Chapter 34

Kane sat across from me on a small settee, one arm over a headrest, an ankle over a knee. The warm light from the fire he'd started inside the massive fireplace danced over his hard features, shadows tracing his sharp jaw. His eyes shimmered like liquid blue diamonds, and the highlights of his shoulder-length mane glimmered like rivers of golden threads.

But it was the way his silky, three-piece, charcoal-grey bespoke suit hugged every slab of muscle on his body, and how the crisp, black button-down shirt left open at the collar revealed a patch of that golden skin, that had me struggling to look directly at him without thinking back to that moment in the shower when he grabbed himself and...

"Miss Jaxon, we're going to need to work on your masking abilities. Vampires are expertly attuned to any conscious or unconscious changes in a person's behavior, including changes in heartrate, breathing, and changes in their scent."

Crossing my legs, I gently patted down my skirt and tugged on my sweater. Sitting up straighter, I pulled my hair back in a ponytail, and tried to pretend the heat from the fireplace was responsible for the warmth riding my veins. "What do you mean?"

He leaned forward, brow furrowed. "What I mean is that you're making it really hard to concentrate on business when your scent keeps broadcasting your intimate thoughts."

"Well, stop trying to read my scent."

"Kind of impossible to do when it's in my nature. And I can't exactly shut off my sense of smell on demand. Miss Jaxon, I'm not trying to invade your privacy, but this is more than just about the fact that you're thinking about sex—which is completely normal and truly none of my business?—"

"Exactly."

He leaned back against the settee. "What I'm trying to say is that this is about the fact that a vampire can sense not just arousal but your fear, and that's a survival skill you need to hone—learning how to keep your bodily functions such as heartrate and breath steady even when faced with danger, or in this instance, an irresistible male specimen." His taunting, haughty smile made me want to fling the book sitting on the coffee table at him.

"Not everything is about you, my lord."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Are we going to get to the part where I strike a bargain with a self-absorbed vampire or not?"

"Alright, Miss Jaxon, let me remind you of the rules, then. Striking a bargain between witches and vampires goes beyond signing on a dotted line. Our agreements are forged in blood and magic. Once signed, the bargain can't be broken unless the parameters of the agreement are met, or one of the parties dies. Both of us will be bound to this agreement by powers greater than us. Is that clear?"

Hands sweaty, I tried drying them on my twill skirt, but it only made matters worse. I was trying not to show how nervous I was, but I knew I was failing miserably. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Gravity shifted and whispers sounded in my ears, those words spoken in a tongue I shouldn't have understood, like the whispers of all the witches who had ever come before me, in this world or theirs.

Pyra had been coiled into a ball at the foot of the fireplace, happily absorbing the heat of the flames when her gaze flicked to mine. It wasn't her element I was involuntarily summoning, though, but Shadow's. The fire inside the hearth fanned and any loose papers in the room began to flutter around like moths.

All other sound in the room was muted except for the whispers and the thumping of my heart. Shadow had warned me about Kane's kind. About how much they hated witches, about the fact that having a Spirit Marked in their possession would be the ultimate weapon. Yet here I was, about to align myself with a vampire.

The air in the room churned more strongly, disrupting the books on the shelves. My hands trembled, breath sawing in an out of my chest. Before I knew it, Kane was kneeling before me, taking my hands in his. "Avery, listen to me. We don't have to do this. I need you to understand that I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you into anything. This is your choice, and your choice alone."

I slowly fixed my gaze to his, to the calm in his eyes, like a gentle undulating wave guiding me back to shore. Everything about this moment seemed to suggest I should trust him. That I should trust this decision.

I'd told him everything I knew about my dreams, the visions I'd been having for over a decade. The fact that before he ever met me, I'd already seen him and Azrael in my dreams. That I'd even met Arabelle, the Spirit Marked whose death I'd relived countless times. Heavens, I even told him about Ereldyll and the fact Shadow claimed I was a dream-walker able to time travel.

Kane took every word I spoke and absorbed it with delicate attention, not missing a single detail. He was fascinated but also immensely perturbed at the fact that my mother had tried to hide my powers from me, that she'd left me so vulnerable in a world designed to eat me alive. In a world filled with monsters.

It felt incredible to talk to someone about my dreams and about my life without them thinking I was crazy. CJ had grown up in the system with me and been a great support—she'd never judged me for my affliction. But Kane was a part of this world; he understood what was happening to me at a different level. And while Shadow had also been a part of this magical world, he'd been a shock to my system that I hadn't even had the time to process before he too was snatched from me.

