“We’re not finished,” Collith said, tugging at me.
Intrigued, I allowed him to lead me across the room and onto the bed. Collith knelt on the floor, nudged my knees apart with his own, then buried his face between them. I bit my wrist, overcome with sensation. His lips kissed and sucked, exploring every inch of me. My legs trembled and I couldn’t form a coherent thought. Then Collith did something that made me buck. His hands tightened on my hips.
“Collith,” I moaned, opening wider for him. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
“I’m not going to stop,” he murmured against my core. I almost came then and there. Collith retreated, but it was only to flip me over in a firm, deft movement. I was balanced on my hands and knees when he leaned forward again, his tongue delving inside me, his hands holding my legs in place as I writhed.
And then, suddenly, I was cresting that hill—the sensation was indescribable. Giving myself over to it, I felt my toes curl against the mattress and my eyes flutter shut. Release roared through me like a tidal wave.
The tremors were gradually coming to an end when Collith joined me on the bed. He was still naked, and even though I was drowsy with pleasure, I didn’t miss the opportunity to admire him. His biceps were hard and pronounced, flexing while he settled onto his side. They drew my notice toward the taut lines of his stomach, which led down to hard thighs and that long, delicious cock hanging between them.
Desire stirred again, and I rolled onto my stomach, reaching for Collith at the same time.
But as soon as my arm moved, his attention shifted. Whatever he saw made him frown. Collith reached toward me silently, then traced the faint scars on my back. I glanced over my shoulder, startled. Most of the time, I forgot about them.
It was obvious the marks bothered him, and I could guess why—they were a permanent reminder of our dark beginning. I cupped Collith’s jaw and turned his face away, forcing him to focus on me. I’d put scars on him, too. Ninety years of torture that still lived in his eyes. Those eyes met mine now.
“I love you,” Collith said. He didn’t apologize out loud, but it was in his gaze. In the gentleness of his fingers as he traced another lash, beginning at the top of my spine and ending on the back of my thigh.
I didn’t respond because there were a thousand reasons not to. He was still Collith, the faerie king who had lied to me and betrayed me. I was still Fortuna, the volatile Nightmare who had sent him to Hell and slept with his ex.
Feeling sober now, my earlier bliss faded, I pulled my hand back and sank onto the pillow. I had a brief, feeble thought about getting dressed, but the door was closed and we hadn’t left any evidence in the main room, so I allowed myself to stay in bed for the second time today. After a moment, Collith put his head down, too. He closed his eyes, his eyelashes dark fringes against a smooth, pale cheek. I found myself staring, unable to look away. Minutes passed and I did nothing but gaze at the male in my bed. The one that I could never completely get out of my head, no matter what he’d done.
In a burst of restlessness, I rolled over. Now my back rested against Collith’s chest and stomach. His cool skin was such a relief that I didn’t move, though I knew I should. Why was it so hot in here? Where was everyone? More minutes went by. I listened to Collith’s soft breathing and realized that he’d fallen asleep. It was proof of the exhaustion I had seen in his face. I couldn’t bring myself to wake him, though he hardly deserved my pity. If I had any self-respect at all, I should kick him out of this bed and my life.
Instead, I thought of how badly I’d missed this since we were last together, even when I hated him most. I thought of all the tender moments we’d exchanged before I learned his secret. Playing Connect Four. Waltzing. Grieving together.
There were a thousand reasons not to want Collith Sylvyre… and not a single one of them mattered.
My whisper was fragile, barely more than a faint exhale. Yet it still managed to float between us. “I love you, too.”
I waited with bated breath, trying to discern from his breathing if he was still asleep. With every second that ticked past, relief expanded in me like a small balloon. Maybe I hadn’t really thought he would hear it. It was easy to take back something you’d said while the other person was unconscious.
The balloon popped when Collith’s hand stole across my stomach and curved around my hip. He pulled at me gently, saying nothing about the wild heartbeat between us. I gave in to his silent request and turned onto my back. Propped on his side, Collith lowered his head. Our legs tangled as our mouths met in a deep, perfect kiss. But there was sadness in it, too—he knew I hadn’t forgiven him.
Then Collith shifted, reaching down between us, and he was back inside me. Rocking into my body as if he’d never get another chance. Every thought left my head once more. I moved with him, linking my ankles at the small of his back. As always, Collith gave thought to my pleasure, as well. His fingers found my center, trailing through the wet folds before stopping at the top, right on that tight bundle of nerves aching to be touched. He teased and rubbed it, all the while thrusting his hips in a rough, urgent rhythm.
“Collith,” I breathed, throwing my head back. His mouth descended on my collarbone and left a trail of fire. “Collith, I’m so close…”
And then the world came apart again.
My family slept all around me.
Sleep eluded me, though. I laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts were leaves caught in a wind current, going around and around. Reliving not just what happened since Belanor kidnapped me, but everything before that. Every twist and turn. Each mistake and misstep. All the surprises and heartbreaks.
I remembered the good moments, too. It seemed impossible there had been even one, yet there were several scattered throughout the current. I remembered the sound of Matthew’s laughter. What Laurie’s kisses felt like. The warmth of exchanging a conspiratorial look with Gil. And so many more that. Laying there, I realized how lucky I’d been. My life wasn’t easy, but it had love. I had seen inside enough minds to know how special that was.
After a couple hours, I pushed all that aside and tried to focus on the most insistent thought. It wasn’t the loudest, necessarily, but it kept coming back like an anxious dog.
We’re missing something.
We still hadn’t found Belanor’s master. If the black spell cast on him and the reek of sulfur were any indication, we were fucked. Laurie thought the loose ends had been neatly tied, or maybe he’d deliberately ignored those dangling threads. He was too impatient to reclaim his kingdom.
Beside me, Collith’s breathing was deep and even, but I knew there was nothing peaceful about the thoughts behind those eyelids. Even now, sated from what we’d just done, the corners of his full mouth were turned down. I wondered if he was dreaming of Hell. Or killing his father. Or one of the hundreds of other horrors in his head.
Maybe Kindreth had finally come looking for her journals…
The journals.
I flew upright in bed, my eyes wide. That was where I’d seen the symbol before—the one on both me and Jacob. Kindreth had drawn all the bloodline crests, and Olorel’s had always been at the back of mind, waiting to be reexamined. I hadn’t made the connection because the brand was Olorel’s family crest combined with the symbol for the binding spell put on me as a child.