Page 25
25
Kaebl
I wonder if she can tell I’m staring at her ass.
My eyes trail over the gentle curve of her spine, lingering on the crease where the top of her thigh meets her pelvis. The longer I appreciate my mate, the faster my blood boils, heating my skin and filling my ears with a thunderous whooshing as the pressure in my veins spikes.
Dagny faces away from me, blind to my hungry gaze as she focuses all her attention on the snarling kleptak standing in the corner of the room. Her brow beads with sweat as her magic heats her skin, outlining her frame in a swirling cloud of vapor that moves and dances in the wind whipping through the space—a hurricane brought to life by the energy humming in her veins.
It’s been seven sun flips since I offered to help Dagny with her training—seven long days and nights when I’ve teetered on the line between responsibility and reckless abandon. And while it’s amazing to see her thrive and come into her power, it’s equally as agonizing having to spend countless minutes in her presence, unable to connect the way my soul is yearning for.
This is the first time we’ve been truly alone since we came to Malice’s secret lair, and though I know I should be focusing on the reason we came here—her training—I can’t help but let my mind wander to a scenario where she’s breathless for an entirely different reason.
“Gods… it’s working…” Dagny’s voice filters through the air in a gentle hush, her silver-ringed eyes widening in awe. “I’m doing it.”
I turn my gaze toward the kleptak in the corner of the room, pride welling in my chest at the sight of its head lowered in submission. So you are.
Of course, as soon as my words are out, the light in Dagny’s eyes flickers, her power over the powerful creature slipping through her fingers like grains of sand. Mor twitches, her abdomen undulating wildly as she strains against the band of magic holding her in place. Sweat glistens along Dagny’s upper lip as her brow furrows, using all of her strength to grasp at the fraying threads of control—but it’s not enough.
A wet clicking sound reverberates from the base of the kleptak’s throat as it straightens to its full height, the top of its head brushing the ceiling as it towers over a wide-eyed Dagny. She curses, jumping back just before Mor lunges, razor-sharp claws swiping the space where Dagny’s head used to be.
Instead of reacting, she stands frozen in place, her lips pinched in a thin line as she stares at the snarling creature. “Come on, Mor. Work with me.”
The beast tilts its head, the clicking sound increasing in pitch, reverberating off the walls and down to the marrow of my bones with a deadly warning— stay back.
Dagny sighs, her shoulders slumping as she turns her head away, too exhausted to try it again. She’s made a massive improvement in her driving magic abilities in the short time we’ve been training, but she still can’t control the kleptak for more than a few minutes without giving out.
Failure.
The word rings in my mind—but it doesn’t belong to me—and I know if I don’t do something, Dagny will spiral into that dark pit that lives in the furthest corners of her mind. Her shoulders slump, refusing to look me in the eye as she pretends to inspect a small crack in the floor.
It is anything but a failure, Dagny. You will learn to control it eventually. It’s okay.
“Is it?” she asks, her voice soft as dark clouds swirl around her shoulders, thickening the air with charged emotion. “The monster who facilitated my father’s murder is out there, drawing breath. Hunting us. I need to learn how to control Mor before he finds us, and it’s too late.” She shakes her head slowly, a deep line forming between her brows. “I’m out of time—again. Everyone is counting on me, and I… I’m so scared I’m going to fail. But more than that, I’m angry. I’m so, so fucking angry, Kaebl—at Slaine, the stars, the fucking fates—but most of all, with myself. Because it’s right there. I can see it, taste it. All I need to do is reach out and grab it, and I—” Her voice cuts off as a silent sob shakes her chest, her glistening eyes betraying all the hurt she won't allow herself to say. “Why can’t I just do something right for once in my life? Why does it always have to be so fucking hard?”
I inch closer to her, afraid if I speak, she’ll put her walls back up and close me off forever. Sensing my hesitancy, Dagny brings a hand up to her eye, wiping away a stray tear as she forces out a hollow laugh. “Look at me, crying like a spoiled child…”
As someone hopelessly incapable of showing emotion, it's refreshing to watch someone express it so freely. My lips tip upward in a grin as I reach out, wrapping my hand around hers and giving it a light squeeze. You’re so much stronger than you realize, my love. An entire ocean of power is in your veins—a few drops are bound to leak out occasionally.
