Page 112 of All Your Bloody Lies

She is everything that I yearn for, crave, and desire, from now, until there is not a shred of either of us remaining in this life and the next. I’m crazy for her, and as much as I want to deny it wasn’t from the moment she threatened my head, I’d be lying.

I feel her tugging back to take in a deep breath, “Trying to kill me,” she grumbles through bated breath. “Remember, I do need to breathe.”

Offering her a relaxed smile, I hum, “Forgot you are part Mundane.” Her eyes roll, and she graces my lips with a tender, fleeting kiss. The water level has receded, now embracing us up to our shoulders, and she gently inclines her head into the curve of my neck.

“Why are you sorry, Kai?” She wraps her arm around my neck and curls her legs up.

I take a deep breath, preparing to be cryptic, even if I truly don’t want to. “Many things, but I’d rather not voice them, little demon.” My head rests against the porcelain tub. “Just know I’m sorry.”

A slight pause hangs before she responds, “I’m sorry too.”

I don’t say anything, just run my nails along her arm, feeling her relax even more into the comfort of my embrace.

“I don’t hate you,” she murmurs, her tone softening, as if grappling with the uncertainty of her words. “I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to tell you that. That you’d think in the end, I…” The palpable throb of her heart against her chest is so intense; it feels as though it’s attempting to break free, afraid that the revelation she’s struggling to convey might inflict pain to it.

I give her the moment, but she doesn’t continue.

“Do you want me to continue for you?” I ask.

“No, I don’t.” The caress of her lips against the spot where one would be marked by their mate sends chills down my spine. “I’m not good with words, but I don’t need you to fill in any gaps for me.” She moves her hand up next to where she’s kissed, and I feel a pinch.

Her lips press against the area where blood is drawing from. A warmth sparks, and she runs her tongue across it. That strange sensation is not of the marking, because I’d be writhing in pain. Something else is flowing through me and I have absolutely no idea what it is.

“You would take all my power if you claimed me, Kai.” She leans up, and I focus on her lips, which are no longer a cherry red. Instead, they are stained black as twilight. “I still need it; I need all of me to fight against what they are trying to take. But hopefully, one day, I’ll be free enough to be someone else’s.”

I look between her eyes, “That someone will only be me, little demon.” There is no question of that, and by the defiant smile at the corner of her lip, she understands there is no freedom from me.

She says nothing more, and with absolute domination, she steals my lips with hers.

40

Xeraphine

My Amoro has claimed him, and I find myself uncertain about how to process it. It happened before I laced him with my scent, which constitutes the mark, a permanent imprint of the other’s essence. I’m at a loss for what to do, but I’m attempting to push the thoughts aside. He understands that he can’t mark me, and he seems to be content with that.

Kairhyse has me tight in his arms, dragging us both soaked and tongue deep in each other’s mouths to his bed. The horrors I had endured the last five days washed away in that bath, all thanks to him—and of course the deaths of Daigo and Zade.

I wonder if I tell him what they did to me, will he find me strange for being ready for him to fuck me without restraint?

I never claimed to be sane, and I feel incredible now that my Amoro is home with him, happily fed. Everyone deals with trauma differently, and for me, it’s having my monster replace with his touch, everywhere those assholes laid theirs.

I’m gently laid onto the mattress, sinking into its softness, and I toss the pillows to the floor. The fluffy black blanket wraps around me as I steal a quick glance at myself.

My body is still healing; the large hole in my leg is slowly closing, and the slashes across my chest are nearly gone. The smaller cuts and bruises are faded, but not completely healed. Sitting in Kairhyse’s lifeforce for hours brought back my accelerated healing, and I couldn’t be more thankful.

“Still fucking perfect,” he purrs while grabbing my ankle and pulling me to him. I do like that he appreciates what he sees, and his praise of me.

I’m so fucking needy for him, and I will never deny that.

I bite my lip, “I’d call you a liar but your cock being at full attention tells me otherwise.”

He takes said appendage and brushes the head of it between my slit, and I throw my head back as he runs it across my clit. The bars flick against it, adding a unique sensation to my bundle of nerves. My stomach tightens and my toes pinch the sheets.

I watch as he lifts his wrist to his mouth and bites, his blood spilling between the confines of his lips. He brings it down over my leg and clenches his fist, his blood pouring over my wounds.

“Xera,” he whispers, “beyond the five that took your life.” The way he speaks is far too sensual for him to be doing what he is to my clit at the moment, and I try to concentrate, but damn, my legs are already twitching. “If anyone touches you in this way, fucking hurts you or even attempts it, I’m ripping them in half. Do you understand me?”

The absence of his stroke makes me release the breath I was holding, my body on fire with need. “Yes—agreed, now please don’t stop.”

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