Olethros

forty eight - freyja

I'd forgotten Aled and Rhys spoke. I was so enraptured by Azriel, their voices were mere hums in the back of my mind. My lashes fluttered as I remembered the way he slid into me, the stretch that was borderline painful. I loved his pain. With my sewn skin, it still made me want him, because I knew it would hurt just as badly as it felt good. The only pain I ached for was Azriel's.

"- his legacy. He has not proved himself as a High Lord, so he must find responsibility elsewhere. Make him care for a female, provide for her and children. Freyja, in turn, will please him and birth those children. Tamlin may not become High Lord, but that does not allow him to neglect his title. He is still meant to represent this family well."

I tuned back into the conversation, forcing my eyes to my plate. Still, a shiver of anticipation ran through me. I felt his eyes on me and how badly I wished they were his hands. I felt Tamlin squeezing my thigh, no doubt anchoring himself as he listened to his father. I felt something else, though. I felt a coolness, a chill running up the hem of my gown. I struggled to swallow, shifting in my seat.

The chill ran up my knee, licking the inside before running higher. Tamlin squeezed my thigh again; the hum of his father's voice growing louder. I focused on the aching chill running up my thighs, my chin dipping forward as I held my breath. I had to be going mad, losing my mind as I sat in a fortress of seclusion whilst he tempted me from the outside.

It was surely not his fault, I thought, because Azriel was simply worried about my well-being. He was concerned for me, yet I yearned for him. It was a dangerous thing; feeling arousal in a manor of serpents that would snap at the slightest hint. If they scented me, it would be used against me.

"What then? My sister is forced into bed with your son for his punishment?"

"Of course! It was a deal, Rhysand. What happens to Freyja whilst in my territory does not concern you. She is my property now, just as she is Tamlin's. Though, Tamlin is still my son and he still answers to me. If I order him to take her into that room and fuck her until a child is in her womb, then he will."

That sobered me. My eyes snapped to Aled, a vein protruding from his neck as he glared at Rhysand. Tamlin's hand shook on my thigh, the fabric of my skirts bunching in his palm.

"Do you not allow your females to have honor?" My brother seethed. I looked to him to find white knuckles clutching cutlery that bent at its handle. A haze laid over him, a dangerous one. One I'd never seen. Thin skin, dark veins- those I recognized from the night our father touched me. But now, the tips of his fingers had darkened. Sharpened, it seemed. The whites of his eyes had greyed, the vibrant color of his pupil looking far more violet than I'd ever seen. I swore even his teeth had sharpened as he bared them.

Aled chuckled, leaning back in his seat as he sipped his wine. "Do you? I know what your warriors do in those camps. I know what they did to the females when in their tents. I know what they do when they do not want their females to get away. There is no honor in being a female, that is why they honor us instead. They provide us with our children, they raise them, and they give us warm bodies when we wish. Do not look at me like I am cruel, lesser. I know you have no better morals than I."

I felt suffocated. A tension I'd never felt so strongly wrapped around us. One wrong move and I feared Rhys, Azriel, and Cassian would meet the swords of Aled's guards. I watched my brother's hand shake, his darkened eyes flicking to me. I tried to shake my head subtly, but Tamlin's clutch on my thigh told me he noticed. My brother swallowed hard, turning his eyes back to the High Lord.

"Mistakes are made in all realms. Perhaps we must work to cease them from occurring too often," Rhysand ground out. Aled gave a slow nod of his head.

"Agreed. May mistakes be avoided," he returned. I let out a slow breath, my hand finding Tamlin's in my lap. It felt wrong of me to search for his comfort when Azriel sat just across from me, but I could not reach for him. Mindlessly, my eyes found him again. He looked as fearsome as my brother- a warrior waiting for his cue to charge.

Azriel's hooded eyes lifted from Tamlin's arms to mine. My lips parted with a silent gasp. Even just the connection of our gazes overtook my senses. Chills trailed the phantom cold I felt on my thighs, circling around me. I fought the urge to roll my eyes back, my gaze continuously flicking between Az and my plate.

Even just his eyes on me was wholly inappropriate. Was it just my mind, or did he touch me with his shadows? Would I see an unusual darkness if I glanced beneath the table? My cheeks heated as my desire grew, an ache low in my belly. Tamlin's fingers began massaging my thigh, making me pull my lip between my teeth. Even though it was not Azriel's hand on me, the sensation was overwhelming when blended with the delicious chill.

Azriel's chin tipped forward, his fork clattering to his plate as he brought gloves fingers to his mouth. To anyone else, he may look as if he were deep in thought. To me, I saw a male doing everything in his power not to leap across the table and devour me. Shadows clouded his eyes as he gazed at me through his brows. There was still a hum of conversation, but I could not determine who spoke. My entire attention was fixed on him.

I felt the chill rise higher on my thighs, teasing the fabric of my undergarments. My mouth ran dry, chest rising with a deep inhale. Azriel's eyes flicked to my chest, his center finger running over his mouth to hide the upward tilt of his lips. He was so beautifully cruel. I couldn't tell if he truly lost control of his shadows or if I had been imagining the whole thing.

A warmth ran over my side, making me blink in surprise. Tamlin's hand covered my thigh as he leaned into me, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Excuse yourself to the bathing chamber. I can scent your... your arousal," he whispered so quietly, I hardly heard him even with his mouth to my ear. Embarrassment flooded me as I cleared my throat, squeezing the hand on my thigh. Azriel's mischievous look was gone, replaced by a dark glint to his eyes as he glared at Tamlin.

I was almost sure someone had been speaking as I shoved my chair back, rising and smoothing the skirt of me gown. "Excuse me. I need to use the bathing chamber."

The High Lord gave me a strange look as he dipped his head and waved his hand at me. Air rushed from my lungs as I turned and hurried out of the dining room. I should have gone to the bathing chamber nearest the dining room, but instead I found myself in the sitting room. I ran my hand over my face, trying to steady my breath and cool my heated skin.

I was drowning in desire for a male I could not have. I dropped onto the chaise, my elbows on my knees as I laid my face in my palms. This truly was the worst kind of torture. As much as it pained me, I prayed Azriel would never return when he left. If he came back, I didn't think I could ever stop myself from running for him.