Page 40 of Unbroken

I have Light Guardians to liberate, a mother to save, and an Archangel to kill.

ChapterTwenty-Three

LYRIK

“Do you want to talk about it?” I push her braids away from her forehead and kiss her temple. Micah’s chest heaves, still coming down from her orgasm, my cock still buried inside of her.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m fine, Lyrik,” she says, laying her ear against my chest and turning her head away from me. I know she is hurting. I can feel it. We all can. I have no doubt she cares for Esme and that’s why I know this is bothering her. You can’t be Tethered to someone and not be affected by almost losing them to death and then distance, time, and space in one night.

Vanir exists in another realm that runs parallel to our own. Do I believe the little witch will return? Of course. In time. I think learning the truth about the other half of her heritage will set her on a journey of her own.

Tracing my fingers down the side of her body, she sighs and my dick twitches inside of her. It won’t take much to fuck her once more tonight. I can never get enough of her.

Sensing the rise in my desire, she shifts and goes to sit up, but I wrap my arms around her tight, holding her to me. “Lies,” I reply, clicking my tongue. “Talk to me,” I say as she rolls her hips and my cock wakes up, eager and waiting. I hold her tighter with one arm and smack her ass, making her yelp in surprise.

She groans in frustration. “Please, Lyrik. I don’t know what you want me to say. All of you are glancing at me as if I’m going to break. But I won’t break. I won’t bend. I am un-fucking-broken.” I can hear the faux bravado in her voice, and I want to call her out on it, but I don’t have the heart to. She needs to feel like she has control over her emotions. I get it. But if you’re going to show weakness, expose it to the ones who love you so when you stand in front of your enemies, there will be no doubt about your strength.

“You can break for me, meus amor.” I kiss her head again. “I don’t think any one of us would hesitate to piece you back together. I love you. They love you. Esme loves you, too.” Her breath catches and I feel her shudder. I can feel her tears hitting my chest as I hold her, stroking her back. When she begins to sob, I know this is about more than losing Esme. It’s about the loss of her father, the mixed emotions about her mother, and the perils we are about to face in only a few hours. If I could stop her from marching into Caelum Academy, I would, but this is her task. I have to helplessly watch my Mate sacrifice herself for Humanity, and I hate it. Life is fleeting, even for a Demon, anything that breathes can die. Immortality means nothing if you’re dead and heartless. I can’t lose her; she can’t lose me or any one of us. What matters is what we do with right now.

“You know I love you, always.”

She tilts her head up to look at me, her ember eyes watery and shining in the darkness. In this moment, she is my sad, savage queen, and I bend to her will, ready to lay my life on the line for her. My true Mate. I’ve waited a lifetime for her and if this is the last night of my life, then I will go to my eternal sleep with a smile on my face.

“I love you too, Lyrik.” She stretches forward and kisses my lips. I moan, needing one more taste of her before dawn. I grab her hips between my hands and deepen our kiss while I grind her on my cock.

“Lyrik,” she moans my name, and I flip our bodies to lie on top of her. I gaze down at my beautiful treasure, lifting her leg over my shoulder and leisurely slide my cock in and out of her warmth.

“I need you, Lyrik,” she says, her tears still glistening in her eyes. I snap my hips hard, making her cry out as I lean down and kiss away her tears.

“You have me, meus amor. You have all of me,” I say as my thoughts turn to Miss Blu and the last conversation I had with her in the Underworld.

“Lyrik, Professor Bodin.” I stop in the hallway outside Micah’s room and turn to see Esme peeking out of her doorway. I forgot the little witch is only across the hall.

“Just Lyrik, Esme. We can forgo with the formalities,” I tease. She closes her door behind her with a soft click. It’s early and I need to get back to HellNight for another boring-ass Council meeting.

“I. . .I. . .I had a vision that woke me. I am glad I caught you. I can’t trouble Micah, you know,” she says hesitantly as I really get a look at her. Esme’s face is the picture of exhaustion, dark circles are under her reddened eyes.

“Esme, are you okay? Are you sleeping? I know it’s sometimes hard to acclimatize to the Underworld. Hopefully, it won’t be long before you all can come back home,” I say reassuringly. Lucifer is dragging his feet with the triplets’ Blood Ceremony, and I can only imagine the spectacle he is conjuring up.

“Just tired. I have a lot of work to do, to control these turbo powered visions.” She waves it off like it’s nothing, so I make a mental note of bringing it up with Professor Adder.

“So, you had a vision?” I ask to get her back on track as I quickly check my pocket watch that’s magically spelled to work down here.

“Yes, I keep seeing the same battle over and over again. Somehow, I never see myself there, but I assume I am seeing the vision not through my eyes. But Lyrik, Micah dies. This time, there is no getting back up. There is a moment when Micah falters in the fight, each time she is trying to get to one of you. It’s never someone specific, once it was Rodyn, then Ty, Trys, even Rook. It’s never clear. It only takes a second, but the distraction costs her. Michael takes advantage and stabs her in the heart with his flaming sword. I know I need to study the vision further for loopholes, but I thought if I tell someone else, then there’s two of us to watch her back.” She smiles and pats my arm. “We have to keep her safe, Lyrik. If she falls, we all fall. If Michael kills her, the sky turns blood red and fire destroys us all.” I can see the terror in her eyes as she wraps her arms around her waist.

“Thank you for telling me. We will protect her together.”

“Lyrik!” Micah’s shout brings me back to the present, back to her. I take my time and make love to her slowly, reverently, letting her essence fill me up for the battle to come.

“Cum for me, meus amor.” I reach down and stroke her clit in quick circles, feeling her pussy clamp down as her body stills then erupts.

“I love you, Lyrik.” Micah reaches up and our lips collide in a soul shattering kiss as I spill my seed inside of her.

“Always, meus amor.”

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ROOK

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