Page 77 of Ivy & Bone

And then he was gone. His movements became more forceful, more urgent. He pounded into her again and again, relishing the noises he elicited from her with each thrust. When they climaxed together, she screamed into the pillow, her body writhing beneath his, her legs quivering from the intensity of it. Cyrus roared in satisfaction, eyes closing as he succumbed to the sheer thrill of it, the pleasure washing over him in brutal waves.

Gods, it was such a feeling. Such power, what she did to him. How had he not experienced this before? How had he acquired so much magic and yet never felt this?

When their movements slowed, Prue slid out from under him, only to turn and face him, her eyes bright and her forehead sticky with sweat. Then, she was kissing him, and he wasn’t sure if it was out of gratitude or because she wasn’t finished with him yet. Her mouth roved over his, tongue and teeth claiming him again and again, and for one wild minute, he felt ready to plunge into her once more.

But then she drew back, sweeping her tongue over his one last time, before climbing out of bed. Cyrus didn’t bother stifling his groan of disappointment.

Prue chuckled. “Later, love. We have a gate to find, remember?”

Love. She said that word so easily. And he hadn’t been able to say it in return. He tried not to dwell on that, thinking instead of the gate and how to locate it.

“Last I was here, the Book of Eyes called to me,” Cyrus said thoughtfully, his mind returning to that horrid experience. “It just lay open in an alley somewhere, but I doubt it’ll be in the same place.” He eyed Prue as she slid into her shift. “Now that our powers have merged, perhaps we can use them to our advantage. I’ll bet you can sense the Book of Eyes, just as I can.”

Prue stilled briefly, her eyes widening with alarm. For one awful moment, Cyrus panicked. She’s changed her mind. She regrets bonding with me. She wishes last night had never happened.

But her unease smoothed into thoughtfulness as she considered his words. “I think you may be right. I used your powers to summon a spirit, after all, and that was before we’d consummated.” Her cheeks grew pink at the last word, and Cyrus almost laughed. Of all the scandalous things they’d done to each other, and she was bashful about the word consummated?

He couldn’t blame her, though. Part of him was still shocked at what they’d done. What they’d shared.

He’d never shared that much with anyone, demon or no.

“I wonder if witch dust will work,” Prue mused as she worked on buttoning her dress. “If I combine it with your magic, will it locate the book for us?”

“It’s worth a try.” Cyrus finally resigned himself to dressing as well, despite how much he yearned to drag Prue back to the bed for a few more hours.

She peered at him through her lashes as if she was thinking the same thing. Her eyes fell to his cock, her eyebrows lifting slightly.

Cyrus merely crossed his arms, not at all ashamed to expose exactly how she aroused him so. “Care for another ride?” he offered.

Her blush deepened, and she grinned wickedly. “As tempting as your body may be, husband, I’m afraid I can’t ignore my duty to my sister.” Though her words were playful, something dark flickered in her eyes, driving all lewd thoughts from Cyrus’s mind. He kept repeating husband to himself, still not quite believing it, but her words had a sobering effect.

She did this for Mona. Not for herself. Not for Cyrus. But to bring back her sister. Prue may have fallen in love with him—and Cyrus believed her—but in the end, her priorities were clear.

Mona came first. Above all else. And Cyrus had to respect that. Even if his priorities weren’t the same.

When they were both dressed, they deposited their key at the desk downstairs, both of them hopeful they wouldn’t have to stay another night—despite how much Cyrus wanted to share another sleepless evening wrapped up in Prue’s body.

Gods, we are really doing this, he thought as they exited the inn and stepped out into the frigid mountain air. Prue is going through the gate with me. To be honest, Cyrus hadn’t thought they would make it this far. He assumed either Prue would die or one of them would find a way out of the bargain.

Now that they were so close to their goal, his mind was a storm of confusion and uncertainty. What would it be like to go to the Underworld with Prue? Would she be altered somehow? Could she even survive it? He hadn’t cared before because he’d despised her when they first met; if she died, he wouldn’t have batted an eye. But now, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. What if the transition between realms killed her? What if she transformed into something immortal, something incapable of love?

Something like Cyrus?

He suppressed a shudder at the thought.

And then there was the other fear—the fear that the price for Mona’s soul would be Prue’s. That Prue would die for her sister, just as she intended.

But he couldn’t bear that thought, either. He would do anything in his power to stop that from happening. He was the god of the Underworld; if anyone could keep the death magic from claiming Prue, it was him.

Cyrus shoved all these questions from his mind. They were unproductive and didn’t help their search in the slightest. Regardless of how his mind spun and his very bones quivered with unease, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

Prue wrapped her shawl more tightly around her, her curls whipping around her face as she glanced up and down the street. “Where to first?”

Cyrus took a deep breath, quieting his raucous mind and searching inward. His black flames swelled to life in his chest, roaring with an eagerness that shocked him. The fire burned and scorched him, almost in indignation.

His magic was angry that it had been ignored for so long.

And Cyrus was utterly baffled by this. How had he gone so long without using his magic? When he’d first been summoned by Prue, he’d been desperate for a taste of her power—and then desperate for his own power to be returned in full. But now that he’d finally gotten what he wanted, he simply . . . didn’t care.

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