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- Herausgeber: Two Gnomes Media
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
All magic comes with a price tag.
It's a lesson witches are taught from a young age, along with the ones about how we'll never survive a vampire turning, how hunters will always seek to eradicate us, and how a devil's bargain can’t be broken.
But together, my rebels and I have shattered every rule, ignored every warning. We've grown stronger because of it, and we've survived everything fate has thrown our way.
So what's one more warning shunned, one more cosmic law overturned in the face of such a devastating loss?
Asher. Darius. Ronan. Liam. Emilio.
To keep the men I love safe, there's nothing I won't risk. Break. Destroy.
What's done is done. All we can do now is face the consequences and hope that when fate comes to collect, we can afford to pay the price.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
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Death Untold
Copyright © 2019 by Sarah Piper
SarahPiperBooks.com
Published by Two Gnomes Media
Cover design by Two Gnomes Media
All rights reserved. With the exception of brief quotations used for promotional or review purposes, no part of this book may be recorded, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, organizations, brands, media, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
v6
E-book ISBN: 978-1-948455-42-8
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-948455-10-7
Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-977336-56-9
Contents
Book Series by Sarah Piper
Get Connected!
About Death Untold
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Origins of The Witch’s Rebels
About Sarah Piper
Book Series by Sarah Piper
M/F Romance Series
Monstrous Obsessions
Vampire Royals of New York
Reverse Harem Romance Series
Claimed by Gargoyles
The Witch’s Monsters
Tarot Academy
The Witch’s Rebels
Get Connected!
I love connecting with readers! There are a few different ways you can keep in touch:
Email: [email protected]
TikTok: @sarahpiperbooks
Facebook group: Sarah Piper’s Sassy Witches
Twitter: @sarahpiperbooks
Newsletter: Never miss a new release or a sale! Sign up for the VIP Readers Club:
sarahpiperbooks.com/readers-club
About Death Untold
All magic comes with a price tag.
It's a lesson witches are taught from a young age, along with the ones about how we'll never survive a vampire turning, how hunters will always seek to eradicate us, and how a devil's bargain can never be broken.
But together, my rebels and I have shattered every last rule, ignored every last warning. We've grown stronger because of it, and so far, we've survived everything fate has thrown our way.
So what's one more warning shunned, one more cosmic law overturned in the face of such a devastating loss?
Asher. Darius. Ronan. Liam. Emilio.
To keep the men I love safe, there's nothing I won't risk. Break. Destroy.
What's done is done. All we can do now is face the consequences, and hope that when fate comes to collect, we can afford to pay the price.
Death Untold is also available in audionarrated by Tristan James and Aletha George!
One
LIAM
Nothing was certain, they said on the material plane, but Death and taxes.
Yet the longer I lingered among them, the more deeply I came to understand that despite the frequency with which such platitudes were offered, Death and taxes were merely constructs in their eyes, words to encapsulate complex systems and ideas too vast for the human mind to grasp.
The only true certainty in their world—a world to which I so desperately ached to belong—was love.
It broke all the rules. It decimated once-immutable truths. It kicked down walls and spilled blood and burned so fiercely its heat possessed the power to bond that which, by all the laws of the cosmos, should have been severed.
Indeed, even as the fae’s silver blade had severed Emilio Alvarez’s spine, Gray’s fierce love for him kept him tethered to her essence, against all odds.
His soul vibrated inside my raven form, guiding me on fierce winds high above the burning warehouse, far beyond the small town of Raven’s Cape, through time and space and back again. When I finally felt called to stop, I found myself soaring through the deep indigo skies of Gray’s magical realm.
It was as if she’d guided us both here, though she couldn’t have known I’d already claimed him. I saw her now in my limitless vision, leading the witches from the warehouse, her incubus and vampire steadfast at her side.
All of her companions were fighters, just like Gray.
Just like Emilio.
Sighting the glow of her stone altar in the meadow below, I swooped down and dropped soundlessly to the earth, shifting into my human form just as Emilio Alvarez’s broken body materialized on the ground before me—part man, part wolf, ruined and very near an end he didn’t want to accept.
I suppose I hadn’t wanted to accept it, either. If I had, I would have retrieved his soul, leaving the body for his loved ones to mourn and bury, as was their custom.
Instead, I’d brought him with me.
His blood soaked through the dark green meadow grass, and once again, his soul writhed and spun inside me, a frenzied dance that quickened beneath the shadow of the rune gate and the Shadowrealm beyond. Further down the path, its stone archway loomed, beckoning me to carry him through.
