Page 20 of Summer’s Seduction (Sinful Seasons #2)
MORPHEUS
I ’d never felt prouder or more turned on than when watching my little monster carve out pieces of his flesh. The first pass of the blade was behind his knees, ensuring he couldn’t escape. Smart . My Larkspur was so fucking brilliant.
His screams cut through the cavern, echoing off the walls in agony. The hundreds of Night Children below gathered around as the goddess before me took her time wringing as much pain as possible from his body.
I’d sent Megara and Camilla to find the others, the men who’d used this creature’s compulsion to poison drinks and harm more innocents. They should be back soon—fresh meat for me to destroy.
“I’m sorry!” he shouted as Larkspur turned the blade on its side, dragging the edge slowly down his arm to peel another layer of muscle from shoulder to elbow. His fingers twitched as if he’d thought about moving, about fighting back.
“Was that a twitch I saw?” I purred, pupils dilated from the scent of blood and the carnage my little monster was delivering. “And what did I say about being silent? Your blood on the walls and all that.”
He swallowed, clamping his mouth shut. I wanted Larkspur to have her revenge, but I didn’t like how pale she was, nor the way the gums around her fangs seemed to swell, desperate for blood. She was in the middle of purging demons, of healing her soul the only way she could. As much as I wanted to protect her, I knew she needed this. I would ensure her body was fed and mended after.
He shook his head, eyes wide as he sputtered out an excuse. His pleas turned to cries as Larkspur sank the blade into his chest, slicing a thick chunk of meat from over his heart. Blood gushed from the wound, covering his torso and spilling down his legs to pool beneath his feet. He crumpled, still alive but temporarily unconscious from the pain.
Larkspur turned, her green eyes brimming with gruesome pleasure. My heart squeezed, beating wildly with wonder and desire as she offered me a bashful smile, the chuck of flesh still clutched in her hands. Blood was splattered across her face and chest, red tracks running down her arms as she turned, lifting the skin and muscle into the air over the balcony.
“Are you hungry?” she shouted, grinning as The Dark Ones cheered. “Then eat.”
She threw the flesh into the crowd, fangs and claws snapping for it. Gods below, she was twisted. Feeding pieces of a man still alive to my people. It was diabolical. Fucking crazy. I’d never been more captivated.
And then her gaze met mine. She stepped closer, tilting her head to the side as if asking if it were okay. I nodded. Because whatever she needed, whatever she wanted, she could have it.
“Megara and Camilla haven’t returned.”
“No,” I said, wiping away a speck of blood from her bottom lip. I wouldn’t have her drink from him, not even a drop. She didn’t need to be subjected to the filth of his soul.
Her gaze dipped to my finger, her lips parting on a breath. “Can I command them to search for the others?”
Oh, little monster. Don’t you know? The thoughts swirling in my mind nearly made it past my lips. I would do anything you asked of me.
Instead, I let my fingers tip her chin up, leaning forward until it was just the two of us. Her pupils were blown wide, high off the joy of pain and fear. Of power. “As long as you do a favor for me in return.”
She nodded after a moment’s hesitation, turning just enough to be heard by the eager crowd below. “Find anyone who smells of his magic. Victims are to be brought to Megara and Camilla immediately, but those who have the scent, those who used it against another… are to be drained until their last breath. And when their hearts stop, I want the corrupted organs carved from their chests and brought to me.”
The crowd cheered at the macabre command, idolizing my little monster—worshiping her. “You heard Lady Larkspur,” I said, cutting through the cheers. “Bring your queen their hearts.”
Her head jerked to mine, tongue darting out to wet her lips as she stared up with questions in her eyes. But she was their queen. At that moment, she’d commanded a cavern of sex-and-blood-crazed dark ones with her presence alone. No fear. No manipulation or deception. Just her.
The man on the floor groaned, rolling to his side in a puddle of blood.
“I think that counts as moving, don’t you?”
Larkspur’s manic giggle had my lips twisting into a wicked grin. She dipped her head once, and then I was flitting forward, snatching the piece of shit from the floor and holding him up by his neck.
“If only I could heal your body and start anew every day,” I sighed with mock longing. Thanatos and Hades had no mercy for rapists. I’d have years to torture him as soon as his life thread was cut. “Oh, wait. I can.”
My fingers dug into the flesh of his neck, wrenching his head to the side as I pressed down on his shoulder. Wails of agony ricocheted off the walls, growing more frantic as flesh tore. Vessels were next, stretching and then snapping and recoiling, spraying the walls and ceiling in red as I dragged his skull further away from his chest.
Reaching through the tangle of nerves and muscle, I grasped the bones of his spine, ripping as his body fell away, leaving me with nothing but a skull and swaying spine in my grasp.
“I promised to redecorate,” I breathed, holding Larkspur’s wide-eyed gaze as I flung the pieces of his corpse over the rail.
Her fierce green eyes had gone fuzzy around the edges, her body finally shutting down after the exhaustion that must have been building. I caught her as she swayed, drawing her into my arms.
“What’s the favor?” She breathed, barely managing to keep her eyes open. The fact that she wasn’t fighting me, wasn’t shoving my arms aside to stand on her own, sent a spike of fear through me.
“The favor, little monster, is letting me care for you.”
Her brows furrowed, waiting for clarification for the proverbial catch. My lips twitched, noting the vulnerability in her gaze, even with the sheets of blood matting her hair, the golden skirt and top now doused in red. Larkspur was fucking incredible, a warrior, a queen, a woman who didn’t need me but might be willing to share her world with mine if I could prove myself.
“And that starts with you drinking my blood.”