The Half Blood Book 5

Book 5 - Shadow Heart

I let out a sigh, my eyes fluttering shut. Under different circumstances, his hand tracing patterns on my back might have stirred something in me—a yearning for affection.

But now, each of Riathan’s tender strokes was just that, strokes. A word stripped of its meaning for me.

His lips found their way to my lower back, his warm breath exploring every inch of my skin. I couldn’t help but offer him a smile as his teeth grazed me, drawing out a feigned whimper.

Suddenly, I spun around. Fully exposed, fully aware of the impact I had on him.

All I had to do was watch his stormy eyes darken as they feasted on my body, lingering on my breasts before trailing down past my navel.

This had become our nightly ritual.

After every supper, Riathan would visit my chambers, situated at the far end of the floor from his, and I would welcome him with a smile devoid of love, desire, or sorrow.

A smile that only surfaced when I agreed to spend time with him. Drawn in solely by the physical. No strings attached. Just as the sirens had promised me.

“What’s on your mind?” His voice coaxed another smile from me, one of many since his arrival tonight.

“I’ll spill if you tell me who she is.” It was my standard response whenever he posed the same question.

Riathan chuckled and moved lower, peppering soft kisses around my navel.

“She’s gone.”

I knew the woman was gone, and I knew who she was, or at least I was certain it had to be Tara’s mother. They shared the same features. Dark, curly locks and clear green eyes.

Tara had once shared her mother’s story with me and how the man who was now kissing my breasts was responsible for her demise.

I was well aware that looks could be deceiving and that things would inevitably change for better or worse. In my case, they always took a turn for the worse.

I knew that this side of Riathan was reserved for these rare moments we shared. Beyond my room, he was the Lord of the Court of Tears.

His gaze, reminiscent of stormy skies, turned icy outside the quarters he had assigned me upon my arrival at his estate.

Beyond this bed, he was the Lord and I was his captive. A captive of privilege, I would argue, with a room adorned with lavish fabrics and trinkets, walls draped in blue, and a ceiling of gold.

“You are a tantalizing demoness,” he murmured, pressing his rigid arousal against my core.

My fingers tangled in his curly locks, pulling him into me forcefully, savoring his tongue with mine, feeling him penetrate, filling me, and drawing out a moan with his flawless rhythm.

I knew that Tara would disapprove of whatever was transpiring between Riathan and me. After all, he was her Court’s adversary. But I had no choice but to stick to my plan.

My efforts to avoid Riathan from the get-go only piqued his interest in me.

After all, I was the novelty, the plaything the Lord wanted to toy with, and why not let him have his way with me when I could do the same without the fear of falling for him?

The desire to break free from this place grew stronger each day. The yearning for liberty had led me to this point. I didn’t want to belong to any man, least of all Riathan.

Despite his courteous demeanor and seemingly patient nature, I knew better. I had observed him on numerous occasions since the Hunt.

His Court didn’t respect him because he was a competent leader. It was out of fear. Riathan was a volatile man.

He had no tolerance for errors, and anyone who dared to mention the Court of Fears was met with a menacing glare and a taste of his power.

And since I was his captive, I was confined within the gates. I wasn’t permitted to leave his mansion, and I wasn’t allowed to explore his territory.

Who would dare to, knowing that Tara and I were close?

***

Days turned into weeks, and I received no word from Tara or my brother. I was completely cut off in the Unseelie kingdom, dining on the finest cuisine and sleeping under the coziest blankets.

And then, it dawned on me that the only way to earn Riathan’s trust was in bed.

It wasn’t a walk in the park initially, but gradually, the Lord of the Court of Tears began to let his guard down around me, revealing his frustrations with his Court.

As fleeting as they were, they were still a step closer to my objective.

Riathan’s movements grew more desperate now, coaxing my climax. I shut my eyes and surrendered to the sensations he was stirring.

He lazily kissed my lips and pulled away. “Did you enjoy that?”

His gaze met mine. “You know I did.” Despite his nature, he was surprisingly considerate in the bedroom. I discovered that the first night we were together.

Bare, I rose and moved to the open window. The evening wind brushed my hair casually. Resting my arms on the window sill, I arched my back enticingly for him.

Riathan, now clothed in his broad, navy shirt and leather pants, embraced me from behind, his hands settled on my waist.

“The night becomes you, demoness.” He took a strand of my silver hair in his hand. The moonlight made my hair gleam even brighter.

“Is it true you’re attending the King’s Court in two nights?” I ventured to ask.

“Who told you that?”

His grip on my waist tightened, but I remained composed.

“I overheard it from one of the guards.” Riathan couldn’t discern if I was lying or not. In fact, no fae could lie.

That’s why they twisted and manipulated words to their advantage. And I used this to my advantage against them.

My response seemed to ease him, as his hands began to stroke me again.

“The King has summoned all the Lords.” His disclosure took me by surprise. “Why do you ask?”

“The truth?”

“Always.”

“I want to leave this place. I want to learn more about this world. I know I’m your captive, that I’m rightfully yours. But I feel trapped in this place with no way out or anyone to talk to.”

“You have me.”

I let out a dramatic sigh, dropping my shoulders, gazing out at the hills, allowing the silence to fill the space between us.

“If you accompany me, I’d at least have you at night.” His words made my lips curve into a triumphant smile.