It was, after all, my sacred duty. My purpose.
Yet I was immobilized.
Whether it was his unfathomable strength in resisting Death’s call, or my weakness in performing my task in the face of the pain I’d already caused, I could not bear the thought of escorting the soul of Gray’s wolf to his eternal resting place.
Not until she had the chance to say her farewell.
One more day, one more hour, one more moment to hold a loved one close and whisper all the right words… Every human who’d ever suffered the loss of someone dear to them had wished for the same thing. Begged for it. They believed that the gift of time, however brief, would be a balm for their shattered hearts.
It was the least I could give the woman who’d captured mine.
As if he understood my intentions, Emilio’s soul heated from within, making my skin glow silver. Human or raven or some other creature altogether, none of my vessels were strong enough to contain him long term. His energy was too bright, too strong, even in death.
The pentacle carved into Gray’s altar pulsed a violet-blue, and ahead of us on the path, two of my strongest and most loyal ferriers appeared—a great horned owl and a white raven. They perched in the lower branches of a barren, oil-black tree, awaiting my orders.
But those orders would not come. Not yet.
“Tonight,” I said, “in the realm where all things are still possible, we shall endeavor to stop time for them.” I had no idea how long it would take Gray to arrive—only that she would arrive. Ronan would tell her of Emilio’s passing, and she would find us. Find him.
I knelt in the grass beside his broken body and reached for his hand, his human fingers curled in agonizing pain against the forepaw of his wolf form, his entire body caught mid-shift. His death had been agonizing, but he felt no pain now. The blade had done its work carving through flesh and bone; the silver poison had done the rest.
I brought his hand to my chest, held it close. The blood of the wolf soaked my human clothing through to the skin, and an inexplicable wetness leaked from my eyes.
He deserved better.
Such was the way of all brave men.
“She is coming,” I promised him in a voice so despondent, I hardly recognized it. “Gray will be here.”
Two
ASHER
Busting out of the smoke-filled warehouse and into the chilly night, I sucked in a deep breath. I almost didn’t recognize the smell.
Air. Fresh, free, glorious air and a cloudless sky full of stars that not even the fire behind us could dim.
But as much as I wanted to drop to the ground and roll around in the grass like a puppy, there was no time. We had to get everyone to shelter, and pronto. The witches needed food and medical attention, all of us needed showers, and someone—hopefully not me—would need to come up with a plan.
Orendiel was still out there. Fucking coward. And I was pretty sure none of us would sleep until Emilio was well again, and we’d given that sick fae fuck the brutal farewell he so deserved.
“This way,” one of the shifter cops shouted, and in a blur, our group raced down a side street, fueled by nothing but adrenaline and freedom, and fear that it could be snatched away again. We reached a row of unmarked vans and hurried inside—me, Darius, Gray, the witches, the cops, and the fae princeling who was now in the mix. Oh, and the hellhounds that had somehow, in my absence, attached themselves to Gray, and were now jumping on her lap in the back seat, yelping and licking her face like she was a piece of steak smothered in peanut butter.
Not much to look at, those two, but they were fiercely protective of her. Never thought I’d say it, but I was damn grateful they were on our side.
“Alright, we’re rolling,” one of the cops said into his comm device. Lansky, I thought Gray said his name was. After a quick head count and confirmation from the other two vans, we were off, Lansky phoning ahead for EMTs and food delivery, ordering his people to meet us at the rendezvous point.
The house belonged to Emilio’s sister, I was told—another part of the story I was still trying to catch up on.
“It’ll be tight,” Gray said as we poured out of the vans and headed inside, the hounds halfway up her ass with excitement. Seemed they thought of this place as home, and they were glad to be back. “But it’s warm and safe, and there aren’t any electrified bars on the doors.”
“Always a bonus,” I said with a wink.
She was right—the house wasn’t exactly set up for an influx of two-dozen witches. But for now, cramped as it was, we’d find a way to make it work. Whether they were from the Cape or the Bay or someplace else entirely, the witches couldn’t go home yet. Not with the power balance so out of whack in all the surrounding communities. As far as we knew, Lansky had told me on the drive over, Blackmoon Bay had been the hardest hit, with supernatural crimes and violence mucking things up over there in a major way. But other cities would soon fall, and we needed time to regroup.
“It’ll be awesome,” I assured Gray as I took a look around the living room. It was open, with hardwood floors and bright orange walls. Seemed like a nice place. “Hot water, freedom of movement, food, drinks, safety? Hell, this place is a fucking palace.” I gave her a smile, best one I had for the moment, and she blew out a relieved breath. I was about to pull her in for another hug when my eyes landed on a small lump at the center of the couch, snoring softly beneath a pile of blankets.
