Page 39 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)

Kairhyse

A laric didn’t give Xera the answers she was looking for, and she truly did toss him overboard. If nothing else, it’s a testament—to him and his so-called crew—that they don’t understand my girl.

It turned into a near-bloody battle when Niyla brought the boat to a stop to pull him back onboard. They act as if Xera will laugh off their lack of answers. I couldn’t help but comment that she once made a man eat his own dick just for being a piece of the puzzle she needed to solve.

Sydni is playing this carefully; I can tell she’s grown attached to Niyla in some way. She may not trust her entirely, but their bond has deepened. Brice, on the other hand—watching her step between Xera and him—I know she’s getting too close to that Werewolf.

Tonight, I plan to tell my girl everything that happened. More than that, I want to hear about her.

Taking the final step to the navigation area, I see her sitting on the bench furthest from the controls, staring out into the darkness. Everyone else is below deck, but we’ll need to keep our voices low. Even downstairs, they likely will hear us.

Handing her the glass of water she requested, I sit beside her. She lowers her arm, resting the glass in her lap as she leans slightly forward.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“You’re welcome.” Draping my arm along the back of the bench, my eyes wander to her tail, lying lazily beside her.

I don’t know what it is about that damn thing, but I just want to play with it.

I’ve never been much of an animal person, but something about her having a tail is oddly fascinating to me.

“Why are you staring at it?” she asks, finishing her drink in one long gulp.

“I was playing with it when we first got you on the boat,” I admit, shifting to angle myself toward her. I’ve got my arm resting on the back of the bench, but feel an urge and go for it. I slide my hand down and pick it up.

To my surprise, she doesn’t pull away.

It’s thinner than I expected. Something I can easily twirl around my fingers, yet surprisingly tough. Its smooth surface glides under my touch, but when I run my fingers the opposite way, I feel the faint protest of scales lifting against the motion.

She hums, and puts the glass down on the bench adjacent to us.

“There’s so much to talk about,” I begin, determined to finally get everything out so I can focus on just being with her.

But, before I can say another word, she pulls herself to me, straddling me and wrapping her arms tightly around my head.

Her knees press into my hips with as much force as her grip, leaving no space between us.

There’s no hesitation on my part—I immediately wrap one arm around her waist, the other threading through her hair.

Gods, I’ve missed the way she feels, even with the layers of clothing between us.

The warmth of her body is like the flames of a fire just as it bursts to life—intense, consuming, unforgettable.

Her scent surrounds me, sweet like the night air, but with a lingering tartness that commands attention.

Her heartbeat thrums steadily, a rhythm like the forest surrendering to the quiet power of night.

She’s my darkness.

The darkness I crave, the one I’ve missed beyond anything else in the life I left behind over three centuries ago.

Silence is her sanctuary, and I know she could stay like this until dawn without a word. It’s what she prefers, and I’d gladly oblige.

Her head shifts downward, her forehead pressing into the crook of my neck. Her voice is soft, almost lost in the space between us when she finally says, “I missed you.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say it first. That’s something I thought I’d have to initiate, but hearing those words from her fills me with something indescribable—a rush of elation I didn’t realize I needed until now.

“Fuck, I missed you too, Xera. It’s beyond even that.”

Kissing the side of her head, I hear her release a soft sigh.

She leans back slightly, her dark eyes meeting mine, a storm of unspoken emotions swirling within them.

The frown tugging at her lips says everything— she’s not ready to delve beyond these few words.

I know she just wants this: the quiet, the connection, and the sound of the waves crashing against the boat as our only audible companion.

Her fingers slip under my shirt, and I raise my arms instinctively, letting her pull it over my head. I follow her lead, mirroring her action with the one she’s wearing, tossing it carelessly onto the floor where mine already lies.

As she curves her body against mine, the warmth of her skin sends a heat to ripple down my spine. Her Amoro clings to me with an intensity that feels almost primal. It’s desperate, just as I am for her.

I never allowed myself to think I’d never get her back, but now that I have her, the thought creeps in, and it’s fucking terrifying. The idea that I could have lost her sends a wave of unease coursing through me, raising bumps along my skin.

But I don’t linger on that. Instead, I pull her closer, grounding myself in the reality of her touch, her presence, and the certainty that she’s here now, and that’s all that matters.

