Page 134 of The Queen’s Shadow

I should have killed her when I had the chance. I had been greedy, asking Kieran to strip her power for myself and I regretted it now.

No matter, she wouldn’t be a problem much longer. Vespara had informed me that she had both the False Queen and Cerenah captive in her court.

I had sent several thousand daemons to retrieve them and bring them back to me. My blood thrilled at the thought of having both Raven and Cerenah here at my disposal. I had so many games planned for them. I couldn’t wait to see the look on my Shadow’s face when he realized his precious mate was mine.

“Your mind was not here. Who were you visiting?” I asked. He just slitted his eyes at me and I resisted the urge to slap him for refusing to answer me. He wanted to play this game? Fine. I would play.

“Lie on the bed.” I ordered, and his eyes darkened with the type of hatred that made my blood quicken. I smiled as I watched him obey. I loved when he did what he was told. That was certainly one perk to having him enslaved. He couldn’t say no anymore. I hated it when he would say no.

No one said no to me.

Once I had him lying quietly on the silken sheets, I crawled on top of him, dropping my lips to his waistband and inhaling his personal blend of hot cinnamon and spice. I sighed and he tensed beneath me as I slid up his chest, pressing myself into him as I did so.

“Wrap your arms around me.” I ordered, and he did, his body shivering beneath me with the movement.

I loved it when he quivered for me.

I reached forward and snatched up his bottom lip with my teeth. Pulling it into my mouth, I sucked hard enough that he should have moaned for me. But he didn’t. I frowned, pulling back.

He was getting better at learning the limits of the slavery bond. I was discovering that I needed to be more and more specific with my orders. He had learned that he could skirt past anything that was implied. Unless I directly told him to ‘moan,’ he wouldn’t give it to me. It was infuriating. Even more so because I knew he held himself back from me because of that bitch.

I straddled his stomach, brushing his nearly white hair away from his brow, his green eyes were boiling with rage. I didn’t understand why he was so upset with me. He should be honored that I still lusted after him, despite his betrayal.

“It never used to be like this between us. You used to love to pleasure me.” I ran my fingers lightly down the side of his face and he winced. I didn’t miss the way the skin on his arms turned to gooseflesh beneath my touch and I wondered how much more effort it would take to make him grow hard beneath me.

I rocked suggestively against his hips to see if I could coax it out of him without resorting to an arousal curse. I was growing tired of forcing him. I wanted him to want me.

I always got what I wanted… eventually.

“If that’s what you thought, Ash, you weren’t paying attention.” He snarled, glancing down at where our hips connected, looking disgusted. A lick of anger snaked through my chest at his expression.

I would wipe that look right off his beautiful face. He had no idea what I had planned for him. I would break him, and I would use his perfect little mate to do it. Then, when he was broken from the loss of her, I would be the one to gather up the pieces and make him into what he was always meant to be.

My Shadow.

He would bow to me and lick the toes of my shoes and then thank me for the chance to do it. I forced my anger down and leaned back over him, making sure to rock against him as I did so, kissing the underside of his jaw gently. When he once again refused to react I sighed and pushed back up, looking down at him. I allowed him to see that I was losing patience, hoping it would motivate him. However, he only scowled back at me.

“Come, my Shadow. Let’s play like old times. If you please me, I will reward you.” I promised him, ensuring that his bond did not interpret my request as a demand. I didn’t know why I cared that he refused to come to me willingly, but I did.

There was a hole in my chest, where he used to be. I hadn’t noticed it until I had lost him to her. I didn’t understand or recognize the feeling. It wasn’t anger, or hatred, or the thrill of excitement I tended to feel when I inflicted pain onto others. This was different. It was uncomfortable, and I didn’t enjoy it. It made me feel the way I had felt when my mother had looked at Cerenah instead of me. The familiar blaze of hatred hummed through me at the thought of my half-sister. How dare she think she deserved to be held by our mother? She was a disgusting bastard and didn’t even merit space in the dirt beneath my feet.

My Shadow sneered up at me, pulling me away from the past and reminding me that I had more than enough to be angry about right here, right now.

“I will never touch you willingly, Ash. If you want it, you are going to have to force me. You revolt me. You can take anything you want from me, but you will never have my love, or my consent. So if you’re going to make me fuck you, do it. Just know I would rather have my skin flayed than be touched by you.” He spat, and his words ripped through me like a slap in the face.

My rage at his insolence took over and I grabbed his jaw in my hands, squeezing so hard that my nails drew tiny crescent moons of crimson from his flesh.

“That can be arranged.” I hissed, and he smirked at me darkly.

“Good. It would be preferred.” He deadpanned, and I knew he meant it. With a snarl I leapt up from the bed. What was this feeling? This uncomfortable pain that was coursing through my veins… what was this flush that welled in my face?

Rejection. Humiliation.

I nearly screamed as I realized what it was that I was feeling. I did not feel these things. I made others feel these things. The fact that Amon somehow had this kind of power over me was unforgivable.

“Get up.” I barked at him, and he did so, keeping his emerald eyes on me warily.

I stalked towards him, intentionally putting a sway to my hips that had hypnotized nearly every other male I had met since my Quickening. He didn’t even look down. My blood was so hot with the sting of rejection I felt as if my flesh might melt off my bones. I leaned in close and whispered into his ear, ensuring I was close enough he could feel my breath. I felt a thrill of satisfaction as his body betrayed him and the skin on his neck pebbled.