CHAPTER 35
Zarreth
Water spills over the crystal ledge. Frankie doesn’t seem to notice the mist dampening her hair. She sits at the edge, her toes tracing patterns in the water. She’s quiet, but not the kind of quiet that means she’s shutting down.
It’s different. Our bond isn’t heavy with grief. She’s not drowning in her thoughts. She’s just…quiet.
I don’t push her to talk. We just sit, listening to the steady rush of the falls, enjoying the cool spray on my arms.
It’s not long before her eyes are on me. I turn my head, meeting her gaze when her fingers brush mine.
“So, I think I kind of found myself.” Her laugh is small, but hopeful.
There’s a steadiness in her now. Like she’s finally seeing what I’ve seen all along. I pull her into me and plant a kiss on top of her head. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Well,” she says, leaning back on her palms. “I don’t know if I’d go that far. I still have no idea what to do about the portal.”
“You’ll figure it out, and I’ll be right here to help you.”
She smiles, slightly shaking her head. “Why are you always so sure of me?”
“Because of everything you’ve survived. Because you always do what’s right, not what’s easy.
You don’t need to be certain of everything, little mate, not when you have instincts like yours.
” The words hit me as I say them. I do trust her.
Not because she’s destined or powerful, but because of who she is.
I know I need to stop holding her back when I’m scared, but it’s so fucking hard.
She skims her foot over the water. “Well, I still wish the cave would’ve given me something…I don’t know…a spell, a task…anything.”
I lean back on my palms now, feet dipping into the pool beside hers. “It gave you a lot more than that.”
She rolls her eyes. “Okay, Socrates.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Socrates?”
“Yeah.” She pulls one leg in front of her. “You’re thoughtful, like you know the secrets of the universe.”
I slide my hand up her thigh. “I don’t claim to know the universe.” My fingers press in, my gaze drifting over her. “But I do know how much I love these thighs.”
She laughs, shaking her head. Her lips draw my full attention as she speaks. “Don’t even start.”
I grin. “Start what?”
Her gaze flicks to my mouth then back to my eyes, her tongue sliding over a fang. “Training’s officially canceled for the rest of the day, right?”
“It is,” I say, leaning in.
I’m close enough to taste her lips when she places a hand on my chest, pushing until my back meets the ground. “Good.” She crawls her way up my body. “I was thinking maybe you could help me…practice some other things.”
My hands slide behind my head and my neck tips back. Her lips trace my jaw, and it feels so fucking good. How does she get me going with the smallest touch?
“I was thinking…” She kisses her way to the other side of my neck.
“Mmhm,” I groan when her teeth tug on my earlobe.
“…that maybe instead of handing over my control, I can practice taking yours.” She pulls back, eyes gleaming, smile full of trouble. She already knows I’ll say yes. I can’t resist her.
I’ve always loved the look she gives when she’s uncertain, the quiet trust in her eyes when she surrenders to me. But this? Gods. Her confidence hits harder than any plea ever has.
I’m about to tell her yes when I feel her pulling inward. Shit, I waited too long. No, baby. Stay with me. I catch her chin, forcing her eyes back to mine. “I don’t need to hand you my control. You’ve had it from the beginning.”
She pulls her face away and sits back on her heels. “I don’t feel like I do. I feel dumb now.”
“You’re not dumb.” I push myself up, making sure she looks at me. “You’re just used to giving more than you take.”
Her gaze drifts like she’s turning my words over in her head. She’s so close. She just needs a little push. “What are you waiting for?” I tease. “Come take it.”
My words pull her back. Her eyes meet mine, confidence flickering in the small lift of her mouth. She grabs my wrist, and pulls me up as she rises.
I reach for her hips, but she slaps my hand away. “Did I ask you to touch me?”
I try to hide my smile, I really do. But fuck if that isn’t the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. I shake my head. “No,” I answer, shocked at how rough my voice suddenly sounds.
She takes a step closer, reaching her hands up.
My horns straighten under her grip as she squeezes, sending a jolt of pleasure right to my cock.
Her devilish smile tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing as she presses up onto her toes.
“No, what?” She whispers against my ear, and that’s all it takes before I’m rock hard.
I wet my lips, rubbing my palm against the bulge in my pants. “No, ma’am.”
She moves around me, her hands trailing over my shoulders. My wings twitch when her breasts push against them. Reaching around my waist, she grips my length through my pants. A noise rumbles in my throat when she circles her thumb over the head, wetting the fabric with my precum.
“I can’t wait to put this in my mouth.” Her voice is husky now and it’s all I can do to stay upright.
She steps in front of me again. My breath stutters when she sinks to her knees, scraping her nails down my stomach. Those glowing eyes lock on mine, her fingers working to unbutton my pants.
I can’t help it. I need to touch her. My thumb finds her bottom lip. Heat shoots through me when she bites down on it. Fuck!