“Reva,” she said, following my line of sight. “Safe and sound. Judging from that empty pizza box, probably suffering from food coma.”
“Last time I saw this kid, she was slipping into the shadows of the caves like a pro spelunker.” I knelt in front of the couch and ran my hand over her shorn head, careful not to wake her up. Even more careful not to let Gray see the tears of relief flooding my eyes.
Damn, is someone cutting onions in here?
“Brave girl,” I whispered.
“Hey, help me get her out of here,” Gray said. “I don’t want her in the middle of all this tonight.”
With a light touch, I scooped the kid up in my arms and followed Gray to the master bedroom down the hall, depositing her into Elena’s bed. Reva yawned and turned over on her side, falling into a deep sleep once again.
“She’ll be good in here for the night,” Gray said softly, kneeling down at the side of the bed and pulling the blankets up over Reva’s shoulder. “We’ll figure out more permanent sleeping arrangements when Emilio and Elena get back later. He’ll probably need his own room for a while.”
“Oh, hell yeah,” I said, forcing a smile I absolutely didn’t feel. “Big motherfucker like that? He definitely snores.”
She let out a quiet snicker. “Oh my God, you have no idea.”
“I… Wait. How do you know how Alvarez sounds when he sleeps?” I teased. Clearly, they’d gotten closer—another part of the plot I’d missed. “Hmm. Something tells me we’re gonna need to invest in a bigger bed for you, Cupcake.”
Gray opened her mouth to shoot something back, but then shut it, emotion suddenly overtaking her face. Her brows drew together, and she shook her head, fisting the blanket at Reva’s shoulder. “If Ronan can’t heal him, Asher, I—”
“Hey. Don’t do that. Ain’t nobody got time for doubt tonight. El Lobo is a tough sonofabitch. He’ll be back before you know it, along with Ronan and everyone else. And guess what? Tomorrow morning, we’re gonna have the best fucking reunion breakfast you can dream up.”
“With bacon?” she asked, that smile finally coming back to her lips.
“So much bacon. And scrambles and pancakes and OJ mixed with whatever booze the she-wolf keeps in here, because after tonight, I think we all need a stiff one.”
“You’re telling me.” She laughed again, and I took her hand and tugged her to her feet, drawing her close and nuzzling her neck and pretending I couldn’t smell Emilio’s blood congealing in her hair.
Three
ASHER
The main living area was a hotbed of activity, and Gray and I dove right in, helping Darius, Lansky, and anyone else who had the strength to move furniture and set up the living room for triage. The two EMTs—panther shifters—had beaten us here, and those guys were already hard at work, checking vitals and administering IVs, patching up wounds, wrapping sprains, passing around clean T-shirts and sweatpants and blankets. No one wanted to risk exposure at the hospital—there was too much at stake now, too many questions with answers that humans wouldn’t understand.
And here, at least, we could keep an eye on everyone, pool our resources, and figure out some kind of plan.
While Gray and I helped out the medics, Jael and a few of the more experienced witches who’d already been treated headed outside to set up more wards around the perimeter. Lansky called in a few men from a neighboring pack to help patrol the woods that backed up to the property. In the dining room, someone had set up a buffet of sandwiches and pizzas and Chinese takeout, and the witches who’d already been cleared by the medics were seated around the table picking at the food, the shock from their ordeal slowly receding.
Not one to stand on ceremony, I helped myself to a slice of pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza and grabbed a chair between Haley and the smoky-voiced witch with the yellow eyes.
“Your friends came through for us,” Yellow Eyes said approvingly. Then, reaching for an apple from a bowl of fruit hidden among the pizza boxes, “I damn near forgot what real food looked like.”
“You came through, too, Ash,” Haley said, rubbing the chill from her arms. “In a big way. Who knows what would’ve happened to us if you hadn’t shown up.”
“Come on, Hay. You guys would’ve figured things out.” I licked the pizza grease from my fingers and shot her a cocky grin. “It just would’ve been a little less interesting.”
“A little less bloody,” she said, “that’s for sure.”
“Hey. He had it coming to him.”
“Which one?” she asked, but then she just shook her head and laughed. “Dude. I still can’t believe you took out Benson’s eyeball.”
I shrugged, swallowing a bite of pizza. “It was all part of my bigger… vision.”
“Did you… did you really just say that right now?” Haley asked, cracking a smile.
