“Do you think that went well?”
The question didn’t give Rena pause. It was an easy answer. “The Silver love and respect you, Faris. You have led wisely and with kindness from the moment of King Tora’s death.”
He leaned down and dragged his nose across hers, his hair falling about their faces and the pillow. “Except with you.”
Kissing him short and quick, Rena leaned back on the bed and stroked his forearms braced by her head. “What happened to us was different. We’ve already talked about it and it is behind us.”
Relief crashed in his gaze and he dove down to kiss her much more thoroughly than Rena had kissed him. She sucked on the tongue invading her mouth and was rewarded by his deep groan.
Entwining her legs about his hips, Rena pulled Faris completely down until their bodies molded together. Full contact had her eyes closing on a muffled moan. Nothing compared to having their bodies glide against one another, skin to skin.
“I missed you,” Faris murmured between kisses.
“We were just together earlier.” Rena smiled and nipped his bottom lip.
Faris laughed. “So long ago, I barely remember what you feel like coming on my cock.”
She slapped his shoulder, the silliness of the moment adding to her joy at having everyone aware again of what they’d been to one another.
His eyes darkened. The familiar warm gold tones vanishing until two dark pools of empty blackness stared down at her. A taunting smirk appeared on his lips. “When I shove you on my cock, I will rip your chest open and feast on your blood.”
Rena froze, a chill rolling down her spine. Her mind struggled with the rapid switch of lighthearted fun to the words just whispered to her. “What?!”
Faris responded with a deep, menacing laugh as he propped up above her and smiled. His shaft brushed her inner thigh as he leaned forward. “Will you cry for me as your body ripples with ecstasy in its death throes?”
“Faris, stay with me.” She gripped his face in her hands in an effort to pull him back. “This is the madness speaking.”
“Let. Go,” he snapped, voice gone flat.
Shivering, Rena dropped her arms. When she met his gaze, he blasted her with an arctic stare that gleamed with a hatred so vile Rena wanted to leap from the bed and defend herself. This wasn’t her Faris. This was the monster spreading through the sect.
***
Shock and fear bloomed on Rena’s face. It delighted Faris in a way he couldn’t explain. She didn’t know him.
Kill.
Maim.
Destroy.
“Come back, Faris.”
With monumental effort, Faris wrenched away from the vortex threatening to suck him under. His body lost its rigid form as he settled against Rena
He owed her an apology. Many. “I didn’t mean those things. They weren’t my thoughts.”
How many times would he be able to use that excuse until it became untrue? It felt like his thoughts.
“Don’t let the madness win.” Rena continued to watch him with a steadfast stare he couldn’t hope to match.
Faris kissed her warm and soft on the mouth. She eased back on the bed, stroking the row of scales on his back. “Is it winning, Rena?”
Faris wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure of anything.
“Not if we don’t let it,” Rena said with a cautious look.
Faris didn’t want to take the risk. He drew back, but Rena locked her ankles about the back of his thighs. She continued to caress his sides except it didn’t appease the beast. Like an apparition, the need grew. More. He wanted more, but Rena was holding him back.
In anger, he shot a glare at the warm body pumping against his in slow motion. Enticing. She attempted to entice him.
Focusing, Faris directed a stream of power in her direction. The mantle responded instantly and drops of ice formed in her hair. Mists puffed from each breath he took. Perfect. Faris cocked his head to the side. If he wanted, he could freeze her to death. Watch as she withered like a dying flower on a vine.
Inhaling sharply, Faris jerked back. No! He didn’t want to watch anything happen to Rena.
“Make love with me, Faris.” Rena dragged her tongue up the column of his throat.
“Always.” But deep inside, Faris knew this would be his last time with Rena. “It has always been you, Rena. Only ever you.”
He lifted his right hand to sift through her hair. “No one will love you as I have loved you for all these years.”
Tears appeared in her eyes and she sniffed on a smile. “Then don’t stop now.”
