“I killed twelve people tonight.” Like a confession.
“So did I.” I don’t drop my hand. “We’ll start a club. Get in the water, Finnian.”
He doesn’t take my hand; instead he grips the hem of his shirt, slowly pulling it over his head. Showing the glowing light of the Summer Sword blazing through the Seelie mark. His pants come next.
He slides in beside Orion quickly. The water turns pink where the blood washes off his skin.
Four of us. One spring. Steam rising in the purple twilight.
Nobody says anything for a long time. We just float there for a moment, enjoying the peace settling over us. At least for right now.
Orion’s foot bumps mine underwater.
Kieran’s fingers find a strand of my hair floating on the surface. Rolls it between his fingers. Examining the color change, maybe. Or maybe just touching me because he can.
“So,” Orion breaks the stiffening silence. “How long before the next catastrophe? Ballpark.”
“Historically?” Kieran tilts his head. “Twelve hours.”
“I was hoping for more,” Orion grumbles.
“Hope is a beautiful thing.” Finnian’s eyes close as he rests his head on the bank. “Statistically unfounded. But beautiful.”
The laugh that comes out of me is small and tired and real.
Then Finnian opens one of his eyes, his lips smirking at me, those pouty kissable lips.
He reaches across the water, grabs my hand, and pulls me onto his lap in one motion. I didn’t even know he was sitting on a rock.
And suddenly I’m straddling him and the very specific hardness of him pressing against exactly where I’ve been slowly burning for them.
“Oh,” I say. I roll my pussy again him, letting my eyes roll to the back of my head as I slowly grind on him.
That is exactly what I want.
“Weeks.” He moans, his grip on my hip grows tighter as he slows me down. I don’t want slow. I want hard and fast and right the fuck now. “Weeks of thinking about this.”
“About pulling me into your lap without warning?”
“About proving I still could.” His hands unclench as he glides them up my sides, under my breasts in a way that makes me want to impale myself on him. “That she didn’t take this from me. That I still know exactly—” His hips roll up once. Deliberately sliding through my folds just so, as he watches my face for a specific response.
He finds it. I know because those damn kissable lips twitch.
“Thereyou are,” he says softly against my lips.
“Finnian.” His name comes out different than I intend. Breathier, just not my voice.
“I know.” He pulls me closer. His mouth finds my jaw. My throat. That spot below my ear that makes my brain go offline,which he’s clearly already noted because he goes back to it twice, deliberate and unhurried.
“Still taking notes?” My voice sounds far away, my fingernails dig into his shoulders s I hold on.
“Comprehensive research.” His lips move against my skin. “Very thorough methodology.”
“I hate you.”
“Mm.” He doesn’t sound remotely concerned. “Your pulse says otherwise.”
Behind me, Orion makes a sound.
