Page 99 of Exquisite Monster

Every bit of aggression and ruining I’d wanted him to unleash that very first night in my cell.

I let myself fade into the comfort of our bond. Like it was more than just Endre’s body curled around mine. His soul was there too, holding me. Cradling me. Keeping me close.

Fierce pleasure sliced through us both, echoing between us and building until it burst. Endre buried his face in my neck, releasing one arm to brace against the sand.

Pure fire filled my mind.

Like they promised, every physical sensation kept getting better and more intense as we learned each other, and this was no exception. My limbs shook and breaths came in gasps. I could do nothing but cling to my mate andfeel. It was glorious. Perfect.

Endre roared as he finished, the sound ringing through the trees. I didn’t care who might hear. Whatever had happened, he needed this. He’d followed me and pushed me to the point of unleashing my pain, and it was the same for him now.

We came to stillness together. My lungs burned with ragged, heaving breaths, and Endre did too. His heart pounded against my back. The way he held me, his fear that I would disappear once more was clear.

I wasn’t the only one with scars from our separation.

Slowly, Endre softened and moved, pulling away and turning me to my back before entering me once more. Keeping me close. He pulled my legs to wrap around his body and slowly lowered his weight onto me. Still, he said nothing, resting his head over my heart as he held me.

“Are you all right?” I asked again. My words were soft. Nearly lost in the sound of the waves.

I’m holding my mate. How could I be anything but all right?

“Barely two days ago you forced me to let my pain out, even though I didn’t want to. If you think I will not do the same for you?—”

He raised his head and kissed me silent. I felt him finding his way to the words, and the aching pain that seemed to radiate from his chest.

“You should never have been there,” he said in a broken whisper. “It hurts so much more knowing what it was like. How you must have felt.”

He pressed his cheek against mine. Though he held me, I still felt him shake. “Your scent still hangs in the air there. I saw… I saw where you slept. Where you trained. Where you said you—” he swallowed, “where you tried to use thesheytento reach us. It was so fucking dark.”

The emotions all rose once more. I closed my eyes. He had believed me. All of them had. It wasn’t that he suddenly knew I was telling the truth. It was that he now knew that it was so much more than I could describe.

“I am so sorry, Lena.” Endre murmured the words against the corner of my lips, each one laced with pain. “You’ll never be in the dark like that again. I swear it.”

I pushed my hands into his hair and gripped it, holding him tighter. “I would do it again to come back to you.”

“Never.Again.” He growled.

We slipped into silence, letting our fears and pain flow over the other until we could both breathe easier.

But before he could move, I spoke again. “Please don’t leave again without saying goodbye. When I woke and couldn’t feel you…”

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I worried about that, but my only thought was to get there and back as soon as possible.”

“Sirrus explained. I just don’t want us to skip over it. You know why.”

A soft smile. “I do. And I’m glad I’m back.”

Back from Evrítha. “So you saw Gleym?”

“I did.”

“I should have told you she couldn’t help you.”

He stroked a hand over my hair, brushing the strays away. “I guessed that she couldn’t. It still hurt to know the truth. They never intended to free me. But it wasn’t the only reason I went. Iwantedto see where you’d been, and Gleym has more knowledge than just my unbinding.”

“Did you learn anything?”

His smile strengthened as he slid out of me and lifted me to stand. “I did. Let’s find the others and I’ll tell you all together.”