The Tangled Tree Read online

  ‘Punish me?’ I demanded. ‘How? By taking me into that special room with the whips and chains?’

  ‘I don’t need to chain you up to get you to submit to me,’ Kohén whispered, kissing my lower lip, then my chin, then the underside of my jaw. My thighs clenched around his cock when I felt it throb, and something inside me throbbed in response. ‘But I plan on punishing you by making you cry out my name as many times as your heart cried out for his.’ He kissed my neck, and slid himself in and out of the gap between my thighs, sliding his cock against my clitoris like a violinist with a bow. ‘How many times was it, Larkin?’ he whispered, coming back to maul my mouth with his as his erection began to pump in and out of the tight space between my thighs- bringing pleasure to one place that was demanding it while making the inner walls of my sex clench up wantonly with need. ‘Five? Ten?’

  ‘Kohén, stop!’ I whispered against his mouth. ‘We can’t talk about this stuff, it won’t do either of us any good!’

  Kohén tore his mouth away and leaned back to stare into my eyes. ‘Was it more than that?’

  I looked down at his chest and immediately wished I hadn’t, because it was sweaty and tanned and beautiful- and heaving due to his thundering heart and laboured breathing, as was mine. ‘Kohén… please…’

  ‘Oh God…’ Kohén lifted my face to his and stared into my soul, his anguish evident. ‘Larkin… did you ever crave me at all? Or was it him you were picturing every time we touched or kissed?’

  I looked up at his face sharply. ‘Don’t be a fool,’ I whispered. ‘I had disloyal thoughts about him, but never when I was with you, and they never overshadowed how I felt about you until…’

  ‘Until?’

  My heart twisted as I realised the truth. ‘Until today, in the hall.’ Tears misted in my eyes. ‘When I agreed to run away with him.’

  Kohén inhaled sharply and pulled me closer still. ‘So I was right? The most you ever loved him was today, when you believed that my words were his? That the look in my eyes was his?’

  The tears slipped down my face. ‘When I believed a lie? Yes.’

  Kohén’s face broke into a beautiful smile that blinded me. ‘Then is it possible that you never loved him at all?’

  ‘If that is true, then it is possible that I never loved either of you,’ I pointed out, though I knew that if those bloody tears had been real, then that wasn’t the case, ‘only craved what I could not have.’

  Kohén’s eyes narrowed and he eased himself out from between my legs so that only the tip of him pressed into my clit now, making the cluster of nerves beneath my hooded bud spasm. One thrust and he would be inside me, and my wretched hands grasped his hair in fistfuls in need. ‘You can have me now,’ he whispered against my neck as I arched my back. ‘You are wet and gasping and pulling at me so tell me, little bird… are you imagining that I am Kohl right now?’ he bent his head as I writhed and kissed one of my nipples chastely, making it pebble.

  ‘No!’ I gasped, and that was the sordid truth.

  ‘Are you wishing that I would stop?’ he suckled my nipple and nudged me a little more purposefully, making me buck and gasp. I hated my body for responding to him so passionately, but I had no more control over that than I did over my destiny. I hated Kohén Barachiel with a passion too, but I wanted him still and that made me hate myself even more. And seeing as how I couldn’t possibly despise myself more than I already did, what was the harm of giving into my base desires? They were the only ones I’d be free to entertain from hereon out anyway, at least until I thought of a better plan than ‘Duck and cover’.

  Sensing my crisis of conscience, Kohén rolled me onto my back and gripped himself and circled the tip of his cock around my clit, making me shudder. ‘Well? Is it rest that you want?’

  ‘No!’

  Kohén groaned and pressed himself into my labia, parting them and taunting the entrance to my sex. ‘Is it me?’

  Fuck I hated him so much, it felt like I could snap his neck off his shoulders. But I yanked his face closer to mine and kissed him while hitching one of my knees over his perfect hip. ‘Yes! Yes I need you!’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Kohén!’ I cried, my heart thumping hard enough to combust. ‘I need you inside me Kohén!’