“You also need to feed, and I want you to,” she murmurs. “But there is something I need to talk to you about before you do.”

I gently drag her hair behind her ears, exposing the delicate curve of her neck. Her soft breaths escape through slightly parted lips, each one warm against my skin. She’s feeding, and the way her arms tighten around me—almost possessively—tells me just how good it feels.

“I’m here to listen, little demon.”

“I’ve already explained that Tali was behind everything.” She didn't share everything, I’m certain; only that her mother had been trying to breed her to create more of their kind. I hated that she told everyone, including Alaric, but it was clear she didn’t care if they knew.

There weren’t explicit details, but it was obvious that the wounds are still too raw. Even for someone like Xeraphine, who takes trauma, eats it, and shits it out like it’s nothing but a meal, seems mortified.

I wasn’t the only one who sensed there was more to what had happened to her, but no one pushed. Sydni excused herself, with Brice and Niyla following closely behind. Alaric stayed, eager to hear more, but in true Xera fashion, she told him to fuck off.

“We sort of gathered that, too. But your confirmation just… solidifies that Alaric’s visions or whatever, were accurate. I hate that piece of shit.”

We had also briefly shared what we’d read about Proserpina in that textbook Sydni found in the library, and it all came together like a puzzle.

“There is something else, something that… happened before I was taken. ”

I run my fingers along her arm, staying quiet as I listen to the sounds of her body—the racing of her heart and the soft rise and fall of her breathing, steadily growing faster.

“I was…” I’ve never really heard or felt anxiety from her before, but now? It crawls over her like that black aura once did.

“Fuck, how do I say this? Why is this so hard…”

“Cause you aren’t used to talking to anyone.” Placing my hand to her cheek, I direct her gaze back to mine. I gently draw my thumb under her eye, giving her a smile. “Pretty sure it’s because you fear how I’ll react—just like with my gates matching yours.”

Her lips part slightly in the middle as she hesitates.

“I was pregnant.” My brows pull together, confused by the confession. Sinnix, bless her soul, I do hope she made it out alive, stated she had been and killed the baby.

When she swallows, her eyes close and she murmurs, “With your… our … baby.”

I don’t know if I say “huh” or think it, but as her shoulders begin to roll forward, I clear my throat. “I’m sorry, with me? When—Xera, I’m a Vampire, we don’t?—”

“It isn’t what you are that matters,” she cuts me off. “It’s who you are to me, that does.”

Her Mark. Oh shit…

“It must have been right after our first time. I’d never felt exhaustion like that before, especially after being as full as I was.” I remember—she slept the entire drive with Tyson to Eldritch, and half the drive back to Sidence with me.

Even beyond that, watching her over the course of the following month, she slept whenever she wasn’t at work. Didn’t try to do anything beyond her needed tasks. I chalked it up to her trying to live a Mundane life, to bore me, but now I don’t think that’s it. Even if that was her intention.

“Zade killed it,” she continues. “At least, I think so. I’ve come to learn that it doesn’t matter what happens to my life, I’m not what keeps it alive. It grows on its own, I’m just a host. All it needs to do is stay inside me, and I think that Zade unknowingly tore it out of me.”

I keep my thoughts in check, forcing my body to stay calm. There was a time when I wanted kids. It was a big reason I ended things with Elizabeth, to pave the way for that future. But now? That’s not the life I want, nor the one I thought I could have.

“You’d be a terrible mother.” My tone is delivered playfully. “Can’t cook, you’re barely keeping that cat alive, obsessed with a Vampire...” I can’t read her expression, but I don’t stop. “I’d be a horrible father, too.”

Her eyes roll as she shakes her head.

“Don’t believe me? What’s that scenario everyone uses—if your wife and your kid were drowning, who would you choose to save? Everyone would go for the kid, except me. You’d always come first.”

When she turns her head away, I’m worried she feels differently. Does she?—

“I’m not your wife, bad analogy.”

“Not yet,” I counter quickly, and grab her face in my grasp, bringing her back to look at me. “Are you telling me this because you are upset you lost it?”

She quickly shakes her head. “No. If I had known, I’d have taken care of it myself.”

