52 Birdie #3
“I can’t,” I say on a breath. “I can’t just let go of everything—”
“You can,” Dáinn says over me. “Haven’t you ever wondered why your human life never quite seemed to fit?”
I shake my head, terrified to hear his truth. “No.”
“Because you were made for this life. You were made for us. Don’t disappoint us now by pretending you don’t want the life we’re offering. There will be no more gods for you. No heaven and no human laws. No social rules. There is only power. And magic. And claiming what’s yours.”
I melt in his arms, lost to the feeling coiling inside me like a beast. I can’t hold it in. I have to let go and trust that these men are strong enough to withstand the flames with me.
Not men. Creatures. Magical beings. A witch and a wraith. Mortal and immortal. I need them both.
And they both need me. Three desperate, lonely souls, pulled together by fate. But alone no longer. If we’re brave enough . . .
Reaching up behind me with one hand, I dig my fingers into the wraith’s hair, jerking hard.
“Let me go.” His hands instantly lift away, and I turn to face him.
A phoenix can fly, but first it must take to the air.
Swallowing down all my worry and fear, I leap.
“You’re right. I don’t want to be alone anymore. ”
Hands held aloft, he gazes down at me like I hung the moon. “You never have to be alone again.”
His words warm me, stoking my flames. “You’re fighting Ludmilla so you can be free?”
He nods.
“You mean to come be free with me?”
“Yes.”
“You mean to haunt me for the rest of my days?”
His expression is so intense. I feel snared. There’s heat to it, yes. He wants me. But there’s an innocence to him too, an open sense of wonder. He’s enchanted. Enthralled.
Oh god—he’s snared too. By me.
“Lead, and I will follow,” he declares. “Through any trial and all of time.”
This should terrify me. A wraith is fighting a dark witch to break the magical bonds that tie him so he can make a new life . . . with me. He wants to be with me with no conditions. No guarantees. No promises. Everything, he said. He wants everything with me.
God, what I wouldn’t give to have even an ounce of his surety. For now, I’ll just have to borrow some of his. Reaching out, I brush my thumb over his lips. “Dáinn.” I speak his name like it’s a spell that will unlock our shared future.
He groans, his body shuddering as he keeps his hands aloft. “Fuck—say it again.”
I smile, dropping my hand away. “Your name is Dáinn.”
Stifling a whimper, he drops his face forward, nuzzling the crook of my neck. His hands wrap around me as he breathes me in.
Slipping a hand between us, I press at the middle of his chest, pushing him back. “You’re my wraith now, yes? Not hers. Never hers.”
His glare is vicious, his eyes flashing smoky black. “Never.”
I stroke my hand down the front of his chest. “It’s my job to take care of you now, yes?”
He nods.
I can’t help but smile. I have a feeling he’ll be easy to please. “You like watching me, don’t you?”
“It’s my new favorite thing,” he replies.
I look to Jasper. “And the witch? Do you like watching him?”
Dáinn glances his way and winks. “It’s my old favorite thing.”
“Fuck you,” Jasper snaps. “You’re the only old one here. Practically a bag of bones.”
Now Dáinn smiles. “Oh, darling, I’m in my prime. Shall we compare endurance levels?”
“Not interested.”
Dáinn points. “You have some sweat dripping, just there.”
“Fuck off,” he growls.
“You must be parched. Do you need some water?” Glancing down at me, Dáinn’s grin is boyish. “I have no need for hydration.”
“I figured,” I reply, holding back a smile.
The human, the witch, and the wraith. What an odd throuple we make. But their easy banter assures me this will work . . . I’ll just be careful to stay in the middle for now. “Right, enough bickering.” I tap the wraith on the shoulder with two fingers. “Dáinn, get on your knees.”
His expression heats with interest. Without hesitation, he sinks slowly to the forest floor. Then he looks up at me from his knees. “Like this?”
I smile down at him, giving his soft curls a tug. “Just like that. Now, don’t move.”
Sighing with relief, he sinks back on his heels, his large hands splayed comfortably across his tree trunk thighs. “I am yours to command.”
Righting myself, I turn slowly to face Jasper.
He stands a mere ten feet away, missing nothing of our exchange.
Silent scowls won’t work anymore. I have to know what he’s thinking.
Is he as ready for this as I am? Heart in my throat, I take a step closer.
“What about you, king of witches? Are you also mine to command?”
