Page 70 of Temptation Unleashed (Talaenian Fae #3)

“ W elcome.”

Rori spun around, stifling a gasp, the skirts of the gown she’d donned in haste scraping the rock-and-pebble ground as she searched for a face to go with the voice that echoed in this dark, damp room.

The furious beat of her heart echoed in her ears, feeding her precious bond life, the wet chill in the air luring goosebumps down her arms. A pitiful fire sputtered from a rustic pit in the center of the floor, casting eerie shadows along jagged rock that arched to a point overhead.

The small space contained no furniture. A single threadbare blanket lay in a heap beside the firepit, along with a metal cup that looked to have been crushed a few times.

“I do hope you’ll find your accommodations…pleasant.”

She twisted in a tight circle, taking in every inch of the space. The shadows weren’t deep enough to hide a full-grown man, let alone a Fae. She just wished she had an inkling of an idea who she was looking for.

“Where are you?”

“I am everywhere.”

Despite her skin crawling with adrenaline and the warning signals in her brain blaring for her to heed caution she refused to embrace, she scoffed, “More like nowhere.”

Her next turn brought her face to face with a creature whose eyes glowed a malicious metal gray merely enhanced by hard contours cutting angles across his face.

Hair the color of true gold absorbed the yellow glow of the small fire and his fancy robes—not so unlike those Thaddeus had donned in the grotto—gleamed against the flames.

There was nothing warm or friendly about this creature.

Not even a flicker or crack in his expression.

“We have different definitions of pleasant,” Rori said, biting her lip to stave off further instigation. “Who are you?”

“The one who saved Thaddeus.”

A mocking curl at the corner of his mouth stoked her protectiveness.

“That’s not a name.”

“Mortals are worthless, fleeting creatures who have no need for such information. They are underserving of our mere presence . You , weak, pitiful creature, would have never known him had I left him to perish. Mayhap ’twould have been best to let him rot than to see him waste his glory and potential on such a”—the curl melted into a scowl—“menial, rotten thing. Alas, his resurrection was in vain, and I’ll be certain to rectify the issue. ”

“You healed him and cursed him at the same time. Weaving magic into his heart to keep him from protecting himself.”

A faint tremor rippled down her body, her belly clenching as fear, anxiety, and another dose of adrenaline rushed through her veins. Keep yourself alive, Rori. Keep yourself safe.

“You fear him.” She pressed to her toes, tipping into the Fae. “ Grison. ”

The powerful man before her didn’t move.

Not a single inch of his expression changed.

The haughty glow of his eyes tried to intimidate her, make her cower.

The tight curl of his lips in that fierce scowl.

There was no outward change, but a flicker of energy across her skin, the tension along the small hairs over her arms, assured her she’d hit a sore spot.

Dropping to her heels, she shuffled back a few steps. He made the air hard to breathe, his essence tarry and foul.

“You are not unlike most humans who hold no value in self-preservation.”

“And you are not unlike most Fae I’ve encountered who possess a god complex.”

The smallest shift of his robes drew her attention. She glanced at his hands, but only the tips of his fingers were visible below the fabric, and the smokey tendrils of magic forming for a blow.

No, no, no. God, Goddess, whoever is listening, I’ll keep my mouth shut!

“Such a foul mouth.”

Rori threw herself to the ground, covering her head with her arms, the uneven rock cutting into her knees as she hit with all her weight.

A pop, followed by the tinkling of rock filled the small space.

The scent of earthy must intensified as dust particles tickled her throat.

She coughed, lifting her head. The wall a few feet away sported a brand new divot, the gouge still draining of busted rock.

Magic prickled around her, cinching her arms to her sides.

Her body jerked off the ground and flew within an inch of Grison’s cold, evil face.

So close she could smell the scent of wine on his lips, see shards of opaque silver lancing his eyes, feel the intensity of his power as it vibrated down to her marrow.

“He shall die, human, and I’ll be the one to sever his head, remove his heart, and burn him in white flames.

I will do so after I have made him suffer, witnessing the torture I put you through.

” That scowl turned into a dark, ominous smile.

“I’ll leave you with a single breath in your lungs to watch his fall.

Do not fear. I’ll throw you into the flames with him. ”

She trembled, anger and fear entwining in a vicious dance. Her lips twitched, her mind demanding she stay quiet while the fight in the dark recesses of her being howled for release.

“Hmph.” The quiet sound fled her throat, followed by a challenging grin.

“You talk big for a monster hiding in a cave, letting his men do all his dirty work and taking the fall on your behalf. Talk shit about us humans all you want. Talk shit about me , but at least I’m willing to face my battles and not cower from them. ”

Energy crackled around them, the unseen sparks like static under her skin.

“Thaddeus fell in battle for the woman before you, hours after they lay together for one final time.”

Rori laughed under her breath. The magic cocooning her constricted, punching the air from her lungs. She winced.

“Use…magic because you…don’t like what…this unworthy mortal has to say.

