Page 116 of Reluctant Rebel

“Hey!” Phaedra called out. “What do you want me to do with the sinner? I can drag him over there. There’s already an open grave.”

They all turned to find Phaedra dragging a very dead Zagan by the ankle. Jinx didn’t know whether to be appalled or amused.

“Phaedra, darling,” Draven said quietly. “Read the room.” He walked over, removing the body from the pixie’s grip.

“Did you just call herdarling?” Sabre gagged. “I’m out. Brax, don’t subject me to further torture.”

Brax grinned, sweeping Sabre into his arms. “Behave,” he warned her. He met Mikhail’s eyes. “Tomorrow is fine for a debrief, right?”

Mikhail nodded once, a measured and deliberate motion. “Right.”

Brax took a few steps forward before hesitating. “We good?”

“We’re good,” Mikhail confirmed, his voice taking on a gentler tone.

Brax exhaled deeply, a sigh of relief that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. “Love you, Brother.”

Mikhail’s smile grew until it reached his eyes. “I love you, too. Now, take care of your woman. She’s bleeding her own blood. You know how much she hates that.”

Brax didn’t need to be told twice, striding off purposely. Sabre grinned and waved. Jinx could only shake her head. “I worry about that angel sometimes.”

“So do I,” Gage agreed. He ruffled Jinx’s hair before shaking Mikhail’s hand. “Good work. Both of you. We’ll stay and help the Horde. You two get gone.”

Jinx desperately wanted to spend time alone with her mate, but she also understood Mikhail had responsibilities. “We’ll stay.”

Mikhail smiled gratefully, linking their fingers together. “Thank you, my Queen.”

46

Mikhail's strong hands gently massaged her shoulders, his touch igniting sparks despite her exhaustion. Jinx closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the moment, feeling the tension slowly fade away under his skilled fingers.

Mikhail leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear as he asked if she felt okay. She turned her head, giving him a lazy smile. “I feel marvellous. Which should be impossible given the day and night we had.”

They’d stayed at the royal cemetery until every last body had been respectfully interred and every last prisoner jailed or set free. It had taken hours and given her an excellent indication of what her life would look like from now on. It was a life she could live with, she decided.

She stretched languidly, like a cat waking from a nap, and shrugged. “Maybe I got a second wind. Or maybe it’s just the company.”

Mikhail’s lips curved into a smile, though his eyes still held a shadow. Jinx figured it would be there for a while yet. “Tell me how to help you.”

Mikhail sighed, making himself comfortable next to her on the pillow. “I’m okay.”

He wasn’t, but she didn’t push. His strong hands caressed her face as he moved over to kiss her, his lips brushing against hers softly at first, then with increasing passion. Jinx sighed happily, running her fingers through his dark, tousled hair. Mikhail's kisses trailed along her jawline and down her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her. Her nimble fingers prowled over his muscular chest, tracing the lines of his abs appreciatively as he lifted her leg and draped it over his hip.

Jinx eagerly spread herself open, and Mikhail slid inside of her with a groan of satisfaction. They moved together, lost in each other, the outside world forgotten for a few stolen moments. Their movements remained languid, lazy even, but the pleasure was no less intense. And Jinx felt her orgasm approaching with the subtlety of a freight train.

“Close,” she gasped warningly.

“Do it,” Mikhail bade her, licking over the indents beneath her collarbone.

The healing scars had become an erogenous zone, and her core spasmed, tightening rhythmically and sending jolts of pleasure-pain through her entire body. Mikhail groaned into her neck, and she held him close as his hips became uncoordinated with his release.

Afterwards, they lay quietly with their legs tangled together when Jinx felt something beneath her pillow. Pulling the object out, she asked, “What’s this?”

Mikhail yawned and glanced over sleepily. He quickly shot up, trying to snatch it from her hand. “Nothing!”

“This is a feather,” Jinx stated, holding it aloft. She ignored Mikhail’s pathetic groan. “A red feather. Is this from Sabre?”

Mikhail didn’t answer. Instead, he jammed a pillow over his face but wasn’t quick enough to hide his reddening cheeks.

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