"Hey, bastards," I said, unable to hide a grin. "Miss me?"
8
Imade it all of three steps inside the giant throne room before Joseph hurled himself at me with a strangled, throaty sound. I widened my stance, braced for impact, and couldn't hold back a laugh when the big, cuddly reaper slammed into me, cold arms wrapping me tight.
"Careful," Arkan hissed, brushing past us and heading over to Taj. While X rushed across the room towards me, the prince of Hell didn't budge.
"Where have youbeen?" Joseph demanded, his voice drawling, warm, and sweet enough to make me feel both wanted and itchy, like with Arkan outside. "I've been so worried," he rushed out, running his icy hands over my body, reassuring himself I was really there. "We couldn't find you anywhere, and your cottage was ransacked, and you were gone so long. I couldn't find a trace of your soulanywhere. Never leave us again.Never."
"I didn't exactly choose to get drugged and kidnapped in the first place," I replied with a touch of amusement.
Joseph replied with a deep, throaty hiss, and wrenched me tighter against him. My body melted into his softness and heat.
"Never," he mumbled, guttural and deep, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the half-skull flash across his face for a second, like he was losing control.
If I was being honest—and we all knew how much I hated honesty—I missed the touch and cuddles. I missedhim. Ugh.
"I'm never leaving your side even for a second," he warned, squeezing me tight enough that I stroked my grit-covered palm up and down his back.1
"I'm fine. It all worked out."
The devil laughed, a dark, rolling sound that sent a chill down my spine. Okay, so it only worked out because he committed two massacres, but semantics.
Joseph shook his head, kissing my cheek, then my jaw, then my neck and shoulder and collarbone and—
We'd been hugging for minutes now. I knew Taj wouldn't approach, but X, the obsessive incubus… Staying back seemed unlike him.
I lifted my head, a furrow in my brow when I found him waiting a few paces away, his lilac hair hanging lankly around his face and his skin sallow and unhealthy.
I squeezed Joseph and wriggled out of his grip, frowning at X. "Hey. You're weirdly quiet. Who's funeral is this?"
"Hisif he doesn't do something about it," Taj muttered across the room, but loud enough that I was clearly meant to hear.
I shot the bastard a glare. "What'sthatsupposed to mean?"
"Nothing," X sighed, pale and unwell. "Hello, little morsel. I missed every inch of you."
When he closed the distance between us, it wasn't with his usual dancer's elegance. But his scent of jasmine and honey hit me, and my body sagged without my permission.
"Come here, asshole," I barked, and pulled him into a hug, but I held him gently, too worried to squeeze tight. What the hell was going on?
I speared Taj with a look over X's shoulder, and the beautiful dickhead rolled his dark, long-lashed eyes. "He refused to feed. Something about pathetic loyalty to his mate."
X snarled, his arms winding around me but weakly. "I never saidpathetic."
My frown deepened, my anger spiking, driven by concern. "You won't eat? Why the fuck not? You had no issue stealing my chilli lemon curd before, so you obviously eat human food."
X's warm laugh fanned over my shoulder as he ducked his head, sucking in a long breath—of my scent? "Not like that, Av."
"Then what—oh. Oh,fuck. You stupid fucking idiot, you could die!"
"That's what I said," Taj drawled from several metres away. "You have a shit memory."
For no apparent reason, the devil erupted into laughter. I ignored him, focused on the dumbass incubus who needed sex to survive. Who denied himself that vital sustenance, waiting for me.
"What if I died?" I demanded, trying to soften my voice and failing. "What if the devil hadn't caught me and healed me?"
X drew back, some manic fire returning to his dark blue eyes. "Then I'd be with you."
