The ground shifted under my feet, as if my shoes were settling into pebbles—tiny rocks. I shifted my foot, testing it, trying to confirm what I was feeling. So maybe we were on a path. No leaves. Not soft, decaying soil. “We’re standing on a path. That means it leads somewhere, right?”
“Yeah, and that place could lead to much worse things than what we’ve got here.” That was true and an excellent point.
“What do we do, Ossy?” I wanted him to have all the answers because I had none.
“I have no idea.” Well, damn.
“Nothing can actually kill us. We’re both immortal because we’re reapers. I mean, I’m a reaper’s assistant—”
“You’re a reaper and a damn good assistant.” Not that I was fishing for compliments. I was trying to brainstorm a way out. Immortality meant we would have plenty of time to figure it out. Still, the sooner we got out of the realm, the better.
I rested my head against his chest. “Thank you, but could we please focus on the problem?”
“All I’m saying is that you belong with the reapers, not with the Bureau. And not only because you’re my beloved. We love you. Especially me.”
“I love you, too, Ossy.” I really did. If anything, my feelings for him were the problem. They had felt bigger than what I assumed Ossy's feelings for me were. I didn’t think we were on the samepage. I had felt alone in love. Aside from him coming to save me from the Bureau and being under Donn’s thumb, I had little evidence to prove otherwise. Other than him saying so. But were the words enough?
So if Iwerea beloved...
Immortality wasn’t any different from what I already had. Becoming a reaper’s assistant had come with that perk. But if Iwerea beloved, and that was a bigif, then the thing that made it dangerous for Donn, the thing that threatened the barrier between the living world and the afterlife, was that I could go anywhere I wanted in any realm. And if that were true, it would mean I could also leave this realm.
“I still don’t feel a bond or a connection with you, Ossy.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s not there, Phin.” He was, of course, right.
So if the connection existed, whether or not I felt it, then it meant we could grow it, no matter where we were. Which meant all we had to do was figure out how to continue. But bonding in Tech Duinn was problematic. Many terrifying creatures could live nearby. And also, if we got down and dirty in Doon’s realm, would he know about it?
Wait. There was that time in the supply closet when Ossy sucked me off. His mouth, oh my gods. Anyway, if Donn knew about that, then it was just weird to contemplate. It was safe to say I wasn’t a voyeur. I especially didn’t want Donn watching with his cool, judgmental smile. I’d half expect him to pull out a number card and rate our performance.
Gods, why was I still thinking about Donn watching?Stop it, Phin. Seriously.
I should be thinking about Ossy’s dick. That would get us out of here. Maybe. It really was the stuff of dreams. Big, but not holy-shit-that-thing-just-poked-my-navel big.
I carefully lowered myself along Ossy’s body, making sure I didn’t slam my knees too hard into the ground. I reached out, feeling beneath me. Yep, tiny stones. We really were on a path. I fumbled with Ossy’s robe, trying to find what I was looking for.
“What are you doing?” He ran his fingers through my hair.
“I’m sucking your dick. If I can find it.” Was it in the same place as before? Was it still where it had been the last time I’d seen it? “This robe is problematic in ways I didn’t expect.”
Ossy sighed. “Stop.”
“We have to bond. And if you fuck me, I could end up with a pebble up my ass. Sucking you off seems safer.” Except for the pebbles digging into my knees. Good gods, that was the wrong kind of torture.
It was also safe to say I wasn’t into pain. Nothing killed a boner faster.
Ossy chuckled. I wasn’t sure what I’d said to make him laugh, but I liked the sound of it. “How would pebbles get all the way up there?”
“Do you remember the time when we were on the beach and I had sand in my crack? You had to help me get it out.” I’d come again when Ossy’s idea of helping meant he’d wash me with a washcloth while in the shower and then eat my ass.
“I remember every single taste, baby.” Ossy practically purred when he said it.
So did I. “If we complete the bond, I might be able to make a door appear. You just have to show me how. Then we can get out of here.”
“We’d have to see the door, though.” Ossy made a valid point.
“We might have to stumble around in the dark to find it, but do you have a better idea?”
“Oh, I think your idea is one of the best ones you’ve ever had. This is not me arguing the point. I promise you that.” Ossy loved getting his dick sucked as much as I did.
