I pause a few feet away, beneath the cottage’s sloping roof, and wait beneath the vines for the swoop of leathery wings. It’s going to be impossible to defeat the Boogie Man in a fair fight, even when I’m using my underwear as a distraction.
He’s always demanding sexual favors and complaining about the chastity curse. What if I pretended I found him attractive?
The Boogie Man is arrogant enough to believe I’d be so overcome with arousal that I’d want to touch him. Then when I get close enough, I’ll torture him with the stake.
Moments later, a shadow falls over the chamomile lawn. I glance up to find the Boogie Man sweeping down from the sky with his wings outstretched.
With the sun shining through his black hair and coloring its ends a vibrant shade of indigo, he looks like a dark angel.
Bastard.
He lands with the grace of a peacock and stalks toward my doorstep. As he stoops to swipe my underwear, I step out from behind the vine.
“Alienor,” he says without malice and picks up the scrap of lace.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” I blurt.
The corner of his lips lifts into a smile. “Did you see something you like?”
I raise my chin. “What if I said yes?”
“I would tell you to take off your locket.”
My spine stiffens. That’s not going to happen. Even if the locket can’t suck out his soul, it still protects me from his claws.
I smooth out my features and force a smile. “I just want to touch you.”
The Boogie Man’s smirk turns into a full grin. “Beg.”
Annoyance tightens my skin into goosebumps, and every muscle in my face clenches. It takes all my willpower not to grimace at the creature’s audacity. He’s the one stealing my underwear, yet he talks like I’m the one who’s desperate.
I am desperate. Desperate to plunge my stake in his heart.
I play along, lower my lashes, and give him what I hope to be a coy smile. “Please, Your Majesty? Just for a minute.”
He chuckles. “Since you asked so nicely…”
My breath quickens, and my heart skips a beat. I close the distance between us and stand a foot away from the Boogie Man.
Up close, he’s breathtaking. His hair flows over the contours of his sculpted face, making him look like a piece of art brought to life. He stares down at me through eyes so green that they make the lawn look parched. Until this moment, I hadn’t noticed his irises had such beautiful, golden flecks.
A rapid pulse thuds between my thighs and makes my pussy pulse in sync. I want to lean forward and kiss his curving lips to feel if he’s warm or cold. I want to run my hands over his muscular chest to feel if the black markings curl around my fingers.
My gaze drops to the huge red cock standing at half-mast, and it’s not just my mouth that starts watering. Clutching the stake behind my back, I force my eyes back up to his smirking face.
“Tell me what you desire, Alienor,” he says in a deep voice that makes my skin tingle.
Since when did this bastard take control of the situation?
I’ll play along.
For now.
Because in a few minutes, I’ll have this monster screaming for mercy and begging to tell me where he hid Norbert’s corpse.
“You,” I murmur. “It’s you I want.”
“Elaborate.”