Black Sunshine (Dark Eyes 1)

I steal a horrified glance at Absolon, his black clothing wet, crouched beside the tub like a gargoyle, staring intently at me.

“Hello,” he says politely, a hint of a smile.

A growl roars from my throat, and without thinking, I suddenly lunge for him, propelling myself out of the tub, hands around his neck, trying to knock him to the ground.

But it’s futile.

My new strength surprises me, but it’s nowhere near enough to match his. He catches hold of my wrists with ease and deftly flips me over until I’m smashed against the tile floor. He pins me down, hands above my head, the weight of his massive body crushing me. I’m acutely aware that I’m completely naked, while he’s completely dressed in black pants and a dress shirt.

“Easy now, moonshine,” he says to me, his face close. “Your impulsiveness won’t do you any favors.”

I writhe beneath him, trying to move, and to my surprise I realize he’s turned on; big, thick, long, and hard as steel.

He gives a delicate sniff, eyes closing briefly. When he opens them, his pupils are massive. “Still in a bit of lust, aren’t you?”

“You’re the one who’s hard,” I snipe, though my hips involuntarily buck up against him, wanting more.

God, I hate myself.

His eyes close again at that, his lips parting, and now I’m fighting the stupid, ridiculous urge to kiss him. I want nothing more than to reach down and unzip his pants, make him fuck me right here on the floor. I didn’t even think he was attracted to me, but I can feel the evidence very clearly.

“Hard not to be when you’ve got a gorgeous creature naked beneath you,” he says, peering at me. “You women are funny, aren’t you? You think if a man isn’t throwing himself at you, he mustn’t find you attractive. Assume they must be gay.”

“Are you?”

“Gay?” he asks, a brow cocked. “Not particularly.” He grins at me. “Aren’t you at all interested in why I had you in that bathtub, or is the lust still ravaging your brain?”

“You were trying to kill me,” I manage to say.

“You’re partly right,” he says, adjusting his grip on my wrists. It still feels like he could crush all the bones with a simple twitch. “I wanted to see if you would die. Luckily, you didn’t. You were under there for ten minutes before you came out of it. Didn’t need a single breath.”

“Came out of what?”

“I can compel you, on occasion. I get you to do exactly what I say,” he says, voice rich with pride. “You often fight back, prevent it from happening, something other people, even vampires, can’t easily do with me. But sometimes, you’re just so … vulnerable. And so I take advantage.”

The idea of him controlling me makes me shiver with unease. “What did you make me do?”

“I got you to take off your clothes. Figured you needed a bath. You were fucked by Wolf for a good two days there. The whole house smelled like sex.”

I blink at him.

Two days?

I was fucked for two days?

“Then I decided to test you,” he goes on, adjusting his weight on me. He’s still hard. Formidable. Making me ache. “Filled the bathtub with ice, made you get in it. You didn’t even notice. Means your body temperature is adjusting with the change. Then I got you to put your head under the water and hold your breath.”

I shake my head, feeling the anger roll through me. “You were getting me to kill myself, controlling my mind!”

“Oh, spare me your theatrics. Soon you’ll be doing the exact same.”

“I am not like you,” I grit out.

He cocks his head as he studies me, his pupils getting narrower, the blue returning. The color of periwinkle under frost. “No, I suppose you’re not entirely like me. But that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Because we’re getting to the bottom of it all. The bottom of your buried truth.”

Suddenly, he lets go of me and straightens up, leaning back on his large thighs as they straddle me. “Did you not even notice your body? I sure did.”

I raise my head, propping myself up on my elbows.