Luc clung to Dex, showing no signs of wanting to put him down. “Everyone is safe, and yes, the Realm of the Damned is being abolished. Dex will see his parents when he’s ready, and you can enter the Eternal Realm, too, Ollie. As can you, Harper.”
Harper disengaged Ash’s passionate kiss with a smack of lips. “Me?”
Dex laughed.
Luc snorted. “Yes. Ash can fill you in. I think we all need some time with our mates.”
A purr emanated from Luc’s chest, and Dex wanted to rub against him like a cat. He wasn’t even drunk this time.
“Wait!” Onyx spun away from Nico, but couldn’t seem to let him go. “Luc, wait.”
“What is it?” Luc stepped closer to Onyx.
“I love you.” Onyx’s eyes shone. “You’re forgiven for everything you ever did to me. Okay?”
“Okay, little brother. And don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. You’re my family. Not those Eternals who turned their backs on us. I promise I’ll never hurt you again.”
Onyx hiccupped, like he was choking back tears, and Nico kissed the top of his head.
“Come see us soon?” Dante spoke as if he wasn’t sure he should, taking a half-step toward Luc and Dex.
Luc sounded just as hesitant. “I will. If you’re inviting me.”
“I am.”
“Me too,” Ash added.
“Thank you,” Luc whispered, agonized yet hopeful.
“You’re welcome. Now, go be with your mate.” Ash grinned, his eyes flashing, and Harper giggled.
Luc launched into the air, and Dex swallowed a gasp of surprise.
“Have fun mating,” Ollie yelled after them. “And you better text me, Dex.”
“I will,” he shouted back before burying his face in Luc’s neck. “They all know we’re about to have sex, don’t they?”
Luc snorted. “As if they aren’t about to do the same. Believe me, no one will be thinking about us in about five minutes.”
“True.” Dex’s core tightened, and it all hit him. They could mate now. He could bond with Luc and be his forever.
Luc flew them over the city, seeming in less of a hurry than he’d been in getting to Dante’s. “We can do more than have sex,” he said softly. “But we don’t have to mate until you’re ready. We don’t have to do it tonight.”
Dex’s chest tightened. “Do you want to?”
“More than anything in my life. But I can wait.”
Why wait? This was the reason Luc had faced the Eternal Realm.
Okay, it had been bigger than that, but they’d accomplished everything they’d set out to do. The world would change for the better. Dex could have Luc and never lose him. He could spend eternity with Ollie. He could be a part of the demons’ family. And he didn’t have to sacrifice his parents for anyof it.
“I don’t want to wait.”
A long, low whine filled the air. “Fuck, Dex. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Luc’s wingbeats quickened, and he tore across the city. “I’m going to devour you, little mate. I’m claiming your soul. Your very essence. You’ll be mine, and there’s no undoing it. Mine, Dex. Forever.”