“Look, Hay, I’m sorry we don’t seeeye to eye on this,” I said, “but Benson was a little short-sighted.”
“Really, Ash? Really?”
I grinned at her. “Girl, I could do this all night.”
“Please don’t,” Yellow Eyes said, but she was laughing so hard she had to blot her eyes with a napkin.
When we all finally stopped busting a gut over poor Benson, I blew out a breath, the seriousness of the situation sending a chill down my spine. “The truth is… As far as I’m concerned? When it comes to men who think they can take away a woman’s power, every damn one of them deserves to bleed. Matter of fact, soon as we find the rest of those hunters, I’m gonna take out more than just eyeballs, and that’s a promise.”
I wolfed down the rest of my pizza and grabbed another slice, along with a carton of something Chinese that smelled like spicy chicken and peanuts. I offered it to Haley first, but she shook her head, her brow creased like she was trying to figure something out.
The chopsticks were halfway to my mouth when I felt her eyes boring into me again.
“Darius told us that Gray sacrificed herself to trap Jonathan’s soul in the Shadow Realm,” she said. Her tone held a mix of confusion and awe, even a shade of disbelief. “For us.”
I nodded, and even though I hated remembering the moment Gray had ripped out Jonathan’s soul and vanished before my eyes, I couldn’t help but be proud of her for doing it.
“She thought it was the best way to take him out and give the rest of us a chance to escape,” I said. “Hell, maybe it was. Wished she didn’t have to go there, though. We damn near lost her, from what I understand.”
“How is she even alive?” Haley asked.
“No idea, but I’m looking forward to the story.” I still wasn’t sure what had gone down in the Shadowrealm—Gray and I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about any of it yet—but she’d beaten the odds and come back. That was the main thing.
“Fucking badass,” Yellow Eyes said, taking a bite of her apple.
“That she is.” I finished off the chicken and rose from my chair, overwhelmed with the sudden need to be close to Gray. To hold her, to take in her scent, to taste the sweetness of her kiss. “Speaking of which, I should probably go check on her. And you badasses need to eat. No more nibbling like mice, unless you want the EMTs to put you on an IV drip.”
“Hard pass,” Haley said, reaching for a plate and a slice of veggie pizza. Her skin was a couple of shades warmer than it had been a few minutes ago, and it looked like the fiery spark had finally returned to her eyes.
Progress. The best kind.
Four
ASHER
At an agonizingly slow pace, I made my way through the press of bodies crammed into the house, everyone talking at once—cops asking the witches questions about our captors, EMTs admonishing them to back off, the witches trying to reach their loved ones on the few phones being passed around. It took some maneuvering and far more patience than I typically had, but I finally found my way to the back of the house. To Gray.
She was sitting in the bathtub in her pants and a bra, knees drawn to her chest, arms curled protectively around herself as the shower water beat down incessantly. She hadn’t even bothered to close the door all the way.
The hellhounds—Sparkle and Sunshine, I’d been told—stood guard outside, but lucky for me, they gave me a quick sniff and let me pass.
Promising them I’d take good care of her, I stepped inside the bathroom and shut the door tight behind me. Through clouds of steam, Gray sat motionless, bra hanging half off her shoulder like she’d started to take it off but gave up halfway through. The hot, pounding water was turning the skin on her arms and chest bright red.
“Gray?” I asked softly.
She glanced up briefly and nodded, barely acknowledging my presence. When I didn’t say anything else, she looked down again, staring blankly at her knees.
Pain emanated from every inch of her skin. Her limp, blood-caked hair hung in matted locks around her face.
“Are the witches okay?” she finally mumbled.
“Damn straight. They’re a strong fucking bunch, those witches.”
Half of her mouth curved into a smile, but it fell just as quickly. “Any word from—”
“They’ll be here, Gray,” I said, knowing she meant Ronan and Emilio. “Give them time.”
She pressed her forehead to her knee, her shoulders trembling. I could tell she was working overtime to keep her voice steady. “It feels like Emilio and I just found each other, and now…” She trailed off, her words like an anchor around my heart.
Not because I was jealous. Because I didn’t know how to make it better for her.
There were a million things I wanted to say, and a million more I probably should’ve, but all of them felt big and dumb in my mouth. So instead of forcing it, I went for the diversion, kneeling down beside the tub and tugging on one of her matted curls.
“I realize I’m way out of practice at the moment,” I said, “as I’m sure you can tell by my just-sprung-from-prison, don’t-remember-what-soap-looks-like scent. But I’m pretty sure you’re doing this whole shower thing wrong.”
