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“On a serious note, you should really drink this.” He held the bowl to her lips and carefully tipped it until she began to swallow the liquid. When she tilted her chin up, he lowered the bowl and eased her back to the pillow. “Does it help?”

“Yeah. It numbs the pain in my arms and I’m pretty sureit’s helping the burns to heal. The lady in here before you came said the fire was so hot that it almost melted my skin and tissue off, so the repairs and regeneration will take time. I’ll be staying here until I’m healed enough not to incite curiosity once I go home.”

Bryce nodded, placing the bowl on the small bedside table. He folded his hands between his knees and watched Kate begin to relax as the remedy took effect.

“I’m proud of what you did, Kate. Really. You’re much more of a person than you give yourself credit for, and you’ll find someone who sees that. Someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved. Take this experience with you as you go forward and never forget the impact of being humble and selfless. The best rewards in life are often preceded by pain and sacrifice.”

Kate pressed her lips together, lowering her eyes.

“You’ve always had your head on straight. Never following the expectations of your parents. Finding your own way, your own path in life. I’ve always envied that about you. Your inner strength to defy what others want you to be for the purpose of making yourself happy.” She shook her head, closing her eyes briefly. “Can I ask you how you met her?”

Bryce shrugged. “I met her in a past life.” He unfolded his fingers and showed her the scar on his palm. The sight of it, the meaning behind it, and the woman responsible for it, made his heart patter. “It’s not a birthmark. It’s a scar from our blood bond a hundred years ago. A bond so sacred that it followed me in death and rebirth.”

“She’s your soul mate.” Kate managed a wobbly half-grin. “I’ve learned something about that here. You know, she’s really beautiful.”

The compliment coming from his ex, a woman who would never pay a compliment to another woman if shethought it would take attention away from her, pleased him. Proof that Kate had grown as a person, despite the circumstances.

“She is, inside and out.”

She lifted her gaze, shimmering with moisture. “You really love her. Like, really, truly love her. I’ve never seen you look at me the way you look at her.”

“I do.”

“When did you meet her again? In this life?”

Bryce rolled out his shoulders and gave Kate’s leg a gentle pat before he stood up. “The when of it doesn’t matter, Kate. I’m where I belong. Where the…Goddess intended for me to be. You’ll find your path, your meaning, and you’ll find happiness. True happiness. Not something forced upon you by your parents and society. You’ve taken the first steps to becoming you, embracing the woman you are inside, not the creation molded by your parents. Don’t stop once you’re healed and return home. It’s time for you to blossom.”

He hesitated at the door, glancing over his shoulder at Kate’s fragile form tucked in the bed. Helpless, since her arms were healing and she couldn’t move them on her own.

“Kate, I honestly wish you all the happiness in the world.”

“Thanks, Bryce. That means a lot to me, coming from you.” The wobbly grin stretched a little more. “And you, too. With Rihanna.”

46

Rihanna placed the wooden bowls into the wash pit. Bryce snuck up behind her, capturing her wrists before she could begin to wash their dinner plates and nuzzled his face against the crook of her neck. She giggled, hunching as he nipped her flesh, followed by a languid swirl of his tongue.

“Dishes are on me,” he murmured, slowly spinning her to face him. He lowered her arms, tucked them behind her and shackled her wrists in one hand while pinning her between his hips and the wash pit. His lust-laden eyes traced over her from head to toe, his tongue wetting his full lips. “I’ve plans for you.”

“Oh?” She melted under his husky promise, the sensuality he provoked. “Care to share your plans?”

“Little bird…” His fingertips toyed with the small buttons that lined the front of her dress, popping one open at a time until the bodice loosened, revealing her breasts. His pupils swelled, his eyes darkening before he dipped his head and sucked her nipple between his lips. Rihanna sighed, dropping her head back as his tongue flicked over the hard peak, his teeth scraped along the sensitive skin, and his mouth soothed the ache that enticed her desire to lay down on the nearest table and allow him to feast until sated. “I never tell.”

“Nay.” She bit down on her lip as he nibbled his way to her other breast, taking the same time, care, and attention with it. He worked through the remaining buttons to her waist and dipped his hand between her thighs. Rihanna stifled a moan as his fingers found her clit and steadily worked her until she could barely breathe. “Bryce.”

He chuckled, lifting his head from her breasts and smiled a deliciously wicked smile. He withdrew his hand and brought his moist fingers to his mouth and sucked on each appendage like a man savoring a rare morsel. She writhed against his hold, his cock, trying to find the release he cruelly denied her.

Bryce tsked, his shackling hand tightening around her wrists. “Behave, little bird. You know I always take care of you.”

“What if your little bird is impatient and cares not to behave?”

“Trust me.” He lowered his face close to hers, his eyes lancing through her soul, burning white hot. She shivered, making his smile grow. “You may enjoy what I do if you decide to misbehave.”

She tugged her wrists, but his grip was unyielding. With a sly grin of her own, she snagged his bottom lip between her teeth, tracing the plump flesh with her tongue, enjoying the flare of his nostrils and the droop of his eyelids. He ground his hips against hers, his cock teasing and enticing.

After another lingering lick, she released his lip and leaned back, pressing her breasts out. Bryce ran his tongueover the swollen flesh of his red lips, his gaze carnal, his body tense. The bond between them pulsed and glowed, heady hunger thrumming insatiably.

Without warning, Bryce released her wrists for her waist and threw her over his shoulder. She screeched, earning a playful smack on her butt as he carried her out into the small sitting room of their temporary housing. She could easily take control, use her magic to bring him to heel, but she sensed his expectation, his readiness to counter what she might do.