Page 118 of Ghosts of the Dead

Zoey smiles at us from across the fire, her hand resting on Cole’s knee while Damon’s arm drapes over her shoulders and Benji leans against her other side. Avery sits at her feet, head resting against her leg. She doesn’t need to say anything. The look says it all.

Emily leans forward, her eyes bright with interest that reflects in the dancing flames, eager to change the conversation. “It’s nice to finally have you sticking around, Autumn. Or…are you going to stick around? If you don’t like it here, I have my own colony nearby you’re welcome to come to.”

Mars leans down to kiss my bare shoulder alongside the thin strap of my tank top and speaks first. “Wherever she wants to go.”

Jace tips his head low so his lips are by my ear, his voice gravelly. “Absolutely.”

“Always,” Caspian adds, his fingers squeezing mine.

Luna settles at my feet with a contented sigh, her body warm against my legs, and a random femur in her mouth. The firelight glints off her eyes, making them glow amber for a moment before she rests her head on her paws, protecting her prize.

I look around at this unlikely family we’ve built, these three men who have become everything to me. In a world that took so much, I’ve somehow found something more precious and worth fighting for than I could have ever imagined.

“Home,” I say quietly, the word feeling right on my tongue. “Wherever we are, it’s home.”

And I feel it. The way we hold each other. Even in the broken pieces.

Tonight, surrounded by my three loves, I am exactly where I belong.

EPILOGUE

Autumn

The sun hangs low in the sky, casting long shadows across the colony grounds. The dirt beneath my boots is soft. We’ve been here a week, and it’s the first time I’ve let myself feel like I can breathe. Truly breathe, with my lungs full and my heart racing for reasons that have nothing to do with fear.

“Come on, purple,” Mars’s voice calls. It’s husky and inviting, but his words are laced with that cocky grin that makes heat pool in my belly. “You gonna make me chase you?”

I spin on my heel and stick my tongue out at him, letting my eyes linger on his lips before bolting toward the edge of the clearing. His laughter follows, and the quick thud of his boots closes the distance. The sound alone sends a shiver down my spine. My pulse quickens when I duck behind a stack of crates, my skin already tingling with anticipation.

To my delicious surprise, Jace is already there, waiting.His arm snaps out to catch my wrist, and he spins me into his chest with ease. His hands slide down my arms, his grip teasing but possessive. “Thought you could outrun us, fire demon?” he murmurs. His lips brush the shell of my ear, and my breath catches as electricity shoots through me.

I tilt my head up for a kiss, my body already aching for his touch, but before our lips can touch, I slip free with a laugh that’s half desire. My hair whips over my shoulder when I sprint across the clearing again. The chase makes me feel wild and alive.

A shadow falls across me, blocking the waning sunlight. Before I can turn, Caspian wraps his strong arms around my waist and pulls me tight against his chest. I can feel every hard plane of his body pressed against mine. His mouth finds the curve of my neck, his breath scorching against my skin, making me want to melt into him completely. “Gotcha,” he whispers, voice dark with desire. His lips brush the sensitive spot just below my ear, and I swear I can feel his smile against my skin.

I squirm, not really trying to escape, and his hold tightens deliciously. His hands slide low on my hips, and his fingers dig into my soft flesh. My laugh turns breathless, wanting, and needy.

Mars appears from out of nowhere and closes the last few feet between us with that wicked grin that promises sinful pleasure. “Nowhere left to run,” he says, his eyes traveling down my body like a physical caress.

Jace strides up beside me and his hand slides up the back of my neck until his fingers tangle in my hair, tugging enough to make me gasp. I’m surrounded. Claimed. Desired. The heat between us shifts from playful teasing, melting into something deeper, primal, all-consuming. Caspian turns me in his arms and his lips crash against mine in a hot and desperate kiss that makes my knees weak. I feel the tension in his grip, the way he holds me like I could slipaway, even though we both know I never will. Even now, with the game we’re playing, I don’t want to. I’d rather stay right here, exactly like this, for all of eternity, burning in their touch.

Jace’s hands slide down my back, leaving trails of fire in their wake before dipping into the waistband of my shorts. His hardening cock presses against my ass, and I moan into Caspian’s mouth while arching my body into his. Jace’s fingers slide around to my front and circles my aching clit with perfect pressure. He leans in close to my ear, his voice like velvet darkness. “You like that, fire demon?” He presses his cock harder against me, grinding ever so slowly. “We’re about to have so much fun with you.”

Mars sinks to his knees before me. His gaze locks on mine while he slides my shorts down my legs with agonizing slowness. “Not wearing any panties this time. Good girl,” he purrs. His breath is hot against my inner thigh.

“You’ve torn nearly every pair,” I point out, but my words end on a high, desperate moan when Mars presses his warm, wet mouth to my core, and his tongue slides through my folds.

“There’s no reason to wear them around us,” Jace growls against my neck. His hands slide beneath my shirt until they’re cupping my breasts. His thumbs brush over my hardened nipples in a way that makes my back arch.

I break from Caspian’s intoxicating kiss to gasp for breath. My head falls back, but Jace steals my air again. His mouth is rough and possessive, claiming me in a way that makes my knees buckle. I sink into him in surrender, but Caspian catches me and pulls me back into the circle of their arms. There’s no escape from their desire, but I don’t want one. I want to drown in it.

We stumble through the door a few feet away into the old supply shed with our bodies pressed together and ourhands exploring, unwilling to break contact for even a moment. The door creaks when Jace kicks it shut behind us. The light spills in through the cracks, showing the dust swirling in the beams like stardust.

Mars lies on the ground before me, magnificent and wanting, and Jace and Caspian work together to lower me on top of him. I’m already so wet, he slides into me with one perfect thrust, filling me like he was crafted for my body alone. When my mouth falls open on a cry of pleasure, Caspian catches my moan with his lips.

Their hands and mouths are everywhere, claiming every inch of me. Mars’s fingers dig into my soft hips while we work into a rhythm that builds like a storm. Jace’s lips kiss along every sensitive inch of my throat, teeth grazing enough to make me shudder. Caspian cups my face and claims my mouth with a hunger that matches my own. It’s overwhelming and still not enough. I need more. I want more of everything they can give me.

“More,” I whisper in between desperate kisses. I reach out with trembling fingers and unbuckle Caspian’s pants enough to slide my hand in, but his cock springs free as though it was straining against its confines. I wrap my hand around his thickness and pump, loving the way his breath hitches and his pale eyes darken.

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