Chapter Seven
The skin beneath Bodhi’s hand was smooth and exquisite.
He couldn’t stop himself from running his hand down River’s arm until he reached the tattoo that matched his.
He gently turned River's wrist from side to side, inspecting the mark. Bodhi couldn’t explain the level at which nothing mattered any longer.
Was this how Frost felt with his mate? Would he risk Gemini’s safety for Lucifer?
He knew a spell when he saw one. Bodhi was nearly as old as Celeste.
He wasn’t a fool. This mating mark was just another brand of magic.
But every magic wielder had a specialty no one else could match.
Celeste’s forte was the power to create and meld souls.
It didn’t matter she was a god. A spell was a spell, and it could be reversed.
Bodhi needed to ensure that never happened.
Bodhi ran his fingers through River’s soft curls. “Time to wake up, firecracker.”
River’s eyes peeked open. He immediately squeezed them shut.
Bodhi waved toward the ceiling, and the light dimmed.
“Open your eyes.” He had to see those green irises.
Bodhi hadn’t seen that shade of green for hundreds of years.
The sea was too polluted now. Damn, his soul ached for those days.
Still, Bodhi’s current form preferred the comforts of present day.
River’s eyes slowly opened again. This time, they locked onto Bodhi. “Hey.”
Bodhi shook his head. River puzzled him. He had torn into Bodhi with his words before actually ripping away his skin. Yet here he was, greeting him with the sweetest of tones.
“Hey.”
“How long did I sleep?” He never looked away from holding Bodhi’s stare. It was as if he didn’t care where he was. All he saw was Bodhi. That was a stroke of ego. Bodhi liked those.
“If I had to guess, we’ve been out at least twenty-four hours.”
River’s gaze slid down Bodhi’s body. “You’re dressed.”
A chuckle rumbled from Bodhi. “So are you. Good thing too, since we’ve been kidnapped.”
At his remark, River shot upright and head-butted Bodhi’s jaw. They took a moment to massage their abused bodies.
“Sorry. Did I hurt you?” River cupped Bodhi’s face, turning his head from side to side, inspecting him. “Oh, dear. Your jaw is already starting to bruise.”
With a hint of magic, he healed their injuries. “There. No harm. No foul.”
River’s gaze moved over Bodhi’s face. It was as if he lost himself in a trance while studying him. “You’re very powerful, aren’t you? Way more than anyone realizes.”
Bodhi didn’t respond. Instead, Bodhi took River’s arm and held it up to River’s face, wrist up.
River eyed the tattoo. “Well, I have been busy while I was out, it seems.”
His eyebrows tried crawling to his hairline at River’s nonchalant reaction. “You don’t seem surprised.”
Those mesmerizing eyes moved from his wrist to Bodhi’s face. “I recognized you when you kissed me. There was literally a spark on my lips. You still haven’t told me what’s happened while I was out.”
Bodhi wouldn’t be swayed from the topic. “Was this your plan when you scored my skin? Did you hope to trap me?”
River drew back as if Bodhi had slapped him. “You’re the one who sucked the blood from my tongue. You’re the one who forced your blood down my throat. Which one of us really did the trapping?”
There was his firecracker.
The anger bled from River’s features. His shoulders sagged. “Do you really feel like you’re trapped?”
The hurt in River’s voice moved him, to his irritation.
His over-the-top goody-goody emotions toward River were manufactured through Celeste’s magic.
Bodhi wasn’t a good person. His soul was old, bitter, and filled with rage and hate.
The fact that River couldn’t look inside his mind to see all of that just proved his point.
They hadn’t been meant for each other since the beginning of time.
Bodhi remembered every lifetime he had ever had.
They weren’t two souls parted by death, and they found their way back to each other. This was simply a rope to keep in line.
“I see.” River’s spine stiffened. “Let me just go ahead and snip that rope for you. You’re free to take your bitterness elsewhere.
” As River choked out the words, Bodhi felt the pain behind each one.
That didn’t stop River. River just kept ripping out his own heart for Bodhi’s sake.
“Go. You’re free.” He looked around with teary eyes.
“I’m in Faerie. This is my home. So go. Nothing is stopping you. ”
Bodhi was simultaneously angry and aroused. “Actually, there is. Your little prince put up a magical barrier to stop me.”
River rolled off the bed. “Bull. I am your mate, if you recall. I see inside you and I know you can leave anytime you want. Your being here has nothing to do with being incapable. That’s not why you stay.