  Kohén growled and thrust into me and my eyes rolled back into my head with pleasure as my back lifted off the bed so that I was sitting up and hanging onto him for dear life, meeting the intrusion eagerly. In response, my aching body was given every inch of what it hated but wanted with equal measure and it felt so good that I honestly feared that I would combust- just burst into heat and flame as a result of our chemistry. Kohén met resistance inside me, but I cried out in delight as he grunted and speared me with more purpose, forcing his way up into my taut, cramping heat until he was almost completely sheathed within me. Our coupling was erotic and nonsensical and completely erratic, but I rode him eagerly while he thrust up to meet every twist of my hips, and I only flinched when Kohén’s lips claimed mine and whispered the last thing in the world that I wanted to hear from him right then:

  ‘I love you, Larkin! I will love you forever!’

  My eyes sprung open as I sank my teeth into his muscular shoulder, but he interpreted the hostile act as one of passion and grunted, crying out the same vile words again, and earning himself a look of utter contempt for it- not from me this time, but from the woman in the mirror. I gasped to see her, clenching around him as I did, but she held a finger to her lips and winked before vanishing.

  We’ll see that he means that, I heard her whisper, but only inside my head. And we’ll see him suffer forever for it- together.

  And then the only sound I could hear was the blood inside my head and the jingling of the diamond rope around my throat as I began to climax around my master, who I know knew was as imprisoned by our passion as I was.

  1.

  I lost count of the amount of times that Kohén and I made love while buried under my downy comforter, but when I woke up in the morning- it was almost afternoon and we were both covered in bruises, claw marks and tooth imprints. My lips were swollen, my hair was so snarled and frizzy that it was broader than his shoulder span, and he looked so utterly fucked that I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. His usually red, full lips were scarlet and swollen, his hair was mussed up and when he moved to get out of bed, he moaned and sank to his bare backside, rubbing his thighs.

  If that really was Satan in here watching us right now, it’s safe to say that she’s a lot more pleased with me right now than the lord would ever have been...

  ‘Jesus…’ he muttered while I pulled my slip off the lamp (I could neither remember dressing in it, or taking it off). ‘What have you done to me?’

  I pulled the slinky nightgown over my head and then smoothed it over my thighs, whimpering when my flexing back muscles twanged unhappily. ‘Nothing you deserved then… and ironically- nothing you don’t deserve to suffer for now.’

  I heard him chuckle and then his arm was around my waist, dragging me backwards. I yelped for it made me ache all over and made my mind spin, drawing my attention to the fact that I hadn’t eaten in over a day. I did remember him bringing in a tray of strawberries and chocolate dipping sauce at some point near sunrise, but I’d been so pissed off with him for trying to make even my forced diet the sensual sort that I’d smashed it across the room. I looked now and saw them scattered across the threshold to my bathroom still, and lost my appetite.

  How can he stand to cuddle me, knowing how much I hate him? I swear, I whispered that to him as many times as I whispered ‘harder’ to him last night, didn’t I?

  ‘I didn’t mean in a bad way.’ Kohén pulled my head into his lap and appraised me upside down. ‘I mean… I feel human.’ He lifted his hand and wriggled his fingers and they didn’t glow or spark at all. ‘I can always hide my charge well enough, except for in my eyes, but I can’t even feel it now.’ He pointed to his eyes. ‘What colour are they?’


  I lifted my lashes, and was slightly startled by the appearance of his dilated pupils, for the ring around them was the colour of bright ice. ‘Glacier blue,’ I whispered, ‘like your mother’s.’

  ‘Really? I always thought I had my father’s eyes- that steel blue.’

  But I shook my head. ‘No they’re that topaz colour.’ I pressed my fingers to his brow and stared closer. ‘They’re…’ I caught myself and my breath, and turned, sliding off his lap and picking up a half-drunk glass of stale wine. I threw it back quickly, and then swallowed my feelings down with it.

  Drunk… I need to be drunk all the time! Maybe if I’m inebriated, the days will begin to blur together and pass as quickly as the hours did last night...

  ‘They’re what?’ he whispered from behind me.

  I put the empty glass down and turned away, pressing the fingers of one hand to my temples to muffle the echo within. “Beautiful,” I’d been about to say, and the word was still lodged in my throat, like I’d swallowed a sharp-edged gemstone. I couldn’t throw around compliments like that! False ones meant to placate him yes, but not real endearments, for he didn’t deserve them. And like my father and God, feeding this Barachiel any sort of affection was only going to strengthen him while weakening me.

