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July 20 - July 22, 2025
The blood mage across the table smirked knowingly, mimicked gripping onto himself with a fist, and pumped his hand at the edge of the table. Damien growled in the back of his throat, pointed to himself, dragged his finger across his own throat, and jabbed it at Xander. Licking his lips, Xander only grinned wider and nodded, more intensely working the hand gesture.
Xander’s arcane blade dissolving—he never could keep it up for very long—and
The baby began to properly squall. “Amma, do something.” She held her hands out. “Like what?” “Why are you asking me? Shouldn’t you know?” Amma’s hands fell back to her sides, and all the anxiety went out of her voice. “Why would I know, Damien?” He glanced back to the chamber through the door’s crack, still empty, but for how long with the spawn’s cries rising? “Because you’re, you know, kind and…and nurturing? Also you happen to have breasts.” Amma glared at him and poked herself in the chest. “These aren’t working, they’re just for show!” “I just, I mean—” Damien rubbed his forehead, the
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“Well, I am a dark lord, Lady Ammalie. The son of Zagadoth the Tempestuous, Ninth Lord of the—” “Your dad’s stuck in a crystal,” she said, waving at him and wandering off. “Save it for next time.”
He looked at her from the corner of his eye, fighting off a smile. “You are my captive, after all. No one’s touching you but me.”
“If you find yourself cold tonight,” said Damien as he focused intently on a patch of the ground that couldn’t have been nearly as interesting as he made it seem, “you can, um…you should let me know.”
“Amma?” Her eyes popped back open. “Yes?” “The thing I said, about killing you if I find you too irritating?” Damien cleared his throat. “That was a…a joke.” She clicked her tongue. “I know. That’s why I laughed.” “I just would like to confirm that you completely understand.” There was patience levied in his voice along with a strain as he struggled for the words. “Feel free to be, you know, as irritating as you like without fear of imminent death.” Kaz retched from the shadows. Amma giggled lightly. “Yes, Damien, I do understand. Thank you,” she said, and this time she meant it.
“It’s a game,” said Ivory. “We sort of tell one another a story and take on the roles of the people in that story. The goal is to see who can survive the longest while doing the most good deeds—you know, the kinds that usually get you killed. It’s called Innkeepers and Imbeciles, and it’s great practice for reacclimating to the world.”
Apparently Damien wasn’t quite drained of as much blood as he’d thought,
“Do you intend to defend my honor, Baroness?” Amma’s shadow fell still, and then she shifted to lay back down, her form disappearing from the drapes. “Well, someone should if need be.”
Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne was the son of a demon, a demon who was imprisoned by the king of her realm, and she was ordered to marry another man for the supposed good of her barony and people. But, gods, did she want this man instead.
She curled up in a chair with the most promising one and finished off a story that really had no use for plot but did an extraordinary job of immersing her into the lasciviousness of a relationship neither character had any business being in.
There was nothing to be afraid of, she realized, not here and not anywhere. Not when they were together.
words were meant to make women dangerous—that was, in fact, one of the best things they did.
“You ingested a potion from a stranger so that you could come in here and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise. I would say that’s actually very, very bad.”
“I’m pained by what you’re forcing me to do to you, my sweet Ammalie, but I do appreciate how easy you make yourself to deceive when you’re aroused.” “Deceive?” Her contented grin faltered. “I know, it’s not very nice, deception,” he said, hand cupping the side of her face and thumb running over her bottom lip, “but you should remember what I told you when we first met: I’m not very nice.”
With a flick of his hand, the candle on the side table lit itself again, and he sat back as if he were not reclining next to a nearly nude woman, tied up, helpless, and begging him to do whatever he wanted with her. He opened the book, and the jerk actually began to read.
“Amma, the only thing that is clear is that I prefer your company, even when you are infuriating, to an entire cave full of vampires. I’d like nothing more than to be with you, but not when you’ve had to coerce yourself into it by way of magic. I do want you, but not like this.”