” She forced in a breath and growled, “He fought for me more than he ever did for her, and he did it selflessly, without expecting anything in return.” The magic squeezed, expelling that fragile breath.

Pressure built in her head, her vision dimming.

“I would never…ask him to sacrifice…himself for me. That’s all… she ever asked of him.”

Oh fuck, he was going to crush her to death!

The binds vanished.

She dropped in a heavy heap, the unforgiving ground welcoming her with jabs and scrapes along her entire side.

She sucked in a desperate breath on a loud rasp, rolling onto her belly as she coughed.

Her fingers clawed at the rock, her head pounding, vision pulsing, chest burning furiously as life-sustaining oxygen poured into every vessel.

“Fearlessness oftentimes accompanies foolishness.”

Rori wedged a hand beneath her and pushed herself to her hands and knees, her limbs quaking, threatening to splay her over the ground again. The room spun, churning her stomach, the burn in her chest finally beginning to subside.

Footsteps scraped around her. She lifted her head as Grison’s robes came into her line of vision. The bastard Fae lifted a foot beneath her chin and craned her neck back with the toe of his boot, forcing her to stare up at the massive beast.

“You sullied a promising Fae and you will bring his demise.”

Rori swallowed hard, the angle of her throat making the motion hurt.

“His death was sealed long before you saved him.” She peeled back her lips in a semblance of a loathing smile.

“He doesn’t fear death. Neither do I. I’ve come to learn something about the Fae as a whole.

You believe you’re untouchable. You’re immortal.

But immortality is an illusion. Every living creature has a clock that ticks toward an end.

Some faster than others. We will all die, Grison.

I prefer to choose my death, and if it’s with my soul mate, then so shall it be. ”

He snapped his foot, flinging her to the ground, the side of her face meeting the rock mercilessly. Pain blossomed throughout the side of her head. Stars sparked across her vision. She gasped, stunned, unable to move, the metallic taste of blood trickling across her tongue.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. While we wait for our guest of honor to arrive, I’ve a small welcome gift for you to enjoy.”

The stagnant air stirred. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the throbbing pain in her head and face, and pushed herself up on her forearms.

“I learned a valuable piece of information about you as well, human.”

An unsteady shuffle. The undercurrent of a magical breeze.

The poignant stench of grease and oil.

Rori froze. Her heart seized. Her stomach lurched.

Ice poured through her blood.

Slowly, she lifted her head. The room faded. Fear, old fear she believed she’d never experience again. Mind-breaking, muscle-seizing fear.

Grison stepped over to the nightmarish figure who loomed a few feet away.

No longer was his skin tanned from hours of working in the sun, but a sickly gray, patches of decay darkening sparse areas of his cheeks and jaw.

Dead eyes stared down at her. There was no missing the malice that swirled beneath that postmortem curtain of cloudy white.

Nor the necrotic hole in his temple, oozing puss. Waxy lips lifted in an evil smile.

“My gift to you.” Grison’s nose scrunched as he perused the true monster before him. “I find it a fitting gesture.”

Grison disappeared, the echo of his chuckle lingering in the room.

“Hello, doll.”

The scratchy voice raked across her nerves. She scrambled upright, digging her heels in the ground to push herself away from the corpse stalking toward her. Not a zombie, but a creation of nightmares and her deepest fears.

Her back hit the wall. She clawed up to her feet, the palms of her hands burning as the rock abraded her skin. Her toes caught in the hem of the dress, stalling her rise, giving Rich the chance to close in.

“No-no-no,” she whimpered.

Rich’s smile grew, cracking his bloodless lips. The foul stench of decay smacked her in the face when he laughed. Bile choked her as she gagged. The room faded. Her heart raced at a dizzying pace.

Her stomach heaved and, this time, she vomited at his feet.

Rich stepped back.

Rori shoved away from the wall, swallowing against the vicious gag, darting along the perimeter of the tight space. A space that closed in around her as terror seized purchase.

His caustic laughter echoed off the rock, louder and louder, a battle cry raining down around her.

“I’ve missed you, doll face!”

She stumbled over the uneven ground, catching herself against the wall and pushing forward.

“Round and round we go!”

That laughter. The torment. The breath-catching fear.

“Where we stop!”

The skirts tangled beneath her feet, wrapping around her ankles. She screamed, pitching forward, grappling for the wall as she fell. She landed hard, splayed on her belly, the wind knocked out of her, leaving her in a limbo of shock.

Long enough for a hand to grab her shoulder in a brutally painful vise and flip her onto her back.

“Oh, I know.”

Another hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed .

Rich dropped to his knees, straddling her waist, pressing his weight into her throat as she writhed and fought. She raked her nails against his hand, skin sloughing away, releasing a pungent aroma that soaked into her mouth.

She couldn’t breathe. Not even a molecule of air could get by his constriction. She kicked a leg, landing a frantic blow to his groin. He didn’t flinch. The room pulsed, graying around the edges. The burn of suffocation intensified with every second.

Rich leaned close, his milky eyes spearing her where she lay.

“You’ll never escape me, doll. Not even in death .”