Page 125 of Monsters Carve Thrones

“You’re being soft now,” she teased, eyes fluttering shut as I massaged her back.

“Mm,” I hummed, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck. “You’ve earned soft. And I like touching you when I’m not nearly breaking the furniture.”

She laughed, the sound like music echoing off the tile. “That desk wasdefinitelyabout to break.”

I chuckled, rinsing her off, then turned and handed her the shampoo. “Your turn.”

She grinned and ran her fingers through my hair, lathering slowly and thoroughly, nails gently scratching my scalp. I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch.

“God, that feels good.”

“I could get used to this,” she murmured, fingers threading through my wet hair.

“You already have.”

She smiled at that. “I obviously love it when you’re rough with me…” she started, her gaze locking right on mine. “But there’s something so entirely special about when you touch me as if I were a flower. I feel safe with you, even your dark side.”

My heart skipped over itself.

Once we were both rinsed and clean, I tugged her toward me again, kissing her passionately, but without urgency this time. Just love.

She whispered into the space between our lips, “I love you, Rafe. I’m so grateful for you.”

I kissed her again, pressing her back into the warm tile of our bathroom, my arms braced around her. “I love you too,” I said. “You have me. Forever.”

Her hands slid up my chest, resting over my heart. “Forever.”

We got out slowly, toweling off in easy silence. I pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants, running a towel through my hair while she slipped into a black pajama set–loose shorts, thin straps. She looked like trouble and comfort all in one breath.

I held the bedroom door open for her, watching the way her hips swayed just slightly. She shot me a look over her shoulder.

“You’re lucky I’m letting you sleep.”

“Baby, I don’t know how the hell you could want more.” I smirked. “You’re lucky I’mexhausted.”

We climbed into bed, and she curled into me, tucking her head beneath my chin, her arm wrapped around my waist.

“Tomorrow,” she murmured, voice heavy with sleep. “We’ll tell the others.”

“And harder training,” I said, already imagining how dangerous she’d be once she regained her full strength.

Her breath warmed my chest. “One last fire, Rafe. One last burn.”

I nodded, holding her tighter. She smiled against me, already drifting off. And as I laid there, her body wrapped around mine, I knew one thing for certain. Hell was coming, and we were going to be the ones to light the match.

Chapter 23

ADELA

The last few days passed in a haze of strategy, weapons checks, and final warnings. Laura and I had stayed up late, mapping out possible entry points, flipping through dossiers with red-marked faces, each man more vile than the last. Nico handled the logistics with service precision, and Kieran… well, Kieran sharpened knives in the corner like he was praying for someone to piss him off. Being Rafe’s friend for so long definitely made sense.

We were ready. As ready as people like us ever got.

Rafe’s private plane was waiting, fueled and prepped on the tarmac. The pilot was one of ours. The cargo was locked and loaded. All that remained was for us to walk out that townhouse door and board it.

But he stopped me before I could.

We stood in the foyer, the others gathering their gear and heading out one by one. Rafe stepped in front of me, crowding my space like he always did when something mattered. His hands came up to frame my face, his thumbs brushing gently across my cheekbones.