Chapter 9

Nine

KOHL

T here is nowhere I would rather be than in bed with Shay in my arms. I thought removing my cloak while in this physical form might prevent me receiving the call of souls from the in-between. That is not the case.

Half draped across me, Shay raises her head from its place against my chest, resting her chin on my sternum and blinking her beautiful green eyes at me. “Maybe my magic is changing because I can almost hear you thinking.”

I know she’s not serious, that she’s teasing, as is her way. Still, there could be some truth to her words that even she is unaware of. “Ours souls are connected now. I feel yours as if it were my own. Perhaps you’re sensing the pull of my duty, hearing the call of the newly departed, awaiting guidance to their next place.”

“Souls need you?” She nearly springs from the bed, collecting my discarded cloak and throwing it over me, blocking my view of her exquisite nakedness. “You have to go, Kohl. I love you for everything you are, including being a reaper. I need you, but I know there will always be souls who need you, too.”

With the cloak covering me, reaper magic grows until the pull to fulfil my duty borders on all-consuming. I cross to her in two strides, cradling her face in my hands and softly kissing her tender lips. “I will return to you as soon as I’m able.”

Duty takes me from her before I hear whatever words leave her lips. But there is no soul waiting when I arrive at the in-between.

The Oracle is many things. All things. Whatever form or lack thereof is imagined, believed, or required by the receiver.

Every time I have been in the Oracle’s presence, I have seen a woman who is long in years, soft, but not frail. That is who awaits me now.

“Come.” With a gentle sweep of one arm, the Oracle draws me closer. “Do you know why I summoned you?”

“I ignored your directive with a soul. Willfully disregarded my calling to follow my desires whenever possible. I allowed—no, welcomed—emotions to enter my consciousness, and fell in love with a mortal, then consummated that bond in the flesh.”

“All of those things are true, but you didn’t answer the question. Do you know why I summoned you? ”

“To end my time as a reaper,” I say, taking a knee and bowing my head. “I accept whatever you deem appropriate for me, and ask no mercy for myself, only that you do not blame Shay for my actions. Whatever the consequences, they are mine alone to bear.”

“Only the best souls will put the outcome of another before their own.” The Oracle’s ethereal touch lifts my chin, compelling me to look directly into the brilliant golden glow above. “Shay possesses such a soul, and because of it, her next place has long been decided. You, Nikohlai, were not meant to possess a soul, yet one exists within you, undeniable and worthy of reward. You are correct, I did summon you to end your time as a reaper.” The light once again takes female form, the Oracle smiling down at me. “You will return to the earthly plane now, to the life you desire and have earned. I will see you again, reaper.”

A funnel of magic replaces the peaceful, endless light of the in-between. Its power molds to my naked form, simultaneously cradling me and feeling as if it might tear me limb from limb.

Then I’m in Shay’s bedroom again, in the same position I held before the oracle.

“That was fast; you were only gone for a few seconds,” Shay says, the smile on her face shifting to a gaping O as she turns to face me. “Why are you on your knees? And naked.” She darts her gaze around the room. “Where’s your cloak?”

“The Oracle took it.”

“What does that even mean?” Her eyes widen as she crosses the room toward me. “And hold up, are you—shivering?”

A second ripple of involuntary muscular twitching runs through me as I rise to a stand. “If this is how it feels to be cold, I understand why you don’t like it.” The instant she’s close, touching me, warmth floods me from within. The heat is everywhere, but especially low in my groin, in my cock. I’ve been hard for her hundreds of times. This is different, even from when our bodies joined and her sheath squeezed me tight as she came.

Hungry for her beyond anything I previously experienced, I thread one hand through her thick curls and grab a handful of her soft, full backside with the other, then pull her tight against me and seal my mouth to hers. The taste of her lips and tongue is richer now. The temperature, hotter.

“Kohl,” she whispers, pulling back enough to look into my eyes, to slide her hand between us with the palm pressed against my chest. “I see things… your future, it’s different, it’s…” Her breath catches, her eyes opening wide.

“If the visions are too much, don’t look. Use your magic to block whatever you see.”

She shakes her head, her gleaming green irises moving side to side as if watching something before holding my gaze again. “You’re human. Truly and fully mortal. But how?”

“It was the Oracle’s doing,” I say, stroking Shay’s smooth skin. “I asked only for the safety of your soul, but was given my soul’s greatest desire—a lifetime to spend with you.”

“That’s what I saw in the new visions. Not just me, seen through your eyes, like before. I saw us. Young, like we are now, and old. Really damn old.” The brightest smile accompanies her amused snort. “Spoiler alert: you still look hot when you’re wrinkled with silver hair.”

“I don’t need the gift of foresight to know you will be as beautiful on our last day together as you are right now.”

“Becoming human doesn’t seem to have affected your romantic eloquence,” she says, wrapping her arms behind my neck, then walking us toward the bed. “But I can’t wait to feel how it affects other things.”

What we had was more than enough, but when I sink into her welcoming body this time, everything is different. Buried to the hilt in her tight, slick heat, I have to consciously hold my breath and steel my muscles to prevent what feels like an impending explosion between my legs.

Then she moves. Rolls her hips toward mine, rocking her body side to side. “Shay.” I can barely get her name out without losing control of the tornado building at the base of my cock. “Gods above, don’t move.”

“Guess you lost your mastery of all activities , huh?” Her body shakes with silent laughter, the action involuntarily and mercilessly squeezing my cock.

“Shay, please. I don’t want to ruin this for you.”

The shaking and squeezing ends immediately, Shay capturing my face between her palms and looking into my eyes. “Nothing can ruin this for us . We have the rest of our lives to learn and grow together, in all things, including sex. I’ve seen it. I see it right now, Kohl. This is perfect, it’s what I want. You’re who I want, in every way, in any form. Take your pleasure with me. I promise I’ll meet you there.”

I pull back until only the head of my cock remains nestled inside. Then, I slide home again. Home. That’s what she is. Her body, her soul. My home. For a lifetime. For eternity.

Looking into her eyes, I find my rhythm. Control. I feel the shift in her muscles. The tension in them. I hear her breathing grow shallow. Choppy. She’s close to that beautiful release. To writhing under me as she rides her pleasure. To crying out and panting my name.

Sweat beads above my brow as my cock begins to throb. Not yet. Not without her.

Holding myself on one arm, I slide my other hand between us. One touch is all it takes to make her clench around me, her beautiful lips parting as she moans. “Kohl… goddess, yes.”

Heat flares at my root, fire racing through me as I erupt inside her. A release that takes over my entire body. Pleasure unlike anything I have known, even when I shared hers.

Still deep inside her warm body, I capture her lips, the sweet taste of her breath and skin flooding my senses. Desire prickles at the base of my spine, and I feel my cock swelling within her tight walls.

“Already?” She angles her head to look into my eyes as I begin to stroke in and out, my cock getting harder with each thrust. “Maybe there’s a little magic left in you, after all.”

“You are my magic, Shay.”

“ We are magic. For the rest of our lives.”

“For eternity. A soulmate is forever.”

“Forever,” she says, her beautiful eyes shining with unshed tears. With love.