“Well, let's turn those dreams into reality.” I reach over to my nightstand, open the third drawer, and pull out a box. Ember stares at it like it’s a ticking time bomb.
“That’s a jewelry box.”
I kiss her nose. “Your observational skills never cease to amaze me.”
“And the size of your cock never ceases to amazeme. I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk tomorrow. Or to the bathroom to take a shower, for that matter.” She gives me an accusing stare.
I hide a smile. “Stop distracting me and open your gift.”
She sits up and gingerly takes the box from me, examining it at all angles. I muster the patience required to give her space instead of ordering to open it right nowor else.
After several minutes, she finally cracks the velvet lid and peers inside. Her breath catches, and I think there might even be a suspicious glimmer in her eyes.
“That’s…”
“Sagitta,” I confirm. “Don’t know how you lost the first one, and I probably don’t want to know. But this one’s prettier, more expensive, and moreyou.”
The stones marking the stars in the constellation are a bit bigger, and they’re a mixture of white diamonds, black diamonds, and sapphires. The chain is still white gold, and the constellation is still swirly and delicate, but it’s slightly more complex now. Just like the woman in front of me.
“Do you like it?”
She blinks again. “Yes. Very much.” her voice sounds faintly choked.
“Would you like me to put it on? I’m warning you; once I do, you’re not allowed to take it off. It’s waterproof, so you better be wearing it even in the shower.”
In response, she hands me the box and lifts her hair. I lock it around her elegant neck, then turn her to face me, so I can admire it.
“Perfect,” I murmur. “Prepare yourself, Flame. I promised myself that as soon as you put it on, I was going to fuck you and watch it jiggle along with your tits.”
She sighs. “Men.”
“I’d advise you not to think of other men in my bed, both for their wellbeing and your own. Besides, would you have it any other way?”
She stares at me, her gaze soft and warm. “No,” she says quietly. “No, I would not.”
Epilogue
Cain
Every person has a weakness.
For most, their weaknesses are inconveniences. Whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, or any number of the other mundane, boring things someone can develop a taste—and therebyweakness—for, we all have one.
Not many people are burdened by their weaknesses being living, breathing beings—because those are much more of a liability than they are a hedonistic pursuit.
Maximus, for example. Should I ever wish to cripple him beyond repair, it’d be as easy as killing Viper. If I wanted complete control over him, I’d capture her and threaten to torture her.
Likewise with Greyson. He would pull his own fingernails out if it meant sparing Scarlett the barest bit of pain. I occasionally wonder if he might have an irony deficiency, considering he was once the greatest source of her physicalandemotional pain.
Those two may be beholden to their weaknesses, but they’re notslavesto them. They may be addicts, coming back for hit after hit, but they are not completelyrelianton their choice of drug for survival.
I am. I have been for years.
I know myself, my capabilities, my limits, and my needs. I have very,veryfew of them. I don’tneedto eat, or sleep, or give myself basic human courtesies that many others require—not at regular intervals. The only thing I trulyneed, the same way I need air in my lungs and blood in my veins to stay alive, is my Azalea.
I need to know where she is at all times, or I can’t function. I have to be able to watch her whenever the urge to do so strikes, or I forget how to breathe. And I must always be able to get to her, even though I haven’t visited her in her waking hours for years.
It’s my fault that she was captured—I know this. I allowed her too much freedom. I let her roam the world, and the world took her from me. I underestimated the intellect, reach, and ruthlessness of the rival I chose to take on, and my Azalea has been suffering for my mistakes, in ways I don’t want to imagine.
