Page 66 of Infernal Bonds

His jaw muscles tensed.

The realization of what she meant by a drink in one of the palace’s many bedrooms finally hit me.

She wanted him to drink her blood in exchange for pleasure.

Before I could overthink it, I stepped up next to him and wrapped an arm around his, pressing my breasts against him. He startled, looking down at me in confusion, but said nothing. I moved my free hand to rest on his chest and looked at the woman in silence.

She blinked, looking from him to me and back again. “Cyn?”

He grunted, still focused on me, his gaze locked on my hand as I petted his chest absentmindedly.

I didn’t understand what had come over me, but I didn’t like the thought of him disappearing with a random woman into a bedroom. The idea of him consuming her blood bothered me. It upset me that he would offer her pleasure in return.

Maybe it was because I knew it bothered Zeke—at least, that was the story I’d stick to. I wouldn’t entertain any other reasoning, no matter how much it poked at the back of my brain.

Since he didn’t seem inclined to say anything, and I wanted to get him away from her, I turned my attention to the woman and smiled, adopting the customer service voice I’d used for the suburbanites back on Earth. “Cyn won’t be needing your blood anymore.”

“Excuse me?”

“As you heard earlier when Cornaith announced it, I’m his Nyrith.” I slid my hand down over his firm chest to his tight abs; they flexed when I kept my hand there. “He’ll get all the blood he needs from me. Anything you received previously in exchange for your blood will no longer be available to you.”

She spluttered, looking from me to Cyn. “Are you serious?”

“Of course,” I answered for him. “I provide him with what he needs.”

Cyn’s gaze snapped to mine, but I kept mine focused on the woman.

Her expression morphed into something snarky and cruel. “You’re new here, so you don’t know how it works.”

I lifted a brow when her hand went to her hip.

“Just because you’re his Nyrith doesn’t mean he can’t indulge elsewhere. Monogamy isn’t required.” She brushed a strand of brown hair that had slipped from her updo away from her face. “You play your role and don’t interfere with his choices. That’s how it works here in the palace.”

I knew she was lying.

Everything they’d told me about the Nyrith tether contradicted her statements.

It wasn’t that the Nyrith controlled people’s emotions. They wouldn’t be with someone they didn’t want to be. It amplified existing wants and needs. The idea of being with their Nyrith while also indulging in someone else’s body and love didn’t sound possible with the emotional connection that came from securing the tether.

I wouldn’t let this woman scare me off.

“I see.” I nodded and took my hand off Cyn’s stomach, releasing his arm. I crossed my arms. “While I might not understand the way it works on the infernal plane, I understand myself and what my relationship will be like.”

“Is that so?”

“I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t.” I looked at Cyn, who looked at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. “You’re mine, right?”

Another grunt.

I didn’t miss how his jasmine scent spiked when I called him mine.

“And I’m yours?”

Another grunt.

I resisted the urge to laugh. I’d never seen him so at a loss for words.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” the woman said. “It doesn’t stop you from—”