Page 44

VAELITH

I stride through the estate corridors long after midnight, fury pulsing in my veins.

Torches along the walls bathe the polished floors in flickering light, creating dark pockets where I can vanish if I choose.

But I don’t bother hiding my presence this time.

My guards bow their heads when I pass, sensing the roil of tension that grips me.

No one dares ask why I’m out so late or what unsettles my calm.

They know only that I’m the Commander, and something has triggered my wrath.

In truth, I’ve been prowling these halls for hours, driven by the maddening image I witnessed earlier—the sight of Selene locked in a savage embrace with Eryx.

I came upon them in a ruined safehouse, following a suspicion that she was sneaking off to meet someone.

I told myself I was merely ensuring her safety, but I’d be lying if I denied the surge of jealous heat that twisted in my gut when I realized it was that self-proclaimed assassin entangling her.

Remembering how she straddled him, the glimmer of raw desire twisting across her face, still sets my blood ablaze with anger and something else—something far more painful.

The memory is seared in my mind: her half-bare skin, the fierce rhythm of their union, the way she arched her back as if to declare she’s no one’s captive.

And Eryx, that cunning viper, meeting her with equal hunger.

Even now, my hands clench at the thought of him placing his mouth where I once did.

I approach the door to her chamber in the east wing—the private room I granted her in a moment of uncharacteristic leniency.

Two guards stand watch, roused by my approach.

They straighten, eyes flicking to me for orders.

I snarl a single command: “Leave us.” They exchange wary glances but obey, retreating to the corridor’s far end.

The tension in my posture warns them I’m in no mood for questions.

I rap my knuckles on the door. My heart thuds in my chest, anger vying with a gut-twisting form of yearning. There’s a pause from the other side, the faintest shuffle, then Selene’s voice: “Yes?”

Without waiting for further invitation, I twist the handle and push into the room.

She’s on her feet near the small writing desk, a single lamp illuminating the space.

My entrance is anything but subtle—wood scrapes as I fling the door shut behind me.

I see her stiffen, eyes narrowing at my obvious temper.

She wears a dark tunic that clings to her curves, black breeches tucked into boots.

Simple attire that does nothing to hide her fierce allure.

“Commander,” she says, voice laced with icy politeness. “Breaking in after midnight? Something gnawing at your discipline?”

My rage flares at her cavalier tone, yet I force myself not to roar. I stride closer, ignoring the sinking in my gut that’s half jealousy, half longing. “Don’t feign innocence,” I snap. “I know you left the estate earlier. I saw you, Selene. With him.”

She doesn’t even blink. “Him?” she echoes, tilting her head in mocking ignorance. “You’ll need to be more specific. There are many men in Orthani.”

I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches. “Eryx. That assassin who prowls the city’s shadows. I caught a glimpse of you two. The safehouse, the… encounter.” My voice hitches, remembering how she moaned in his arms, her face twisting in ecstasy. “Do you deny it?”

A faint smirk plays at her lips. “I have nothing to deny. You spied on me uninvited. Next time, try knocking.”

My anger pulses. I close the distance, not quite touching her but looming close enough to see the flicker of challenge in her gaze. “He’s dangerous. He manipulates you. Or do you not care that he’s neck-deep in conspiracies? Maybe you even conspire with him.”

She lifts a brow, unruffled. “Did you forget I’m no Orthani loyalist? If I choose to conspire, that’s my decision. Don’t pretend you’re purely righteous—this city is built on lies and power struggles, and you’re the Commander who enforces them.”

I bristle at that jab. “I’m trying to keep you from harm. If Eryx uses you?—”

“Uses me?” She lets out a cold laugh. “So we circle back to you thinking I’m some naive trophy? If I bed Eryx, it’s because I decide to, not because he dupes me.”

The confirmation that she indeed bedded him slashes through me like a blade.

I close my eyes briefly to rein in the surge of possessive rage.

“I saw enough to know it was no gentle fling,” I hiss, jealousy bitter on my tongue.

My fists clench at my sides. “Do you realize what it does to me, to see him touching you?”

She crosses her arms, expression unreadable but for the faint flush coloring her cheeks.

“You have no claim here, Vaelith. Not truly. You might be my commander in name, but my body is mine to share as I wish.” Her voice lowers, laced with quiet challenge.

