Page 165 of In Between Death and the Devil

Then he did it again. And again.

Over and over until I was nothing but sensation. Pleasure built, shoving me higher and higher. I felt him rising with me through our bond. We chased one another up and up and up until we were thrown over the edge.

Our Chord reverberated through us, beautiful and full. It warmed us as I collapsed onto his chest. We lay there, breathless and spent.

His arms tightened around me, and he turned his head to whisper in my ear. “I love you, too. From now until the After.”

From now until the After.

EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Maeve?” Titus called.

“In the office.” My brow creased as I nudged the carved, wooden desk an inch to the left, my hands glowing as my light obeyed my direction.

Satisfied, I let my power fade and looked around the room. Two desks sat in the middle back-to-back, while the couch from Fen’s old office bordered the opposite wall. Panels of green wallpaper alternated with panels of shadows, both glowing softly in the afternoon light from the windows. Flecks of gold, silver, and black sparkled in the void beyond. An office for us both. Finally.

“Looks good,” Titus said from the doorway.

Marcus followed him into the room, a smile on his face. “The new Training Room is set up. And a couple of Tempters are going over the rest of the rooms to make sure everything is clean and in place.”

“They didn’t need to do that.” I bit my lip. “I said I’d take care of it.” If moving Fen and me into the rooms behind the throne room on the bridge hadn’t become an urgent need, I’d have been busy elsewhere. With the state of things, none of us could afford the time for a project like this, but me sleeping in Fen’s bed and living in his castle was making my Judges nervous. I refused to sleep in my predecessor’s bed, even if Fen came with me, so moving us onto the bridge was the best solution.

“Hey.” Titus put a hand on my arm. “They wanted to help, just like we did.”

“It won’t take them long,” Marcus said.

I nodded. They’d insisted on putting the new Training Room in order, and since they spent plenty of time there with Fen, I’d allowed it, though it wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t. They wouldn’t have taken no for an answer.

“We’ll see you later.” Titus gave my arm a gentle squeeze and then left.

Marcus gave me a nod and followed.

I took a deep breath, trying to loosen the overwhelm that followed me everywhere these days. Now that our rooms were ready, I was late for a meeting.

Turning my attention to our bond, I felt Fen in the throne room, a few rooms away. Since solidifying our Death Chord, locating each other had become easy.

Fen’s attention shifted my way, irritation giving way to desire. Another effect we’d discovered of solidifying our bond—the desire to be close to each other at all times. Mostly without any clothing to separate us. Daphne assured us it was a phase that would pass. Titus told us to get a room, though he was one to talk. He, Daphne and Marcus had spent plenty of alone time together since I’d healed him.

I considered light-stepping to Fen, but he wasn’t alone. I’d found it disturbed people when I popped out of thin air, so I walked the short distance to the throne room.

Fen, Daphne, Bea and Alec, one of my few remaining senior Judges, stood at the base of the dais.

My eyes drank in the sight of Fen’s broad back, even though it had only been hours since I’d last seen him. His deep red tunic showed off his powerful frame, the silver embroidery on the collar glinting in the afternoon light. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up, showcasing his muscular arms. A wave of satisfaction rolled through me that he was bonded to me.

Fen’s head turned, his eyes darkening as I strode towards him.

I may have put a little swing in my step, the fabric of my skirts swishing around my feet. I’d taken to wearing flowing dresses more. It surprised me how much I liked the way they made me feel soft and feminine. Especially when it made Fen look at me like he wanted to devour me.

“The trainee tests have all been eliminated. It’s only fair to give those who had to take them and failed a second chance, if they want them.” Daphne said.

I intended to move to a model like Fen had for the Tempters—giving everyone as much time as they needed to become a Judge, while everyone shared the burden of running the castle.

Alec stood with his arms crossed, a skeptical look on his face. “If they failed the first time, they’re clearly not Judge-material.”

“Only because they were never given the chance to be.” I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice as I stood next to Fen.