60. Violette
VIOLETTE
In the blessed solitude of my bathroom, my hands grip the edge of the counter as I draw in deep breaths to self-soothe.
What the fuck is happening?
One moment, I’m determinedly plotting my father’s death, and the next I’m trying to reattach the God of Death’s head to his body and playing damage control between two unruly males.
My mind flits from memory to memory like a fairy across lily pads, traveling backwards in time to follow the course of events that led me here.
If I’d never kidnapped Levi...
Impossible.
There’s no denying a soulbond.
Perhaps, if I’d never kidnapped Winnow...
Akash, I hadn’t even realized what a penchant I had for kidnapping.
But how could my past self resist when Winnow unwittingly presented herself to me, in all her doe-eyed innocence?
I also can’t imagine not having sought out Azrael’s help.
Who else was I to ask?
Severing a soulbond is nigh-unfathomable. No one outside of the mad, charismatic, and surprisingly sweet God of Death would dare attempt such a thing, much less succeed.
My gaze lifts to the mirror, and the impossibly beautiful crown and glittering shadow-fabric dress.
I look like a queen.
Yet, I have a soulbond tether-shaped hole in my fucking chest, all while hope and affection for Azrael mingle in its shadow.
Two competing knocks rap on my bathroom door, making me groan in frustration as I rush across the room to yank open the door.
“It’s barely been two minutes. What. The. Fuck.”
Azrael and Levi begin talking at the same time, speaking over one another. My teeth grind.
“Silence!”
Before either of them can utter another word, I rip open a portal to Gideon’s ranch and shove past them before either can utter another word.
It is a dreadfully sunny day in Terrenea.
Groan.
Gideon’s canine barks as it runs towards me, stopping short when I bare my fangs and hiss in warning.
He whimpers.
“Hello, beast.”
He lets out a final yip, tail wagging so hard his whole body sways in place. For some reason, my hand itches to caress his fur, and I find myself closing the distance between us. When I lift my hand for him to sniff, his long tongue drenches it in slobber.
The moment Levi and Azrael step through the portal, his attention shifts, and he speeds off. I turn to find him standing on his hind legs, two paws resting on Levi’s broad chest as he showers Levi with affection.
That hollow place in my chest echoes with something bright at the sight of my former soulbound’s entire face transforming with unrestrained joy. I’d yet to witness such beauty in him.
Admittedly, I’m jealous.
The canine even proceeds to introduce himself to Azrael by way of flopping onto the ground at his feet and baring his belly.
A clear sign of not only submission, but trust.
Fascinating.
I force my gaze away, briefly scanning for Azrael’s shadow, which is now nowhere to be seen. Before my heart can crumble any further, I turn to find Gideon and Winnow on horseback, lazily making their way towards us.
“Your services are required, Duchess.”
Her mouth opens with faux humility, presumably to request that I no longer refer to her as Duchess. She’s stopped short as her eyes flick to the males behind me, eyes widening in horror at the sight of Azrael’s head.
Gideon seems far less perturbed, though his brows slide up his forehead as he directs his question to Levi. “Imma take a wild guess and say you had somethin’ to do with that.”
Azrael’s head smirks, eyes flicking towards Levi.
“I see your reputation precedes you.”
Whatever joy was shining through Levi’s face mere seconds ago has evaporated entirely.
In the distance, I can see Gideon’s friends exiting the barn and making their way towards us. I nod in their direction.
“Will your human friends be unsettled by our... predicament?”
Gideon curses under his breath as he and Winnow follow my line of sight. “Winnie, baby... You wanna go tell Beau and Gertie to get started without us, while I bring our guests inside?”
Before she can reply, Levi speaks up.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll go speak with them. I need to take a ride down to my property anyway... I’ll be back shortly.”
Levi’s gaze shifts to mine, and for some Akash-forsaken reason, my heart leaps beneath it.
“Wait for me?”
My mouth opens and closes uselessly while I attempt to recompose myself.
Clearing my throat, I straighten.
“Remind me why, exactly, I would do such a thing, human.”
I expect him to grumble and grunt now that we have an audience.
I am wrong.
Instead, he closes the distance between us in two strides, grips me firmly by the hips, and brings his face within an inch of mine. Hesitating briefly as if to give me the chance to stop him.
And I find, despite no longer having a soulbond between us, I am incapable of denying his touch.
My breath suspends somewhere high in my chest, and I nearly choke on my own spit. Every thought in my mind eddies away like a sandcastle on a seashore.
All that remains is the thundering of my heart and the pure need for him streaking like lightning through every atom of my body.
At my lack of protest, Levi’s mouth captures mine in a way that is both tender and ravenous. Devouring yet reverent.
The fervour with which his lips and tongue caress mine sends the message that whatever he lacks in romantic declarations, he longs to make up for in action.
One of his hands roams from my hips to cradle the back of my skull to grip a fistful of my hair. The world around us evaporates until he suddenly breaks our all-too-brief kiss.
“So I may do you justice.”
What?
I’m still trying to recollect what question he was even replying to when he releases me and marches towards Gideon’s barn.
It is a monumental feat that my knees don’t buckle, and I manage to straighten. Finger-combing my now mussed hair, I force my gaze to acknowledge our audience’s stares despite the fact that my cheeks are burning hotter than a hearth.
Winnow’s brows are in her hairline. “Sacred fuck, that was incredible.”
Gideon snorts a laugh.
I clear my throat, lifting my chin even as I try to catch my breath.
“It was... satisfactory.”
By some gravitational force, my eyes are drawn to Azrael. Where I expect jealousy, I find a soft grin and a longing that stirs my heart.
His gaze lingers on mine before stepping forward and gesturing towards Winnow and Gideon’s as though their home is his own.
“Shall we?”