“Home,” I said at the same time. I didn’t have the time or energy for a road trip.
Lucifer sighed and clapped his hands, and we appeared on the outer border of the rear gardens of my property.
Hudson’s stride didn’t break. His hand snaked into my hair, fisting it, and tilted my head back to bare my throat, all while backing me up against a tree. “I need you,” he murmured. It was a plea, and I was powerless to resist giving him exactly what he wanted.
“Then take me,” I whispered. His teeth raked my neck before trailing down and biting my collarbone, marking me, ensuring I knew in my soul that I was his. My claws sharpened and dug into his back.
We didn’t dance under the stars. Not tonight. This wasn’t about grace; it was about power and the adrenaline that needed to be released after a fight. Someone needed to bring him down.
He shredded my jeans, tested to make sure I was ready, and joined our bodies. He needed a reminder that he was alive and breathing after being close to so much death, and I was the one he clung to.
Lucky me.
CHAPTER THIRTY
If you mess with death, destiny and fate get involved. That’s when we’re all up shit creek without a paddle.
Death came for us all, whether through a catastrophic moment or the gentle passage of time that, slowly but surely, stole a little of our life force each day. Death was inevitable and was the foundation of our universe. Without it,we wouldn’t learn to live or to savor the moments that made us smile and create wonder. It was as much a gift as life, and that was why we couldn’t meddle in the natural order.
Eloise Roberts was committing a crime against humanity, and in her warped mind, she was ushering us into a new and better world led by her steady hand. All our problems could be solved if my grandmother learned to accept her position as head of the elementals and she stopped chasing power. But narcissists convinced themselves they were unique and knew better than the rest of us.
I turned my face toward the sky and let the sun bathe my skin in its never-ending optimism and surety that it would rise and fall.
“You appear serene this morning,” Rebecca mused, joining me on the porch. My foot pushed against the railing, setting the swing into a soothing motion as I sipped my tea. “Is this the calm before the apocalypse?”
“This is what we are fighting for, right?”
Rebecca hummed as she too sipped from a china mug. “We all fight for different things, Cora. You want a peaceful life with a certain growly shifter.”
A smile flirted on my lips. “In that, we appear to be aligned.”
Rebecca huffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
With comedic timing, the front door swung open, and Ezra emerged from inside. He quirked a brow. “It’s not polite to finish your meal and leave without paying, Becca.”
Becca?Yikes. If there was one thing I’d learned about the British vampire princess, it was that she did not appreciate cute nicknames.
Rebecca’s gaze slid over Ezra in a dismissive wave. “I wasn’t satisfied with my food. I left a complaint with the maître d’.”
Who? Please say she didn’t mean me.
Ezra folded his arms and leaned his shoulder against the house. “Cora, I’m politely requesting feedback on how to improve our customer experience.”
“Don’t drag me into this.”
“She’s the one who bit and ran.”
Rebecca sighed. “Because you’ve threatened to murder anyone who has the pleasure of my fangs or my body. My meal options are more limited than a serial killer’s on death row.”
“With the benefit of conjugal visits,” he said with a wink. “Don’t act like I’m not the best steak you ever tasted.”
“I’m vegetarian.”
“We all have our shortcomings.”
My eyes shifted back and forth as they volleyed between them. Forget reality TV; watching Rebecca ignore the fact that she was head over heels for Ezra was entertainment gold.
“I’ll be back for dinner,” Ezra declared before pushing off the hose and jogging down the stairs. Rebecca tilted her head and pursed her lips as she watched his jean-clad ass disappear.
