I took in the grisly remains of Abaddon. Part of me wished I’d been the one to end him. But if anyone deserved to end his life, it was Jessica. By the look of the bastard, she hadn’t made it quick.
And it hadn’t been pretty.
She made him pull apart his own body, piece by piece.
“You ended it by having him tear off his own cock and stuff it in his mouth? That’s so disturbing it’s hot.”
She let out a small giggle and held her hand out to me. “Actually, the finale was this. Thought you might want a souvenir since you couldn’t be here for the show.”
In the palm of her hand sat Abaddon’s heart.
If I wasn’t the devil himself, I’d likely seek therapy for the way my shaft was straining in my pants.
She gave me the most glorious smile that made her tear-glazed eyes light up. Then they slid from me to Cerberus. He was standing by the door, looking awkward as he wrung the sleeve of my blazer in his hands.
“Cerb…” Stepping over to him, she planted a kiss on his cheek that renewed his full-body blush. “Thank you for what you did. I’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for you.”
“You’re welcome, My Queen. I’d do anything for you, really, truly!”
She shuddered with a tight laugh. “I believe that, so let’s start by just having you call me Jess.”
He gave her a soft smile. “You always insisted I call you by your first name back then too.”
“Actually, I remember that now.”
“I’m so happy your memories have returned, My Que—Lil—I mean Jess!”
She laughed again. She may have looked different now, with a new name, new memories that I had no part in. But her laugh was the same. Sunny and bright. The Underworld had no need of a sun with her as queen. She was all the light we needed.
I dropped my gaze to Abaddon’s corpse, my mouth tugging up into a grin at the sight.
And she could burn a fucker with her flames if anyone dared fly too close.
Striding over to them, I handed chef the heart and slipped him a smooth grin. “Here. Put this in a soup for me if you would, Cerb. You know what to do. Now, if you don’t mind waiting outside the cave, I’d like a moment alone with our queen. We’ll be out in just a few minutes.”
As soon as he left, I turned to Jessica, who let out an adorable little sound that was somewhere between half gasp, half gag. “You’re going toeatAbaddon’s heart?”
My smile turned wicked. “No, but Cerberus is going to tell people I am. I have an image to maintain.”
She pushed herself back into my arms and angled her head up at me, the smile on her face so tempting I burned to taste the flavor of it. Arching down, I pressed my lips to hers, relishing the way she moaned against me. Her arms snaked around my shoulders, and her fingers dug into my hair. My tongue pushed in her mouth, running over her teeth, swirling over her own tongue.
“I thought I lost you again,” I admitted against her, my voice low and laced with memories of days long past but not forgotten.
She stilled in my arms, pulling back to study my gaze. “I’m here. You still have me. Last time might not have panned out in our favor, but this time around, no one is going to rip us away.” She nudged Abaddon’s body with her foot. “Look what happens to those stupid enough to stand in our way.”
“Well, he’s only the least of our worries, I’m afraid. My brother will have better tricks planned. It will take more than a flash of your thigh and a rock to the skull to end him.”
“We’ll figure out what to do with Michael later. But I think we should send him Abaddon’s head as a little message.”
My cock twitched against my thigh, and I groaned. “Gods below, Kitten. You’re so damn hot, I’m half tempted to take you right here and now.”
My beast purred with hunger, seeing the way the apples of her cheeks burned red—our favorite color on her. “But I’m filthy.”
“I say all the better.” She was fury and fire and beauty incarnate, wrapped up in a soft, blonde package that made my cock ache with need. I would have her any way I could if she’d have me. I was a depraved son of a bitch, after all. But I made note of the way she held herself, how her legs were shaking under her weight. Her eyelids were half-mast, heavy with exhaustion, her flaxen trusses crusted in blood. And that dress on her body was hardly more than mere scraps, struggling to cover its mistress.
“Let’s get you back to Lust first, Kitten.” I scooped her up in my arms, and she curled up into me, her eyes closing.
“We’ll have to come up with a plan on how to handle Michael.”
