Page 13 of Summer’s Seduction (Sinful Seasons #2)
MORPHEUS
G ods below, she looked so fucking good staring up at me from her knees. The flash of murder in her eyes was a bonus. She didn’t see the pretentious prince that everyone else did. No, Larkspur knew I was monstrous. She knew I was capable of horrible things. And she hated me.
I toed the silver dagger with the edge of my boot, watching as her entire body tensed. Something twisted in my chest, knowing that the only thing she wanted was to sink this blade hilt deep in my chest. And fuck if every fiber in my being didn’t crave her. I was desperate to see more than just the stolen glimpses that her blood had offered, but it’d been so long since I’d felt anything other than shame. Sometimes, I wondered if I’d even know how to react to being happy.
If some miracle occurred and the fates decided to weave my life thread with another’s, would I know? Would I be able to stop myself from fucking it up? The shadows of my mind laughed, already knowing the answer: I wouldn’t know who I was without my misery. We were one and the same… the pain and I.
Smirking through the familiar despair, I kicked the blade toward her. Larkspur stilled, her rich green eyes going wide as the hilt landed just before her fingers.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it? To watch me bleed?”
Larkspur narrowed her eyes a moment before snatching the blade from the grass and raising it to my throat. The edge pressed against the soft flesh of my neck, the faint metallic scent coating the air as the shallowest cut drew blood.
“I want to see you tremble beneath me,” my little monster seethed with venom dripping from each word. “I want to watch as I strip every ounce of control from you, leaving you nothing but a weak, pitiful shell.”
My breathing hitched as pain bled into her words—pain and shame . Her nostrils flared at the slight movement, her grip on the dagger tightening as if I’d think of fighting back.
“Do it,” I whispered, tilting my chin up so the blade sliced deeper. Warm blood trickled down my neck, the smell of it causing my little monster’s heart to race. Her gaze dropped to the trail of red, hunger flashing in her eyes. “You can lap up the mess after your blade severs my life thread. A reclaiming and revenge with one flick of your wrist.”
Larkspur recoiled as if I’d struck her, baring her teeth as she snarled, “I’d rather die than drink from you. I’d rather carve out my heart than have any piece of you touch me.”
A weight dropped into the pit of my stomach at her words. Not because of the truth ringing through them but because of the disgust shrouded within.
“You think I drank from you out of some ploy for power? For my own benefit?” My voice wavered, and the calm Idesperately sought slipped further from my grasp the longer Larkspur remained silent. I knew she would hate me the moment I’d tasted her without her permission, but surely, she understood why I’d done it. Why I had to do it.
I took a step forward, only for her to take three back. Ignoring the twist of pain in my chest, I stilled, holding my hands up in a display of surrender. It would’ve been less painful had she’d driven the blade between my ribs.
“You think I'm no better than The Olympians?” I asked, though it sounded more like a statement.
“You’ve given me no reason to believe otherwise,” Larkspur challenged, the fire in her eyes daring me to contradict her.
“I fed to claim you,” I gritted out, catching the slight narrowing of her eyes a moment before she struck.
The glint of metal flashed in the light of the stars as I arched back, narrowly avoiding the bite of the blade across my chest.
“Please,” I started, but she was already cocking her arm back The blade slashed through my tunic. I sucked in a breath as my skin knitted back together, catching her wrist as she swung the blade up. Squeezing, I exerted just enough force to cause her to drop the blade. “If you would let me explain?—”
She twisted, her fist connecting with my face. I stumbled back with a curse as she whirled on me.
“There is no explanation that could excuse what you’ve done,” she growled, tears shining.
When she swung her fists this time, I didn’t bother moving. My body crashed to the floor under the force of her blow, the sweet smell of wildflowers stained by the harsh tang of my blood. I blinked through the throbbing ache in my jaw and the matching bloom of pain across my cheek as the weight of her body settled across my waist. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her chest heaving as she fought for breath with the dagger poised above my heart.
“Poseidon would’ve taken you,” I breathed, not minding if she ended my part in this existence but wanting her to know the danger still lurking should she continue on her own.
Larkspur swallowed; her unyielding gaze locked on mine, but she hadn’t stabbed me yet.
“Have you not heard the tales of what gods in The Above do?”
Her nostrils flared, anger smoldering in those bright, green eyes.
“You, little monster, are fearsome to behold, but I’m afraid that raging fire in your soul only draws the moths closer.”
Larkspur leaned back, keeping her grip on the dagger but no longer pressing it against my chest. “You want me to believe that your only motivation in biting me… was to protect me?”
“Yes.”
“Persephone was there,” she countered, suspicion etched across her face. “She would’ve stopped Poseidon.”
“And risk a war with the gods?” I asked, hating the way her brows furrowed with uncertainty. “Persephone may have tried, but she isn’t powerful enough to stop one of The Olympians alone.”
“Hades…” she started, her voice trailing off as she no doubt recounted a similar path my mind had taken earlier.
“Maybe,” I conceded. “But maybe he would have let you go. And I couldn’t allow that possibility.”
Larkspur held my gaze a moment longer, weighing my words as she looked upon my face, no doubt searching for a lie. I must have passed her unspoken test because, in the next breath, she stood, swaying as she did so.
“You saved my life, and I just spared yours,” she said, tucking the dagger away before searching the field of flowers for her pack. “We’re even, but I’ll never forgive you.”
