Page 117

“Yes,” I tell her. “Ask me if I care.”

She only laughs, and when we’re far enough away from the rest, I take us skywards.

Epilogue

Allie - Two months later

My demon is on the hunt.

Only today I don’t know if he’s in the forest or the mountain keep or in any of the dozens of places we’ve explored during the months since the bargain was renewed.

I’m running through the mountain meadow, flushed and out of breath as I contemplate my next move. It’s a rare day away from the responsibilities of the court and of rebuilding from all the damage caused by the failing bargain, and I intend to savor every single second of it.

Long grasses and wildflowers tickle my legs as I run, flying through the open plain with a speed that still surprises me every time I let myself unleash it.

Maybe Eren was right all along. Maybe I’m not quite human anymore.

He appears behind me a second later and I shriek, darting away from him and through a portal that opens as easily as stepping through an unlocked door. I snap it shut behind me with a delighted giggle, leaving Eren back on the other side. As it closes, I catch the very beginning of his roar of frustration, and laugh my ass off as I turn to survey where I’ve ended up.

Portal magick is a nifty trick. Just one of many I enjoy now that I’ve gotten my powers back.

On this side of a portal, a beautiful mountain waterfall cascades down from a cliff-side high above into a crystal-clear pool. In the heat of the late summer afternoon, the mist coming off the water feels divine.

The perfect place to end our hunt.

Stripping out of my clothes, I leave them in a heap at the side of the pool for Eren to find, then wade in. The water is just cool enough to raise a wave of goosebumps all along my bare skin, and anticipation sends a shiver down my spine.

I hope my demon finds me soon.

Because no matter how these games start or where the portals lead us, they always end the same way—me, knotted and claimed and thoroughly fucked. My toes curl under the water just thinking about it.

We’re not actually trying to get me pregnant—not yet—and even though I’ll still be taking my monthly contraceptive tea for a while as I continue to get my bearings in this realm and settle in with Eren, I wouldn’t give up these wicked games we play for anything. He loves to knot me, rut me, whisper filthy things in my ear about filling me up and seeing me swell with his child, and I won’t deny for a moment that the fantasy of it makes me hot as hell.

I’ve never felt so utterly, wonderfully possessed by another soul. Since that night in the Veil, things have shifted in a way we haven’t fully wrapped our arms around yet, but I do know one thing to be absolutely true.

Eren is my mate.

What that means for me as a human, we’re still trying to figure out. I’m not sure I’ll ever experience the all-consuming nature of it like he does, but it has come with some perks. I’ve gained portal magick, seem to be stronger and faster than I was before, and I can somehowsensehim, even when he’s not nearby. The threads of the bond woven between us grow tighter each day, and I can’t wait to see how they continue to deepen and evolve over a lifetime.

And, of course, the biggest perk of all—having my demon bound to me, body and soul, for the rest of our lives.

Those threads dance across my skin as a portal opens behind me, and I make no attempt to flee when Eren appears with a mighty splash, crashing into the water as he swoops over its surface and plucks me up in an iron-tight grip. I shout and struggle as he flies forward through the pounding water, soaking us both completely.

There’s a little stone cove on the other side of the falls, the perfect spot to hide us away from the rest of the world.

He sets me down in the knee-high water and presses me up against the stone wall, the thick line of his cock beneath his soaked trousers pushing into the swell of my ass like a brand. Wrapping one hand around my throat and keeping me pinned with his body, he works his other hand between us, tearing at the laced top of his pants.

“You let me win, little witch,” Eren hisses into my ear. “I expect better sport from my prey.”

“I think I’m the one who’s winning,” I say breathlessly as he frees himself.

Just to make him squirm, I grind my ass against him, pushing back against his erection in an unmistakable taunt and invitation. With two firm hands on my hips, he spins me around and lifts me up against him, giving me no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, clinging to him for support.

“Is that so?” he asks in a sensually cruel whisper just beneath my ear. “You think I’d surrender so easily? Let you have just what you wanted?”

The scrape of fangs over the side of my throat and the feeling of his cock notched at my damp, wanting pussy makes me moan and arch against him.

“No,” I gasp.