“If they go against you?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.
There she was, calculating all the possibilities. She wanted answers and because she couldn’t get them, she was working overtime to present herself with every possible outcome. Knowledge was power and comfort for someone like Quentin.
“They shouldn’t,” I told her confidently. “All our memories align. They’ll all show that it was under Hunter’s order and influence. Larkin might have more answers that can fill in the gaps.”
“Don’t let her take the stand,” Quentin said, barely letting me finish my sentence. “She’s been through enough recently.”
A tendril of my aura wrapped around her naked waist and pulled her back to me.
“It is surprising how well you both get on,” I commented. “It’s even more surprising how you’re willing to defend her when she publicly humiliated you.”
I knew Quentin well enough to know that would have been a blow to her ego. She would have usually cut the person out of her life and left it at that. And yet, she was looking out for Larkin’s welfare. How much had unfolded while I was locked away under the chambers?
She shrugged, placing her hands on my chest. “Do you… Are you… Are you sad that Hunter’s gone?”
“Not in the slightest. He wasn’t like Cassidy, Queen. There were no warm memories between us. He has always been an overbearing…”
A finger against my lips. “Let’s not mention him anymore.”
The engagement ring glinted in the morning light as she dropped the hand from my mouth. My hands slipped from her waist to cup her ass and squeeze the flesh.
“Gray,” she half scolded.
“You do not need to worry about a single thing,” I told her. “I’m here now. I’ll deal with it all.”
The crushing weight of guilt was hard to unburden. I’d left her in Hunter’s hands. Left her to believe that I didn’t care. And even with all that, she spared my life and kept herself tied to me for an eternity. There was no apology that would ever make it right. I would live the remainder of my days knowing that I was unworthy of her time and attention. Unworthy of her love.
“When Elysia is ours, nothing will ever be able to hurt you again.”
“You can’t?—”
“I swear it to you, Quentin. Nothing will ever harm you. I won’t allow it.”
She cocked her head to the side. “I’m not the one who almost died.”
“We’ve both had brushes with death,” I reminded her before pressing my lips against hers. “And even that couldn’t tear us apart.”
“Don’t make light of it,” she said, trying to pull away, but I wouldn’t let her. There would never be a time she was out of my sight again. I’d suffocate her with my presence. She could call me all the names under the sun and it would do nothing to deter me.
“I’m not making light of it.” My nose ran down the column of her neck. The sweet scent of orange blossom wrapped itself around my senses. “I’m telling you that there is nothing that can destroy us.”
“You aren’t as invincible as you like to think,” she breathed. “I saw you laying there. Losing the will.”
“And yet I came back to you, didn’t I?”
The taste of her skin, the hitching of her breath, the golden aura that burst into life around her as my fingers teased the spot between her legs. It was all so addictive. How could I have died knowing she would continue to exist without me? How could I let that happen?
Her tongue found mine, and fingers pulled at my hair. All protests had fallen silent as Quentin let herself be laid on the bed. Her legs fell open for me, heat and stickiness growing between them. I trailed kisses from her mouth, along her jaw, and between her breasts. The thumping of her heart was loud and clear. It beat steadily. For me.
My tongue swirled around one of her nipples, sucking at it whilst the other was teased between my fingers. Her body arched from the bed, so wanton and desperate. Sweet moans fell from her lips and my name sounded like the most sacred prayer.
Moving down, I pushed her legs farther apart and my mouth hovered above my goal.
“I promise you,” I whispered, keeping my eyes on her face. “That you are all that matters in this life, Quentin.” I allowed myself to taste her and revelled in the goosebumps that decorated her flesh. “My duty is to you and then to Elysia. Do I make myself clear?”
“Mmm.” That was all the sense I could get out of her.
Her skin glowed golden with her aura and her fingers tangled themselves in my hair. With her gentle encouragement, I placed my mouth on her and licked and sucked at her clit. My fingers found her entrance and eased into her, curling slightly.
