Page 69 of A Bloodline Redeemed

“Andy.”Dyre’s voice was a single, deep note, grounding and somehow sane amidst all the insanity currently rolling through my mind.“Drink from the well, enjoy it.Use it however you see fit.But remember, we control the magic.It doesn’t control us.”He pulled me closer, and bent to whisper in my ear, Sunshine’s echoing voice taking over once more.“We all have darkness in us, my witch.The question is whether one is strong enough to be its master.”

I planted my hands on his smooth, pale chest, felt the heavy thud of his newly living heart.Sunshine wasn’t just being poetic.Dyre had shown suchtremendousstrength all his life, had not only survived his possession, but had managed to befriend andthrivewith the wraith who occupied his body.No one did that.Not one single story had been passed down through our witchy histories of a witch being able to remainhimselfthrough this kind of dark magic.And yet, Dyre had.He had not only survived, but he had grown.He’d kept hold of his morals.His kindness.His sense of right and wrong.Even when circumstances attempted to twist and warp everything beyond recognition.

He had done it, Sunshine was telling me.And the wraith saw that same strength in me.

Taking a deep breath, I resisted the hungry wild magic of the Lovells, the Blaisdells, and every strong line before them.I pushed it back.Not gone, not ever cowed.But controlled.I was the master of this darkness.I was still in possession of my fierce, squishy earth witch heart.

“Thank you.”Going up on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to theirs, knowing I kissed both Dyre and Sunny at the same time.Knowing they felt my emotions and intentions through our bond.“Now complete the loop,” I said, pulling back with a smirk.“Sex magic this strong shouldn’t be wasted.”

Dyre chuckled.But it was cut short by Sunshine’s deep, eerie growl as the wraith pushed forward and claimed my mouth, kissing me as if he owned me, mind, body and soul.

And he did.They all did.I was theirs, just as much as they were mine.

The long, nimble fingers that caressed my body, the chiseled lips that tasted my flesh, the hard, dripping cock that plunged into me as we lay on the blanket, surrounded by swaying wildflowers and glittering stars—they were all one body, but two people, alternating flawlessly in a way that was mind-blowing.The lifebond that linked us helped, but I think even without it, I would know them instantly, be able to identify who was in charge by the way they touched me, the way they devoured me.Dyre’s deep, earnest hunger and softer touches, Sunshine’s desperate need and consuming, endless hunger for more… it was a dizzying combination.

I lost myself in them and their cool, midnight darkness just as easily as I’d lost myself to Elijah’s all-consuming light.But I remembered this time—or we remembered together—that we controlled the darkness.I gasped and cried out and probably made all sorts of ridiculous noises as they took me from behind.

Dyre’s comforting grip on my hip.Sunshine’s ruthless, unnaturally strong thrusts as he attempted to own me from the inside.Dyre’s long fingers in my hair.Sunshine’s grip using it to pull my head back as his darkness and Dyre’s blood magic poured through me, twined with all I was, and grew.

This time when I came, the surge of magic lit up every connection, every lifebond between all of us, connecting us in a glowing web of power and passion that was blindingly bright in my mind’s eye.Dyre let out a rough sound as he pulled me back to rest against his chest and thighs, still sheathed inside me.

I let out an unhinged sound somewhere between a scream and a moan as the power building inside me finally surged to completion and I flung it outward.Mumbled words fell from my lips, directing the magic to the earth.To healing and new growth.To peace, and stability, and everything that the world—all worlds—needed most.

A riot of trees and flowers burst from the soil as far as the eye could see, rapidly unfurling and reaching toward the sky, blotting out the stars with the entire fuckingforestI had just created with our magic.

Panting and boneless, I leaned my head back against Dyre’s shoulder.“Goddess.”

He chuckled, deep and rich, andfreerthan I’d ever heard him sound before.“Indeed you are, Lovell.”

I shook my head, but I didn’t have the energy to argue with him.

“Take me inside,” I said instead, as if I reallywerea goddess or something, ordering people around.“We’ve got shit to do tomorrow.”

A small, high-pitched peep made us all freeze.“Can I come out of the basket now?”Bis asked in an exasperated voice.

I put my hands over my face, trying—and failing—to cover my laughter.Poor guy.Hopefully he’d gotten his fill of cake while he killed time.

Chapter 40

Andy

Thenextday,Iwas grudgingly up at the break of day.Sometimes—like last night—I felt like my life was divinely blessed.Other times—like this morning—I was sure I was being punished just for existing.

I glanced at the twins, who were just sitting down to breakfast, chattering to Zhong and Niamh about the wind spell Dyre had taught them yesterday—they’d used it to blow the biggest bubbles I’d ever seen.It was nice to see our children learning strong, important magic, while still getting to be kids at the same time.Maybe they wouldn’t end up as fucked up as their adoptive parents after all.And maybe my life wasn’t a divine punishment… possibly.

“Ready?”I asked, focusing my attention on Dyre and Aahil, who stood at my side by the front door.

“Stop procrastinating,” Aahil said with a little lift of his chin.“We’vebeenready, witch.You’re the one dragging her feet and sending those disgustinglygooeylooks everywhere.”

But I saw the way his eyes flicked toward the homey scene at the table, where Hasumi was now pouring maple syrup over towers of perfect golden waffles.Aahil was such a bad liar.

Sighing, I put my hand on the doorhandle and called on my magic, linking it to the spell the cleaners had placed on the house.Sometimes I regretted bargaining with the weird interdimensional beings.Sure, they could have destroyed the pocket world where we were hiding, and us along with it.But did I reallyhaveto agree to their terms?We were safe.We could travel wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted.No one had access to us unless we wanted them to, which was nice, now that we had become infamous across the realms.But it came with the annoying responsibility of putting out political fires and stomping out any hint of evil or unrest when called upon to do so.Annoying.

The magic buzzed beneath my fingertips, and I twisted the fancy new doorknob to the right.A soul-deepclickresonated inside me, and I knew the house had moved.“Come on,” I said on a sigh.“Let’s get this over with.”

Opening the door, I stepped out onto a busy sidewalk in Magea.Dyre and Aahil followed me, and the door snicked shut behind us.Glancing back, I saw not the Lovell Mansion, but an unassuming two-story brick shop.The display in the window said, “This week only!All crystals 50% off!”

Ugh.“That is still so weird,” I muttered, turning away and heading down the sidewalk.

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