Page 22 of Dormeo
ROSE
I know immediately that it’s true.
Where my father’s chosen suitors will do what they want, Ash will give me what I want.
Even if that is to be left as a virgin for the man who would one day control my life.
His admission that he’d like me to stay as his is flattering, and strangely appealing, but not something that’s going to happen.
How would I survive?
“My father would never allow me to stay. And what would I do here if I can’t step out the door for fear of being attacked?”
The reality is that even if his offer is genuine, which I’m not convinced it is, I wouldn’t last two seconds here on my own. The ease with which Lily dispatched the best human warriors last night proved how different I am, how weak and pathetic. I’d need protection twenty-four hours a day.
“Your father might not have a choice.” Ash points out. “And if he fails to deliver on his end of the bargain, you’re all mine.”
The way he says it makes me almost hope my father doesn’t pull off whatever scheme he’s working.
“Yours, or the devils? Because if memory serves me correctly, the deal isn’t with you.”
Ash’s expression darkens. “He’ll never get his hands on you. My father is the last person who deserves such power…” Slamming his lips shut, he presses his fingers to his mouth, as though trying to shove his hastily spoken words back in. But it’s too late for that.
“So, you know. What else are you keeping from me, Ash?”
Scrubbing a huge hand across the back of his thick neck, he sighs. “You radiate power when you… when you’re… turned on. All the time really, but when you’re aroused, you’re incandescent. You practically glow.”
I gasp, a hand flying to my chest. My instinct is to immediately reject his words out of utter embarrassment. “No, I do not!”
Ash looks me dead in the eye. “Yes, you do. It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before. It’s incredible. And when you come… It's like an electric shock.”
There’s hunger in his voice once more, and my heart sinks. That’s what he wants. That’s what he’s trying to keep from anyone else. It’s not really me he wants. It’s not money and prestige, like the human men who seek my hand, but a more tangible type of power.
“Does it make you stronger?” I ask, trying to hide how much it hurts to know he’s no different than the others.
He wants to use me for his own selfish reasons, just like the rest of them.
“Yes,” he whispers, sounding awestruck as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
“You’re special, Rose. Did you know that?
Did you always feel there was something more to you than people knew?
It’s magnetic. No wonder there has been a steady stream of men willing to sail to their deaths on your behalf. ”
Maybe that explains it. Maybe that’s why my father kept me locked away, because he knew there was something about me that made me more, that he could use to his advantage someday. It sounds like something he would do.
“But you’re different, I suppose?” I sneer, retreating from him, the bitter sting of betrayal making my chest ache.
Ash has been kinder to me than any man ever has. And maybe that’s why I’ve allowed myself to forget that this is a job for him, guarding me to ensure my father is kept in line and delivers on his promises.
With the added bonus for him that I’m so starved of affection that I’ve allowed him to infiltrate my mind and my dreams, giving him a boost of power he can get nowhere else.
And for what? So, I can pretend someone wants me for me, that they find me appealing and not just what they can take from me or gain from securing my hand.
“Yes, I am. Because I already have what they want: wealth and prestige.”
Ash might not want money or land, but he still wants to use me for his own benefit, just like the rest of them.
“So, you’re not interested in having me as your own personal battery pack?” I ask, and he blinks, taking a fraction of a second too long to answer. I narrow my eyes and scowl at him.
How could I be so stupid? He’s a demon, for goodness’ sake. Did I really expect him to be a paragon of virtue and ethics?
“I won’t lie. That’s part of the appeal. But it’s more than that.”
Rolling my eyes, I fold my arms across my chest and wait, but he simply stares at me, as if that’s enough.
“Well, no more. Nobody else is drawing energy from me. For all I know, that’s why I’ve been sleepy this whole time. Maybe you’re keeping me that way so you can bleed me dry before I go.”
I know that’s not true, but I feel naive and humiliated.
Of course, he’s just using me. Look at him. Tall, dark and gorgeous, and prince of the underworld, he couldn’t be genuinely interested in a boring human like me.
His expression turns stormy as he takes a step toward me. “If that’s all I wanted from you, I wouldn’t have to be nice to you when you’re awake. I could just lock you up in a dungeon and force myself into your dreams.”
My heart thumps in my chest as he eases closer, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as his hungry graze trails over my body.
“I could take it instead of asking. I could force your father to lose the bet, so you’re left here as my personal slave.”
Fuck. That sounds like heaven.
If this man can already ruin me in my dreams after mere days, imagine what he could do to me if I was tied up, bound, and completely at his disposal.
Swallowing hard, I look at the floor, desperate to hide how appealing the idea of being strung up and at his mercy is.
His lip curls up as he ducks his head closer to my neck and breathes deep. “Although, you don’t seem to consider that a threat if your blooming scent is anything to go by. Maybe I should arrange that. Would you like to stay here for eternity, to be my little human toy?”
Immediately, my body shuts down.
Once again, Ash reminds me this isn’t a relationship for him. It’s about sex, pleasure and power. I’m the only one who's getting those things confused for something more.
“I want to go back,” I state, my voice surprisingly sure and steady. “And I don’t want you in my head again.”