Page 42 of The Thren's Fated

“Does my pet need something?” he mused, a smirk curling his mouth.

Lena crossed her arms over her chest, steeling herself.

“What am I doing here?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

Screl stood and made his way over to her with a look of amusement on his face. It made her swell with rage, the way he toyed with her, acted like he wanted her when he was just as eager to get rid of her as all the others.

“Was last night not obvious enough?”

The deep timbre of his voice sent a shudder through her, and she tried to rein it in, not wanting him to see how badly he affected her.

“No, it wasn’t. You don’t need me for your sick little fantasies. You could have hired an escort for that.”

Screl’s smile was gone in an instant, replaced with a glare.

“You are not an escort.”

“Then what am I?” Lena paused, recalling last night. “What does amoreth mean?”

His eyes widened, and a tentacle shot out, wrapping around her throat like a vice. He didn’t squeeze, just forced her to meet his icy glower.

“Do not say that word again.”

“Why? You said it last night. I want to know what⁠—”

Screl leaned down, silencing her with a kiss.

In an instant, it was as if all her bones were liquified, every worry flitting from her mind like a butterfly floating on a breeze. Twin tongues tickled her lips, and tentacles absorbed her, wrapping around her body and mussing up her hair.

Lena stood on her tiptoes, circling her arms around his shoulders, and a second later his hands were on her ass and lifting her into the air. She linked her ankles behind his back, deepening the kiss and taking in the sensations of his scent, his warmth, the peace infiltrating her as they embraced.

Without thinking, she started grinding against his firm abs, the ridges rubbing deliciously against her clit, the slippery fabric of her dress easing her way. A tentacle snaked between her legs, prodding at her back entrance, which jolted her back to awareness.

“I know what you need, little one,” Screl growled against her lips, a feral sound that tingled every one of her nerves.

“Do you?” Lena asked, her words coming out in a rasp. “You left me.”

He cocked his head, four eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Yesterday. After we…” she trailed off, desperate to look away, though those glimmering eyes made it impossible.

Was he hypnotizing her?

It had to be the pheromones that were making her so irrational, forcing her to admit her vulnerability in a way she’d never done with anyone else.

“Ah. Do you wish to share a bed with me? You need me to whisper sweet nothings while you fall asleep in my arms?”

There was a smirk on his face, but a crack in his voice, something underneath the layer of levity he was trying to trick her with. She attempted to squirm out of his arms, but all he did was walk them toward his bed, sitting so she straddled his waist.

“Let go of me,” she growled, yanking her arms away from his neck, though her wrists were immediately restrained behind her back with two tentacles.

There was a blaze in his blue eyes as he stared her down, and it felt like he was peering into her soul.

“Shall I call the guard? Have him return you to your room?”

Like a dagger to her heart, a sharp pain infiltrated her chest and electrified her limbs. She should leave, yes, that would certainly be the wiser decision, but something in her scorned the thought.

Despised it.