“Why?”
“I don’t subscribe to the righteous notion most people strive for.”
“Don’t I know it. You’re more interested in chaos and mayhem.”
A smile stretches his lips and I’m momentarily distracted from the board. All I can do is stare as light twinkles in his normally dead eyes, sending streaks of brightness within. It’s not his usual taunting smirk with a dash of sardonic irony. This is possibly the closest thing I’ve seen to a smile on his sculpture-like face.
And I don’t mean he has a sharp jaw but that he’s really as frigid and emotionless as his statues.
“Touché.”
I clear my throat and then sign, “How about you do something different for a change? You can start with small steps.”
“Such as?”
“Stop kidnapping people and taking them to places against their will, maybe?”
“But how else will I have your full attention that’s not muddied with either babysitting Maya or following the Heathens like a lost puppy?” He pushes his second rook, again putting it in an obviously volatile position. “Not to mention the unnecessary time you’ve spent with my brother. Spoiler alert, the girls prefer me over him.”
“Well, they’ve made the mistake of their lives. Bran is much more likable than you. In fact, you’re on different planets and don’t even compare.” I narrow my eyes on the rook.
What’s he playing at? There must be a secret move that he’s trying to pull, but what is it? He already lost his other rook, and it’s downright reckless to sacrifice the second one just after.
“And yet it’s my fingers you came all over and it’s my cum that decorated your pretty little face.”
I jerk up, my attention flying to him. His features are overshadowed by the candles’ dim light and pure sadism. The cocky smirk slips back onto his face with a vengeance. All of a sudden, he seems bigger and darker than I recall, as if he gained a few inches of height in the span of seconds.
“Stop talking to me like that,” I sign.
“Like what?”
“Like I’m your toy.”
“I prefer my future fuck doll.”
“More like your Grim Reaper, because I’ll slice your throat while you sleep.”
He laughs. “You’re such a menace, I want to gobble you up.”
“I’ll give you indigestion, asshole.”
“Worth it, muse.”
“Not sure you’ll think the same when you’re drowning in a pool of blood.”
“Blood. Yum. You just keep ticking all the kink boxes today.” He pretends to be shocked. “Did you do your research on me, after all?”
“Not even if you were the last man available.”
“Last man available to everyone? No. To you? Highly likely.”
I shake my head even as I make my move, choosing not to knock off the rook so that I won’t fall for his possible trap.
My body hums with inexplicable energy, a type I’ve never had while playing chess, even with the most skilled players I’ve had the honor to face.
The strong emotions nearly burst at the seams with every passing second, and it terrifies the shit out of me.
I haven’t had such a visceral reaction since that doomed day. Only, now, it’s fundamentally different and confusingly exciting. In fact, this feeling is similar to when I gasped, recoiled, and rode his fingers to orgasm.
Or when he thrust in and out of my mouth and used me to reach his peak.
It’s an addicting frenzy that I want more of, but I’m also judging myself too hard for wanting this from psycho Landon.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I sign. “Also, what’s with all the candles? Are they for your demon friends who are sitting on your shoulders and whispering nasty things?”
“They’re for my foul-mouthed demon lady.”
My brow furrows. “I don’t like candles.”
“But you don’t like the dark—a piece of information I discovered last night when you momentarily lost your marbles. I suppose that has to do with the reason you refuse to let the world hear your voice.”
My lips part and I stare at him as if he’s an alien who came with the sole purpose of wiping out humanity.
“Your face says you’re wondering how I know. Reading people comes naturally to me; they’re rather predictable and dreadfully boring.” He pauses, lips thinning as if he doesn’t want to admit what follows. “You’re not. Predictable and boring, I mean. Because even though I desiccated your fear, I’m still unable to figure out the reason behind it. I’m impressed. Others wouldn’t have lasted more than a few hours in your position, but you’re still going strong. I applaud the determination.”