She was holding on to her faith and belief in him. When Faris succumbed Rena would break. He knew this as sure as he knew his own name. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to dream of killing the one you love?”
Rena’s lips trembled then firmed. “You won’t hurt me, Faris.”
Such faith. She had no idea of what he’d been contemplating. Faris hardened his heart to the plea in her gaze. He pushed up and away from her. The covers slid to the floor. “You have to return to your place, Rena. I can’t live with the chance I might tear you to shreds.”
She flinched and Faris nodded. Now she was catching on. “I want to feast on your blood, drain you as I rip your beating heart from your chest.”
He told her the worst of what the voices wanted him to do leaving nothing out.
Rena paled, but rolled toward him on the bed, not away. “That’s the madness. The man I love will surround me with his love, wrap me in his strength and protect me from any harm.”
She blasted him with her sincerity, causing Faris to doubt his fear. “Rena, you’re asking me to risk the only thing I truly care about.”
Not the mantle. Not the sect. Her.
A slight curve tipped the corners of her lips. “I love you, Faris. I’ll take the risk for you again and again.”
Pain and yearning smashed through his defenses. He bowed over her, tracing his lips over her temple. “I love you, amans.”
Rena brushed at his face, her touch one of healing. The raw edge of desire surged to the forefront of his mind. Faris went with it, more comfortable with this than dealing with his inevitable end if Rylin and the others didn’t come up with the answer to save him and his people. He lunged over Rena, tumbling her backward on the bed. Her grin and opened arms reassured him that she was ready and willing.
Faris went crazy, determined to ignore the voice still whispering at the back of his mind. Feral snarls slid free as he rammed into Rena’s wet passage deep and hard. She gasped and whimpered then cried and begged for more.
Thrust. Withdraw. Thrust. Faris knotted the sheets in his fists as he moved in and out of Rena. She clenched around his cock, her gasp and cries growing wilder as he quickened his pace. His hips had a mind of their own. Faris wanted to go slow, to shower her in orgasms.
He couldn’t. It was always like this. Fast, furious and hard. But full of love.
Did she experience that with the other males she’d taken to her bed? A low growl rumbled forth. Did Rena give to them what she gave to Faris?
The darkness rose like a tidal wave.
Kill. Her.
Kill her now.
Think of Rena. Think of Rena. Wild and fierce. Full of passion. Faris clung to her, kissing her face, her throat and lastly her mouth. Rena raked her nails down his shoulders, rocking back and forth on his shaft, wetness leaking between their legs.
Rena.
Light to his dark.
The voices dimmed and Faris held firm to the image of Rena. The flirty smile on her pink lips, the sharp cheekbones and her stubborn chin.
Kil—
“I love you, Faris.”
Gone. The voice winked out and his mind was his own once more. Beneath him, Rena screamed as her orgasm rocked through her. Faris’ cock twitched then pulsed inside her slick passage and release slammed into him as he roared her name and collapsed atop her sweaty form.
How much longer did he have? The question br
ought with it a renewed sense of urgency. And dread. The dread followed Faris long into the night.
Chapter 16
Faris woke to the sound of choking. The room was dark, his curtains opened the slimmest crack to let in a glimmer of light. What had shaken him from a sound sleep? Faris glanced down. He was crouched over Rena, one hand clamped about her throat. “No!”
He released her and leaped from the bed, falling to the floor in his haste. Rena was right behind him, hair disheveled as she kneeled beside him and reached out. Faris scrabbled backward, his heart in his throat at what he’d almost done.
Then to his horror and surprise, he laughed. “Should have fucking killed you.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
Faris laughed again, the sound raising the hair on his nape. “Almost. Almost killed you.”
Rena paled and placed a hand on his chest. “Listen, Faris. This isn’t you. It’s the madness talking.”
His laughter cut off abruptly and Faris glared as he sat up. He ignored the confusion on her face and blocked his inner Dracol pushing to protect Rena. She needed no protection. When he spoke, it was with a thousand echoes as he pulled on the mantle for strength. “Back away, whore. Now!”
