Hobble her again? No. Something had happened to Roc during the battle. Something significant. He didn’t yet understand the intricacies or complications of it, whatever it was, but he knew his relationship with Taliyah was forever altered. If he had lost her today...
He stalked to her, removed the wrist cuffs and hefted her into his arms, carrying her straight to their bedroom.
28
As the Astra drew a bath, Taliyah remained in the doorway of the bathroom, caught up in an unexpected quandary. She and Roc had reached new territory today. Like, serious couple territory. She knew it. The metal was no longer an issue. They were past it. Roc was choosing to trust her to keep her end of the original bargain and stay put to fight him.
He had killed and bled for her.
He desired her more intensely than anyone else ever had.
He longed to save her. She knew that, too.
The brutal way he’d dispensed of the phantoms to rescue her... Had any male ever looked so sinfully seductive while exuding such evil intent? The warlord had attacked their foes so viciously, so savagely, he’d morphed into the monster her mother had warned her about. More frightening than the hordes—and okay, yeah, the creepiness of the phantoms had taken her by surprise. Mouths with hundreds of tiny suction cups remained wide open, at the ready.
The fiends had iced her brand, just as Erebus had. They’d attempted to feed on her. Her. One of their own. Well, almost one of their own. She was nothing like those ravenous shells.
No, not true. She was absolutely, positively ravenous. Already she could taste Roc’s power...
As soon as the number of invaders had dwindled, she’d had the distinct privilege of watching him. He’d awed her. The mastery he’d demonstrated over his body had been so complete, the fight appeared choreographed. He’d known when to go high and when to shift low, displaying the perfect ebb and flow of offense and defense.
The way he’d used his claws and three-blade to tear his victims into too many pieces to identify had been a real eye-opener for Taliyah. As skilled as she was, she realized she stood no chance against him—yet. He was faster, moving at warp speed. He was stronger by leaps and bounds. Anyone who’d come into contact with his otherworldly glow had caught fire. Not with literal flames, but mystical. So, anyone who’d come into contact with his otherworldly glow had died in unbelievable agony.
And this is the male I’ve challenged? She would have preened, if tears hadn’t welled.
He didn’t know Erebus was her father. While she refused to lie, she wasn’t ready to tell him. Not yet. This—whatever this was—was too new, her trust not yet fully established.
How would Roc react to the news?
So badly she yearned to hurl herself at him and demand everything he had to give, parting with her virginity, forgetting the complications, shedding the past and grabbing hold of the future. But she wouldn’t.
Now more than ever, harpies required a strong leader. The strongest. Enemies they’d never before faced lurked about—enemies only the granddaughter of a god could take down.
If other Generals can resist temptation, so can I.
Would Roc understand? After today, she knew there was no way he would sacrifice her. Disgust for her origins? He had none, not any longer. The man had killed hundreds of phantoms to reach her, shouting her name in panic, erupting into those mystical flames when she got injured.
Which was great—for her. But she kinda sorta didn’t want him and his men cursed, either.
Before, she’d toyed with the idea of being with him for a few months or so. To be honest, the option hadn’t really struck her as a true possibility until Roc had willingly released her from the metal. Now he had.
What should she do? Take what she could, while she could?
If Roc upended his entire world for her, he would demand everything. She had no doubts about that. He would never be satisfied with a temporary arrangement, and he certainly wouldn’t agree to a sexless pairing.
If the Astra were anything like the demon-possessed Lords of the Underworld her sisters scored, they were possessive and obsessive to the extreme. So. Yeah. Roc would insist on forever and lots and lots of sex. Taliyah would be forced to choose between her consort and her people. If he was her consort. Was he? Here, now, with his body covered in the blood of their foes, she wondered...
If only she could chat with her sisters. They would offer advice and pep talks, helping her see what she needed to see and ignore what must be ignored. They would also make fun of her for the rest of her life. When every joke was deserved, however, you just had to laugh with them.
“What is this?”
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and finding Roc in front of her, concern carved into his face.
With a small smile, she told him, “Nothing I need to decide now.”
The bathtub was partially full, the surface covered in sweet-smelling bubbles. Aw. Did the big, bad Astra sometimes enjoy a little pampering?
“If you’re debating the merits of feeding from me,” he said, “let me put your mind at ease. You will do it, no matter what. I want those gashes gone.”
See! This man could never end her. “Healing from my injuries requires blood, remember, not soul. Or, uh, seed.” They had yet to confirm if she’d sneaked past his defenses and taken his soul. Or if that little bit of seed had done the trick, when she’d licked her thumb in the shower. “My phantom side remains nourished.” Mostly.
“Doesn’t matter. You can do it now or later, but you will do it. The blood you’ll take before we settle into the bath. Come. Let’s shower off the phantoms before we enter the tub.” He said nothing else as he drew her tank over her head.
She stripped herself the rest of the way, watching as he undid his leathers. That mouthwatering erection popped free, making her belly clench. When she dropped her shorts, the firstones she’d stuffed in the pockets thudded. She planned to study them. And yeah, okay, she also kind of wanted Roc to work with them to develop an immunity to their effects. If anyone ganked him, it would be Taliyah, not phantoms or Erebus.
To her surprise, his lips curved with amusement as he lifted the shorts and walked them out of the bathroom, disappearing from view. No words of rebuke from him?
“Hey,” she called. “Those are mine.”
“I put them in a safe you can easily open. This is for our protection. I must be able to flash, especially while I’m...otherwise occupied.”
Okay. All right.
In front of her again, he lifted the key around his neck and removed her belt. “You did well out there.”
“Are you kidding? I got my butt handed to me. I’d never fought phantoms before. They disembodied and embodied at random in ways I never perfected because I was too busy pretending I was only casting illusions. Which changes now. Never again will I attempt to hide what I am.”