Page 67 of To Crave Deeply
“I am waiting for him to jump us out of here.”
“I cannot do that,” Torsten said, frowning. “It is forbidden.”
Selene’s bright blue eyes rolled derisively, and I had to resist the urge to slap her.
“You only think it’s forbidden, but Shadow Fiend’s can shadow jump anywhere if ordered to do so. It’s like a little override thing built into their being.”
Torsten’s scowl told me he didn’t believe Selene, and I had to admit, it sounded dodgy to me. But the other alternative was dragging our asses back through all those circles of Hell, and I really didn’t want to walk through all that again.
I placed a hand on Torsten’s arm and brought his attention to mine. “Would you mind trying it?”
His expression softened and my heart melted. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
And queue the heart palpitations. This guy was something else. How did I ever get so lucky as to have such a wonderful man willing to do anything for me? I couldn’t stop the smile forming on my face, even if I wanted to.
“Thank you, Torsten.”
I could feel Iveri fake retching in the back of my mind and I grinned. I didn’t care if she thought it was sappy. I didn’t, and that was all that mattered.
“Well, now that we’ve established that, shall we get moving?” Selene asked as she walked closer to us.
Torsten growled deep in his throat, and it had the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention. I wanted to hear that growl in my ear as he buried himself deep inside me. As if sensing the sinful turn of my thoughts, Torsten’s eyes met mine and I blushed. A slow smile spread across his lips as he leant down towards me, stopping when his lips were inches from my ear.
“Later,” he whispered, and my body clenched with sudden need. His hands wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me closer, his firm chest brushing against me deliciously. I felt something wrap around the bottom of my leg and I looked down to find the plaited cord of his shadow whip curling around my limb. It was solid but I knew it was completely made of the shadows he commanded. My breath hitched as it climbed higher, caressing the crease where my thigh met my centre. A little moan escaped my lips and his eyes darkened with desire.
“Please shadow jump us out of here to Strigavallis.” How I managed to get the words out while my body was swimming with desire, I will never know.
He grinned wolfishly and my core clenched. “As you wish.”
Selene stood behind Torsten and wrapped her arms around his waist. The grin instantly disappeared to be replaced with the darkest scowl I think I’ve ever seen on his handsome face.
I peered around his shoulder and eyeballed the witch. “Hold on to your crown. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”
She was about to retort something, but her head snapped around to look behind her. “Someone’s coming.”
I looked past her, and she was right. There was a soft orange glow in the distance from the direction Torsten and I had come from. Who would be down here?
There was a ferocious snarl as a humongous dog came bounding over the crest of the hill, and I instantly recognised those honey-coloured eyes.
“Alec?”
But I was too late. The world disappeared around us into shadow, and the last thing I heard was Jasper shouting my name in desperation.
***
FENRIS
The moment I saw Lori, my heart skipped a beat. I’d been itching to see a glimpse of her for what felt like fucking days, and then the moment I see her, she disappears into the shadows with the Fiend and a woman who was no doubt the original fucking witch.
I was a mess. I still couldn’t get Lori out of my mind. She was a constant thought burning in my mind and down here, in Hell, the thoughts festered. I felt riddled with shame and guilt. I should be planning a future with Elissa, yet here I was, charging into danger for Lori.
Again.
I knew why Elissa had elected to stay behind. She couldn’t watch me worry and fear for another woman. I knew I was upsetting her, but I couldn’t help it. Something about Lori pulled me to her and it felt unavoidable. Irresistible. She consumed me and I hated myself for it.
And the worst thing was Elissa knew. She knew how I felt, and she’d told me, point blank, that if I wanted Lori outside of our marriage, she was okay with that. My stomach churned. No one was okay with that. No one deserved that, and I certainly wasn’t the kind of man to turn my back on a promise. Elissa and I were engaged, and we would be married. My problems with Lori were my own to sort through, but I would never act on my feelings for her, no matter how much I fucking wanted to.
I knew I should have told Lori from the beginning. I just got carried away with how she made me feel. I could pretend that I was just a normal guy, and she was interested in me, and I liked the way that made me feel. But it was selfish, and then it got out of hand because we got too close, and she fell for me. I know she did. I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me. Such hope, desperation, and lust. Pure unadulterated lust swirled in those depths, and it had my heart racing and my fingers itching to touch her.