Rena jumped over his seated form and straddled his thighs. Her face lost its befuddled expression and she gave no regard to her naked body as she leaned in close. “Fight it, Faris!” You’re the fucking King of the Silver.”
Faris exhaled roughly, the laughter—the darkness held sway despite his best efforts to fight it. He closed his eyes, needing a moment to focus. To concentrate. A sharp yank on his hair urged him to open his eyes.
“Faris!”
“Let me be, Rena.” Clarity glimmered for a brief moment. His fucking hand had been around Rena’s throat. Faris’ head fell back to hit the wall behind him, ignoring the twinge of pain at the roots of his hair caused by Rena’s tight grip.
Kill her.
Now.
Rip her head off.
Shred her to pieces.
Rena leaned close, face to face, her scent filling his nostrils. “No! You are mine, Faris. My heart claimed you years ago and I’ve never set you free.”
Rena’s snarled declaration gave him strength. Faris blinked and tried to focus his hazy vision. If only the voices would shut up. Her face glowed with determination.
The chanting voices rose, drowning out the cries of his sect. He slammed his palms to his ears and roared. “Not my thoughts!”
“You’re mine, Faris! Say it! Say it!” Rena planted a hand on his chest, pushing him back to the ground as his body arched.
Faris gritted his teeth and stared at her amber eyes. They fueled his best dreams and his worst nightmares. Rena. “I’m...yours.”
“Yes, you fucking are.” She smiled and her fingers slipped from his hair coming to rest on his cheek. She stroked softly, the gesture at odds with her harsh tone. “Fight for me, Faris because I’m fighting for y-you.”
Her voice broke on the last word and Faris felt his heart cracking in his chest. The knowledge that he was the reason she was sad was like a leaden weight. All these years he’d pushed her away to save her. And now he’d almost killed her.
“Rena, I—” Faris stopped. Terror slammed into him, visions spilling over one after the other. Blood. So much blood as Rena slumped in his arms, her stomach ripped open.
Faris gagged and rolled to the side, careful to push Rena from his hips and set her beside him. Weakly, he staggered to his feet. “Have...to...get out.”
He grabbed his leather pants, dressed as fast as he could and raced out of his house. Need to be far away. Have to get away.
***
Rena had never been so scared in her life. Heart pounding, she threw her clothes on in a haphazard manner and jammed her feet into her boots to chase after Faris. The front door slammed as she hit the hall running at top speed.
Waking with his hand about her throat had been terrifying but no more so than not being able to wake him. The eyes that had stared into hers were filled with malevolence and amusement at her plight.
Outside, a crowd was drawn by Faris roaring into the night. He shifted into his Dracol form then back to his physical self. Each time he shuddered, head bowed to the ground as he panted. Frozen darts of ice fell from his mouth. Steam billowed from his naked body as if he was overheated.
Rena drew close, careful in her approach. As she neared Faris, she kept an eye on those watching the deterioration of their respected king. She gestured at familiar faces, warning them with a glance to stay back.
“How can we help, Rena?” Shela murmured.
Her friend was dressed in a shirt and underwear, legs and feet bare. Beside her a tall male with dark hair also stood half-dressed.
“Keep everyone back. Send someone for my sword from my house.”
More and more doors opened as others soon joined them. The rage flowing through the mantle had probably awakened everyone. Faris for his part seemed to be oblivious to the attention he was drawing. He muttered under his breath and paced back and forth. Occasionally, his head would jerk up and he’d snarl, scales forming along his arms and claws at the tips of his fingers.
For the first time, Rena was truly witnessing the full effect of the madness. If this was how he suffered internally, she wasn’t sure how he’d managed.
“What should we do? I’ve already summoned the other kings.”
Simeon walked up next to Rena. He was fully dressed in a silver tunic and pants but shoeless. He would have heard Faris storm from the house.
“Faris said he had a plan in place for this. What did he want done?”
