LOGINVANESSA Lysandros let himself out shortly after and I was left alone. “Finally, some quiet,” I said aloud. However, within me I knew there was a storm brewing. This was turning out to be one of those jobs where I got a sense of foreboding. My phone was nowhere in sight. I couldn’t contact Nyra either to let her know the development. Knots twisted my stomach. Something was off. I wish I could just sit still or do things to distract myself. Did I reveal too much to Lysandros? Was he really disloyal to his brother? Or was that just a ruse to get me to trust him? “This is not good,” I muttered, already chewing my nails in worry as I paced the bedroom. “What is not good?” My head whipped fast towards the source of the voice, shocked to find Leonidas leaning against the wall, staring at me. The door was slightly open and with the perfect excuse, I could bolt out of it before he would get the chance to stop me. “I need to pee, could you take the cuffs off me?
VANESSA I was still straddling Lysandros with his cock softening inside me when his fingers brushed the brand behind my ear again. “Serpent sister. You’re one of Nyra’s girls,” he whispered in disbelief. How the hell did he recognize a symbol of the Serpent Sisters?I tumbled sideways from him, ignoring the drag of his cock along my walls as I jerked away. The clasp at my ankle did not allow me to go far from him. Not as far as I wanted. I shook my head in denial. “You must be mistaken.” “If I am, why do you have the insignia of a snake right there behind your ear?” His eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re here to kill my brother, aren’t you?”In the flash of a second, I was on the bed, wrapping the other iron clasp around his neck until it was digging deep into his windpipe. He struggled to push me off of him, kicking and gasping, yet he was no match for someone as nimble as I was. “Gene— pleas…”“Not until you tell me how the fuck you know about the Serpent Sisters. Give me a sol
VANESSAMy wrists were free but my chained legs were spread wide enough that I could not close them. There was still enough room to shift my legs apart or draw my knees up if I wanted.“Stop fighting it, Leo,” I whispered, burning with need. My nipples were aching points pressing against the thin fabric of my dress. Between my thighs were soaked, clit throbbing so hard that it made my breath hitch every few seconds. Three feet away, Leonidas stood and watched me. “And you don’t think the beast is waiting for a chance to strike?”His cock was a thick strain against his trousers. A delicious sight that made my mouth water and my pussy clench. “Oh fuck that, he won’t mind. You’re the host. And you’re trembling,” I murmured in a husky voice. “Let me help you with that, Your Majesty.”I reached out slowly and cupped him through the fabric. His massive body shuddered at the touch. He was burning impossibly hot and hard, precum wetting the front of his pants. He didn’t pull away from m
VANESSAThe next time I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by dim golden lights, soft fur beneath my fingers and complete silence. My fingers went up to touch the side of my neck to feel for blood but came up empty. What did he do to me? I realized to my horror that my movements had been restricted and I was truly trapped in this place. He meant every word. “Fuck!” The word burst out of me. “Fuck me! Fuck this!” No matter how hard I pulled, the chains wouldn’t budge.I was well and truly fucked. Not only would the Serpent Sisters be disappointed, they’d find my head if the seven night ultimatum elapsed and I still hadn’t completed my assigned task. And Nyra…oh, I didn’t want to think about the look in her eyes before she’d take my head off. What the fuck was wrong with that deranged man? Why couldn’t his death be as easy as the past ones? “Because you underestimated him, you whore,” I swore aloud to the empty room, bemoaning my ill-luck.Forcing a calmness I didn’t feel, I studi
VANESSA Heat bloomed on the spot where he touched, sending my pulse hammering too hard. What did ‘Mine’ mean? What was he doing to me? The pull I’d felt at the ball last night was nothing compared to the intense electricity crackling between us right now. What manner of creature was he? Dark red liquid seeped through his shirt, drenching the cream colored material and pooling by our feet. Right between us. He ignored it. The knife was stained alright, but he didn’t look affected in the least bit. He still gazed at my face with so much devotion it scared me. I flatted myself against the wall, afraid that moving might awaken whatever beast had settled within him. Fuck! How did I even get myself into this mess without proper research? They only said he was a dangerous man. Nobody talked about what degree of danger he posed to my life if he survived the kill. “Mine,” he said again, louder this time, flinging my dagger to the side like the useless piece of meta
VANESSANyra’s ultimatum still echoed in my head the next day; seven nights to kill the King. My belongings weren’t much. Just a few dresses and shoes I’d snagged from a store on my way. By the time evening came, I found myself walking alongside several noble guests invited for a festival in the palace. I had Noel to thank for that. A few of us were granted a private tour of the palace. “And now over here, we can see different artifacts, ranging from the Ceremonial Crown of King Alaric III,” the guide said, making us stop in front of a tempered glass with a label. Boredom was eating me to shreds from within and here I was, forced to nod like an idiot and play along, stuck with mediocre thinking people who had the notion that everything which collected dust on a shelf in a palace as old as this was an artifact. It took practiced discipline to not yawn in disinterest.The guide moved again. “Come along. Here are the Royal Decree Scrolls. These documents helped to formalize alliance