That muscle ticks in his chiseled jaw. “I think fucking not.”
This has me smiling again. “I figured as much. You are my high priest now. It will be for you to give commands. So . . . command me.”
His eyes flash with interest as he slowly crosses his arms. “I don’t fuck members of my coven.”
“I should hope not,” I tease. “Seeing as you’re related to most of them.”
His lips twitch with mirth. It’s quickly replaced with a look of stone-cold hunger. “You think I’ll fuck you and let the wraith watch?”
“I think it’s lonely being a king,” I reply. “I think you’re aching for the same soul connection we seek.” I take another step closer. “And I think you want to mark me with your scent and fill me with your cum.”
“Fuck.” His glare is sharp enough to cut glass.
Got him.
My smile is triumphant as I take one more step.
We’re now close enough to reach out and touch.
Close enough that I have to tip my head back to hold his stormy gaze.
“Am I right, high priest? You want my pussy dripping with your seed, don’t you?
You want it leaking down my legs. You want me too full to carry the weight of you . . . And you want the wraith to watch—”
“I don’t give a fuck about that wraith—”
“Lies,” I say over him. “We don’t do that here. Not between the three of us. Not anymore. This is the first official meeting of the Lonely Hearts Club, and there’s only one rule: Truth always.” I glance over my shoulder at the wraith. “Truth, Dáinn?”
“Always,” he rasps, his gaze molten as he watches us.
I turn back to the witch. “Truth, Jasper?”
He huffs, shaking his head. “Truth always? Really? You think you’re ready for my ugly truth?”
I hold his gaze. “Yes.”
“And you, asshole?” His gaze darts to the wraith. “Ugly truth?”
“Always,” the wraith says again. “Unleash your fury, witch. I can take it.”
Growling low, Jasper’s eyes flash as he points a thick finger at the wraith. “You tried to fucking kill me.”
The wraith nods, his expression solemn. “I did do that, yes.”
“You haunted me for weeks, watched me, fucking violated me—my shop, my home!”
“I did,” he says again. Staying on his knees, he spreads his arms wide. “I’m a creature of death. My one true purpose is to destroy.”
His words twist in my gut as my heart races faster. “Dáinn, that’s not true. Eating souls is something you do; it’s not the sum total of who you are.” I round on the witch. “And you know Ludmilla sent him. He had no choice to do those things—”
“There’s always a choice,” the witch shouts. “There is always a way to choose right over wrong.”
“And I have chosen,” the wraith assures us. “I am choosing the way of right. I choose you, witch—”
“Gods, will you please fucking spare me! You’re just using me to kill your mistress. Then you’ll take Birdie from me. Or kill me. Both, probably.”
The wraith gasps, sinking back on his heels. “Jasper . . . my sweet witch—”
“Don’t,” he shouts over him. “No lies, remember? Don’t make me any promises you can’t fucking keep.
We both know what we’re facing here. The chances we all walk away are slim to fucking none.
” He turns to me. “How do you expect me to give in to this, huh? To let myself want this, when I’ll probably be dead in a week? ”
“Jasper—”
Lunging forward, he grabs me and pulls me in close, silencing my protest with a kiss.
His lips part, and his tongue is there, teasing my mouth open, claiming all my air.
I cling to him, savoring his taste. He ends it too fast, pushing me away while still keeping me in the cage of his arms. “I died two days ago. Do you understand? I was fucking dead. I felt my soul leave my body. You saved me, Birdie. And now I have to keep playing dead until it’s time to fight the witch who will likely try and kill me again.
With her own two fucking hands this time!
” He holds up both his hands, and I can’t miss the way they tremble.
“You want my truth? The truth is that I’m already dead.
Whether it happens now, or in a week’s time, I don’t see any outcome where I live.
It puts your life into rather harsh perspective.
I don’t care about candles and bath salts.
I don’t care about wood shipments or setting my affairs in order.
I don’t care about protecting my godsdamn coven.
I don’t care about anything anymore. I don’t care because I’m too busy going fucking crazy.
Because from the moment you walked into my shop, all I’ve wanted to do is bury myself in you! ”
His words have my core melting like wax. “Jasper, please—ah—”
Slipping his hand around to grip my hair, he jerks my head back, arching my neck. Then he’s leaning in, speaking loud enough for the wraith to hear. “What are you, huh? What magic do you hold over us?”
“I don’t know,” I pant on a breath.