Simeon shook his dark head. “After hearing him declare his love for you and feeling it through the mantle, you don’t want to know.”
Rena fisted her hands at her sides, gaze on the man she loved standing in the middle of his sect and no way near in control. She pushed back the roiling sensation of the mantle and ignored the pulses of fear Faris unknowingly or perhaps knowingly sent out. “I’m going to see if I can reach him. Maybe it will give us time until King Rylin and the others arrive.”
Chapter 17
Faris whimpered. A masculine whimper, but a whimper nonetheless. It was spreading and this time he couldn’t stop it. Knowledge of the inner battle he waged didn’t help. The madness rolled over him in a wave. Deep from within, the mantle churned, shoving power to him at a level he’d never felt before. Not even when he’d risen as king.
He liked it.
The energy surged with no ending, burning his core. Burning. Agony. Faris arched back his neck and roared to the skies.
It burned sooo good.
Power crashed into him and Faris staggered back as he grasped every bit. More. He needed more.
And the mantle responded. Yes. The scales down his back lit with a stinging pleasure, bulging against his skin. Faris grinned.
“This,” he hissed under his breath.
This was how it was meant to be all along. Darkness descended and cloaked his mind. Faris laughed. Steps came near. Who dared? When he lifted his head, he stared directly into eyes of purest gold, the fractures of her heart clear to see. Good. Let her pain feed my soul.
“Faris, this isn’t you. Don’t let it win.”
Win. Yes. He wanted to win. He growled at her, angry when she didn’t flinch nor move back.
“I need you.” She extended an arm in his direction. “Come back, amans.”
Lover. Faris stiffened. Recognition broke through, the thin sliver disrupting his race to total domination. “Rena?”
She smiled tremulously and stepped forward. Closer to him. Rage built. Faris thrust a hand out, throwing jagged spears of ice. They embedded into the ground in an even row between them. “No!”
Proving to be as smart as he knew her to be, Rena stopped but kept up the litany of pleas. She spoke of love, of their past.
Faris’ thoughts clouded. Memories plucked at the chords of love she tried to string togethe
r. He shouldn’t listen to her. She’d taken other lovers. They’d known the touch of her body, the sweetness of her kisses.
Had she called them amans? A low rumbling growl tore from his throat. Making his voice deliberately cutting, Faris said, “Whore. Lover of many. Mouth full of lies.”
“You don’t mean that, Faris. It’s the madness.”
What did she know? He snorted and remembered all the males she’d taken to her bed. Penance. She needed to pay penance for betraying him. The more he thought on it, the more Faris realized she didn’t really love him. Otherwise, she would have remained as faithful as he had.
Faris straightened. And if he couldn’t trust her, it meant she sought to trick him. Rena was the enemy. The thought solidified. This was more believable than her impassioned plea for him to ignore the surplus of power flooding his veins.
The truth settled in his gut, madness gaining another hold, but Faris didn’t mind. He let it consume him and searched the mantle for one specific thing.
All it took was a snip. In a blink, he severed the thread to Rena, the last vestige of the love he’d born for her. Several of the Silver fell with him. Faris knew it deep down in his bones and laughed with joyous pleasure. Yes! This was so much better.
Fear chased the concern from the expression of those around him. Good. Save their pity for someone who needed it. They sensed how great he was now. Faris shifted, welcoming the added power of his inner Dracol. In this form, he was indestructible. Five other Silver shifted to their Dracol form as well. Good, the ones he’d pulled under knew what needed to be done.
“Faris, no!”
He turned to see the red-haired female extend a hand in his direction, desperation in her eyes. He roared and ice shot out of his mouth just missing her. The gold tint to her skin blanched as she stumbled back, almost tripping over her feet. But not enough to warrant his concern. Faris rumbled in amusement.
Foolish.
He turned toward the males seeking to edge close. The mantle connected him to each beating heart, each mind within crushing distance. One single thought and he could destroy them.
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