She returns my gesture, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth as a tingling warmth spreads between our palms. “You’re sweet. More so than I deserve.”
I wholeheartedly disagree—on both points.
Her smile widens, the darkened clouds hanging over her head fading into nothingness. “Well, I think you’re sweet. When you’re not being a grump, that is.”
I tilt my head, a pleasant warmth blossoming in my chest as her tinkling laughter fills the space between us. I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to insult me in such a way.
“Don’t take it personally. I think I’m just delirious,” she says, taking her lip between her teeth as she gazes up through her lashes. “And anyway, you’re a hot grump, so it’s okay.”
Is that so? A rumbling growl vibrates my chest as I fight against my instinct to shove her smirking face into the ground and mount her. It’s unwise to taunt me, my love. Especially now, when I’m so close to the edge.
“The edge of what?”
Instead of answering, I turn from her, my muscles shuddering in protest as I stalk past her and toward the exit. Come. It’ll be dark before long, and you deserve a reward for all your hard work before bed.
“A reward?”
A silent chuckle shakes my chest at the sound of Dagny’s hurried footsteps following me up the stairwell. Her excitement rolls off her shoulders in waves and zests the air with a sweetness that clings to the tip of my tongue and causes my mouth to water.
As soon as we step into the sleeping chamber, Malice’s glowing red eye snaps toward Dagny, searching her expression for any sign of distress. “How did it go today?”
Fantastic. She’s getting stronger every day. I answer before Dagny has a chance to diminish her accomplishments, cutting her a glance to show her I mean every word. She was able to hold it for several minutes before it broke free.
“That’s our girl,” he murmurs, his gaze beaming with pride as he raises a carved stone cup into the air. “This deserves a toast.”
“Did someone say toast?” Roark’s eyes spring open, his voice graveled as his body is yanked from a deep slumber. “I heard someone say toast.”
Lir, Cyprien, and Fenryr wake a moment later, blinking lazily as they stretch out on the massive bed of furs.
“Is Dagny back yet?” Cyprien mumbles, rubbing a hand over his face as a yawn tears from his mouth. “She’s been down there with Kaebl foreve—DAGNY!” Cyprien springs out of bed, lunging across the room and crashing into Dagny with such force it sends them toppling backward to the floor. His arms circle around her back and head, protecting her from the icy ground and keeping her pressed against his chest as he peppers kisses across her face and neck, a low-toned purr vibrating in his throat. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Cyppy,” she says, a laugh bubbling past her lips as the other three demons race over to join the cuddle pile. “I missed all of you—but it was only a few hours, and you were asleep for it all.”
“It felt like an eternity,” Lir says. “It always does when we’re apart.”
“But now you’re here, so there’s double the reason to drink!” Roark says, pumping his fist in the air. “Malice?”
“Already pouring the cups,” he says, filling five more mugs with shimmering welwig sap. “Kaebl? Are you going to join us?”
I stand frozen in place as Dagny and her other mates move to the bed of furs, sitting around in a half circle as Malice hands out the drinks. If I stay for an hour, I’ll want to stay the rest of the night, and I need to keep my distance and keep an eye out for Syn in case she decides to disobey me and bond with Dagny.
I should stand guard at the tunnel. You all enjoy it, though.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Dagny asks, the hesitancy in her voice mirrored in the anxious energy rolling from her shoulders. She gestures to the unoccupied space in the circle, worrying her bottom lip as the air thickens with anticipation. “Just for a little while?”
I stare hard at that spot, my abdomen rippling as I call upon every last drop of restraint left in my body. I want so badly to go to her, to hold her and smell her and touch her the way I’ve been craving, but it’s too dangerous. Dagny scans my expression, her face falling as she realizes what my answer will be—and though I’d rather gouge out my eyes than disappoint her, it’s what I have to do.
I’m sorry, I say. I can’t.
But as the words leave my mind, and I turn and stalk from the room, I know it’s a lie. Somewhere, deep down, I know tonight is the last night I’ll be able to stay away from her. It’s impossible to deny any longer, hopeless to ignore that last thread of control snapping, sending me hurtling into the abyss. As I fall, a single phrase whispers through the wind whipping around my head, commanding me to surrender to the dark desires of my beast—and I know tonight is the night that I break.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25 (Reading here)
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39