“Gods, Damien, for goodness’s sake, that’s so stupid and noble! Please just take advantage of me!”
In just a moon, your painfully sweet voice has challenged all of my darkest thoughts, your wildly inaccurate yet optimistic outlook has clouded my sight, and your incessant kindness to me—to someone who deserves not a drop of your patience and affection and good will—has undone twenty-seven years of training to be evil. For darkness’s sake, woman, you’ve made me good, and believe when I say that it feels like falling interminably through the Abyss every moment I am not burying my cock in you, but I could not bear it if you woke tomorrow and thought I had hurt you.”
“I would just gladly be swallowed by endless darkness upon endless darkness if it meant not hurting you because I have never cared so deeply for another being. I cannot explain or understand how you have broken me in this way, but you have made me feel…things that are maddening.”
“Also,” he said with a hitch, “engaging in such intimate activities would be unwise when the horses likely will not be waiting for us when we emerge from the karsts.” Amma’s body sank into the blankets, exhaustion sweeping over her. “What’s that got to do with anything?” “If I do to you what you want me to do, you’re not going to be able to walk for at least a week, and I’m not carrying you through The Wilds.” “Is that supposed to be discouraging?”
“Sanguinisui, forget this night.” Damien would then pause, shrug, and add, “Sanguinisui, actually do remember this night but only as a dream.”
“Where too?” Amma’s voice was lighter the moment they exited the mouth of the cave, sunshine falling on her as she took a deep breath of fresh air. She likely didn’t even know, the way she threw her head back and smiled up at the sky, and Damien was lost. Where too, indeed.
Amma sprinted ahead, her hand leaving his, and with it a tug at his chest.
He chuckled as he made his way over to where she was heaping praise on both horses in a sugary, sincere voice because of course she was, she knew no other way to speak to dumb creatures, which was appropriate as dumb creatures seemed to like it quite a bit. He certainly did.
Darkness, what he would do to get a hold of something as solid as a list of Amma’s desires when she were completely in her own mind, free of intoxication and magic.
This is the only place I’ve ever been able to access The Everdarque.” Dread knocked on the back of her spine at that. “The Everdark?” “No, the Everdarque,” he repeated, slowly. “Yeah, that’s what I said.
by the sixth day, she was beginning to worry she would never get it which was rather silly—six days wasn’t long enough to do anything, even for a heroine, but Amma didn’t know this about herself.
I missed you, ran through her mind, unable to be spoken when the words mingled so complexly with the more amorous ones, I want you.
“Have they been good to you here?” The threat in his tone sent a shiver through her. “Yes, of course. And were they kind to you, or do I need to put a crossbow bolt between someone’s eyes?” He let out a single, low laugh. “Darkness, no, but be careful with those offers—I might concoct some falsehood just to see you do it.”
CHAPTER 24 A COURT OF ICE AND IRRATIONALITY
The shadows amongst the trees deepened, the sounds slipping into night, and he could only wait in the spot he’d been left in, sitting on the ground, hoping she would eventually turn around. He wanted to believe that she would because she was kind and sweet and forgiving, but it was unjust and stupid to think Amma had no limit to her patience,
Damien glared up at the broken branches he’d hit on the way down. “I don’t know what Amma sees in you,”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Damien stepped away from the stream of piss landing an inch from his boot, and the young man stumbled back from the hulking, black-cloaked blood mage before him. He might have screamed, might have even pulled out his sword, if there weren’t a root right behind his feet, but instead the guard tripped, landed flat on his back, and then failed to move at all. Damien waited a moment, nudged the fallen man’s leg, and realized the dumb kid had knocked himself out. “Well, suppose I’ll take that one for free.”
Amma was in his arms, she was safe, she was kissing him, and he was complete.
“You came for me,” she whispered up against his mouth. His fingertips grazed her temple, smoothing away hair that had fallen in her face, and he pressed another kiss to her lips. “You called. How could I not?”