  Don’t be as weak as the duchess! Do NOT be as weak as the duchess!

  ‘Don’t you have somewhere to be?’ I asked frosting my words like the hue of his eyes. ‘Some Basket-Racket match or a morning tea or another one of Karol’s many festivities-’

  ‘I’ve already missed the first two events for today, and the flower show downtown is well underway. You were fast asleep but father came to see me at about eight this morning to demand our attendance, and answers for what the hell had gotten into the both of us... but I told him that I was in your bed, and that I had no intention of leaving it, and so he left with the warning that we will be discussing all of this further when he returns.’

  ‘This?’ I repeated, glancing back at him.

  He gestured to us then offhandedly toward the door. ‘You. Me. Kohl’s resulting tantrum…’

  ‘And what are you going to tell him?’ I asked coldly.

  Kohén met my gaze steadily. ‘That Kohl was hoping to pursue you once you were released, but was thwarted by our inevitable coming together… and that you had no feelings for him in return, outside of friendly ones of course- and are very regretful that you may have unwittingly encouraged his during your few interactions.’ Though my nose tingled, I nodded. It was a reasonable explanation, all things considered, and a generous one on Kohén’s part but still… poor Kohl! And when the duchess heard that I’d chosen her crowned prince over her favourite and was trying to deny ever having felt anything for him at all- poor me!

  ‘And do you think he’ll believe you?’

  Do you think Kohl will play along? Will the duchess let us get away with it? Or will she be so insulted that she’ll raise hell without pausing to contemplate why I would tell such a lie?

  ‘I’m not going to give them any other option,’ he said smoothly, but with an undercurrent of determination in his voice, ‘and neither will you, all right?’ I nodded again and moved to go to the bathroom, knowing that I was probably going to have to tell the duchess something about all of this to keep Kohl safe, but Kohén hooked his fingertips around mine, halting me, and said in a softer voice as he rose to his feet: ‘Larkin…? What were you about to say about my eyes?’

  I shook my head, accepting a kiss on the cheek before trying to pull myself free of him again, finding it harder to endure the intimate nature of our scenario, than the sexual part. Why did my traitorous flesh have to hum at his every touch? Why did I suspect that convincing everyone that I was madly in love with Kohén was going to be easier than I’d previously thought, thanks to the way that my body reacted to his touch? Tears pricked at my eyes and clogged my throat, making my voice crack when I responded to him: ‘Nothing of import.’

  There was a tense silent before he whispered. ‘Yours are that periwinkle colour again- shifting like a mood ring.’ He cleared his throat and I narrowed my gaze at the crystal water jug on the shelf across from me, wishing I could break I over his head. ‘Your lips are swollen and a perfect pink, and you’re glowing so much that I… I have fallen in love with you at second sight. At the sight of you as a woman now.’

  I buried my face into my hands. ‘Stop…’ I pleaded.

  I heard a drawer open and then Kohén huff a breath. ‘I’ll never stop loving you, or saying so,’ he said, and his tone was decidedly cooler. ‘And you can pretend to hate me all you want, but you love me too. So hide your feelings from yourself, if you’re so determined to deny this absolute truth… but know that I will always find my way to you, and inside you; body, mind and soul.’

  I was about to turn around and let him have it again, but I saw myself in my mirror when I moved and was startled silent by my dishevelled but radiant appearance- and especially at the sight of the necklace hanging around my throat and glittering in the shards of sun light spiking through the slats in the lattice and across the room. I waited for Satan to flicker to the mirror’s surface again, but was disappointed that the only evil temptress staring back at me- was me.

  ‘Yes, you’re an angel…’ Kohén said, then chuckled softly. ‘But an utter hellion between the sheets and thank fuck for that-’ there was a rapid knocking on my door. I spun around completely to face Kohén again, but before I could ask if he was expecting frantic company, he smiled at me. ‘I sent a message for Kohl to stop by this afternoon,’ Kohén said quickly, seeing the alarm on my face.

  ‘What?’ I hissed. ‘Why?’

  ‘Don’t you want your chance to save him from himself? To stand up for me so that I won’t be moved to stand up for myself?’

