Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

Not when I didn’t understand why she had signed it.

It wasn’t out of defiance or craving, it was something else, I could smell it, I just couldn’t put a name to it.

I spent the last week in the depths of Perinix hunting down those pixies who had stalked so close to the cottage. I found them, but pixies were hard to break. Two of them were already dead. I had one left, barely holding onto life, but I was contacted by Lia Seeker.

I wasn’t sure how she had managed to put together that I had taken her three little pixies, but she wasn’t happy about it.

I’d deal with it later. As far as I could tell, Lia had nothing to do with the Congregation, but perhaps while I was dealing with her, I could question her on why she felt it necessary to continuously go after Penny for something she had no control over.

Penny Rain had dealt with the pixies for long enough, it was time Lia let go of that grudge.

For now, all I wanted on my mind was my little addiction.

It seemed she might need me too, although I doubted,even with her signature, that she would ever admit that.

Carefully, I sat on the edge of her bed, whatever she had stuffed in the mattress giving under me, causing her to lean towards my body.

Kyra snorted and groaned, turning onto her side, causing me to smile.

When she was settled again, I reached out, gently sliding my hand over her flushed cheek.

She squeezed her eyes shut before they fluttered open, finding me instantly as if she could sense my presence beyond reason.

She didn’t jerk away, didn’t give me a startled expression, in fact, she simply laid there, slowly waking up as she searched my eyes.

I ran my thumb over her cheekbone. Gods, she was so beautiful.

“I signed your stupid list,” she finally said, her voice husky from sleep.

I nodded, pulling my hand back as her eyes found the nightstand. “I saw that.”

“So are you here to collect then? Been gone for a week but now that it’s hunting season, you’ve come cocked and loaded.”

I would always be ‘cocked and loaded’ for her. “I’m not going to fuck you, Angel,” I told her softly.

She rolled her eyes and shoved away from me, turning onto her other side, staring out the window. “Then go away.”

I could smell the disappointment rolling off of her, and I wondered if she knew she was disappointed. That alone almost made me lose control. But at the moment,it wasn’t about my near uncontrollable urges. It wasn’t about her deep, unlit animalistic desire, it was about why she signed that parchment and why her room smelled so strongly of blood.

She wasn’t going to answer any questions truthfully though, I knew that, so maybe I would try a different approach.

I pushed myself up from the bed and as I walked across the room, I heard her shuffle, I could feel her eyes on me.

By the time I reached the other side and turned around, she was looking out the window again.

I leaned against the wall and slowly allowed my eyes to trail over her curves. Fuck, I wondered if she would ever know how fully she owned me. Before I touched her, before I had read her journals, knew her innermost thoughts, she owned me in a way I still couldn’t understand.

“I was going to reward you,” I finally said, sliding my hands into my pockets.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled silently. “Great.”

Why did she smell like blood? Why did the scent trail lead into the bathroom? Under her pillow? I wanted to push to know and while pushing is something she needed, right now I needed to push in a different kind of way.

I shook the thoughts away and released my own calming breath, allowing myself to fall into my own mind. I hated doing it, but for her? If she asked it of me, I’d let that monster take control. I’d slaughter entire worlds if she requested it. I’d soften myself inquiet moments no matter how painful, if it helped her.

“Close your eyes, Angel,” I instructed, lowering my voice until it was nothing more than the whisper of a shadow.

“You’re going to tell me a fairytale?” she asked bitterly. “That’s not really your style.”