“You and I had a moment, yes. But that doesn’t bind me to your bed exclusively. ”

My breath snags, memories of that savage moment we shared flooding back.

I recall how she trembled beneath me, how my name fell from her lips in a ragged plea.

Something raw and vulnerable clenches in my chest. “You’d discard what we shared so easily?

” I demand, stepping closer. “That night we had—it meant nothing?”

Her mouth curves in a dark smile. “I never said it meant nothing. But it doesn’t overshadow my freedom. If I want Eryx, or another man, or none at all, that’s my choice. Unless you plan to chain me again? Force me to obey?”

A wave of tangled emotions surges. The idea of chaining her again feels reprehensible, but the thought of her lying with Eryx twists my heart in savage jealousy.

“I can’t stand the thought,” I whisper, hardly audible.

“Seeing him run his hands over you—by all the gods, it made me want to rip him apart.”

Her gaze sharpens. “Why? Because you think you own me? You can’t, Vaelith. Orthani tried to break me, Zareth tried to enslave me, Eryx wants to control me in his own twisted way. You all share one flaw: you fail to see that I’ll never belong to just one master.”

Silence crackles, thick with unsaid confessions. I realize my breathing is shallow, rage and desire a tangle in my mind. “I… can’t lose you to him,” I rasp, the admission burning my pride. “What we had, that night, it… it changed me.”

She regards me with a knowing glint. “You’re torn between your hatred of my kind and the lust we share. Now add Eryx to the mix, stoking that jealousy. If you want me, you’ll have to bear that you’re not the only man in my bed.”

A flash of savage anger flares. “That’s not how Orthani handles such matters. Women, especially purna, don’t simply bed multiple men?—”

She cuts me off with a mocking laugh. “Is that your official decree? Because reality doesn’t bend to Orthani’s script.

I won’t kneel for your rules. And if you try to impose them, you might learn how quickly I slip out of your grasp.

” Her tone drops, each word a blade. “You’ll share me with them… or lose me.”

My heart seizes at the ultimatum. The notion of sharing her with Eryx sends a spike of fury through my veins, but the idea of losing her entirely feels like a knife in my gut.

I’ve never let a woman provoke such chaotic longing.

She stands before me, not triumphant or subservient, but regal in her defiance.

My chest tightens, fists trembling. “You’re demanding I allow you to roam between my bed and that assassin’s? ”

Her expression flickers with something like pity.

“I’m demanding you accept I’m not a possession.

If you can’t handle that, you can walk away.

But if you do, I promise I won’t look back.

And Ai might remain trapped without a chance, because if I’m stuck with you as my guard, I’ll find another route. ”

She’s using my sense of duty, my vow to keep her safe. A swirl of frustration tangles with the ache of needing her. “I can’t bear the thought of you in his arms,” I admit in a hoarse whisper, each syllable ripping me open. “But I can’t bear losing you more.”

A flicker of triumph crosses her gaze. “Then you know your choice.”

My body shakes with the effort of reining in my pride.

Every Orthani custom rails against the notion of a woman lying with multiple men, especially a purna.

But I’m undone by her fierce spirit, enthralled by the heat that flares whenever she’s near.

I recall how I spied on her coupling with Eryx, how it ignited a dark, possessive need in me.

That image still haunts me, stinging my pride, yet fueling my desire.

I hate it, but I can’t deny the raw truth: I’d do nearly anything to keep her from walking away.

“This is twisted,” I murmur, raking a hand (avoiding the phrase about hair) through the air in agitation.

“I’m Commander of Orthani’s forces, and I stand here…

jealous, undone, because you bed an assassin.

My duty says I should punish both of you.

My heart says I’d burn everything if it meant keeping you in my reach. ”

She steps closer, voice dropping to a near purr. “You see now how Orthani’s shackles can’t contain me? If you want me at your side—my power, my body—then let me roam free. Let me bed Eryx, or any man, and come back to you because I choose it, not because I’m forced.”

Anguish tears through me, but it’s laced with savage yearning. She’s offering no illusions of monogamy, only the chance to remain part of her life. “You’d still come back?” I ask, hating how desperate I sound.

Her lips curl in a dangerous smile. “So long as you don’t try to cage me. I might find your bed interesting enough to return. I might let you carve me with that fierce discipline again.” She steps close enough that her breath grazes my cheek. “But never assume I’m yours alone.”