Page 74 of In Between Death and the Devil

“I’m all right, my goddess. Your healing did wonders. Please. Let me finish my task before I return to you.” I inwardly cringed at my words. Had I overdone it? My heart thrashed in my chest as I waited for her response.

“You are so dedicated, Maeve. How lucky I am to have you.” She gave my chin a gentle squeeze before letting me go. “Very well. Finish quickly and stop by the healers on your way back.” She strode towards the Judge trainees. “Come. That’s enough for today.”

The group trooped after her as she swept out of the Dungeon. Bea’s worried gaze found mine for a moment before she followed her peers.

Fen watched them go as I hauled myself to my feet. Fury coursed through our connection. As soon as the last trainee was out of sight, he grabbed my hand. The cold mask he’d worn for Death was gone, and in its place was a determined anger that left me breathless.

He dragged me back into the room I’d found him in, his face a thundercloud as he slammed the door behind him. “Of all the idiotic, brainless risks to take. You could have been ended. Do you have any idea what⁠—”

I cut him off, grabbing his face and hauling his mouth to mine.

CHAPTER 21

There was no finesse in the way I kissed him. The panic and fear from my near demise drove me to something near desperation.

Fen felt it, too. It ricocheted through our connection, rage turning to lust, and manifested in the way he grabbed my hips and pulled me close as soon as my lips touched his.

We were a clash of teeth and tongues, each of us unable to get enough of the other.

My hands slid into his hair, scraping gently against his scalp.

He groaned into my mouth as his hands roved over my body. One slid up my back while the other slid down to cup my ass. He pressed me back, one stumbling step at a time, until my back met the wall. Then he hitched one of my legs around his hip, pressing closer until I gasped at the pressure between my legs. He only gave me a second before he took control of my mouth again, his kiss impossibly deeper than it had been before.

Kissing Fen like this was a revelation. Our kiss the night we’d met had been delicious, but this was transcendent. I could feel our bond growing and strengthening as we devoured each other, finally honest about what we wanted. A low hum built in my chest until it resolved into a single clear bass note, full and resonant. All my senses were full of him. It felt a little bit like drowning, except I didn’t want to come up for air.

I ground my hips against his, seeking friction. Seeking more. I wanted us so tangled together I could barely tell where I ended and he began. It felt safer like this, us together, than it did when we were apart.

“Wait,” Fen said, pulling away.

My mouth chased his, caught up in the moment, not wanting to let him go yet.

“Maeve. Stop.”

I sank back against the wall, my heart pounding, chest heaving. The bass note in my chest faded, but I could feel its echo.

He looked as undone as I felt, his lips slightly swollen, hair mussed, eyes wild. “I can’t do this.”

My heart plummeted as he let my leg around his hip slide down. Confusion swirled through me. I knew I hadn’t misread the signs. He’d been as wrapped up in me as I had been in him. Which meant he’d changed his mind. “Why?”

“It’s not a lack of desire,” he said, reading my insecurity through our bond.

His words only confused me more. “If desire isn’t the issue, what is?”

“You don’t trust me yet.” His expression was solemn.

I pressed my lips together. “That’s not entirely true. I told you earlier, part of me does trust you. And I’m trying.” I couldn’t keep the petulant tone to my voice.

“I know, and I believe you.” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “But physical attraction, or strong emotions, can create a false sense of trust. I don’t want to take advantage of that.”

“Strong emotions,” I repeated. “Like from almost dying?” Irritation built under my skin, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

“Yes.”

“That kind of experience can also bring clarity.”

He backed up a step, putting distance between us, leaving me cold. “Clarity and trust are two different things.”

I shoved my hands in my hair, catching on my coiled braid. “Stop treating me like a child. Is this because I’m not ready to join you in taking down Death?”