“I’m coming.”
I taste its edges. My scalp tingles. A weight settles on my chest. But I don’t back away. I hold my grip tighter.
I open my eyes. They glow faint gold at first, then brighten. The bond pulses between us. I see Kaleigh’s face, tear-bright and fierce.
“I’m coming,” I whisper back. Not to the Seal. To her. To us.
If that voice wants to hunt me, to reclaim me, it will have to go through her light.
I pull her close, kiss her like it matters—because it does. Because this bond, this union of light and curse, is my salvation. I taste salt, sweat, gold. Her lips firm, reclaiming me.
When we break, I lift her off her knees, carry her against my chest. The villa’s halls echo around us, but inside our bond, there’s quiet. The poison is gone. The rage is tempered, but not absent. It’s mine again, sharpened, tethered to something true.
I set her gently on the cold stone floor. She stands, trembling. My arms don’t leave her for a second.
“I’m coming,” I say again. Because I mean it. Because with her by me, I will step into whatever war is left, whatever cost remains.
A knock like thunder drums at the front gates—an omen. I stiffen. The Signal. Roman’s forces moving in again. The Seal’s voice is silent now, only its promise lingering.
Kaleigh steps forward, eyes fierce in the gold glow. She places a hand over mine and presses it against her heart. I feel her life press back through my palm.
“Come,” she says—warm, sure. “Let’s go.”
I weave my arm around her waist. Together we stride toward the front doors, toward the war waiting in the night.
I taste promise. I taste purpose.
And I hear the echo behind every step now:I’m coming.
I’m coming back to the Brotherhood.
And I will burn the world to protect the light in her name.
27
KALEIGH
The safehouse door clicks shut, cutting off the city's pulse. Only the thrum of our bond remains, hot and magnetic between us. Rafe crowds me against the wall, his massive frame bracketing mine without touching. The air crackles.
"Need you bare." His breath ghosts my neck. "All of you." His hands—calloused but infinitely careful—brush the straps of my dress downward. The fabric pools at my waist. I arch into the warmth of his palms cupping my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples until they peak.
He drops to his knees, fingers hooking in my panties. Rough denim scrapes my thighs as he drags them down. Cool air hits my pussy, followed by the burning heat of his stare. He presses his face against my mound, inhaling. A groan rumbles through him. "You taste like sunlight."
His mouth closes over my pussy. Hard. Wet. Devouring. Tongue flat and demanding against my clit. I cry out, fingers knotting in his hair. He hums, the vibration zinging straight to my core. Every lick strokes a deeper need, a building pressure.
He wedges a thigh between mine, pressure against the inside of my leg forcing them wider. One finger slips inside me, crookedup to stroke that hidden place. My hips jerk. "Right there—" His name fractures on my lips. He adds another finger, stretching me as his tongue flicks rapid circles. The pleasure crests, violent and sweet. I shatter with a choked sob, legs trembling. Rafe laps gently, carefully, until the tremors ease.
He surges up, catching my open mouth in a searing kiss. His cock presses thick and unforgiving against my thigh through his jeans. I taste myself on his lips.
"Need you," I murmur.
His chuckle scrapes my throat warm. "My turn." He unzips his jeans, freeing himself. The smooth head bumps my stomach, leaving a slick trail. He grabs my hips. "Up."
My thighs lock around his hips as he lifts me effortlessly. He slams his cock into me with one hard thrust, bottoming out, stretching me full. A startled gasp tears from my throat.Holy shit, he’s huge.
I don't think I'll ever get used to it.
I bite his shoulder to muffle my cry as he pins me against the wall. His cock fills me completely, a thick, relentless pressure. "So tight," he growls against my temple. His hips snap forward again. And again. Each thrust punches the air from my lungs. I writhe against him, seeking friction.