Kane was different. Even with the terrible way in which we met or the cruel things he said to me out in the forest, the man before me made me feel like I could tell him everything. Despite the fact he was a vampire, who at his most basic thread thirsted for my witch blood, and the fact our kinds were ancient rivals, he'd offered to protect me—something I'd always craved more than anything, but something I'd never been able to trust that anyone could do until now.

And I believed him with every fiber of my being. Which scared me to death because we'd barely known each other, yet these deep feelings were brewing at a pace I could barely keep up with, as if we were trying to fill a thousand lifetimes in a day—which, maybe we were.

My therapist used to tell me I had a father complex or some sort of attachment issue, which was why, according to her, I always managed to get myself in all types of trouble. That I was always seeking attention because I'd been such a daddy's girl before…

Before everything happened.

She had no clue what was really going on in my head, or heart, for that matter. I'd not been promiscuous or anything, choosing to avoid relationships for fear of having my heart broken or simply being disappointed in guys. But not having my father in my life did mess with my head, in ways I never really wanted to address with her or anyone.

Maybe I'd just kept wishing someone would come and save me from the hell I'd been living in. I knew I was no damsel in distress—nor did I want to be. I was a survivor, but that didn't mean that there weren't days where I didn't want to fight to survive. When I didn't want to worry about the monsters hunting me. Maybe some days I wanted to curl under someone's arm and feel safe, like they could slay dragons for me because I deserved to be cherished—even if I could fight off the beasts myself.

The way Kane looked at me when I told him about the encounter I had with Azrael and the girls I saw in the bathroom iced my blood. Rage seemed to burn in his eyes thinking about the blood trafficking ring Luther was running, but also, he regretted how he had treated me, cornering me like I was a part of that operation when I'd just been there trying to save my friend.

"I'm so sorry," he'd said. "If I'd known…"

But he hadn't. And it wasn't his fault.

Still, even though I wanted to forge this alliance, there was another part of me, the part that had always been kept from the decision table, from being able to choose what was best for me, that seeded doubt in my mind and in my heart that perhaps, I was making a mistake. That the man, the vampire before me, couldn't be trusted because of everything Shadow had said.

"Avery," he repeated gently, pulling me from the churning vortex of despair I was trapped in. "We don't have to do this."

But didn't we? When we'd first sat down in front of the fireplace, he'd explained that by refusing to hand me over to the Shadow Knights, the governing sect of his kind, he had outright disobeyed an order given by the House of Elders. He risked excommunication, being completely cut off from the support, not just of the Shadow Knights, but from all the other vampire families. He would be vulnerable from an attack not just from witches, but enemies within the vampire covens themselves.

But if he handed me over to them, it was likely no one would ever see or hear from me ever again. The Knights might not choose to kill me out of fear of repercussions from the Sisterhood, but they'd throw me in a warded cell inside their impenetrable fortress.

Option two was worse. Even though I'd been hidden from the Sisterhood for fourteen years and I'd never practiced magic, the fact my mother was apparently a priestess made me an automatic member of the Sisterhood. The witches held a higher claim to me than the vampires, even though it was Kane who captured me under the Shadow Knights' orders.

If the Sisterhood was adamant about me being returned to them, and according to Kane, my mother was determined to take me back, they could and would likely use their magic against Kane's coven, declaring a war.

He claimed he was a centuries-old seasoned warrior and promised me he'd had his fair share of battles against the witches—enough that he'd gladly go against them if that's what I wanted. But I would never want him to go to war for me, not if it meant it would put his coven in danger.

Still, panic dug its nasty claws in me at the thought of being handed over to the Sisterhood, especially if it meant I'd have to face the woman who'd abandoned me. There was no way I would freely join her after knowing she'd lied to me for fourteen years—regardless of her reasons—and never once came looking for me, and probably wouldn't have if my powers hadn't manifested.

Which left option three: my bargain with Kane. Despite the threat to his coven, he was willing to offer a way for both of us to get what we wanted.

He explained what had happened to his son, Larick, the vampire Azrael's own son, Luther, had mortally wounded when Azrael was rescued from his prison. According to Kane, only an exceptionally powerful witch could potentially heal him. He knew the Sisterhood would outright refuse to heal a vampire, but he knew—or at least hoped—that the power of a Spirit Marked would be strong enough to save his son.

