Page 127 of Burn of Obsidian

Her heart skipped when he looked up, those icy eyes melting her to the spot. “Thanks for today,” she said when he approached. “You didn’t have to stay.”

Jax cocked his head. “I read in one of your romance novels that it’s what a good boyfriend does.”

Thea laughed, the weight she carried easing a little. She knew it would take some time, but she’d take each day as it came. “Just boyfriend?”

Jax dipped his head, thumb brushing across her tear-stained cheeks. “Maybe a little more.”

Epilogue

JAX

ONE MONTH LATER

Thea’s chuckle washed over him in a cloud of warmth, easing some of the tension from his shoulders. With her legs curled beneath her, she read more of her book, every few seconds an amused sound escaping her lips.

He could tell which part she was at, having spent most sleepless nights reading it while she cuddled against him. He knew when the heroine said something sassy from the cadence of her laughter, or when the hero professed his love from the way she swallowed.

She shared with him why she loved books so much, staying up late to talk about the details with such delight he could listen to her for hours. He found out why she collected crystals, because she thought they were pretty. Why she kept the phallic statue that he’d had to make room for on one of his shelves, because apparently it was her favourite dick.

That answer had gotten her pinned to their bed, her giggles surrounding them before he showed her what a real cock felt like. She still wouldn’t let him get rid of the fucking thing.

He also understood why she only ever had cold takeout in her fridge, because her cooking was terrible. Not that he’d ever admit that to her.

He’d laughed when he’d taken the first bite, surprising his brothers. And despite the food being barely edible, he ate every single piece, and even asked for seconds.

She had settled into his life as if she was always meant to be.

Because of course she did; she was his mate.

THEA

“Remember your training,” she muttered quietly, the Troll Market busier than she’d expected. It wasn’t like there were strict opening and closing times, but many of the stalls followed the same hours. Half of the market had begun packing up for the evening, while the others would likely still be trading into the early hours.

Ruhne gripped her hair tightly, hidden within the pink strands beneath her dark hood. “Please,” he replied with a snort. “I was born for this.”

Hiding her amusement, Thea pushed past a particularly tall elf. He turned to her with a sharp glare, and rather than reacting, she pretended he didn’t even exist. She’d have happily called out the way he turned his nose up at her, but right then, she didn’t want to make a scene.

No, they had something important to do.

“Ready?” she asked.

Lucifer nodded, excitement vibrating his every step, while Ruhne tugged her hair. “Ready.”

“Hey, mate!” Lucifer bellowed, hand held up high. “Can you tell me more about these scales?” The assistant was all too eager to chat, immediately beginning her pitch on why the rug made from dragon scales would look perfect in his home.

“Let’s do this.” Thea pulled back her hood enough for Ruhne to slip out, his wings silent as he quickly rose towards the ceiling. She’d been teaching him over the past few weeks how to pick into simple locks. The same locks found on many of the pixie cages.

Pulling out her own tools from her sleeve, she began working on the cage closest to her. Moving quickly to the next, once it clicked.

The pixies eyed her warily.

“Don’t go until you see the signal.”

One of the braver pixies walked forward, her left wing torn and crudely repaired with yellow thread. “What signal?”

Thea checked over her shoulder, finding Lucifer still chatting animatedly with the assistant. “Oh, you’ll know it when you see it.”

The little female pixie nodded, whispering to the others in her cage while Thea quickly moved onto the next.

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