Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
He didn’t kiss me.
His mouth was at my ear, mine at his, and I heard his exertion, his excitement, his life breath wisping against my skin, and all of these felt like gifts.
Precious treasure.
It was unhurried. It took a long time. But naturally, it built and then built higher.
And higher.
“Tanny,” I breathed when I was on the precipice.
He took my mouth then, and I moaned my orgasm down his throat, at the same exact time he groaned his down mine.
He did not glide afterward, like he usually did.
He stayed seated to the hilt.
He also didn’t take his weight from me (well, he did take some of it, but not as much as he normally did).
We were pressed tight, joined.
We were one.
It took some time, but finally, he gently slid out, and I knew by the press on my hip he gave me that he wanted me to stay where I was.
As such, this time it was Tanyn who went to get a cloth to clean between my legs. He also took it back.
And when he returned to me, he enveloped me in his arms and that was different too.
Better.
No.
Best.
But he still didn’t say anything.
I didn’t either.
My feeling was, he was in the moment.
But me?
I was scared.
And happy.
Lost.
And found.
Desolate.
And hopeful.
Because I knew my life as it was, was at its end.
My life as it would be—until the completion of it—started that night, with Tanyn making love to me.
I knew this because I’d done something.
Something that changed us.
Something that changed him.
I just didn’t know what that something was.
I knew from the minute we met that he wanted me. Not long later, he made that perfectly clear. He reiterated it frequently in between times. And he’d freely admitted he was falling in love with me.
But now, I knew he was done falling.
He was in love.
In love with me.
Though it was more.
So much more.
It was in the way he was holding me right then.
I felt loved. Adored. Treasured. Cherished. Cosseted.
I’d earned that.
Me.
But even that was more.
We might not be fated, but that didn’t mean destiny still didn’t put us right there, together, in his bed, tangled, two making one.
Oh yes, this made me terrified.
And utterly elated.
Chapter 19
Selediel
“Sweetheart.”
The events of the night before were such, I immediately opened my eyes.
It was early morning. I knew this because it was still dark, though the room was dimly lit.
And Tanyn was sitting beside me on the bed, fully dressed, his hand forming circles over the covers on my hip.
“I’m sorry, my love,” he murmured. “We have company, and Laura’s already up. I ordered coffee for you. It’s on your dressing table in the closet.”
I pushed up to sitting, and the instant I did, he pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms warmly around me.
Our lovemaking last night hit me like a stream, and I gazed up at him.
“I have things to tell you,” he said.
He sure did.
“Would you like me to come back in fifteen minutes after you’ve had a shower and some coffee?” he offered.
“No, I’d like to know them now,” I told him.
And I braced.
Because I was sure it would be avowals of love.
I wanted to remember every second of it.
And I was scared out of my brain he was actually going to say it.
Because that meant I would say it back.
I might be feeling it.
But that didn’t mean I was ready.
“We haven’t had time for me to brief you on what happened in Gehenn,” he stated.
This was not what I expected to hear.
But I wanted to hear it, and it felt like a reprieve he was going to talk about it, so I urged, “Go on.”
“Although all those who were involved in the attack were traced to being Arnaud and Tatra sympathizers, the survivors weren’t in good shape to talk. However, we did talk to them, and they refused to say anything. This wasn’t surprising.”
He paused and I nodded.
So he kept going.
“Now, I don’t know if you know, but the use of truth serum, as it’s the same in Night’s Fall, is illegal to administer unless the person getting it concedes to taking it. They did not. We had to draft a petition to a magistrate to get permission to circumvent that order. This was granted this morning.”
“Oh. Good.”
“Yes. It’s good. They’ve also fully healed, so they’re in better shape to be more thoroughly questioned. Thus, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to get Bainon and Cormac out of Berg and away from their females so you can do your magic to sort them out before we return, and we can all sit down to dinner and calmly discuss things.”
My…
Magic?
“They’re keen to find out what’s happening, and Bain sees the wisdom of giving Aleece some space,” he continued. “I think you got through to Cormac last night as well, so he sees this for Gayle too. They’ve agreed to go. But so you know what you’re dealing with, Bain has told Aleece they’re fated mates. He has not released her from the spell yet, however.”