The only way that I would be allowed to remain under Kane's protection without retaliation from either the Knights or the Sisterhood was by binding ourselves with a life debt contract. According to Kane, witches and vampires were creatures of tradition, governed by the rules of honor and magic. And according to that tradition, if a member of either sect was directly responsible for the death of another, a life debt would be owed. Such that if a witch killed a vampire, that coven's head could demand her life in return for payment, and the witches would have no choice but to honor it, and vice versa.

Or… the witch could offer herself in servitude as a mage, a practice that had been customary in the witches' home world ages ago when they used to serve at court in Allorn. A mage's duty would end once the life debt was considered paid.

Kane explained that, as Gideon's death came because of Kane's men trying to rescue me from the Vates Ordo, a life debt was owed. It may have been a stretch, given I hadn't been the one to fire the gun that shot him, but once the contract was signed, there was nothing anyone could do about it.

By signing the life debt, we both agreed I would be relieved of my servitude when I tried, and hopefully succeeded, at healing his son. But our bargain didn't end there. I knew I hadn't been responsible for that death. In return for healing his son, Kane agreed to help me rescue Shadow and CJ. But first, I would need to train and learn to control my powers, as going after the Vates Ordo could spark a war, and I would need to be ready to face some of the most powerful witches to ever walk the earth—the witches apparently interested in exploiting my power to open the portal to their lost realm.

This bargain ensured that not only would I be considered a member of Kane's coven, but it would grant me all the benefits afforded to all under his protection. No one would be allowed to touch or harm me—human, witch, or vampire—without facing the punishment doled out by its leader.

It would also ensure my mother would not be able to claim guardianship over me as a novice witch in need of training. She thought she could easily discard me and then pick me right back up, as if she hadn't left her child to fend for herself for fourteen years. Joining Kane's coven as his coven's mage would be the ultimate fuck you in front of all her sisters.

And maybe I was being insensitive, or maybe I was overreacting. Maybe she had a perfectly logical explanation for all of this, but I didn't care. I didn't have to care. This time, I was making the decisions for myself on my own.

The air around me blew more violently, and I shook as I stared into Kane's pleading eyes. I was agreeing to this life debt solely based on his word. But if I was making a mistake, it was on my terms, and I was willing to accept that. He'd offered me the opportunity to sleep on it but reminded me the convening was scheduled for the following night. There wasn't much time left. And I didn't want to psych myself out of my decision either.

Not to mention that the thought of facing my mother was enough to make the air in the room whip even harder. Kane's hair was a whirl atop his head, but he kept calm, holding me in his gaze, his hands clasped around mine, offering me the sense of security I needed in that moment.

If I remembered my mother correctly, I knew she would object with all her might. She hated it when my father and I seemed to team up against her, when she didn't get her way. She was going to try to convince me why she was right. Why abandoning me had been the best choice—the only choice she'd had—but I had no intentions of hearing it.

Probably because I knew if I listened, she'd convince me that it had been in my best interest, that she'd done it out of love. And I would believe it. I would cave into her arms and cry my eyes out, relieved she wasn't dead, that perhaps that meant my father wasn't dead, either.

But I would not allow her to erase all the pain and suffering I'd endured because of her lie all with one explanation. She'd wanted me hidden, as if I'd never existed. As if I didn't have this colossal power ripping through my veins, threatening to pull me apart piece by piece.

Fine. If she'd wanted to give up on me as her daughter, then I would now give up on her as my mother.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and sank deep within myself, looking for that roiling ball of light anchored to my soul. I allowed myself to fall into that dark abyss, that cauldron churning with depthless power, beckoning me to dive in, until finally, I was submerged.

‘Shadow, if you're here, please know I'm doing this for us. You told me to prepare. To learn how to control my powers, to find my guardians. I'm sorry for not listening when you tried to warn me. Please don't give up on me. I'm coming for you.'

When I opened my eyes, the world around me was lit in a storm of swirling, pale blue flurries. Air. I could see every particle from one end of the room to the other, and each one was tied to me by a thread of light. I could control each individual particle like it was an extension of me, as if it was me. Just like Shadow had taught me.

With one breath, one single silent command, the storm subsided, and the swirling wind died. Kane unclasped his hands from mine, and when I looked down at my palms, my heart thundered. A black feather lay in my hand.

