in The Far Place. A single one can consume an entire group of demons in the blink of an eye.” He shivers. “Fucking soul suckers.”

I stare at the gaping hole in the center of its face, my stomach clenching as I realize what its purpose serves. “Isn’t that kind of what you guys do?”

His face pinches in indignation. “It’s different.”

“Doesn’t really seem like it,” I murmur, my gaze tracking down the outline of the kleptak, wondering how many souls it’s consumed. “So… how am I supposed to control it?” I ask, directing my question toward Malice.

“You’re not going near it,” Fenryr snaps, his gaze lighting with possessiveness. “I need to keep you safe.”

“She’ll be fine as long as she stays farther than three feet,” Malice says, his eyes trailing to the ceiling. “Luckily for you, we’re not going to do anything with Mor today. First, I need to show Dagny how to build her mental walls.”

My expression sours at the sight of the expectant grin spreading across Malice’s face, my brain failing to come up with a good excuse.

“Okay,” I sigh. “Show me how.”