” Tears spilled over River’s lashes, making it hard for Bodhi to breathe.
River refused to let up. “No one keeps you anywhere you don’t want to be.
You’re only here because…” The words slowly died away as River stared at Bodhi in wonder. “Oh.”
River softened. “It’s possible I overreacted.”
A loud bark of laughter burst from Bodhi.
Once he started, he couldn’t stop. Bodhi wiped his eyes, trying to get himself under control.
He fought hard as he left his perch on the edge of the bed and closed the space between them.
“You really have people fooled with your adorable sweetness, don’t you?
All the while, you’re actually a firecracker, ready to throw down at a moment’s notice. ”
River’s face turned bright red. That flawless translucent skin gave away his embarrassment. “I swear I’m a good person. It’s you. You’re a meanie head and someone needs to tell you that.”
Goddess, he was too much. “I think you’re the one who needs discipline. Maybe if I spanked you, then you’d watch that tone with me.”
Barely an inch stood between them. River stared up at him with clenched fists and flaring nostrils. “No one will ever make me less so they can be more.” His gaze slid away. River licked his lips. “That doesn’t mean you can’t spank me, though.”
Fuck, Bodhi was so hard. To his soul, he knew even if River wasn’t his mate, that he would still want to spend an eternity doing nothing but fucking River. There was nothing he wanted less than to break River’s spirit. He was exactly the right amount of spicy.
Bodhi ran his hand along River’s jawline before burying his fingers in River’s hair. He tugged.
River moaned.
Yeah. If he had to be assigned a mate, Bodhi would have chosen this one no matter the circumstances.
River’s features softened. “Really?”
Bodhi stole a violent kiss. River had him painfully aroused.
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s time to blow this joint.
” Faerie melted away to be replaced by his cabin.
He did everything he could to set the mood.
With a single thought, he had a fire roaring in the fireplace. “Are you sure you can handle me?”
A tiny smirk touched River’s lips. He drew a breath as if to answer. Another bright flash of light interrupted the moment, sending them flying into oblivion.
This time, when Bodhi opened his eyes, he found a fox resting on his chest. Bodhi would have jumped backward if he had anywhere to go. Sky-blue eyes watched him. Bodhi tried to move but couldn’t. He was pinned.
Bodhi sighed. “What now?” Even he heard the exhaustion in his voice.
The fox transformed into a man. He didn’t move from where his fox form had been. The intruder seemed oblivious to the fact that he might be crushing Bodhi’s sternum.
“Where’d you put ‘em?”
“You’re making it a little hard to figure out what you’re talking about with you sitting on my chest.”
The guy shot to his feet. “Oh.” He released a nervous-sounding chuckle and twisted a poppet that was tied to the belt loop of his pants. Power like Bodhi had never encountered crackled through the air. “There you go. Now where are they?”
“You’ll have to be more specific. I have a lot of enemies. If you want to do the good guy-bad guy thing, you’ll have to turn the bad guy monologue into the good guy speech because, dude, I’ve had a day.”
“Oh.” Another chuckle burbled from his attacker.
“Where are the flowers from your mate? Don’t try any trickery with me.
I’m tougher than I look and… and I’ll tell Savage on you.
” He gave a sharp nod as if he was decided.
“Yeah. He’s terrifying, and he loves my best friend.
If he has to come here, you’ll be forced to live a whole other lifetime to get back to your mate. ”
What the fuck was happening to his life? Why was he being inundated by all the sweet souls? What kind of fresh hell was this?
The man shifted from foot to foot, twisting his doll.
A thought hit. His fury finally roared to life. “Where’s my mate?” He sounded every bit as ready to murder as he was.
River popped into view, holding a tiny fox in a diamond collar.
“I’m right here.” He stroked the fox. “Tam doesn’t mean any harm.
He just needs those flowers back. Since he blasted you a little too hard, I couldn’t see into your mind to just give them to him.
You’re awake now, so…” He set the fox on the floor and straightened.
River focused on the visitor, who he assumed was named Tam.
“They’re being preserved on the top shelf over there.
” River motioned toward the bookshelf. He glanced around.
“I can climb on a chair or something to grab them for you.”
Bodhi groaned and banged the back of his head against the floor in aggravation. These chipper sprites would be the death of him.
Tam waved off River’s offer. “I got it.” He transformed into a snow leopard and jumped, landing on the top of the bookcase, knocking lots of shit onto the floor in the process.