Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Ronin nodded to himself, humming. “Fair enough. But may I make a counterproposal?”
“What counterproposal?”
Ronin snapped his fingers, and the clothes ripped off my body.
“Ah!” I cried, slapping my hands over my nakedness.
The shreds of my dress came after me. Wrapping around my arms and ankles, they lifted me off the floor and dropped me on the bed.
“Wait!” My wrists bound together, but my ankles spread apart. In mere seconds, my legs were tied to the bedposts and served up to him like a Christmas roast.
“This is my proposal.” Ronin shrugged off his jacket. “If I make you come five times in the next twenty-five minutes, the only thing I’ll break is your phone. But if I fail, you’ll get what you want.”
“Are you insane!” I kicked and flailed in my binds. “It’s not even possible for you to make me come that many times in only twenty-five minutes!” I bared my teeth at him. “You’re not nearly as good in bed as you think you are.”
“If it’s not possible, then there’s no reason for you to refuse me. You’re set to win.”
“No,” I blared. “I don’t use my body to make bets and deals, jackass. I want you nowhere near me. The idea of your hands on my body makes me puke!” The awful things he said about love and my relationship with Dora burned in my ears. “You got the only proposal from me that you’re going to get, so untie me, and fuck off!”
The madman laughed. “And if you change your mind? Can I put my hands on you then?”
“It. Won’t. Happen.”
Ronin still had his jacket in his hand. Lifting it up, he dug in the pocket and fished something out. He held it up for me to see.
“Magic potions.” The vial in his hand caught the light, reflecting its glow through the amber liquid held inside. “Demons usually don’t bother with it because brewing them takes too long, and a single mistake with the ingredients or the timing can be disastrous—even deadly. But the reward for sticking it out is actually quite worth it. Magic potions have no downside for the user because the price has already been paid by all the creatures you had to kill to create it.”
Once again, hell is the worst.
“That’s why those who do brew and sell potions can command the highest price for a single vial.” He gave his a little shake. “Two thousand gold obols for this, my pet. The most expensive gift I’ve ever bought for anyone—ever. And I bought it for you.”
“Me?” I edged away, worry leaking into my voice. “What are you talking about? What is that?”
“First”—his eyes hardened—“why don’t you tell me what that is?”
I knew without asking that he was speaking about the cut on my wrist. Santino fed from there and then sliced my skin, disguising two puncture marks to look like one cut.
“What, that?” My tone was even—calm. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch. I got it when your friend Raven was manhandling me and shoving me into walls.”
“Interesting,” he replied. “But for a cut so deep, it’s healing rather fast.”
I let nothing show on my face. Vampire saliva had healing properties. It’s why I didn’t bleed out and die the many times Radu popped open my major arteries. Radu said he couldn’t be sure if Ronin knew enough about vampires to know that.
I had a feeling he did.
“It’s not deep,” I quickly retorted. “Like I said, it was just a scratch.”
“So then this doesn’t hurt?” Ronin pressed down viciously on the wound.
“Ahh!”
Moving fast, he tipped the vial into my open mouth.
I coughed and hacked, swallowing down the surprisingly sweet-tasting potion. “What— What is that? What did you just give me?”
“You know, pet,” Ronin said, drifting out of my line of sight. I craned my neck to follow him to the armchair. “You’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m not lying, Ron—” I broke off, groaning. “Hey, seriously, what was in that vial? I’m starting... to feel...”
“To feel what exactly?”
Hot.
Heat was pooling in my belly and spreading through my extremities like ice cream melting on cobblestones.
Everything was hot, but the silk clinging to my back, legs, and neck was cold. I felt every filament and sticky gum that bound the threads together. I felt the hands that wove the dress strips tied around my wrists and ankles.
My nipples stood to attention, waving their horny flag high and proud for all to see, and they were still less shameless than the wetness collecting between my legs.
“What...” I panted, “...did you do to me?”
“I gave you the best and most potent aphrodisiac House Asmodeus brews. You’re welcome.”
“Why—” I shifted and a jolt went through me, striking directly at my core. I could’ve wept, I’d never been more turned on than I was right then. “Why would you give me this!”