Blood Flows Deep in the Empire Read Online Free Page B

him were showing themselves again.
    Dyletri’s mouth fell open as shock shot through him. It was enough to distract him from the heat rushing through his veins.
    Ismini answered him, and her voice nearly sent him into a frenzy. “I . . . I don’t know what’s wrong.”
    He locked eyes with hers again. His mind broke through the lust he was feeling, unleashing an Etaeryb.
    It was a one-sided mind-meld. A “gift” all the gods shared, and one that always opened up whenever they looked into another being’s eyes. If the being had a strong will, powers to block him, or if there was a physical barrier, like glass, in his way, they could stop it. If not, they were defenseless to the meld.
    As was Dyletri. He couldn’t control it. In a split second, his mind became one with Ismini’s, leaving her every thought exposed to him. Everything. Who she was. Who she had been. What she consisted of.
    And all the pain and sadness that came along with being her.
    Memories barreled through Dyletri. Things he didn’t need to know. Things he couldn’t bear knowing.
    “They never loved me . . . tried so hard . . . Nylicia . . . the diary . . . a purpose bigger than my life . . .”
    The girl had been neglected by her adoptive parents, and that was putting it lightly. The abuse had never been physical, but they’d left mental scars that haunted her.
    Scars that whispered in her dreams, telling her she was worthless. They might have never known she was born to be a sacrifice, but the way her “parents” mistreated her had ensured Ismini’s belief that she deserved it.
    He slid his hand from her face and into her hair, tilting her head back so he could take in more. One memory above all others sucked him in, making him furious. Ismini couldn’t have been more than six years old. He saw her so-called mother throw an odd-looking sock monkey at her, one that had a wide, red mouth.
    She’d grabbed the thing, hugging it to herself. She hadn’t seemed to notice it was filthy. It seemed that her mother had found him in the street somewhere, or perhaps the trash. It didn’t matter to Ismini, though. The small girl had kept him, cleaned him and treasured him.
    Dyletri felt raw rage unleashed in his system. He had to steady himself to keep from falling over. Her memories continued to sear him, but he couldn’t break the bond, even when he realized Ismini knew what was happening. Nylicia had told her about the Etaeryb. She was aware of everything, and her embarrassment was raw. Her emotions poured into his body through her thoughts. Instinctively, he tried to soothe her, his thumb caressing her chin and lower lip.
    Her heart fluttered in response, and he tensed, his eyelids lowering. Ismini inhaled a shaky breath. When she exhaled, warm, wet air rushed over the skin of his thumb. Then more memories attacked him—recent memories that were drenched in lust, a lust that existed for him and him alone. A lust that tormented her against her will.
    Even her best friend had picked up on it. He saw images race past in his mind. Her friend dragging her to a sex shop. The neon sign above it and how Ismini had looked up at it as they’d entered. She’d gone back home and hesitantly opened the vibrator.
    That night, she’d lain back in her bed, pale legs spread. He could hear the vibrator buzzing in the background. Right as she had tensed, her body on the edge, it was his own image he saw reflected back him. As she tumbled over that edge, it had been him she had been thinking of.
    His chest expanded, a dangerous rumble building.
    Too much. It’s too much. I can’t pull away. Addicting . . . I need more . . .
    Air rushed in and out of his lungs, his breathing harsh and untamed. Each inhalation brought with it a moistscent he knew was from her. A scent he knew had to do with . . .
    No, damn it. Pull away. Move!
    Instead he was moving closer. Her painful past and her present arousal were swirling inside him, along with the