Chapter 14

Ava

Everything was a whirlwind for the next few hours, and that didn’t leave me with much chance to process what had happened. I’d nearly died, and I was so certain that I’d seen Lucius die. That moment when the truck collided with him, was engraved in my memory. As was the sight of his broken body as it burst apart.

But he’d come back to me. It was like one of those fairy tales I’d always enjoyed as a child: true love conquers all. This was not the outcome I imagined when I ran into the dark woods the night before. When I’d discovered Calder’s betrayal, my whole world had changed for the worse, and meeting Lucius was righting all those wrongs.

You’d think he’d forgotten how to talk with people after hiding in the woods for more than a century, but Lucius was in his element as he guided paramedics to the injured man who’d had the misfortune of being in the truck. He was walking away with only scrapes and bruises, and I’d already heard Lucius promise to replace his vehicle and cover any medical bills.

The firefighters responded naturally to him, he just held that kind of authoritative presence. Nobody even seemed to bat an eye at his shirtless appearance and torn jeans. They didn’t notice the wings and feathers, thanks to the golden disk on its ragged string dangling from his neck. Ziv had fetched it in just the blink of an eye. Apparently, the cat could teleport, which explained how he’d shown up at my motel earlier.

Then a towering guy with long brown hair arrived. He rolled up in a fancy sports car, unfolding his huge frame from the vehicle, and he stood and surveyed the scene with a deep frown. Then he strolled up to Lucius, tapped him on the shoulder, and the pair shared a look. After that, Lucius came for me, and without so much as a goodbye, guided me into the woods on the side of the road.

“That’s my assistant, Aries. He’ll take care of the rest. It’s time I take you home, my lovely mate. Home forever.” I wasn’t going to say no to that. A home sounded good, I didn’t think I’d ever truly had one of those. I didn’t count on him leaping into the sky with me in his arms, but once he caught a current with his huge, flame-streaked wings, I got used to it.

The woods did not look so scary from above in the light of day. Lucius’ mansion was beautiful, as were his gardens, down to the cozy-looking vegetable patch outside his large kitchen. I didn’t get the chance to admire much more of it though, because we landed on the balcony right outside his bedroom.

“Shower, then bed,” he growled at me, not once dropping me as he strode through the French doors. That sounded perfect, we’d work out the details later. I lost all ability to think when he started pulling my clothes from my body. The ability to talk followed, my moans were incoherent babbles when he turned on the warm water and started tracing each drop with his mouth.

We clung together, burning under the spray of water. After the close call, I didn’t want to leave his side, I didn’t want to stop touching him. When he picked me up and pinned me against the tile, I was so ready for him. He sank inside in one fierce, possessive thrust. He made us whole, burying himself deep in my core so I did not know where I ended and he began.

Pleasure spiraled hard and fast, my orgasm crashing through me like a tidal wave. This time, he didn’t hold anything back. His primal growl as he followed me over that precipice echoed loudly against the marble and stone. I kept clinging to him, letting the spray of water wash away the last remains of our earlier struggle. “I can’t believe how fast this is,” I murmured, “But I really love you, Lu.”

“And I love you, brave Ava. You showed me how to live again. You showed me what it took to be brave, and how to face my demons.” With a kiss that curled my toes, he carried me to his bed, as promised. Then he proceeded to make love to me again, starting with the most tantalizing tease of his feathers on my skin. I knew I was in good hands, that the monster in the woods was my salvation, my happily ever after.