I didn't know how it was possible, but Shadow was with me—at least a part of him was. As if I'd been able to tap into the source and brought back with me a piece of his essence.

Kane stood, stretching his hand out to me, welcoming me to join him. "Are you ready, Miss Jaxon? To sign a blood oath with a vampire?"

Standing beside him, I looked up into the deep, darkened pools of his eyes. I'd never been more ready in my entire life. "Yes."

A minute later, Armand strolled into the room holding a silver tray. On top lay a parchment, the details of our agreement already spelled out. All that was needed was our signatures, and as highlighted by the small dagger lying next to a plume and ink pot, a drop of blood from each of us was required to seal the bargain.

Before I took the plume, the sound of metal gears churning began to rumble through the library. I looked at both Kane and Armand, but I realized where the sound was coming from before they could answer. Metal shutters had begun to close over every window. "Daylight approaches," Armand said. "You must hurry."

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"In order for the bargain to be struck, it must be signed under the light of the moon," Kane said in a rush.

Without another thought, I dipped the quill into the ink jar, which was also sitting on the tray, and signed my name. Kane did the same, then folded the parchment closed. He took the dagger and with the point, he pricked his finger, then let a drop fall on the paper like one would if using a wax seal. I followed suit, letting my blood fall on top of his.

As soon as the drops of blood mixed, red and black flames enveloped the parchment, our drops of blood hardening right before our eyes, sealing the parchment closed until the debt was paid. I heard Kane hiss loudly, and when I looked at him, he was staring at his palm, his face twisted into something like awe and a bit of terror.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

He fisted his hand and stuck it in his pocket. Staring at me silently, as if not knowing what to say, he took in a deep, solid breath. Then the shutters closed completely. "It is done," was all he said, punctuated by the last locking gear.

Kane offeredto walk me back to my chamber, given that his room was literally right next to mine, and he was eager to get to bed himself. He'd explained how sleep was just as sacred to his kind as blood was, and once the shutters closed around the manor, it signaled to everyone daylight hours had arrived, and a vampire's most vulnerable time had begun.

He dismissed Armand but made sure to tell him to bring me a selection of clothes for me to choose from at next moon rise, rather than just having a pre-chosen wardrobe delivered to my room.

I hadn't been expecting that, but I was extremely grateful to not be dressed like the headmaster of a private school the entire time I was to reside in the manor. Kane did remind me, however, that as a new member of his coven, I needed to learn some of their customs and traditions. While he had no issue with how I chose to dress regularly, certain events called for certain attire, and he politely requested—though I knew he was ordering me—to wear the clothes he would personally send to my room for specific occasions, such as the convening that evening.

It was a compromise I was willing to make.

Pyra marched ahead of us, strolling through the manor as if she'd lived there her whole life and was intimately familiar with every nook and cranny. Our footsteps echoed against the aging wood floors, every new hall we encountered as empty of people as the last. Earlier when Armand had been escorting me to the study, he'd explained that Kane's private wing, where my chamber and his were located, belonged to Kane alone. No one resided or had access to the rooms on this side of the house but him… and now, me.

Guests slept on the west wing, which was where members of the Shadow Knights would rest. My mother and the Sisterhood had chosen accommodations off premises. They truly despised vampires, or perhaps what made them weary was the notion of being trapped in this house with a coven full of deadly vampires thirsty for witch blood.

The rest of Kane's coven, like Anya, Ice, Bal and more of his warriors and advisors resided in what Armand called the compound—an underground facility sitting right below the manor. I'd not had a chance to ask more questions.

With all the shutters closed and the east wing completely empty, the place seemed to take on the full Bram Stoker vibe. I half expected to run into Kane's two vampire brides eager to turn me into his third. I kept my dumb thoughts to myself, though. Ever since leaving the library, Kane seemed withdrawn, and his mercurial nature was somewhat jarring. I almost missed his incessant, annoying teasing.

I also couldn't shake the magnetized pull of his presence, even when he was a quiet pillar gliding beside me, tall and imposing. His figure cast a shadow against the walls that seemed to dance with the dim light of the myriad of sconces, candelabras, and chandeliers.

Despite the centuries that separated us and the hatred he'd claimed existed between our kinds, there had been an undeniable connection between us, a bond that seemed to have stirred beneath the surface of my skin the instant our blood mixed on that parchment. I knew something had happened to him in that library as well—something he wasn't sharing—and it unnerved me to no end.

