Page 141 of Nightshade

In and out, he pumped his fingers, until a rush of heat shot up into her, racing through her veins, and an explosion of light crashed over her like a storm. She let out a scream, her body arched and convulsing, while the water rushed to cool the heat blazing inside of her.

She bucked her hips forward, spreading herself open, and felt a warm wet tongue glide over her exposed slit. Lifting her head showed the baron feasting on her, licking his fingers and lips, as if he were starved for her taste. Feral and wild, the sight of him still hungry, both thrilled and terrified her.

Eyes darkening to something wicked, he watched from between her thighs, his tongue gliding between his teeth. Tiny flashes, like thunderbolts, danced over his eyes and tongue, and when he dipped his head again, Lustina’s own eyes widened with fear. The moment his tongue made contact, her body convulsed, her eyes rolled back.

“Mercy!” she cried out. “Oh, God, mercy!”

* * *

At a gentle stroke across her temple, Lustina awoke to find the baron staring down at her, the winter blue of his eyes brimming with concern.

She lay naked, at the bank of the hot springs, yet in spite of the chill on the air, she did not feel cold. “Did I sleep?”

“Fainted. I should not have exposed you to so much at once. It can be dangerous.”

“So much of what?”

Instead of answering her question, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I should get you back.”

“No.” She pulled at his arms in urgency. “Why go back? There is nothing for us there, with both of our mothers now passed. Let us run away together.”

“I cannot leave yet.”

“Why? What keeps you so imprisoned there?”

“Vengeance. I intend to kill Bishop Venable. To avenge my mother’s murder.”

“Murder?”

“The poison he disguised as a sacred elixir.”

The weight of his words pressed down on her, creating a guilt for having accompanied the bishop on his visits and painting a picture of dread inside her mind. “Why did no one stop it?”

“I wanted to. I wanted to watch every one of them die a slow death for her suffering, including my father, but she forbade me to seek revenge. Even as she lay on her own deathbed, she worried for my heart.”

“She loved you.”

“And she is gone now. Therefore, I will get my revenge.”

“What you said about his blessing, though …”

“We do not need his paltry blessings, but I will play along. As will you. And I will strike when he least expects it.”

Except, the bishop had an army at his command, one far more passionate than that of the king’s. Cupping the baron’s face in her palms, she stared back at him with urgency. “You cannot kill him. He is far too powerful. The village, they follow his every word as if he were the Holy Father himself. Please, My Lord. I beg of you. Forget him. Let us leave this place.”

He dragged one of her hands from his face and kissed her palm. “I would. If only for you. But there would be no escape, for if they knew what truly lay beneath this facade of flesh and bones, their kind would hunt me until the end of time.”

“What do you mean?”

Stubborn as always, he shook his head, and with a gentle prod, Lustina guided his eyes back to hers. “Please. I want to know why they fear you. Show me what you do not want the others to see. And I promise that I will not be afraid.”

A battle waged behind his eyes. “I want to. I would give anything for you to see me as I am.”

“Then, show me.”

Thoughts seemed to clash inside his head, the muscles in his shoulders tensing where she rested her palm. “Only know that I will never hurt you. So long as I breathe.”

“Of course I know that.”