Chapter 70

We'd heard nothing, nor seen anything through the gate of Paesha's return home. Whatever the terms she'd agreed to, whatever path she'd chosen, Requiem had not fallen. I'd spent so much time worrying about her. Consumed with searching to see where she'd landed. Eventually, I had to walk away. I had to choose to trust her, just as she'd once demanded. But still, her mysterious deal held my curiosity.

"What do you think it was? The bargain she made?"

Orin slid a hand down my back before shoving me against the wall. "The same thing I thought it was yesterday and the day before that."

I bit his lip before grabbing him by the collar and tugging him down the hall toward the dining room. "‘I have no idea' is not a guess. Try harder and stop getting distracted. They're waiting for us."

He halted. "Did you decide to wear that dress, Nightmare?"

"Yes."

"And did you think there would be any possible way I could keep my hands off you when you made that decision?"

I grinned. "I was undecided."

"A bit of a hint, Nightmare. The second lace, in any color, touches this beautiful skin of yours, I'm going to grow envious and then plot for its immediate removal. But when it is black? There will be no planning. No masterminding. It'll be on the floor within an hour."

Sauntering toward him, I lifted the long chain of his pocket watch, smoothing a finger over the dove etched into the cover, and clicked it open. "Oh, dear. It looks like we only have fifteen minutes for dinner, then."

He slid a finger below the lace at my shoulder and tugged until it ripped. "Or we could start with dessert."

"Like… cake?"

"No." He smiled, placing his hand on the wall behind me, eyes full of mirth. "Something sweeter."

He commanded his shadows flawlessly now. The wall, now cool against my back, rippled before the handle of a door appeared. With a hint of malevolence, he grinned and twisted. I fell backward into a new room, landing on a bed. With a single wave, the dress vanished, and I lay, splayed before him, naked.

"That might be a new record."

"I do love a good challenge," he purred.

Wasting no time, he fell to his knees, swiping a finger down my slit as he stared into my eyes. "Shall I taste you here, Wife?"

"If you wish."

"Use your words, Deyanira. Tell me where you want me."

"That's not really fair when I want you everywhere."

His dark laugh rattled down my body, heating me all the way to my core as his shadows wrapped around me while he watched. I writhed, arching off the bed as he moved them between my legs, letting them vibrate until they fell open.

He dropped to his knees, dragging his lips up the inside of my thigh, each one a touch of heat as those ribbons of shadow undulated across my breasts, tugging at my hair, bringing every inch of me to life until every brush of his lips and his fingers dug into my thighs lit me on fire. Still, he waited, avoiding that single spot I wanted him most, playing with his shadows, playing with me, until I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't exist beyond the feel of that man.

"Orin…"

"You will say it, or I won't break. I'm a patient man."

He pressed his thumbs closer, spreading me but refusing to touch where I needed him most.

"Taste it, Orin. Tell me how much you like it."

"Such a good girl." He closed his mouth over me, and the moment his tongue swept back and forth, I was done for. My head fell back against the bed. He feathered his tongue over my clit before sucking it in hard enough I gasped. Orin moved closer, lifting my leg over his shoulder and sliding two fingers into me as he tasted and tasted. And then shadows swept in, vibrating around his mouth. I gripped the sheets so hard in my fists, I knew they'd be shredded by the time I fell. Still, I climbed. Each second a mountain. He knew my body so perfectly. Had taken the time to learn every single thing that would break me in minutes.

"Let me hear you come, Wife, and then I'll fuck you properly."

"No," I panted. "Stop."

He pulled away, and I sat up, grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him to me until his lips were on mine. Until I could taste myself. He buried his hands in my hair, pulling my head back as I looked up to the ceiling.

Kiss after kiss, he moved down my jawline before he practically growled, "Why did you stop me?"

"I want you inside me. Not your tongue, not your damn fingers. You."

His clothes were gone in seconds, his tip resting at my core. I lifted my hips, and his eyes darkened as a wicked smile curled across his face. In a single motion, he drove all the way in. I felt every vein, every ridge, every fucking inch as he moved. Not slow and steady, not calm and careful. Orin was feral. And so was I. Still, I couldn't help the scream. The euphoric surprise of glorious pleasure rippled through me as he thrust over and over, until there was nothing but uninhibited need between us.