Lips sealed and hands in his pockets, he continued to walk beside me, close enough we could've touched, yet far enough that the small gap between us might as well have been the size of the Grand Canyon. I didn't understand the ache that burned in my belly, but it was an unrelenting need to feel his touch.

Perhaps it was because he'd held my hands back in the library when my power was swirling out of control, and that warm comfort had been intoxicating.

I'd been walking beside him with my arms crossed, but I decided to finally drop my hand to the side, my fingers gently swaying, beckoning for him to reach for them. My heart thundered, and I silently scolded myself for already failing at the first task he'd given me—masking my feelings around his kind. But I couldn't help the fire kindling inside me, and I couldn't deny that I wanted him to know exactly how I felt.

As if sensing that longing, he pulled his hand out of his pocket, and my breath caught when his fingertips grazed mine ever so gently. It was the barest of touches, almost insignificant if it hadn't been for the electrified thrill that rode in my veins and spread throughout my entire body.

When he put his hand back inside his pocket, an anchor sank deep within me. God, I hated that I wanted—needed—the warmth of his hand so badly. He may have just recently met me, but I'd known him—of him—for years. He'd been living in my dreams, and sometimes in my romanticized fantasies. And now that I had him before me, in flesh and blood, my insides were going haywire.

Unable to tolerate the deafening silence grating against my nerves, I said the most obvious and stupidest thing one could say to a vampire. "So, I'm guessing the shutters are because sunlight is in fact deadly to your kind? It's why you sleep during the day?" I rolled my eyes, regretting the words as they spilled from my lips. Pyra looked over her shoulder at me.

Of course that's why, dummy.

I mentally stuck my tongue out at her.

Kane grunted as if he knew I was trying to make small talk, but he granted me grace and offered a reply, anyway. "Unfortunately, in addition to blood lust and special abilities, that part of the myth is also true. Older generations are more resistant to sunlight and can survive brief exposure, though with severe life-threatening burns. Younger vampires would immediately combust."

"You've tested it?"

He chuckled. "I have… and I don't recommend it."

"How old is the oldest of your kind, anyway?"

"Quite old. Our origin story is very long and complex, deeply rooted in magic and lore. I would love to indulge your curiosity, Miss Jaxon, but I'm afraid I'm beyond exhausted tonight."

We stopped right outside my bedroom door, and a tendril of worry wrapped itself around my heart. I didn't want the night to end, or morning to rise. Maybe it was my fear of what awaited us when the hour of the convening arrived, but I didn't want to be alone.

My body pivoted toward him, my heart unfurling like the petals of a moonflower at midnight. His gaze, intense and penetrating, studied every bit of my face as if searching for some unspoken truth. The weight of those darkened eyes, serene like the surface of a lake at midnight, felt like a gentle caress against my skin, igniting something forbidden within me, and stirring my desire to know what I might find lurking within their depths.

As I reached for the ornate handle of my door, I let my hand hover, a rush of anticipation coursing through me. His proximity was inebriating, his presence a pull I couldn't explain. So many strange sensations battled inside my chest, but I didn't let them scare me into not voicing what was lodged in my throat.

The implications of what I'd done, of the bargain we'd made settled into the pit of my stomach and dread began to coat my bones that I might regret my decision if I was alone. What if his coven didn't accept me? What if my mother's coterie launched an attack against Kane that would threaten all those he loved?

"Stay with me?" I asked, my voice a mere breath. I knew I sounded desperate, that perhaps my request was laden with premature desire for him laced with the need to just feel close to someone.

He reached out, his touch feather-light against my skin as he brushed his knuckles against my jaw. I leaned into his touch as he walked his fingers to my ponytail and released my curls, running his hand through my hair until it cascaded to my shoulders. "I prefer you like this."

Our eyes met then, and a silent exchange of unspoken desires and forbidden dreams hung in the air, thick with the promise of what could be. I held my breath, thinking he might lean in to kiss me.

What was I thinking, wanting him to kiss me? Our people were ancient mortal enemies, and our bargain was likely going to create an even bigger rift between our worlds. But I couldn't shake the fact that right now I wanted him.

Needed him.

When he didn't lean in for a kiss, my heart iced over. Still, I waited for his reply, for his rejection, because I saw it etched across his eyes before he even uttered a single word. Sticking his hand back in his pockets, he said softly, "I can't stay with you, Miss Jaxon. I may have fed, but I'm far from satiated. You've no idea the level of restraint I've had to practice this evening. I'm afraid I couldn't trust myself around you in that bedroom, not tonight."

