‘Don’t stop—you won’t need to. Just don’t stop!’
Hearing her through the bond sent my bloodflames higher, crackling under my skin, and threatened to shred what little control remained.
I punched a hand into the pillow over her shoulder, arched over her, teeth bared and trembling, as I took her again, andagain, watching her face in the throes of bliss, her eyes rolling back, her jaw dropping, her breath stopping. Then, inhaling sharply, she threw her head back and bowed under me, her nails threatening to cut my skin as she froze.
I pounded into her once, twice, three times as she shook, then my orgasm detonated at the base of my spine. I fisted a second hand into the pillow over her head, and buried my face in her neck as we rode that climax to its ecstatic end, then collapsed over her, panting and stunned by pleasure.
Long minutes later, my breath—and my sanity—finally returning, I lay on my back, twisted in the burgundy sheets of my bed. One arm bent under my head, the other trailing off the bed towards the floor. One knee propped up out of the covers because I was still over-warm.
Yilan lay against my side, her knee curled over my waist, head heavy on my shoulder. Her breath had returned to normal, then slowed, so I wondered if she was asleep.
Then, as if we’d been talking about Gall the entire time, she spoke in my head.
I knew exactly where her mind was, because once the wave of our love had sucked out, mine had gone in the same direction.
‘Melek, you can’t let him kill you.’
‘Of course I won’tlethim,’I growled in return, groaning with weariness, as I lifted my free hand to rub my eyes.
‘But you’re saying you won’t fight, right? That means that unless you flee—’
‘This isn’t just a point of honor, Yilan. Ican’tkill my own son. It would kill me.’
She stiffened, and I knew the two sides of her went to battle—the fierce warrior, who believed victory was always possible if you just fought hard enough, and the soft, sweet lover, who adored me and would do anything to keep me safe.
I knew those two sides intimately, because they inhabited me as well. And while it was true that no one was more precious to me than her, Gall ran a very close second—and he wasn’t always capable of caring for himself. While my mate most definitelywas.
‘Gall is the true king here—at least, as long as he has Lucifer’s public backing. And apparently, his intervention.’
‘Who knows how long that will last? You said the Fallen aren’t usually so visible. Maybe he’ll leave once he has Gall established, and—’
‘I don’t think it’ll be that simple, Yilan. Besides, if he did go, I suspect it would only be once Gall was cemented on the throne, with Istral already a mother to their heir. You saw his eyes tonight. There’s something in this that drives him.’
‘He’s Fallen! He could make anyone king. Why—’
‘Bloodlines are important. They’ve always been important to us. I think… I think Lucifer didn’t expect Gault to die. I think Gault was under instructions to take the Continent—that plan came out of nowhere. One day we were training and taking slaves in Meyrath, the next, Gault had me gathering battalions. It made no sense to me—until we began to move, and it was as if every land had been primed. Just waiting for us to walk in and take it. The Centaurs put up a real fight, but—’
‘All of that is past, Melek. I want to understand what’s happening now. What has yet to happen—what we can change.’
I scratched my jaw, itchy because my beard was coming through. I needed to shave.‘By our culture, Gall is heir to the throne. It can be taken from him—but only by direct challenge.’
‘Surely you could—’
‘I won’t kill him, Yilan. And that’s what it would take. When one dominant Neph is challenged by another, the battle doesn’t end until one of them is dead.’
‘You came here to declare yourself king. You have the backing of so many Nephilim—strong Nephilim. And my people as well!’
‘The Shadekin support matters to those outside our borders, but not to the Neph. The problem is one of dominance—and claim. Because I declared, and word has reached the Nephilim here, unless either Gall or I bow our head to the other, once I appear before the Neph, it’s civil war. Those who support him, against those who support me. Even if I were to triumph in that battle—doubtful now that the Neph have seen Lucifer empower Gall—I would only be crowned on Gall’s death… and that would kill Istral.’
I felt the surge of fear in Yilan for her sister. She’d already told me, in halting, tearful words, how her sister—terrified, bloodied, and traumatized—insisted she wouldn’t leave Gall’s side. That he needed her. And I hated the relief that coursed through me when I heard it.
‘Melek—’
‘We’ll get them, Yilan. Both of them. But we have to do it without getting ourselves killed first.’
She nodded against my shoulder, then sighed, rolling onto me, hugging my chest. I felt wet warmth on my skin under her cheek and grunted, rolling to wrap her in my arms, to cover her with my body.
If only it were that simple. If only that small gesture could truly hold her apart from this world.