Rocking my hips, I took as much of him as I could. But it was not enough. It would never be enough. He yanked free, grabbing my thighs and flipping me over. Twisting my hair into a fist, he yanked as he slammed into me from behind, filling me. He was relentless, the musician with perfect rhythm building the perfect crescendo, carrying me all the way up, kneading my hips as he held firm.

Whatever he shouted the second we exploded was lost to me as I spiraled, the burst near blinding as I climaxed, every muscle taut, every sound a whimper.

Until he released the fist of hair and traced a small trail of kisses down my sweaty spine before slapping my ass. "Get back into that lovely gown, Wife. There are people waiting."

Satiated and in a hurry, we rushed down the hall. Orin threw the doors open and prowled in like a king, unbothered that we were late and so many had waited for us.

"Third time this week, sir," one of the souls yelled from the end of the table.

"Yeah. Yeah," Orin said, clapping him on the back. "You've got nowhere else to be, Cadoc."

His shadows poured over the table in a ripple of power. Trays of food appeared, wine filled the pitchers, and at once, the room sprang to life as everyone dug into dinner. It'd been the same routine for weeks now. Orin drew all the souls to the castle and invited them to live in harmony with us. He'd searched the place high and low for any lost souls or anyone in captivity or being tortured by his father. They'd been given the same options as the others, and slowly, he'd sealed away the darkness left behind. And then they came. A few to dinner at first, but slowly, the room became longer and larger to accommodate as many people that wished to come as possible. He'd hung tapestries of peaceful scenery along the walls when the echoes became too loud. The laughter was deafening. And he'd played. Gods, he'd played the cello for everyone. And some had joined in. Orin created a symphony in Death's court. His court.

"I see you wore the lace again," Ava said, sipping on a glass of wine as she winked at me.

"He really is so predictable. And until you ladies take a cellist to your beds and learn what he can really do with those fast fingers, I don't want to hear a peep from either of you. Any movement on Alexander?"

Nymeria, another of the ladies I'd become friends with, popped a grape into her mouth as she leaned in. "Oh, I believe there was plenty of movement last night. And moaning. That shit's loud, by the way. I'm going to need Orin to move my room away from hers."

Hours later, I lay tangled in bed with my husband, staring up at the ceiling of stars he'd created for us to sleep beneath.

"Are you happy here?"

I twisted to make sure he could see the shock on my face. "Of course, I am. Why would you ask me that?"

"Because this is our eternity, and your happiness is important to me. I know you worry about the ones we left behind."

"I just wish we could be sure she's safe, that's all. But I understand our limits. We can only go to Requiem when someone dies and their soul needs guidance. There's not a lot we can do for her from here."

"Imagine if Ezra is trying to find her. Would you take that risk? Leave eternity to find me at some unknown cost?"

He smiled, his eyes falling a bit darker when he leaned over and growled into my ear. "I've seen our past lives, Nightmare. Our souls have always been bound. Since before the gods ever appeared in Requiem. But I would not simply find you. I would hunt you, as I have always done. That's not something we will ever have to worry about again. These are our days and our nights. This is forever."

I brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. "Tell me what you did today."

"I went to a new world," he said with a smile.

I gasped. "You've been holding out on me? Dammit, Fluffy Bottom. We've talked about this. I knew I should have gone. Tell me!"

"It'll cost you."

"You're so greedy," I teased, paying the cost of a kiss. "Now, spill it."

"I've never seen anything quite like it. Two worlds within a world, divided by a barrier. In the southern world, there was a land made of floating isles over the sea."

"Are they staying at court, or…?"

"Nope. He was a witch."

"Shoot." I laid my head on his chest. "They never want to come."

"I imagine being severed from their power is tough."

A giant warm breeze moved across the bed, and Orin groaned, glaring at our dogs. "They could sleep in the hall, you know. Or at the gates, like they're supposed to."

"These are my babies. You start talking shit about Fluffy and Ruffles, you can sleep in the hall."

"Fine. But I'm getting a cat just to spite you, Nightmare."

"Oooh! A kitty. Can we name her Duck?"

"I think you need to go back to weapons training for your own sanity. You're losing your edge, Wife."

"Honestly, you're probably right."