  ‘Of course I do,’ I said quickly, irritated to realise that I’d have to play-act before having a morning coffee. Hell, I needed more than a coffee to prepare myself for seeing Kohl again- I needed a month of meditation! ‘But why now?

  ‘The castle is all but abandoned at the moment, so if he pitches a fit or tries to make a scene as I suspect he will, we should be the only witnesses to it, which is safer for him. And if I need to calm him down, it’ll be safer for me too.’

  I scowled at Kohén. ‘What do you mean by saying: “Calm him down?” Kohén?’

  His eyes sparked with the promise of voltage and violence. ‘I mean-’

  ‘Kohén?!’ Kohl sounded irate as he knocked again. ‘Larkin? If he’s got his hand over your mouth, I swear to Lucifer that I will…’ he knocked harder, and my nerves shook like the door did in its frame. He was going to get himself electrocuted! ‘What’s going on in there?! Why hasn’t she come out all day?! You said that she was FINE.’

  Kohén and I stared at the door for a moment and then looked at each other and I realised that he’d managed to get himself a pair of gold, silk drawstring slacks. My eyes went straight to the bow that he was tying low on hips, noticing that the skin of his abdomen was as gleaming as the fabric, and he followed them, then looked up at me with an arched eyebrow.

  ‘I thought you’d want to settle this clown-’ he jerked his thumb toward the door as hip jerked in a similar fashion to form a quickly-given, salacious smile. ‘But if you’re gonna look at me like that-’

  ‘Don’t even joke about it!’ I hissed, and he must have seen that I was deadly serious, because some of the brightness faded from his eyes. Easy...easy… you’re supposed to be convincing him as much as you need to convince Kohl, remember?

  ‘You know, there’s nothing wrong about enjoying sex, Larkin…’ Kohén tied off the bow and then sauntered toward me, dipping his hand into his pants to adjust himself and my core burned like a coal even at that. ‘And there’s nothing wrong with admitting that you enjoy it with me, or that you’d gladly do it again right here on the floor. Do you think you’re the only one that’s been overcome by what we’ve done in the last twelve hours?’ His eyes glowed and my he
art thumped. When had he become such a… man? When had he begun to walk so completely with Karol’s prowl, or look at me with that same constant level of heat? And when had I started wilting toward him for it, like a rose positioned too near to a fire? ‘You set me on fire, woman. I feel completely turned inside out- I never knew that pleasure could be like that. And it’s not just because you’ve got a body from Hell and the face of an angel and this way of twisting your hips…’ his eyelashes fluttered and I gulped. With every step he took, a memory flashed before my eyes- Kohén’s lips teasing my inner thighs, Kohén’s tears of joy when I draped my arms around his neck and rocked back against him… Kohén’s hot stomach against my back, spooning me… filling me… loving me… by the time he reached me, I was flushing all over and breathless. ‘It’s because you’re always going to be my best friend. You have my heart, you have my history and now- you have me by the balls,’ he pulled me against him and I almost swooned. ‘And that means you can have me whenever you want, got it?’ he kissed me gently and whispered. ‘I am your slave, and I could not be more willing.’ He smacked my ass gently and smiled even more gently. ‘And I cannot wait until you admit that you feel the same.’ He winked. ‘And you will.’

  Oh God.. oh God he’s right... I am beyond redemption… I was growing wet and I was ashamed of it, I looked away, closing my eyes and struggling to breathe through the cloud of lust that had formed around us. No you can’t have him now- Kohl’s on the other side of that door!

  Kohén sighed and stepped back. ‘Are you sure that now is the time to deal with Kohl?’ he asked coolly, while I gulped air down to force down the need to pant lustfully. Maybe what I needed was to dump the crystal jug of water over my own head, not his! ‘I need you to pull yourself together Larkin and hold it together enough to convince him that he’s fighting a battle in a war that he’s already lost.’ He lifted my chin with his thumb and stared into me hard, assessing my hue, no doubt. ‘I know we’ve thrown a lot of ugly words and threats at one another over the past eighteen hours, but I wasn’t joking when I said that I could kill him and Karol both for putting our relationship at risk. So if you want him to make if off this particular battlefield in one piece and with a bright future ahead of him still- then convince him that he’ll have no part in yours, understood? And that you wouldn’t want it any other way.’