I've been rejected before. I've had relationships and ugly breakups, but nothing—nothing—comes close to what I'm feeling now. Holy hell. It feels like my heart was ripped out, shredded, and ground into dust, over and over again. Overkill. I can't even feel properly think anymore. I'm exhausted. I'm numb.
All I do is cry. I wake up crying. I fall asleep crying. I don't know how long it's been like this or where even am I. All I know is that something inside me is dead. I swear Abundance is the worst power anyone could ever have, and I hate it.
"Sienna… are you awake? Are you feeling any better?"
A warm, familiar voice spoke as a hand gently rubbed my back.
I lifted my head and saw Vesper smiling at me. I was lying across his legs. The moment I saw him, Gideon's face flashed in my mind—and I broke again. I sobbed like the wound was fresh, like it had just happened seconds ago. My cries echoed around the room.
"Cry as much as you need," Vesper said calmly.
"It hurts so much," I gasped between sobs. "I can't take it anymore. I just want it to stop."
He pulled me into his arms and held me tightly. Then he lifted my chin, guiding my face up to his. He was so close I could see every detail—his green eyes, his long gray lashes, the slow, steady way he breathed.
"I can take that pain away," he said softly. "If you want me to. Say yes, and I'll replace it with pleasure. With relief. With peace."
I was desperate. Empty. Broken.
"Yes," I whispered. "Please. Take it away."
He cupped my face in both hands. "Look at me. Trust me. Believe me. I, and only I, will make your pain go away and bring you solace and gratification. My words will be your comfort."
I repeated his words again and again until they filled my head. Slowly, everything else faded—Gideon, the kings, the hurt. All that remained was him. My thoughts bent toward him. My body followed. Abundance surged, reacting to his every word, every breath.
"Good girl," he murmured.
That single praise made warmth bloom inside me. I felt owned by his voice, shaped by it.
"Do you want to feel even happier?" he asked.
I nodded without thinking.
Every word he spoke vibrated through my nerves like a plucked string. It reached deep into my soul, that made me writhe in ecstasy. I clung to his chiseled chest, trembling as the euphoria peaked, as if I would fall apart without him, making my knees weak and my breath come in ragged gasps.
"You'll do what I say, won't you?" he asked gently.
"Yes," I whispered, pressing closer.
Time blurred. I slept and woke with only him in my mind. The pain was gone—replaced by something soft, heavy, sweet. This was better than agony. This was safety. This was comfort.
"Sienna," he said, and my name sounded beautiful when he spoke it.
"Can you feel how much I love you? Can you feel the pleasure of my desires from your lips to the most sensitive part of yours?"
My body reacted before my mind could. I moved toward him without being told, breathless, aching for his touch. When he touched me, my thoughts dissolved. There was only sensation.
Later, reptiles—snakes, lizards, creatures of scale—gathered around us.
"My people," Vesper announced, "this is my fated mate—Sienna, the reincarnation of the Goddess of Abundance."
They cheered. I barely understood what was happening. I only knew how I felt.
"Are you happy?" he asked me.
The word alone sent a jolt of electricity through me so intense I couldn't even stand. I curled into him, screaming with a wild, terrifying ebullience. I was drowning in it. I was addicted to the way his voice could make me feel like I was flying and burning all at once. I collapsed into the feeling, shaking, overwhelmed.
"Would you ever want to go back to who you were before me?" he asked.
Fear tightened in my chest. I shook my head.
I was used to this now. I needed it. When he spoke, I answered. When he wanted, I gave. His voice alone could undo me.
Eriu never stopped it. She only wanted more.
Day after day, I drifted in pleasure, like I was trapped inside a beautiful dream.
"Sienna," he whispered, "you won't ever leave me, will you?"
"Yes," I said to everything he asked.
From here on out, I began to return the intensity of his love, my hands roaming over him, my own hunger devouring his composure until he was the one gasping for air, his face flushed and his pride melting under my touch.
He wanted it—he got it. I learned quickly. I mirrored him, gave back what he gave me, multiplied it. I wanted him to need me the way I needed him.
Later, as he lay still and satisfied, I climbed over him and whispered, "Your loyalty is forever mine. Nothing in this world will satisfy you but me."
I kissed his cheek and smiled dreamily.
"See? I learn fast."