I hold Briar's hand gently as she takes a seat. Turning dramatically, my robes fluttering around me, I sit down and lean back, taking a glass of wine from the servant trembling next to me. The events drone on, and my attention has left the piles of souls in front of me, focusing on my next steps in resurrecting my body. After we eat, I stand and raise my glass to the court who sits watching me. The looks on their faces is the last straw, I cannot be subject to this any longer.
"Thank you all for coming," I bellow. "I will simply say, in the coming days I will have very important news concerning the future of the Underworld."
With that, I finish off my glass of wine and storm from the room, moving from the watching eyes as quickly as possible. Before I can reach the large ornate doors, the servants are scrambling to open them for me, and I can hear the clacking of the mortal running to catch up with me. I don't stop, walking through and turning right, heading back for my study.
"Kane," Briar yells out from behind me as the doors shut once again.
I slow my steps and turn to her. She catches up, out of breath, her cheeks blush. "Where are you going? The events have just begun. You should stay and watch the revelry with me."
My lip twitches and my eyes sink to her heaving breasts and back again. "The Underworld will benefit much greater from my research than from some show of clout the court wants to put on. Feel free to enjoy yourself. Represent us both."
"Kane," she says playfully, reaching out and touching my arm.
I immediately swing around, gripping her with one hand. I push her back against the wall, hidden in the shadows. My anger is ablaze and I've had all I can take from this little mortal. "You should be careful who you put your hands on."
Chapter 6
Briar
The sudden shift of personality mixes with an unexpected physical blow and I feel breathless for just a moment. Kane's hand presses against my stomach, my back arching into the cold stone wall. He stands close, his breath cascading over my cheek as he speaks in whispers to me. A streak of fear runs through me, and my hands clench into fists. I keep them firmly next to me, trying to control my movements and calm my mind. As his lips reach my ear, and his breath dances across my nerves, my tension begins to release and the heat bubbles in my stomach.
He senses my arousal, I can tell. His hand loosens just a bit, and I can feel his wet lips brush over my exposed skin. He smiles, the pull of his flesh caressing my neck as he slips his tongue from between his lips and just barely skims it down to my collarbone. My breath catches in my throat and I lean my head back, closing my eyes. The initial arousal though, quickly fades as his hand inches up, gripping my breasts tightly. Suddenly I am fearful, and I try my best not to tense, not to let him know what I'm feeling.
That once otherworldly sensual connection that I had with Kane, suddenly no longer exists. As he slides his lips back up my throat, I shudder out of fear. I only hope I can pass it off as chills from our intensity. As his mouth continues to move over me, he doesn't seem to show any notice to my inner emotion or thought. My mind is reeling, and I'm searching for that connection with Kane that I have held so close and dear to me. I know there's something different about him, I know that he's changed, but until this moment I didn't realize how far away from me he truly is.
A thought runs through my mind, one that I barely want to think about as it strikes an even deeper fear into my heart. What if, within the dark and demonic walls of Drogaem's tomb, Kane had not only changed, but become someone else? My heart shivers in my chest, and I feel as if I could crawl out of my skin just to get away from him. But I need to know. I need to know the truth.
"Kane," I whisper. "Tell me again what your vampire saliva will do to me."
He presses his lips harder to my neck and is silent for a moment as he focuses his heated desire on my hips and down my thighs. "We won't ever know unless we give it a try, will we? I imagine a mortal like you has never experienced the pure ecstasy of vampiric venom."
With his head next to mine, and his body pressing hard against me, I open my eyes wide and stare out of the shadows. There is no way that he doesn't remember the night at the party where he overdosed me with his bite. How can he? It had been a big deal. It's very obvious to me now that Kane is not himself. I don't know yet what has brought him to this point, but I do know that the man I was falling in love with, the soul that rules the Underworld, is nowhere near the same as the man who presses against me, needy and groping.
Between our lack of connection and that realization, I begin to feel nauseous. I gasp lightly and put my hands against his chest. "Kane, we cannot. Remember our oath to each other. I think it best I go back to my chambers. I'm not feeling so well anyway."
He pauses, and I can feel his lip twitch