My attempt at humor fell flat. Gray lifted a shoulder in a gesture that barely qualified as a shrug, her bra strap sliding the rest of the way down. “I couldn’t figure out the shower head. I wanted to change the pressure, but it wouldn’t turn, and I just… I just kind of climbed in here and sat down. I don’t even know how long I’ve been in here.”
I got to my feet. “Okay if I join you?”
“Be my guest. I’m betting we smell the same right now, anyway.”
“Ahh, you’d lose that bet, Cupcake.” Her scent had always driven me wild. Not even the stench of dirt and sweat and smoke and blood could change that. “I hope you don’t mind if I disrobe for this one. I know how much you love a man in camo.”
This—finally—got a smile.
Returning it, I stepped into the tub, trying not to wince. Motherfucker, that water was hotter than Sebastian’s balls—at least, what I imagined the Prince of Hell’s ball temperature to be, which I’d admittedly never done before that moment and would hopefully never do again.
Shielding Gray from the lava-water, I helped her to her feet, then fucked around with the ancient shower head until I got things to a more tolerable pressure and temperature.
“Better?” I asked, maneuvering her beneath the spray.
“Mmm.” She tilted her head back to rinse her hair, exposing the pale expanse of her neck and throat. I reached up and stroked her, my thumb tracing her jaw, her neck, her collarbone, slowly working over to her shoulder. Her bra finally gave up and dropped away, and holy fuck, I wanted to kiss her. To bite her. To suck on every inch of her until she melted with pleasure and forgot every last one of her worries, just for a little while.
It wasn’t long before she finally ditched her remaining clothes. She tossed them unceremoniously into the corner of the tub, then stood on her toes and looped her arms around my neck.
Her full body pressed against mine, skin on skin, warm and slick, making me instantly hard. I felt the pulse of her magic, calling to me, strengthening me, just like it had in the prison. The incubus part of me wanted nothing more than to bury myself between her thighs, but the man in me just wanted to feel her. To hold her close.
For now, the man was winning out.
Barely.
Ignoring the ache in my balls, I wrapped my arms around her and held tight, my chin resting on the top of her head as the water ran down our bare bodies and washed away the evidence of tonight’s battle. The water swirled black and red down the drain, tinged with blood.
Wolf’s blood, I reminded myself, and my gut clenched, my mind flooding with nightmarish images of Emilio lying on that concrete floor, torn up and broken and writhing in pain, one faint heartbeat away from death’s door…
No. I couldn’t go down that road. Going down that road meant falling apart, and right now, I had to keep it together. For Gray. For Ronan and Darius. For Haley and Reva. For the other witches out there—strong, amazing women who’d just jumped out of the frying pan only to find out they’d still have to walk through fire, still have to face the Darkwinter and the hunters and whatever other crazy shit was waiting for all of us around the next corner.
“My hair feels like yarn.” Too soon, Gray pulled out of my embrace and reached up to wring out her hair. “And not the soft kind.”
Honestly, I was grateful for the distraction. Clearing the tightness from my throat, I pushed away the lingering thoughts of Emilio and grabbed the shampoo.
“Ever had your hair washed by a demon?” I teased, forcing myself to keep it light. Simple. Un-fucking-complicated in the face of the epically tangled, supremely fucked-up maze we were all stuck inside.
“No,” she said. Despite the exhaustion in her eyes, her mouth curved into a playful smile. “Only by a vampire.”
“Wait. What? You let Beaumont wash your hair? Seriously?”
She nodded, new mischief glinting in her eyes.
Keep talking. Keep distracting her from the blood still swirling at our feet…
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I said. “Well, screw that bloodsucker. I’m way better at this. Turn around.”
With a small laugh, she did as I asked, and I eased her head back, squeezing shampoo into my palms and gently massaging it into her scalp.
She sighed, the sound of it more like pleasure than relief. I was taking that as a good sign.
“Told you,” I said. “Way better than Beaumont.”
“Not better. Just different.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, Cupcake.” I pressed my thumbs into the base of her skull and massaged upward, working my fingers across her scalp, unleashing the scent of mint and lavender—some expensive-ass spa shit that probably belonged to Emilio’s sister. A soft moan escaped Gray’s lips, and she shivered, despite the heat of the shower.
“Um, okay,” she breathed. “Where did you learn how to do this, exactly?”
“First admit I’m better at washing hair than the bloodsucker, then I’ll tell you.”
“You each have different… strengths and… and skills,” she said, the pleasure taking hold of her, making her gasp. “Okay. You… you’re better at this. You’re fucking amazing at this.”
