By the time we separated, North was gone and the blond was curled up asleep on the couch. I gave Lachlan a tired smirk before I grabbed Nyx’s hand and pulled him towards the door. Nyx slapped Lachlan playfully on the ass before following me out.
Once we got to our room, we climbed into the shower and let the steam wrap around us. No words were spoken—none were needed—as our hands roamed over each other, washing away the night. Nyx’s eyes were heavy and I could feel the fatigue in my limbs. I turned off the water and our eyes met. His hand slipped behind my neck and pulled me into him. His lips were firm but gentle, for once the harsh demand of our obsession for each other was languid and calm—deep and vast. The ache in my heart was there, as it always was when I thought about Nyx.
“I love you,” I whispered, not wanting to break the trance we’d found ourselves in.
“I love you too,” he said, equally quiet. “Come on.”
We crawled into bed and he pressed his chest against my back, resting his forehead against my shoulder. I felt the long exhale of content ghost across my neck and as my eyes closed, my lips pulled into a smile. My hand closed around his resting on my stomach and that’s how I drifted off to sleep, knowing in my heart I was nothing without my shadow.
ATLAS
______________
THE BASEMENT OF ALPHA ONE
There was blood everywhere—splattered on the walls, pooling on the ground, dripping down my arms—it was kind of amazing how much blood was actually inside a human being. Although it was hard to tell that Vetticus was anything more than a corpse dangling in front of us. He was still breathing—barely. Although I’d just made it more difficult by shoving his severed dick down his throat.
A sudden surge of protectiveness washed over me as Nyx chuckled.
“I shouldn’t be turned on by that, but I like it when you get all possessive.”
I whirled around and advanced on Nyx. His eyes darkened as he watched me close the distance in two steps. My fingers curled around his throat.
“You’re mine,” I growled. “Not his.”
My eyes dipped to his mouth as he smirked and those dark shadowed eyes I’d fallen so hard for glimmered with feral desire.
“Forever, baby,” he said.
I yanked him into me, kissing him hard. The air was tangy with the copper smell of blood slick between us as I pressed my body against his. He met my fervor with his own and soon I became lost in his kiss. It was so easy—it had always been so easy. Kissing him was like breathing—he was an extension of my heart, my soul. There was no me without him.
I don’t know how much time passed—but I heard a knife hit the ground and Nyx pulled back to look over my shoulder. I turned to see North headed towards the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Nyx called.
“To find Kaelin,” he said.
“What about him?”
“He’s the devil’s problem now,” North said before the door slammed behind him.
Nyx pulled my jaw back to him and kissed me again. My hands trailed down his sides, gripping his hips as I backed us into the counter top that ran along the back wall.
“I want him to watch me claim you,” I growled in his ear.
A breath of a laugh escaped, fanning my neck and making my blood run hot.
“I don’t think he’s still with us,” Nyx said.
“His ghost can watch then.”
My hands fumbled with his pants as my lips found his again. Our kiss turned rough, frantic and possessive. He shoved my pants down as far as he could reach without breaking the kiss and together, we quickly got naked. My hips shoved against his, his cock already hot and heavy against mine. The only sound in the room was our heavy breathing as we battled between the desire to consume each other and the need to breathe.
I couldn’t take it anymore and yanked Nyx around, pushing him down over the counter. He pushed his hips back against me as I gripped his ass and spread him.
“I don’t think I can be gentle,” I rasped.
“I don’t remember asking you to be,” Nyx answered breathlessly.