“So impatient,” she teases. My fingers itch to wrap around her pretty little neck, but they don’t. I behave and pull my hand back, letting her have this. But Gods, it takes everything in me not to fuck her right here and now.
Her hands reach into my pants, fingers tightening around me. Don’t do it, Zarreth. She’s the one in control. But then she wets her lips, and the thought shreds in an instant.
“Tell me this is mine,” she breathes, never looking away.
My hips jerk. I’m so fucking turned on. “My cock has always been yours, little mate.”
“Yeah.” I hear a scoff. “Along with your balls.”
“Oh my God!” Frankie yells, releasing me and hiding her face between my legs.
Fucking Kara! This is the second time she’s snuck up on me. I button my pants and help Frankie to her feet. “What the fuck do you want?” I seethe, my teeth clenched so hard they nearly break.
“Oh no, the big, bad firefly is mad. Maybe he’ll sic his mate on us,” she laughs, and it’s all I can do to remind myself she’s not Ronin. If she were, he’d already be on his back by now.
Brynn smacks her arm. “We’re not here to watch. We need him. Now.”
Frankie’s face is bright red, but her voice carries the smallest hint of laughter. “You realize you have the absolute worst timing ever, right?”
Kara raises an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Seems like perfect timing to me.”
I narrow my eyes at her, then shift my attention to Brynn. “Need me for what?”
“More creatures have been spotted near the portal. We can kill them, but they don’t stay dead. Your fire seems to be the only thing that works.”
More creatures? Where do they keep coming from? “I’ll help. But only if you stop calling me firefly.”
Kara crosses her arms, pouting like a child instead of a thousand-year-old falkyrie. “Why? You have badass fire skills and you can fly. It’s perfect.”
Brynn rolls her eyes. “Fine. We’ll call you what the stories call you.”
I arch a brow, but Frankie is the one to ask. “Stories?”
“Yes, Emberlord,” she says. “We’ve heard the tales. A creature of wing and flames, said to be the last of the demons born of dragon blood. They say the Emberlord can sweep across the skies, burning forests and fortresses in a single breath.”
I’m surprised the legend made it to the Light Realm. I haven’t heard anyone mention the dragon-blooded demons in years. “You could always just call me by my name.”
“Why would we do that? It’s so much fun getting under your skin,” Kara says.
I shake my head, not bothering to respond.
“Anyway, we have to report to the Queen. The guards posted at the portal can answer any questions you might have.
Frankie finishes tying her boots and stands up straight. “I’ll go with you. I want to check on Jess.”
After they leave, I shoot into the sky. The realm spreads out under me in a wash of color.
Peaks of blue and purple crystals reflect the sun’s rays into the valleys.
Rivers thread between them like silver glowing veins.
Even the air tastes clean, radiating with the kind of magic that never existed in the Dark Realm.
The farther I fly, the more it changes. The ridges lose their shine and turn to rough gray stone. The rivers blacken and slow like they’re made from tar. By the time the portal’s mountain comes into view, the ground is nothing but jagged, dark rock split by cracks of dry earth.
The portal, itself, looks like a wound torn into the base of the mountain. Streaks of red pulse through the obsidian oval, almost like it’s bleeding. Even from here, I can see more creatures spilling out, some dragging themselves, others crawling on too many legs.
Falkyrie guards hold the line at the base. Their spears flash with light as they cut down whatever gets close. A winged guard dives past another’s shoulder, driving her spear through a creature’s chest. The thing folds, then jerks back to life until she drives the blade deeper and twists.
Another one gets past them. How the fuck are they so fast? I drop out of the sky, catching it mid-leap with a burst of fire. It hits the ground, already burning.
The scent of scorched rot and sulfur hits me when I near the guards. The falkyrie I land beside doesn’t glance at me as she swings her spear, shoving another creature back toward the portal’s edge.
I burn it, looking around to make sure we got them all. “Do you think the portal’s twisting the wildlife, too, or are these things crossing through?”
She shrugs, breathing hard, her clothing splattered with blood.
“A bit of both. Some of these beauties were born here. The rest we caught crawling straight out of that thing.” She tilts her head toward the portal.
“It slowed down for a week. I was almost getting bored. Then they came back again a few days ago.”
Dante! It has to be. Cronus said it takes many failed attempts before he can create a shifter.
He’s probably been feeding his failures through the portal, but why?
What the hell’s he up to now? Regardless, it makes sense there was a lull while he was held captive.
“I might know who’s behind it. I need to find Kara. ”
She pokes a carcass with her spear. “Copy that. We’ll be here, kicking ass as usual.”
“I’ll throw up a wall to keep them from the city.” Stepping forward, I flex my fingers, heat gathering under my skin as a line of fire shoots up from the ground, surrounding the portal. “It won’t hold forever, but it should help.”
She grins. “Careful, demon. Keep helping like that and some of us might start to like you.”