“Cosmetology school,” I blurted out.
At this, she let loose a full-on laugh, turning around to meet my eyes. “Seriously, Ash? Cosmetology school?”
I nodded.
“You’re kidding me.”
“Hey. I wouldn’t joke about something like good hair, Gray. Close your eyes and rinse.” I guided her head back under the water, careful to block the soap from her eyes. “Natural talent can only get you so far. Crafting beautiful hair artistry takes training, practice, and experience, and you can’t just—”
“You are the most full-of-shit demon I’ve ever met.” She laughed and tipped her head up, blinking the water from her eyes and looping her arms around my neck again. Fucking bliss. “Asher, the friendly neighborhood demonic hairstylist? Please. You were just trying to pick up girls.”
“Demonic hair designer.” I lifted a shoulder. “Besides, maybe they were trying to pick me up. Ever think of that? Not that I could blame them.”
“Of course not,” she said, dragging a finger down my chest, tracing a spiral pattern on my abs that had my cock stirring again. “Who could resist this? Big, bad incubus on the outside. Sensitive, artistic hairstylist—sorry, hair designer—on the inside…”
“That does sound like a winning combo, doesn’t it?” I grabbed her hand and brought it to my mouth, pressing a kiss to her fingers. It’s not that I minded her touch—the opposite, actually. I just didn’t know how much longer I could resist the siren call of her body, her smooth skin, her luscious lips, the tug of her magic… The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off with my insatiable appetite.
No matter what I felt about her, we’d only been together the one time, and that was just to save my ass from the devil’s trap Jonathan had injected into my bloodstream. Now, despite the fact that we were both standing here naked, I still wasn’t a hundred percent clear on her feelings for me. This thing between us—whatever it was now, whatever it was destined to become—it was all her call. It had to be.
Because the last woman I’d claimed as my own, the last one I’d claimed on my terms… she ended up dead.
So I held Gray’s hand and smiled and waited for her to make another joke, some crack about me picking up girls or becoming a beauty school dropout, but the jokes didn’t come. Her eyes had turned serious once again. She pulled her hand from my grip and slid her palm against my cheek, her thumb brushing my lips.
“I love you,” she whispered.
My throat tightened with a lump the size of Texas. Damn near felt like it, anyway. Had she really just said that?
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there tonight,” she went on. “If anything had happened to you, I… I don’t…”
“Shhh.” I took her face in my hands, my gaze drifting down to her mouth, then back up to her eyes, cataloging the curves and lines of her face, the blue of her eyes, the arch of her brows. Her words echoed in my mind, filling me up with something that felt a lot like magic.
I love you...
“Gray, I—”
“Asher,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed, and suddenly I forgot how to fucking talk and just lowered my mouth to hers, brushing a soft kiss over her lips.
Threading her hands into my hair, she returned the kiss, deepening it before pulling back with a sharp gasp.
“Sorry,” she said, pressing her lips together, then offering an apologetic smile. “Still stings a little.”
I traced the edge of her mouth with my fingertip, finally noticing the redness. “What happened?”
“Ronan… I kissed him at the warehouse, and…” She shook her head and lowered her eyes, clearly flustered. “We can’t… Whenever we touch now, it burns. Sometimes worse than this.”
“It burns? What the fuck kind of fairytale curse bullshit is that?”
“Not a curse. A deal. When I was stuck in the Shadowrealm, he and Darius staged a rescue. They came through the hell portal.”
“So this is Sebastian’s doing.” Of course. My blood began to boil, my hands clenching into fists. Why was that motherfucker so wrapped up in our lives? He had no claim on Gray. Not until her death.
Gray nodded. “It was the only way he’d let them use the portal.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Fucking hell, so much had happened while I’d been stuck in that rotting hole of a prison cell. Where did I even start to put this story together?
Ronan… Shit. He must be gutted.
“Half of me wants to beat his ass for making another deal with that greasy soul-pimp,” I said.
“Well, a full three-quarters of me wants to beat his ass, and that’s when I’m feeling generous.”
“I get it. But the thing is, Gray… I’d do the same damn thing a hundred times over if it meant getting you back safely. I can’t blame him, and neither should you. You’re here. Alive.”
She nodded mutely, but she didn’t look convinced. She just looked devastated.
“He loves you more than anything else in the world,” I said. “He’s been in love with you for basically ever, but he gave that up for you. He’d fucking die for you. You know that, right? From the moment you came into his life, that was never a question, and it never will be.”
