Smirking, Belvedere tosses his curls back. “Pleasure. Ye old sun god trick. Works every time.”
I freeze, realization dawning. The blazing light, the arrows, the sun’s sear—it was all an illusion. Belvedere’s magic. And yet, the vampires believed it. Because they knew Serafina was avessel, they just didn’t know which god she belonged to. Which meant they’d done their research. Which meant they knew about the petrified bear shifter on the council.
“Holy crapballs, I can’t believe we fought off over twenty werewolves and vamps,” Min says.
Belvedere’s tone hardens. “They’ll figure out the ruse soon enough. We need to move. Now.”
We simultaneously look up to the balcony to find Maximillian has vanished.
“Fucking cowardly piece of shit.”
“You’re not wrong,” Minerva agrees.
“So, what now?” Leonard asks.
“I think we should go back to my place,” Belvedere says. “I need to grab more potions and we need to come up with the next part of the plan.”
I look around the carnage. So many bodies. So much loss. When is this nightmare going to end? But I don’t say anything. I hold out a hand to Esmerelda, ignoring the knowing looks pointed in our direction. “Let’s go.”
We’rebone-weary by the time we arrive back at Belvedere’s place, so we all go our separate ways to get some shut-eye. We still need to get to the Mephistus coven to warn them, but for now, we need to recoup. No one is even interested in food, all of us too exhausted to consider chewing.
Esmerelda and I head to the room we slept in last time, and the moment we enter, I spin her around and press her against the door, kissing her with a fervor born from sheer relief that she’s safe. She’s okay. Gods, the relief that she’s okay hits me so hard it nearly brings me to my knees. At first she stands there,shocked by my aggression, but it only takes a heartbeat before her hands fly to my hair.
Pulling away, I stare into her eyes, seeing my relief mirrored there. I kiss her eyelids, cheeks, lips, chin—branding every part of her bruised face to memory. With each gentle swipe over her skin, murderous rage surges through me. Those fuckers had dared to lay hands on her. The anger vibrates in me like a physical entity, alive and clawing.
I need to know she’s okay, so I take a step back. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “You?”
I don’t answer her with words. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. The only thing I feel right now is the desperate need to have Esmerelda beneath me, to examine every inch of her and make sure she really is okay. And gods, I want to erase this evening from her mind, even just for a little while—because I wish I could erase it from mine.
I grip her thighs and hoist her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, her body pressing perfectly against mine. She takes full advantage, grinding against me.
Fuck.
I walk us to the bed and drop her none too gently, leaning over her as I rip the black shirt covering her torso to shreds in one swift move.
She gasps, heat flaring in her eyes as she scoots up the bed, giving me room to cover her.
I stare down at her, another wave of relief crashing over me so hard it nearly breaks me. We’re alive. Somehow.
Esmerelda looks up at me, eyes bright with adrenaline and exhaustion. Our mouths meet before words can form, and I clutch her like she’s the only anchor I have left.
This isn’t love. It can’t be. I tell myself it’s just battle lust, the high of survival. But when her nails dig into my back, when her wolf rises to meet mine, I stop caring what label I give it.
25
ESMERELDA
The door barely clicks shut before Marcus grabs me and shoves me back against it. His mouth crashes into mine, hot and desperate, like he’s been holding it in for hours and finally snapped.
For a second, I freeze, caught off guard by the sheer force of him. But then the relief overwhelms me, and my hands fly into his hair. I drag him closer, kiss him harder, matching him beat for beat. The taste of him is fire and adrenaline and everything I shouldn’t want right now, but gods, I do.
It pours out of me like a dam breaking. The fear, the rage, the exhaustion, all bleed into the press of my mouth against his. His stubble scrapes my skin, his breath tangles with mine, and I can’t get close enough. My chest aches with the need to crawl inside him, to know for certain he’s here, alive, solid, and not another body I’ve had to bury in my mind.
Every nerve in me sparks like it’s been waiting for this moment, like my body knew long before my head that I’d cave. My wolf howls her approval, clawing at the inside of my ribs, urging me to claim him, to mark him, to forget everything else.
And still, some stubborn part of me whispers that this is wrong. That kissing Marcus should feel like betrayal. Thatmy family, my pride, every vow I’ve ever made should stand between us. But right now? None of that matters. Right now, the only thing that matters is the heat of his mouth and the way he kisses me like I’m providing the air in his lungs.
