Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 41683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Her laugh echoes in our bathroom—joyous and bright—while I carry my petite Valkyrie into the shower. Pressing her back against the wet tiles is an excuse to explore more. My hands travel down to her thighs, splitting them apart and bringing me to eye level with her pretty pink folds. Even here, she's beautiful. Especially here, she's beautiful.
I lift her leg over my shoulder, burying my face between her thighs. I savor the taste of her on my tongue, drinking in each gasp and moan that drops from her lips. Every tremor of pleasure that courses through her body ignites a fiery explosion within mine as well.
I devour her, kissing and licking everywhere like the greedy Fae I am. This Valkyrie consumes every thought in my head, driving me mad with lust. Every minute of the day, I ache for her.
Gods, I ache.
"Kyron," she moans. "Oh, Kyron."
There's nothing sweeter than the way she says my name. In our bed, I'm not Reaper, harvester of souls. I'm Kyron, her mate, her lover, the other half of her soul. I'm addicted to that sound. I'm addicted to her.
Once she's teetering on the edge of release, I rise like a storm sweeping ashore—powerful and unstoppable. She welcomes me between her thighs with a cry of ecstasy as I bury myself in her tight heat.
My thrusts are primal. Need consumes us like wildfire as water falls in sheets around us, unable to tamp this flame. Each strike of my cock pushes her higher, until she's screaming my name.
She clings to me, lost in an ocean of intense pleasure as waves wrack her body, the orgasm ripping through her again and again. My knot lodges inside of her, locking me to her—mate to mate.
A growl rumbles in my chest as I bury my face in her neck, and let go, claiming her completely and irrevocably.
"Mine," I whisper against her skin, panting. "Mine."
"Yes," she whispers back, clinging to me. "Always, Reaper."
Chapter Ten
Tori
"Ivowed to make it safe for you to say goodbye to your parents," Reaper says, slipping his hand into mine as we sit in an old, cramped Honda outside the cemetery. A dozen warriors surround the car like a living wall, here to protect me. "This is as safe as I could make it for now, Tori."
It's the middle of the night. The city is peaceful and quiet. The smell of the Sound rustles through the trees, slipping through the cracked windows. It's familiar, like home. Yet, Seattle has never felt less like home than it does now.
"Thank you," I whisper, tears blurring my vision as I stare out at the headstones rising from the hillside like hands reaching toward the sky. My parents don't have one yet—I know that. But somewhere out there, amidst the thousands of names, is their final resting place. This is where their story ends. At least, that's how it's supposed to go.
Saying goodbye when I know they aren't truly at rest is terrifying. What if they never find peace? What if their souls are trapped forever, stuck on this side of the Veil? Or, worse, what if the Forsaken claim them before we can?
Either way, their story doesn't end where it's supposed to—in peace. It ends in horror. An eternity stuck in limbo. Or a brutal, final death at the hands of evil.
"Speak your peace, solsken. They'll hear you."
"I…I don't know what to say," I admit. I never prepared for this day. It was supposed to happen at some far-off time in the future, when I was old and gray and had lived long enough to comfortably navigate grief.
"Then I'll speak for you," he murmurs, brushing his lips across my knuckles. He pauses as if considering his words carefully.
"Thank you," he begins, his voice a soft rumble. "Thank you for the precious life you brought into this world and nurtured with love. Thank you for the countless days and nights you spent ensuring her safety and happiness. Your dedication and sacrifice didn't go unnoticed."
I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting not to sob as he talks to my parents, saying all the things that are in my heart. He knows them, so intimately it's humbling.
He takes a deep breath, his amber eyes shimmering in the dim light, fierce with devotion. "You know how cruel and ruthless this world can be. Yet, your daughter…she's different. She's a beacon of hope. She's fierce, brave, kind…and she's scared." His grip on my hand tightens ever so slightly. "She's terrified that she's alone now. But I promise, she won't be. So long as I live, she will never face this world or the Dark alone."
His next words are so quiet I barely hear them over the soft purr of the engine. "I will love her as fiercely as you did. It's what she deserves."