It was a long time before she moved again, and when she did, she looked up at me with the saddest eyes I’d ever seen.
“Newsflash, Asher.” She blew out a breath, her shoulder lifting in a weak shrug. “I don’t want him to die for me. I just want him to kiss me again without bursting into flames.”
“Okay. Let me tell you something about our boy, Ronan.” I grabbed her hands, squeezed tight. “He plays his cards close to the vest, and half the time you’ve got no idea what that motherfucker’s up to, right? But we both know he’s always up to something. He will find a way out of that deal—hell, he’s probably already started renegotiating with Sebastian behind the scenes. And when this is over—when all this shit is back to normal and the witches have gone home and the fae fucks are in the ground with the hunters and our crew is back together, strong and fucking solid, we’re gonna have a big party. A feast. Fucking massive. Cage dancers, live band, those guys who paint butterflies on faces. And the main course? Barbecued Sebastian nuts. What do you think of that?”
She tried to hold on to her sadness, her anger, but she couldn’t—not completely. The laugh broke through, lighting up her face once again.
“I think I’ll pass on the nuts,” she said. “But I do appreciate your enthusiasm. Not to mention your brutally on-point sense of vengeance.”
“Hey. Anything for you, Cupcake.” I stroked my hand down the side of her ribcage and squeezed her hip, the moment turning serious again. “Absolutely anything.”
“I know.”
She closed my eyes, and beneath my touch, her body trembled. It was slight at first, a tremor that began in her shoulders and rolled straight on down.
I reached up over her head and adjusted the water so she’d get more of the warmth.
“You were right earlier,” she said, her eyes still closed, the skin between them creased as if she were trying her damnedest to keep the images at bay. “When I found you in that cell, you asked me if I’d missed you. I missed you so much… so fucking much. I thought about you every day we were apart, and the picture of this moment right here…” She put her hand flat against my chest and shook her head. “It got me through some of the scariest shit I’ve ever faced.”
“Hey. You got yourself through that shit, because you’re strong as hell, Gray. You fought some epic shit, and you still came out swinging. Every time. That’s all you.”
“All I wanted was for all of us to be together again,” she went on. “Now you’re here. We got you out of that prison. We saved the witches. But we can’t exactly celebrate, because Ronan is bound by Sebastian’s deal. I’m bound by my own deal with him. I found out my birthmother tried to kill me. Darius doesn’t remember anything, and—”
“Wait. What? Gray, slow down. Breathe. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
She shook her head, but I couldn’t tell if she’d even heard me.
“Emilio’s hurt,” she continued. “Really hurt. And Ronan and Elena were just… They looked like they’d already lost hope. How can he come back from that?”
She opened her eyes and looked to me as if I had the answers, but nothing I could say would make this right. Make it hurt less. I shook my head and reached for her face again, wishing I could kiss away the pain.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“I know.” She lowered her eyes, water droplets collecting along her dark lashes. “I’m sorry, too.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said. But before I could take another breath, she was stretching up on her toes again, pulling me close.
Her mouth covered mine in another kiss, this one so intense it rivaled the heat of the water.
“Your lips,” I mumbled. “I don’t want to hurt your—”
“I don’t care,” she breathed. “I just… I want you. Us. Right now, Ash. I need to feel you inside me. Please.”
Fucking hell, this woman was going to wring me right out.
“Gray, you’re freaked out and upset and I get it. But…”
I trailed off, not sure where to take it. She felt so volatile right now—and who could blame her? But what the hell was I supposed to say? No, Gray. I don’t want you to use me as a painkiller. No, Gray. I want you to need me, not just because my touch feels good, but because it brings you happiness. Because you really do love me, just like you said…
“Asher,” she said, curling her hands into my hair, desperation seeping into her voice, “I can’t… I can’t think about this shit anymore tonight. I feel like my head is going to explode. Right now, I just need you. That’s all.”
That’s all…
Despite her earlier declarations, the doubts crept in again. And there, in the darkest part of my tattered soul, pain flickered.
I forced a smile and pulled her close. “Whatever you need, Cupcake. You know that.”
Didn’t matter what I felt in that moment. I’d meant what I said—I’d give her anything she asked for, without question. I knew what it felt like standing on the edge of the cliff, staring down over the yawning chasm of grief, the fear of death nipping at your heels. Times like that, all you wanted was to feel alive. I fucking got it.
But it still stung.
I held her gaze, and her eyes softened, a sad smile just barely touching her lips.
“It’s not like that, Ash,” she whispered, as if she could read my thoughts. Hell, maybe she could. I could sarcasm my way out of just about anything, but I’d never been great at hiding my feelings—especially from her.
