“We set up a blockade around the lake and are watching for their return.”
“I know that, too.”
Jaxson groans. “Is there an off switch with you, or are you always this insufferable?”
Gritting my teeth, I remind myself that Jaxson is important to Desiree. She’d be angry if I disposed of him like a common pest. “Jaxson, thank you for your time. I will inform Desiree about her brother. And I’ll get the doctor?—”
Jaxson’s phone dings. He holds up a finger and checks his messages. I frown at the offensive gesture. What would he taste like if I bit it off?
“You should hurry,” he says while reading. “More daemons have come through the portal.”
Seeing what he sees, I nod, then begin closing the door.
Jaxson stops me, gripping the edge. “Excuse you.”
“Jaxson, I’m doing what you want, but I need to get dressed, and so does Desiree.”
Blood rushes to his cheeks, and the scent is sweet and alluring. Slowly, he backs away.
“Talk to her, Jaxson.”
“I will,” he mutters.
“You’re trying to fit both your happiness and hers into a box that doesn’t need to conform to your restrictions. There is a reality where things could be different.”
Jaxson’s eyes snap to mine. “Did you have a premonition?”
“No. But I know Desiree, and unfortunately, because you keep projecting your thoughts and feelings—concerning mywife—onto me, I know you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ll meet you at the lake. Your teammates need you.”
I close the door in Jaxson’s face. Once his hurried footsteps retreat, I quietly approach Desiree. The last thing I want to do is leave this bed—the oasis we’ve turned it into—but Desiree will want to be there when Wilder returns. I gently slide the sheets off her. Positioning myself between her thighs, she gasps as I glide my tongue up her center. Eyes fluttering open, she squirms.
“Good,” I murmur, flicking my tongue against her sensitive bundle. “You’re awake.”
Desiree moans, “Is it morning already?”
If only.
I bury my tongue inside her as blood rushes to my groin. The need to fuck her is a sweet agony. Desiree slides her fingers through my hair, holding me against her as she grinds her hips into my face, greedy for release. I give her what she wants, my mouth sealing around her clit, drinking in her taste and the shudder she gives in return, only for a couple of seconds.
“Fuck,” she pants. “I love waking up like this.”
I chuckle. Nothing makes me happier than watching her spiral from the pleasure I give her, but we’ll have to finish this later.
“Desiree, darling,” I say bracingly, “it’s your brother.”
She opens her eyes, and they fill with concern. Her arousal fades like light after sunset. “Is he okay?”
“Get dressed. We’ll finish this later.”
Unwillingly, I pull myself away from her. Still naked, with my saliva on her skin, Desiree quickly moves around the room, opening drawers. She steps into her underwear, puts on her loose-fitting jeans, and slips into a faded T-shirt. As she ties her shoes, she says, “Tell me everything.”
“I will after we wake your mom.”
The serpentine daemon lunges,fangs bared, jaw unnaturally wide. I’ve seen what that mouth can do—several paralyzed Blades will need to be rushed to the hospital across the river.
I aim my pistol, sunstone bullet already chambered, and squeeze the trigger. There’s no bang thanks to the silencer. The bullet punches straight through the daemon’s skull, leaving a smoking hole. The creature drops onto the muddy beach with a wetthud.
Thirteen daemon bodies litter the shore around me. Small but lightning fast. If more come through that rift, we need to be ready.
