Page 12 of Our Dark Winter Wish

‘I love you,’ I tell him. ‘And I’m here for you. Don’t walk away when you’re in pain. Come to me, and I will suffer with you. I will share it all, just as you do with me. Our pain. Our nightmares. Our fears.’ I lean down, my forehead meeting his. ‘You’re safe.’

‘You’renot. My nightmare almost killed you.’

‘I’ll take a lifetime of your nightmares, Dream Walker. Rather than suffer a moment of peace without you.’

A tear slides past his cheek, and I lean in to lap it up with my tongue. He releases a beautifully sad little laugh as he pulls me closer to him so our fronts meet.

‘You’re a strange little witch to love a monster like me.’

‘You’re my monster, and I am yours. We’re made for each other.’ I run my thumb across his lower lip. ‘Neve is not coming back.’

He shudders at the mention of her name.

‘The curse of blood magic is gone.’

He swallows painfully and closes his eyes. I jolt his face so he reopens them.

‘And Cole is rotting with his organs around his throat and a hacked-off arm up his arse hole.’

I chuckle, recalling the very descriptive ending Archie delivered to him.

Shaw’s body un-tenses as he smiles.

I lean in and kiss his lips. He meets them gently and unsure, the shame of what just happened still too fresh to feel like he has any right to kiss me.

‘You’re going to get through this,’ I assure him. ‘We all are.’

‘What if the next time I have a nightmare I can not control, you… or Archie… or Dorian… what if you get seriously hurt? I’m not safe to be around. You should just let me go.’

‘None of us are safe to be around. None of us are stable or well-adjusted. None of us can be trusted around others. Why do you think we live on a deserted island? We’re in a place where we can be dangerous as we heal.’ My hold on him tightens. ‘But we heal together. We bleed together, and we scream together. We always have. And we always will. We have seen darkness no one else has seen. Hell, we’vebeenthe darkness that everyone else fears. But we are that darkness together. Not alone. Never alone.My Lord.’

My fingers run through his hair as I lean into his lips again.

‘I love you,’ I breathe against his lips. The snow falls all around us as I slide further onto him. His cold belt meets my exposed flesh. ‘I said I love you. And you give me silence?’

‘I love you, too,’ he replies in a hush.

I move my mouth to his ear.

‘I didn’t hear you.My Lord.’

With my free hand, I let my jacket fall open, showing him that I’m completely naked beneath. My teeth clamp down on his ear.

‘Speak to your goddess as she deserves, Dream Walker. Say it like you mean it.’

His hand twists in my hair as he pulls my head back to look deep into my eyes. The shimmering tears have quickly faded, replaced instead with a fierce look of devotion and desire.

‘I said I fucking love the very bones of you, my goddess.’

‘Show me.’

His teeth grind together.

He pulls me close by my hair, and our lips clash in a desperate embrace. Tongues and teeth meet in a violent need that has our breath mixing. His fingers tighten in my hair as his other slides beneath the coat and rests on my backside to pull me closer still. His cock is hard and pressing against his trousers as I grind against him. My shoulders fall back, and the coat slips down, leaving me exposed to the elements. Snowflakes land on my skin and melt. Each one feels like a spark of fire, meeting my flesh in the most sensual way I could imagine. I’m still learning about this new body. This form is filled with so much power.

I’m cold. But in the most perfect way.

He tugs on my hair so my head falls back, and his lips seal around my peaked nipple. The warmth of his tongue is a stark contrast to the air. He nips and sucks on one and then the other before gently blowing on them both to make them as hard as glass.

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