Ria felt her face again. She sensed that she’d awoken early during the tattooing process. No more than a single line half the length of her smallest finger had been inked into her skin. Annoying, but enough to officially mar her with another man’s mark.
“I should kill you for soliciting me for this scheme,” she said, giving the idea serious consideration.
“You would be killing your people, if you did,” said Ayisa. “You grew up as an outsider, Ria. You can’t tell me that this isn’t your dream. You can lead the Remenai against the Merinians. You can prevent little boys and girls just like you from suffering under the prejudice of the Merinians, lives of servitude, never knowing their heritage.”
“You cannot truly expect—”
“I expect you to do what needs to be done!” shouted Ayisa. “Please. Ria. You know as truly as I do that this… this is the only way.”
Ayisa held out her hand in the dark and waited. Ria hated the fact that her words rang so true. She closed her eyes, thinking of Damon and his memory, knowing that he would never wish for her to diminish herself, to shy away from who she could be, in the wake of his death.
Ria reached out slowly… and slapped Ayisa’s hand away.
“I already have a husband,” she whispered.
***
“Ria would never forgive me if I took your crest,” said Damon.
“Ria is—”
“The answer is no.”
He felt Wrath’s arms tighten around him, not in threat, but more the type of hug a lover might share in lieu of letting go.
“You think you can say no to me, Damon Al-Kendras?” she hissed.
Damon gave her hands, now clasped over his chest, a soft, almost condescending pat. He turned around within her embrace and looked her in the eyes. More importantly, he let her see his, the mess of smeared ash streaked clean in places, from tears.
“She wouldn’t want this for me,” he said. “I can’t. I won’t.”
She glowered at him and pushed him away. “Well… can we at least still be friends?”
***
Vel gasped as she came awake, sitting straight up in bed. Her nightshirt was soaked through with sweat, and a cringe rippled through her as she pulled back a similarly damp and smelly quilt.
She was back in her own body. She pinched herself, just to make sure, and then hugged her arms across her chest. Her experience of the past couple of weeks had been foggy and dreamlike. She had been aware of Malon and Keiza feeding her, and at times, taking care of other, less elegant bodily needs.
She rose to her feet on unsteady legs, intent on surprising the others. They’d be so happy to see her up and moving. Malon had been withdrawn since Damon’s departure, and while Keiza had begun speaking again, she was quieter and far more reserved than the young woman Vel had known previously.
There was so much she needed to tell her aesta. Much of it was still wispy in her mind, as tenuous as any dream, which wasn’t surprising. Vel leaned against the wall of The Rosewood Inn’s upper hallway, taking shuffling steps as she approached the door to Malon’s room.
She knocked softly, and then tried the handle. The door swung open freely.
“Aesta?”
The bed was neatly made, but nobody was sleeping in it. The room was empty, and more worryingly, Malon’s traveling pack was missing from its usual place next to the door.
“Aesta?”
THE END
Sin and Soil 10 will release on February 12th
Hey! If you enjoyed reading this book, I encourage you to leave a review on Amazon. It’s really a huge help! If you’re interested in hearing about by books as soon as they’re published, click here to sign up for my mailing list. For questions, comments, and general feedback, shoot me an email at [email protected].
Thanks for reading,
Anya
For other stories by the same author, check out
Lust Magic Fusion
Winter Spire: Sorceress of Lust
Forbidden Magic: The Gift
Magical Inheritance: Book of Sins
After the Fall: Close and Confined (Taboo Erotica)
Last Man Alive: Complete and Uncut (Taboo Erotica)
Temptation Island: The Complete Collection (Taboo Erotica)
Sin and Soil 9 Page 20
