When I slide two fingers inside her, she comes apart in my arms, her orgasm hitting hard and fast through the bond.I feel it with her, the wave of pleasure, the moment of perfect release, and it nearly undoes me.
But I’m not done with her yet.
I flip us, pinning her beneath me on the bed, and she spreads her legs without hesitation.Her eyes are dark, pupils blown wide, and the trust in them makes my dead heart stutter.
“Are you sure?”I ask, giving her one last chance to change her mind.
“Yes.”She pulls me down for a kiss.“I’m sure.”
I strip out of my clothes in record time, rip her panties off and then there’s nothing between us but heat and want and the bond humming with shared desire.I position myself at her entrance, and—
A knock on the door.
“Vex.”Blade’s voice, hard and commanding.“Church.Now.”
We both freeze.
“Ignore him,” Tessa whispers.
“I can hear you, Tessa,” Blade says dryly.“And while I appreciate young love, we have an apocalypse to prevent.Vex, five minutes.Don’t make me break down another door.”
His footsteps retreat down the hallway, and Tessa drops her head back against the pillow with a groan.“I hate him.”
“You and me both.”I roll off her reluctantly, already missing her warmth.“We’ll finish this later.”
“Promise?”
I lean down, kissing her once more.Soft.Sweet.Full of promises I intend to keep.
“Promise.”
Church is packed whenI arrive, every brother is here.Blade sits at the head of the table, Prophet beside him, and the look on both their faces tells me this isn’t going to be good news.
“Gentlemen,” Blade begins, his voice cutting through the murmur of conversation.“We have a problem.”
“What else is new?”Fury mutters, earning a few chuckles.
“The territory we’ve claimed?”Blade continues.“The land we’ve fought to protect?It sits on top of an ancient prison.And something inside is trying to break free.”
Silence.
Then Rooster speaks up, his voice skeptical.“What kind of prison?”
“The supernatural kind,” Prophet says.“Built by angels to contain a Primordial entity.One that feeds on fear, cold, and broken promises.One that’s marked our newest resident as its ticket to freedom.”
“Tessa,” Hollywood realizes.
“Tessa,” Blade confirms.“She’s the last of a bloodline tasked with guarding the seal.The Khorvath, the entity trying to escape, has marked her.And if it succeeds in either killing or claiming her, the seal breaks.”
“Then we protect her,” Ranger says immediately.“It’s what we do.Nobody fucks with the Kings.”
“It’s not that simple,” I say, drawing all eyes to me.“Protecting her might not be enough.The seal is weakening regardless.The permafrost is melting.The ancient magic is fraying.Eventually, the Khorvath will break free whether we protect Tessa or not.”
“What do we do?”Flint asks.
“We find a way to reseal it.”Prophet’s voice is grim.“The original binding required willing sacrifice from a vampire, a shifter, and a warden.All three giving their lives to strengthen the prison.”
“You’re asking us to let Tessa die,” Chrome says flatly.