“Then what has you so… anxious? Did you think I’d be elated knowing we could have them?

Mad that you lost it? Because the only thing I’m truly upset about is the prospect of wearing a condom.

I…” A groan, one that is forced because I’m trying to be playful, falls from my lips.

“I love feeling your pussy around my cock, oh-no .”

A rough swat meets my chest, and I release an oof . “Hey, I’m only kidding.”

I mockingly rub at the point of impact, looking up at her.

The smile on her face is everything I never want to lose.

Her pearly whites, now with double fangs on either side of her upper set, contrast sharply against her all-black, demon skin.

I’d take her in this form, Mundane, or a mix—I’m fucking serious about it. I never want her tail to go away.

“No, you idiot. It isn’t any of that.” She pauses, as if lost in thought, before continuing, “Tali made it seem like I’d only be able to reproduce once with my Mark, since you aren’t an Incubus.

I find it kind of ironic, really, considering Marks seem to be our most compatible partners.

I’d have thought she was lying about it, but she kept making comments throughout… it all.”

I wasn’t joking about the condom thing, that actually terrifies me. I’ll give myself a vasectomy before fucking her if I have to, each and every time.

“What were the comments?”

“That I wasted an opportunity to create a new species… She was certain, and kept reminding me that even if she wanted to test the theory, you were nothing but ash. She shoved that piece of information down my throat countless—” A shiver runs through her, and she cuts herself off.

I can see the terror and disgust in her expression just before she sinks closer to me. “—times.”

I hum and hold her tight. “No, she had to know I was alive, same with Sydni.”

“Why do you say that?”

Dragging my hand down to the small of her back, I pull her hips to mine. “This entire side of the continent is looking for us, it’s why I had to look fucking boring, and Syd changed her hair.”

She lets out a low hum. “Still annoyingly good looking…”

I join her in the jest, and place a gentle kiss between her brows.

“She could’ve been disconnected from the media, which wouldn’t surprise me.

She was… busy…” Shaking her head, she sighs.

“I suppose it all makes sense, though. She only had me, and while my father only lived six years after my birth, she could have been impregnating herself multiple… times…” She trails off.

“Actually, yeah. Why would our biology allow for us to procreate with our Mark more than once if the child had to eat the father’s heart to survive? ”

“Woah, woah. Excuse me?” My voice comes out slightly nervous.

“All our children after the first would die…”

“I missed something here.” I can’t deny watching, as if a light turning on in her head at the revelation isn’t the cutest fucking thing, but did she say eat the father’s heart ?

“Our baby would’ve had to eat that heart of yours.”

A restless chuckle comes from my throat. “Good thing that grows back too… I think.”

Her laugh is soft, but not as gentle as her fingers caressing across my face.

“Honestly… I don’t know why I was anxious. I think it’s just all new to me.”

“Me too.” I brush my hand down the back of her head. “But no kids. I want you all to myself.”

She nods, a somber look overtaking her face. It’s subtle—the slight pinch of her brows, the tightness at the edges of her lips—but enough to tell me she’s hurting somewhere .

“Kai…” She continues to move her fingers to my lips, then to my throat. “I may be fucked up for some time. I definitely need more therapy after what that crazy bitch did to me.”

It isn’t funny, even though I know she’s trying to be. When the time comes and we can kill that woman, I hope Xera allows me to help tear her apart.

“Tell me what you need.” My tone lowers. “Time to heal, it’s yours.” Her bottom lip disappears between her teeth. “For me to go and get the head of everyone that has ever hurt you, I won’t even make you beg for it. For me to remove every memory of them, and their touch, scent, everything ?—”

“That one. I need that one…” She pauses, taking in a shaky breath. “I need you to fit into the places that have shattered… because once you do, I’ll finally have what I need.”

“What is that, little demon?”

“You. It’s only been you, and I was a fool not to see it sooner.”

I chuckle and smirk. “You are some sort of fool. Falling in love with a crazy, stalker Vampire.”

Her bottom lip trembles, but she gives me that gorgeous smile of hers. “I sure did, didn’t I?”

“You did.” Before a tear can fall from her eye, I smash my lips against hers, pulling her body to mold with mine. Nothing—and I mean nothing—will separate us again.