Vanquished Gods (Hallowed Games #2)

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

M y mind cast back to the place where my tincture always stood, just by my bedside table. It hadn’t been in its usual place. I was sure of it.

Regardless, I’d grown way too comfortable there.

“Maelor,” Sion said, his voice low. Then again, more slowly: “ Maelor .”

Cold magic chilled the air, and fear prickled over my skin.

“Should I run?” I whispered to Sion.

“No,” Sion said, eyes darkening. “If you run, you will die.”

Now my heart slammed against my ribcage.

In the next moment, in a blur of darkness, Maelor lunged for me. Faster than a heartbeat, he pulled me from my chair, one hand around my lower back, his fangs at my throat.

Fear spiraled through me as his fangs started to pierce my neck, sharp as blades, driving deep into my vein. Before I even had the chance to scream, an unrelenting force pulled him off me.

In a whirlwind of fury, Sion lifted Maelor into the air and threw him through an open window with a ferocious force.

My stomach plummeted, and I ran to the window, peering outside as Maelor’s body fell to the rocks far beneath us.

“What did you do?” I whispered.

I gripped my throat where Maelor had bit me, and blood dripped between my fingers, onto the stones.

“He’ll be fine,” said Sion. “He’ll recover. But if I hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve ripped your throat open.”

I turned back to Sion and Lydia, my heart thundering.

Lydia had gone pale. “Sorry, I really did think it was safe. Thought they controlled it better.” She cleared her throat. “You know, I might just sneak back to Veilcross Haven.”

I turned and peered out the open window again, my breath hitching at what I saw—or more accurately, what I didn’t see. Thick shadows pooled around the base of the tower, but I saw no sign of Maelor.

I whipped back around to face Sion, my mind spinning. “He’s already gone.”

Sion yanked the ring off his finger and shoved it into Lydia’s hand. “Take this to Aelius. He’ll be in the Great Hall. He’ll know it’s from me.” His voice was deep, commanding. “Tell him to send out a retinue to find Maelor. Now. The gates are shut, but I want men guarding them and patrolling the outer walls. Tell them the thralls need protection, too, and you’ll need at least twelve soldiers to get you home safely.”

Lydia nodded, gripping the ring like her life depended on it, then hurried out. I stood there, my hand still pressed to my neck, feeling the warmth of my blood soaking into the fabric of my dress, staining the white.

Sion’s gaze shifted back to me, his eyes dark and dangerous. He prowled forward, slowly and deliberately, his focus never leaving mine. Every step he took sent a thrill of something wild down my spine.

“You’re in luck, Elowen, because vampires can heal with our mouths as easily as we can hurt.”

I took a step away from him, my back resting against the cool stone of a column. “You really think I want to let a vampire get anywhere near my throat after that?”

“I won’t hurt you. I promise.” His voice was a dark caress edged with a dangerous intensity. Embers of gold smoldered in the darkness of his eyes.

He closed the distance between us, and I should’ve moved. But gods—I didn’t want to.

“Don’t worry, Elowen,” he whispered, his words sliding over me like honey. “I’m not going to hurt you, love.”

The word love fell from his lips like a wicked secret, making warmth spread over my skin.

I couldn’t tear my gaze from his face—the way the moonlight painted him in silver, every perfect angle making my breath catch. He was too beautiful. Too hypnotic. His magic wrapped around me like a spell, something primal and heady, making me feel more drunk than I was.

“Healing, that’s all we’re doing,” I managed to murmur, though the heat pulsing between us said otherwise.

“Of course.”

His gaze dropped to my throat, and my heart slammed against my ribs. The air between us sizzled as he slid his hand around my waist, the heat of his touch branding me through the thin fabric of my dress. His other hand tugged mine away from my neck, his eyes still locked on my throat, both desire and hunger simmering there.

Without even thinking about it, I leaned back, baring my neck like an offering. It’s what vampires did—they made you want them to bite you, to give yourself over to them. It wasn’t even a fight.

So, when his lips brushed my skin, softly, tentatively, I didn’t pull away. Instead, I melted, my body turning to liquid fire under his touch. What defense did I have against him, really?

Already, my heart was pounding, my skin tingling. As his tongue slid over my throat in slow, deliberate strokes, heat swept through my core, spreading like molten desire through my blood.

My arms found their way over his broad shoulders, my fingers threaded into his hair. I pulled him closer, his magnetism radiating over me as his powerful body pressed against mine. Pleasure rushed through me, a wild need coursing through my body. I could imagine him taking me there, now, his body pressing me against the column, my legs around his waist.

In fact, one leg already seemed to be hooked around him, and my dress was riding up.

When he pulled back, his eyes locked on mine, blazing with raw, carnal need. His lips pressed against mine, the kiss starting softly, teasingly, but quickly turning possessive. Demanding. He kissed me like he owned me, like I was his and always would be. His tongue claimed mine, a searing heat that sent shivers down my spine. On my lifted thigh, his hand slid beneath the slit of my dress, gripping the curve of my backside, his fingers digging in with delicious pressure.

Tangling my fingers in his hair, I pulled him even closer, my body arching against him. His growl rumbled through me, making my thighs clench with need.

Gods, I needed this dress off. I needed him .

My nipples tightened against the thin silk of my dress, and heat pooled low in my belly, aching for more. For all of him.

When he finally broke the kiss, his teeth grazed my lower lip, and the sharp jolt of pleasure had my body trembling.

“More,” I whispered, barely able to breathe.

His eyes blazed with a wicked hunger. “So desperate for me now, my witch. But wasn’t it all about healing just a few moments ago?”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, snapping reality back into focus. My heart pounded in my chest, and the name Rowena echoed in my mind. He wasn’t kissing me like I was just another conquest—but wasn’t that exactly what this was?

I loosened my fingers from his hair, forcing myself to breathe, trying to slow the racing of my pulse. I pulled my leg away from him, as if dousing myself in ice-cold water could somehow freeze the heat that still lingered on my skin. Just that morning, he’d been with someone else. Of course he had—he was a vampire king, not someone who stuck around. He wasn’t exactly husband material, was he?

“Right,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Well, that was the amoris.”

A line creased his brow, the gold in his eyes starting to return as he stared at me like I’d just spoken in tongues. “What the fuck is amoris ?”

“The vampire magic that turns people on.” I folded my arms, trying to force the lusty thoughts from my mind.

The confusion on his face slowly morphed into something else—delight. A slow, wicked smile curled his lips. “Is that what you think this was?”

“It’s true. I just experienced it.” My words were a little sharper than I’d intended.

Sion’s smile deepened, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Except it’s not a thing, witch. What you just experienced was me. Only me. Sion.”

I continued trying to gather myself, smoothing my dress as I stepped back, putting some space between us. I could feel the flush creeping up my neck. “We’ll have to agree to disagree.”

“Sure. Amoris .” Clearly, he was enjoying this far too much. “By the way, I’ll be staying in your room tonight.”

The clarity that had been slowly slipping back into my mind sharpened all at once. Whatever this was—this pull between us— it didn’t change the facts. I had to keep him at arm’s length, no matter how beautiful or intoxicating he was.

I shook my head. “We might be allies, Sion, but you’re not staying in my bed.”