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I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top of me. Still connected.

Reyna gasped at the new angle, taking even more of me. Her hands lifted to smooth her hair, tucking strands behind her ears and pressing her hands to her cheeks and jaw like that would do anything to quell the fiery blush.

“I—” she began, then broke off. Choosing a different path. “You’re not allowed to leave me,” she said again, looking down at me with a serious expression. Well, as serious as she could manage with heated cheeks and glazed-over eyes.

I rolled my hips up and into her heat, drawing a gasp from her and a groan from me. “I think we’re in agreement on that one, honey.”

Reyna nodded. “Okay. Good.”

I lifted my hand to her throat, wrapping around it and pulling her down to find her lips. Nipping softly ather lower lip. “Now fuck me like you mean it, Reyna.”

She listened, the little minx. Rolling her hips with as much control as she could manage—as much as I let her take—until the pleasure became too much and I had to take over. Driving into her and drawing one orgasm from her, then another while my own crashed down on me and she fell against my chest, breathing hard.

If she could feel how hard my heart was beating, like it was straining out of my chest and as close to her as it could get, she didn’t mention it.

Good.

Because I was keeping her by my side. But until this was over, until I could be sure she was safe, the only saving grace I had was pushing away the full depth of my feelings for her.

If I admitted it, even to myself, I’d burn the world down for one mark on her perfect skin.

?

I left her at seven. I’d planned to leave at dawn. But I couldn’t move. She looked so peaceful, so content.

And the idea that I had anything to do with that made me almost sick with the weight of it.

By the time I managed to pull myself out from under her without waking her and dress quietly, my heart was beating at a rapid pace again.

Which is why I had to do this.

It might not even work, it might be stupid, but I had to try.

As I stepped through a portal into the bottom floor of one of my best friend’s house and scared the living daylights out of a guard who was clearly on the last hour of his night shift, I realized it was a good idea that Ididn’t show up at dawn.

I liked my head where it was, pressed soundly between my shoulders. He’d likely try to remove it if I dared to interrupt him the same way Lukas had.

The Underworld’s dim, pale copy of the sun was coating the house in a mellow light, so at odds with the storm raging inside me. I took the steps two at a time, relishing in the slight burn that started to creep into my legs as I made it up three floors.

I rounded the corner and came face to face with a livid god of the Underworld. Also a dear friend, but that came second when he was looking at me like he was two seconds away from conjuring a Shadowwalker to punch me in the groin.

“Don’t start,” I said, beating him to the first word. “You are clearly awake. I’m not disturbing you or your wife.” I looked down pointedly at his clothes. It was obvious he was on his way to a morning bout in the gym.

“What do you want?” Dominic said, crossing his arms over his chest.

His obvious irritation was just too good not to mess with a little. “I was looking for your wife, actually.” His already scowling face took a turn for the deadly. “Go enjoy your workout, man. It’ll give us some good—”

“Adrian, I hope you understand that hewillkill you if you finish that sentence.” Both our gazes swung to the end of the hallway, where Rose was watching us while leaning against the door frame of their bedroom.

I barked a laugh. “I was simply going to say that it would give us some time to chat.” Dominic loosed a low growl, while Rose raised her eyebrow at me. Waiting for me to correct myself, I realized.

“That is actually why I’m here,” I said. “I need to talk to you.” There was an edge of desperation to my tone, only a sliver of what I was feeling internally.

But both Rose and Dominic latched onto that inch, their backs immediately going straight. Dominic’s face immediately softened, edging with concern. “What happened?”

I shook my head. “Daphne didn’t…?”

“I got an Iris letter from her last night,” Rose said, walking quickly down the hall to meet us. “I was going to open it over breakfast.”