“I don’t need sex,” she said. “I don’t need a distraction. I need you. I… there’s so much more to say, so much I want to tell you about. But right now, everything feels so… so fragile. A lot of bad shit happened, and even though I made it out, I feel… off. Like, there’s this thing inside me, this magic, and it keeps getting stronger, but I’m not sure what to do with that. There’s this whole legacy thing we found out about, and I’m supposed to lead the witches… I don’t even know what it all means. All I know is that sometimes, when I close my eyes, all I see is a big, black pit. And all I want to do is jump.” She shivered again, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I don’t even know what’s real.”
“You don’t have to figure it out tonight.” I cupped her face, tilting her up to meet my gaze again. “And you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.”
“I know. But for a little while, I thought I lost you.” A tear slid down her cheek.
Brushing it away with my thumb, I said, “You haven’t.”
“I need to feel you inside me,” she said again. “Not just to feel good and forget everything else, but to know that you’re really here. That you’re whole. That you’re not going to disappear on me the minute I close my eyes again.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” I said. “I’m never leaving your side again. That is a damn promise.” I leaned in close, kissing her swollen lips, her chin, her collarbone, sweeping lower with each pass. Her skin was hot and slippery, and when I got to her breasts, she arched her back, pressing herself against my mouth as I sucked one of her nipples between my teeth, my fingers finding the other one and tugging, rolling, teasing her just right.
“Yes,” she breathed, threading her hands into my hair.
Back in the cave prison, there’d been no time for teasing or slow, lingering kisses. I hadn’t even laid eyes on her bare breasts before tonight—only her thighs, a quick blur of pale skin as she’d wriggled out of her pants and climbed into my lap, desperate to give me the strength to fight off the devil’s trap poison coursing through my blood.
Well, it’d worked. She’d strengthened me in more ways than she’d even realized, and ever since that moment, I’d dreamed of this one—the chance to truly taste her, to inhale her scent, to make her gasp with pleasure at the hot slide of my tongue between her thighs.
I almost came just thinking about it, but I forced myself to hold out. Right now, it was all about her. All about bringing her to the edge of bliss and back again.
I licked and sucked, kissing every inch of her silky skin as I worked my way across the lower curves of her breasts and down her ribcage, dragging my tongue over her hipbone, across her belly, and across the tops of her legs.
When I was finally down on my knees, I gripped the backs of her thighs and looked up at her through a spray of hot water.
“You’d better find something to hold on to, Cupcake. Because I’m about to go all in on this gorgeous pussy of yours, and I’m not coming up for air until you damn well forget how to stand.”
Five
GRAY
Without warning, Asher slid his tongue between my thighs, his mouth hot and demanding and insatiable and oh my God I was already trembling. I braced one hand against the tile wall and fisted his hair with the other, but there was no way I’d be able to hold out much longer.
With a surge of hot water sluicing down my back and clouds of steam smudging Asher from my view, I melted beneath invisible kisses, my body going wild for the teasing, fluttering strokes of his tongue and his soft moans of pleasure, each one vibrating through my core and making my knees weak.
“You’re… amazing,” I managed, wanting him to know how much I was enjoying this. How much he was unraveling me, one delicious kiss at a time. “Don’t… stop.”
Holy hell.
It was no surprise that an incubus knew how to please a woman. But before tonight, we’d only been intimate together once—for about ten minutes in the cave prison, if that—yet somehow Asher was reading the unique needs of my body as if he’d studied it for years, sensing my shifting desires before I’d even consciously registered them myself. Everything he did—every kiss, every hot breath, every nibble—felt like it’d been custom designed just for me.
I would’ve come five times over by now, but it turned out Asher wasn’t just a master of my body’s desires.
He was also a master of the epic tease.
I ached for release, but each time I felt those initial tingles building in my core, he’d pull back, easing the perfect pressure of his tongue, blowing a hot breath across my clit until the elusive orgasm slipped away once again.
And then he’d come back, his mouth whipping my body into a new frenzy.
I was going insane.
After everything I’d come through, every demon and battle I’d fought, this was going to be my end. Tonight, I would die in the shower by this man’s mouth.
And I was pretty sure I’d be smiling when I did.
Asher shifted before me again, dragging his tongue along my clit, then dropping lower to leave a trail of light, fluttery kisses on my inner thigh, all the way down to my knee.
“This is torture,” I groaned. I tightened my grip on his hair, tugging him back up toward my center, but that only seemed to encourage his incessant teasing.