I lowered my gaze, nodding in agreement, cheeks flushing with heat at the absurdity of my request. I'd just invited Kane into my room and he'd outright refused me. I'd clearly misread everything that had transpired between us. I felt so dumb and juvenile. I was such an inexperienced girl who'd made a total fool of herself.

Before I knew it, he was tipping my chin up, those liquid blue eyes drowning me. He leaned in and whispered over my lips, so close his breath was a sweet, torturous caress, "This decision has nothing to do with me not wanting you, and everything to do with the fact that I want you more than is safe for me to admit. My self-control is on a precipice, my honor ready to burn to cinders… all because of you.

"Know why I let you watch me in the shower? Because it fucking turned me on beyond measure. So, when you touch yourself tonight, when you bring yourself to a shuddering release, think of that—of how fucking hard you made me, Avery. And about how leaving you at your chamber door tonight is going to feel like a thousand sun-scorching deaths."

And in a puff of air, he was gone.

I blinked, stunned in place as the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut echoed down the solitary hallway. I remained frozen for a breath, staring at the dark walls and the flickering sconces. The eyes of the woman in the painting on the wall seemed to look at me as if she too was in shock at what had just happened.

Pyra peered at me, tail swaying.

"These moody vampires are going to be the death of me," I said to her. "Maybe it's better that it's just us girls tonight."

Feeling dejected, I walked into my bedroom, though with his very uncouth words—as he'd put it earlier—he'd left me weak at the knees and somehow feeling like I'd won some type of battle between us tonight, especially when he called me Avery instead of Miss Jaxon. The way my name rolled off his tongue, like it'd been a prayer and a curse all at the same time, made my insides quiver. Damn him.

Maybe it was he who'd won tonight.

Shaking the erotic thoughts from my mind, I closed the door behind me and allowed myself a long cleansing breath. I'd thought the instant I realized I was trapped inside my room behind those shutters that I would feel panic, like I wouldn't be able to leave if I wanted to. I feared that my instincts to run away any time I felt contained would kick in and I was going to tear the walls down.

But it was the opposite. Being enclosed in my room felt like I was inside the safety of a cocoon. For the first time in my whole life after being placed in a strange new home, I didn't want to run. Knowing Kane was next door, even though he'd turned me down, was a comfort. I knew that if I truly needed him, he'd be at my door in an instant.

And I also had Pyra. Sensing my thoughts, she leapt up into my arms. Her soft, red fur felt like a security blanket, the warmth emitting from her a lulling touch against my skin.

I nudged her nose as a heavy wave of exhaustion slammed into my body.

Sleep now?

Definitely.

The long night had finally caught up to me. It was strange knowing that outside those windows the sun was shining and birds were chirping. I'd probably not been able to sleep, despite being tired, if those shutters weren't closed. After quickly changing back into my silk PJs, I slid under the covers of my bed, along with Pyra, who excitedly buried herself deep under the blankets. I'd shut off all the lights but left the fireplace burning. Eventually the flames would die out.

I prayed for dreamless slumber, but I wasn't certain my monsters wouldn't try to haunt me tonight. Before I shut my eyes, I remembered the last thing Kane said to me. It was as if he'd known I was worried about restless sleep, so he'd planted a seed. Haughty asshole. I smirked, though.

Reaching between my legs, I did just as he'd instructed; I thought of him in that shower. Of his slick, hard body. Of the way he touched himself. Of the size of his length. Of the sounds he made. Of the way his muscles rippled.

I imagined myself in that bathroom with him, kneeling before him, wanting to worship him in ways I never thought I could worship a man. A soft moan escaped my lips, sugary heat spreading from low in my belly to all my extremities. I knew he'd be able to hear me even through the thick walls of our bedrooms, and the thought made my breath hitch faster. I was playing a dangerous game, but damn if knowing I could rattle the bars of his cage didn't make me hotter.

After the convening, my life would be irrevocably changed. I would wake up in a new world of magic and monsters. But tonight, at least for this moment, I would find a sliver of sanctity in a fevered dream of desire and pleasure.

This book has ended, but Avery's story has only just begun…

And for my fantasy smut-loving girlies who made it this far, I see you.

The heat cranks up in

A Dream of Frost and Midnight

Book 2 in the Spirit Marked series

Coming soon.