Page 197 of Nightshade

Was it possible for him to be so insatiable that he’d seek her out?

No. No way.

“Well, well. It seems your dark knight has already grown bored with you,” she said, sauntering toward me. “The beauty of having fucked him? Is knowing his secret rooms.”

“Bored? Unlikely. And fucked. As in, past tense. Get over yourself, Evie.”

She chuckled, and to my horror, climbed onto me, untucking her skirt from beneath her, so that I could feel her dampness against my gown. A toxic culmination of wrath and disgust churned inside of me, as she circled her hips against me. My body trembled with anger and the pressure of it kettled inside of me had my face feeling hot and ready to explode.

“Get off of me!”

“I am,” she breathed. “Do you feel that? His release still dripping out of me?”

“You’re delusional. Get off of me!” I bucked against her and she giggled, throwing her hand up in the air.

I kicked and writhed, until exhaustion finally settled over me and I tilted my head back, breathing hard through my nose.

“Do you see that little contraption over in the corner there?” She pointed to the sawhorse with the padded top and leaned forward to my ear. “It’s my favorite. He loves to bend me over that.” Her hips rocked against me, spurring more wetness that she smeared into my gown. “Fucking me from behind. Mmmmm. I can go all night that way. Unlike you. He can’t get enough of my tight little asshole. And God, he feels so fucking good.”

“Leave me. Now.”

“Tell me, Farryn. Did he do the feather trick for you?”

A fist of shock squeezed my lungs.

I could hardly draw in a breath on hearing that. Jericho had told me he’d never shown his true form to anyone. Anyone else. That I had been the only one.

Sickness swelled in my stomach, churning and aching with quiet fury.

Had he lied to me? Betrayed me?

Through a watery shield, I stared at the door and as a tear spilled onto my cheek, she dragged her tongue across my face to lick it.

“What do you want?” I asked through clenched teeth, suddenly desperate to get away from her, this place.

“Him.”

“Fine.” I swallowed back the rage and hurt trapped inside of me like razorblades in my chest. “Release me.”

“I want you to go away forever, and I want him to myself. I want to fuck him every night and think of you, lonely and alone.”

In spite of the tears, I laughed. A wicked, bitter laugh, brimming with the blackest kind of hatred. “That’s funny, really. I’ll never be quite as alone as you, Evie. Do you know what Nightshade is?” I’d sunk low in my humanity. So low, there was no turning back. “Do you know why you’re here?” Not giving her the opportunity to answer, I lifted my head. “You’re dead. You died and left behind a rotting corpse, and you can never go back home.”

Her brow flickered, as if I’d slapped her. “You’re a lying, manipulative bitch.”

“Am I? Tell me about your life. Your childhood. Tell me as much as you can remember.”

Eyes shifting back and forth, she frowned.

“Tell me your mother’s name. Surely, you remember that.”

Biting her lip, she seemed to concentrate a moment.

“You can’t remember. Because all the memories of your life have faded. And it doesn’t get any lonelier than that.”

A hard smack against my cheek sent a rush of pain up into my sinuses. She gripped my throat and squeezed so hard I saw stars floating. I opened my mouth for one sip of air, and she popped something into it. As I struggled not to choke on what she’d shoved inside, she slammed my lips shut and held her palm over my mouth. “Swallow, bitch.” She released my throat and pressed both hands against my mouth, leaving me no choice but to swallow.

Sucking as much air as I could in through my nose, I arched my chest upward. Once the object in my mouth was swallowed, she removed her palms.