The vow rolled through me. It was nothing I hadn’t heard before, but somehow, it felt eerily similar to when Thanatos dismissed me. Not sure what else I could say to ease the situation, I watched as she reached for her pack, noting how her legs wobbled. Cocking my head to the side, I listened to her heartbeat—finding the cadence still beating rapidly, her breathing slightly shallow.
“How often do you need to feed?”
Larkspur’s spine stiffened as she shot me a glare. “Don’t even think about offering.”
I shrugged as if her disgust at the thought of feeding from me didn’t hurt. Needing a reprieve, I glanced down as I dusted off my pants and stood.
“I didn’t see anything,” I muttered, still not meeting her gaze, but I felt her still. “There were glimpses of emotions, and I did feel the weight of sacrifices over your lifetime, but no detailed memories.”
The silence stretched until it was impossible not to look up. My little monster was frozen in shock, her bright green eyes wide and lips parted.
“Larkspur?” I asked, voice pitching as I flitted to her side. It was a testament to her state that she didn’t flinch. Or try to stab me. Her eyes were unfocused, lips parted with hushed disbelief.
“You… read my thoughts?” She breathed the question into life, spoken more to herself than to me.
“No,” I said. “I don’t know of any dark one who possesses that gift. I certainly don’t.” Cocking my head to the side, I studied every shift of emotion across her face, watching as her haunted gaze did the same to me. “The surge of emotion comes from feeding on another dark one. I’ve never lost control before, but your power of persuasion is infinite…”
My voice trailed off as her face paled and her body swayed. I caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her in my arms as a thin sheen of sweat dotted her brow.
“Don’t touch me,” she growled, shoving against my chest. It was weak, lacking the strength her punches held just moments prior. She needed to feed.
“You’d rather I let you fall?” I snapped, gripping her tighter as she wiggled.
“Yes.”
“Fine,” I said, letting her scramble out of my touch. She managed to stay on her feet, but just barely. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” she asked, eyes narrowed. “Like you assaulted me?”
I shook my head, jaw flexing as I ignored the barb. “If Poseidon hadn’t been seconds away from raping you, I’d never would have touched you without your permission.”
“And my memories? My emotions?” she countered, nostrils flaring. “Was that needed to sell the story of me being your bloodwhore or just a bonus you’d thought to take?”
“You know as well as I do that an exchange is unavoidable when feeding from our kind. I could have lied to you and said it was minimal, but I thought it important you know the truth in case of any exchanges in the future.”
“There is no future for us, bloodwhore or not,” she said, her voice low.
“Not for me,” I said, exacerbated. “For you, when you need to feed from me. Gods below, you’re acting as if—as if you’ve never fed from another dark one.”
Understanding blared through me, confirmed when Larkspur lifted her chin and said, “I told you I’d never been bitten before.”
“Never being bitten is very different from never feeding.”
“My apologies,” Larkspur taunted, offering me a mock curtsy as her dark cloak billowed around her. “There weren’t a lot of dark ones available while I was held prisoner in The Earth Coven by the psycho-bitch Demeter.”
Gods below, could this night get any worse? Bowing my head, I spoke softly, realizing just how far my betrayal had gone. She must’ve been taken young or raised in The Realm of The Living if her family hadn’t taught her the foundations of being a dark one. How much did she not know about our own kind?
“Feeding from mortals or even other creatures in The Dark Faction can sustain you, but it is like a human surviving off stale bread and water. You will fatigue quicker and need to feed more often. Over time, if you aren’t maintaining a steady influx of blood from other dark ones, your innate abilities as a Child of The Night can weaken. If you truly have never fed from another, it stands to reason your abilities may have been suppressed entirely.”
“You said it yourself. My affinity for persuasion is strong.”
I shook my head. “Persuasion isn’t common among dark ones.” My eyes dipped to the fresh scar over her neck where I’d bitten her. “Though I suppose you do have our talent for healing.”
“Thank the gods,” Larkspur muttered, drawing up her cloak. After a long moment, she spoke. “So, what now? Did Hades send you here to drag me back to The Dark Palace? It didn’t sound like Zeus was too happy about your father running free.”
“Zeus is paranoid and jealous,” I said, my lips pressing thin.
“And powerful,” she added.
“Yes,” I conceded. “A deadly combination. He’s issued Lord Hades a warning. If he or Persephone leave The Underworld, it will be seen as an act of war.”
“Interesting,” my little monster murmured, her mind already spinning a new web. “And Hypnos? If Hecate is right, which she always is, Hypnos has managed to affect those in The Realm of The Living. Despite Hypnos being from this realm, Zeus wants us to just… sit this one out?”
“Yes and no. He doesn’t want Hades to gain any more worshipers, which means that a power shift is already in swing and making him nervous. By containing Lord Hades in our realm, Zeus effectively forces him to fight a battle in the front while his enemy is fed supplies through the back. Zeus would have this war long and bloody, weakening not only Lord Hades but The Underworld and The Realm of The Living.”
“Leaving The Above unscathed and humans desperate,” Larkspur said, shaking her head. “Let me guess; his Royal Darkness doesn’t think stalking through The Darklands is a good idea when this gruesome war looms on the horizon?”
“On the contrary,” I said, feeling the tug of a genuine smirk tilt the edges of my lips. “A trip to the north is just what we need.”