Page 127 of In Between Death and the Devil

“Tend to the others first,” he said.

“Maybe you can convince him to put some salve on that,” the healer thrust a small jar into my hands before moving off.

I opened it and dipped my finger into the soothing-smelling cream.

“I don’t need⁠—”

“Stop being difficult. It’s just salve.” I reached out and gently patted it over the cut on Titus’s cheek.

He hissed but held still while I tended to him. “What you did was pretty amazing.”

“Thanks.” It felt good to hear, given the thundercloud standing behind me. Thanks to our bond, I didn’t have to look to know Fen was there.

“Maeve,” Titus dropped his voice. “Why is Fen looking at you like he wants to spank you?”

I couldn’t hide my shiver at the suggestion. “I don’t know.” I focused on screwing the lid back on the jar.

“Maybe you should go find out. He’s practically growling.”

“After I help the others.”

“We’ve got it,” Titus said. “Go. For all our sakes.” His eyes flicked over my shoulder, a wary look on his face.

“Fine.” I sighed and turned to Fen. “You want to talk? Let’s go. You’re scaring everyone.”

Fen took my arm without a word and dragged me away from the crowd. He didn’t let go of me until we got to his office.

I stepped out of his grasp as he flipped the lock on the door. “Why are you angry? We won.”

“Only because you took a huge risk.” His fists clenched at his side. “There were four of us fighting that Wraith. You didn’t have to⁠—”

“Yes. I did. I told you the limit on what I could draw was an issue, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“You offered yourself to a death-damned Wraith,” he bellowed.

“Which I wouldn’t have had to do if we weren’t out of power.” I stepped forward, shoving my finger in his chest. “We were out of options. You told me to trust my instincts. So I did. And it worked.”

He grabbed my throat, making me gasp. His hold wasn’t tight—I had no trouble breathing—but the dominance in the gesture sent a pulse of heat straight to my clit. Why was that so good? I was so angry at him for being a stubborn bastard, yet my breathing had gone ragged and all I wanted to do was lean into him.

Our bond was a potent mix of anger and lust from both of us. And a small flash of fear from him that made me reach for him. I placed a hand on his chest over his racing heart.

He bent down, resting his forehead against mine. “I feel so powerless watching you go through these trials. I wish I could protect you from them.” His voice was almost a whisper, like the admission was painful. “I hate that the fate of the realms rests on your shoulders, and there’s very little I can do to help.”

I took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of him. “I hate it too.” I loved that he wanted to help, that he would remove the burden from my shoulders if he could. Nudging his nose with mine gently, I pulled back to look at him. “But you can’t protect me. It has to be me. I have to pass the trials. To challenge Death. And you have to let me.”

Admiration mixed with heat and fury in his eyes. And a hunger that made me shiver in anticipation.

“I can’t decide if I want to punish you for being a reckless brat or bend you over the desk and fuck you hard to assure myself you’re alright.”

My toes curled in my boots, and I leaned into his hand which still rested at my throat. After facing the Wraiths, giving my body over to him was exactly what I wanted. “Why not do both?”

His hand flexed minutely and then his mouth crashed down on mine. There was nothing gentle about his kiss. It dominated, like he was marking the territory of my lips and tongue as his hands marked my body. It was primal, possessive, and I submitted without hesitation, desire racing through me.

He placed his arms around my neck, the pulse between my legs strengthening as his hands skated down my sides and around my back, gripping my ass and pulling me against him.

My legs parted willingly as he shoved one of his thighs between mine. I moaned into his mouth at the friction it created in exactly the right spot.

“Are you wet, Maeve?” He pulled back to watch my face as he rocked me slowly on his thigh, his expression avid, like he was cataloguing every shift in mine.