I turned to face him, my eyes hopeful, another one of my tricks that seemed to work on him. “Really?”

“But you will stay close to me and remain silent at all times.”

Rising on my toes, I pressed myself against his chest and kissed him.

Riathan departed a while later. After bathing, I climbed into bed, closing my eyes and waiting for the same dream to revisit me.

***

The cold was freezing my bones, but my body was numb. I felt nothing. I could remain here, submerged in the water, where my sorrows and pain were swept away by the river’s current.

But I knew they wouldn’t leave me. I felt as exposed as they did. Only I had two legs, and they had large blue fish tails. I couldn’t help but be captivated by them.

They were as stunning as they were cruel. I could tell by the gleam in their black eyes and their grins full of jagged teeth. They were dangerous, yet they were beautiful.

I noticed a change in myself. The emptiness. Nothing could touch me anymore. Not when I had given them all I had left. I knew that when I left here, I would be an empty shell.

But there was nothing to make me feel sad or regret my decision. I needed this. I needed to be vulnerable somehow.

There would be no more emotions or feelings that would lead me to destruction. There wouldn’t be another man to manipulate me and break my heart.

My hair floated around me, and I saw how its black had turned to a cold silver, just like my heart.

I heard what they said about my true mate. But none of that mattered to me anymore. Even if I looked into his eyes, I wouldn’t recognize him.

The thought stirred nothing in me. He might as well find someone else and seek happiness in other arms.

“You here again?”

His voice drew me out of those waters and into the same frozen lake that had started to appear in my dreams a few weeks ago.

Why did I always end up here? I had no clue. But his company was the only thing that eased my dreams for some odd reason.

I smiled and walked toward him. “Me again, and you, too.”

It was impossible to tell what his face looked like, not when it was concealed by a black wolf mask. His black hair fell to the nape of his neck.

His eyes were barely visible. No matter how hard I tried to discern their color, I couldn’t. They were like shadows concealing the truth.

The only thing I could see of him was his strong jawline. Square and always with that muscle that twitched, revealing some emotion. His lips hid perfect teeth.

The stranger in the mask never smiled, but I bet the day he did, it would be something to remember.

“Why are you here?” His voice was deep and masculine.

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you enlighten me?” I stood at the edge of the frozen lake, my eyes drawn to my reflection on the icy surface.

My dress was as white as the distant mountains. “After all, I’m in your dream,” I said, lifting my gaze to meet his.

“Who’s to say this is my dream?”

“So, it’s mine then? I’m the one who’s dreamed up a masked stranger?”

His silence was my answer. I turned my attention to the center of the lake, where the ice had shattered, leaving chunks floating in the water.

“What are you up to?” he asked as I ventured towards the lake’s center, the ice cracking under my weight.

“If this is my dream, I can do whatever I please, right?” I called over my shoulder, glancing back to ensure he wasn’t following. He remained on the shore.

Once I reached the water’s edge, I shed my dress. Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I knew he was watching.

I plunged into the icy water. When I resurfaced, he was gone.

Perhaps I’d frightened him away. Who would’ve guessed? He’d always seemed so assertive, with his confident demeanor and commanding voice.

A sudden warmth against my back made me gasp, and I spun around to face the stranger.

My eyes roamed freely over his lips, his shoulders, taking pleasure in learning more about him.

Tattooed runes adorned his broad shoulders. Despite the dark water, I could tell he was as bare as I was. We’d never been this close before.

A twitch of his lips caught my eye, and seeing his slight smirk, I couldn’t help but wet my own.

“Tell me, Sorana. What do you desire?” I didn’t know how he knew my name, but I never questioned it. After all, we were in a dream.

Reality would be different once I woke up and he ceased to exist.

“I believe you already know what I want,” I responded.

“Won’t your mate be jealous?”

“My mate isn’t here.”

“How can you be sure?”

His eyes seemed to crinkle slightly, as if he was squinting.

“Because this is a dream. You’re not real. It’s just us here. Naked in a frozen lake, surrounded by snow,” I answered.

“Perhaps you’re the one who isn’t real.”

“Let’s say I’m not real. Then my mate wouldn’t be real either, right?”

He smirked again. “Fair point.”

A comfortable silence fell between us. Unable to resist, I moved closer, wrapping my legs around his waist and claiming his mouth with mine.

His tongue met mine with a fierce hunger, pulling me closer against his chest.

The throbbing urgency of his arousal against my core sent waves of pleasure through me, drawing a moan from my lips.

He didn’t stop me. His hands roamed my back, my hair, my buttocks. It was as if he was trying to sear his touch into my skin, to leave a mark on my soul.

But he didn’t understand. He didn’t realize that his kisses and possessive touches couldn’t make my soul quake.

This was the first time our peaceful encounters at the lake, in this dream, had escalated to something more.

Even though my soul wouldn’t quake for him, my hands reveled in exploring his shoulders, running through his black hair, and reaching for the ties of his mask.

Curiosity got the better of me. My fingers found one of the ties.

Despite his passionate kisses, I felt his muscles tense. His hand gripped the back of my neck, deepening the kiss.

Without hesitation, I pulled the tie.

Just as his mask fell away, he whispered, “Sweet dreams, Sorana.”

And then he was gone, leaving me once again in the dark about his true identity.