Dark Light

30. Godsfire

WARNING: DISSOCIATION + NON-CONSENSUAL GROPING + THREATS OF RAPE/NON-CON

This chapter is also ~3,800 words long, so grab a snack and enjoy!

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

"Hungry?"

You inhaled deeply, coming back to yourself.

Eris sat on the settee across from you, then placed a bowl of fresh fruit on the table.

"How did you find me?" You leaned forward, picking through the food.

Eris smiled lopsidedly. "How did I find you? (Y/n), this is the only furnished sitting room in this castle."

Because your mouth was currently full, you covered it before you grinned. "Okay, but it's Devlon. I was expecting way worse."

Eris shrugged. "Fair enough. How's the fruit?"

"It's . . . delicious," you said, licking the juice from your fingers. "Did you get it from the kitchen?"

"Sort of?" Eris scratched his cheek. He looked so aloof and fantastical just sitting there. The sitting room had tall stained glass windows, so he was painted in a myriad of colors. "On my way over, one of the servants stopped me. She thought you may be hungry."

"Well, I am," you said with a chuckle. "Did you get her name? I'd like to thank her later."

"No, sorry," Eris said, shaking his head a bit. "You look good, by the way. Very . . . regal."

You glanced up and immediately felt proud of yourself.

The Heir to Autumn was staring at you — shamelessly.

You grinned and licked your fingers again, but this time, slowly. Carefully.

Eris gave you a heated look, about to say something, but you ended that conversation before it even began.

"Thank you," you said, giving him a pointed look. "I was going to add your gilded breastplate, but it did something weird earlier."

"Not mine. Yours," Eris clarified. You pretended your heart didn't skip a beat. "Anyway, what do mean by 'weird?'"

You straightened and smoothed out your black Illyrian leathers embroidered with silver and gold. Crossing your legs, you said, "When I tried to take it off, it just . . . snapped in the back, so it fell right off. It repaired itself, of course, but . . . I don't know. Is that normal? Does yours do that?"

Eris's amber gaze darted about as he thought to himself. "Huh. That is weird . . . Well, nothing like that's happened to me before, so . . . I don't know either. Sorry, I'm not much help now, am I? But I can ask my mother about it later."

You wanted to ask how Lady Euphenes was doing, but the light dimmed in his eyes.

You racked your head for something to say, something to cheer him up, and then—

You blurted out, "Azriel told me to sleep with you again."

Eris barked out a laugh, composed himself, and then started laughing again. He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, and then hung his head.

"I highly . . ." Eris teetered off into more giggles.

You watched, amused, as his copper-red hair slid over his shoulders, catching the light, flickering like a flame. You'd never heard him laugh like this before . . . It had you grinning like a fool.