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“You okay?” Trillian slipped into the oversized chair beside me.
I shook my head. “Two dead cops. Zombies got them. We found goblins out there. And bone-walkers. And a bloatworgle. And if that’s not enough, something sucked away every spirit in that graveyard. It felt so good to have a break from fighting. I guess, even though I knew it was a pipe dream, I was hoping maybe we’d lucked out. Maybe Shadow Wing called Gulakah back to the Sub-Realms. But that isn’t going to happen, is it?”
Trillian shook his head. “No. It’s not going to happen. You know it, in your heart. We’re in this war for the long haul, and there’s no walking away. A year ago I would have said, let’s get the fuck out. But now, I guess I’m as invested as you are.”
I gazed into his eyes and reached up to stroke his cheek. Trillian’s jet black skin gleamed against my pale hand. His eyes, a piercing blue, stood out like snow against a forest, and his silver hair tumbled down his back in a neat ponytail, the cerulean highlights glimmering in the warm light of our living room.
“I love you more each day. You’ve always been my alpha, and I’ve always loved you, but now…thank you for coming back into my life, for not letting me walk away. Thank you for reminding me of why we came together.”
I’d met Trillian almost fourteen years ago, shortly before Menolly was turned into a vampire. We’d been pulled together as if we were magnets and bound ourselves in a sexual, magical ritual.
And then, six years later, fear had won out. Svartans—the dark and charming Fae, although they were actually cousins to the elves—weren’t known for their loyalty. They were heartbreakers, users, and manipulators. At least, that had been the stereotype, and my fear that Trillian would cast me aside grew as the years wore on. Insecure, afraid he’d leave me, I had backed off, even though he insisted that we were mated for life. I had refused to answer his summons, refused to answer his letters, and in the end, I cast a spell to ward him away from my father’s house. Trillian disappeared, and I thought he was gone for good.
But I couldn’t forget him. The Eleshinar Ritual saw to that. We were forever bound, and it ripped my heart apart to walk away. Other men just didn’t interest me, even though my libido was high. What encounters I had were one-nighters, and I had no desire to form a relationship with anybody.
And then, like a thunderbolt, a year and a half ago Trillian had shown up here, Earthside, with a message from my father. One look at him, and I knew that I’d never walk away again. Just like that, he was back in my life. He was my alpha husband, my lover, and we would be together forever.
Now he pulled me to my feet. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs.”
“I should tell everyone what went down out there—”
“Delilah can do that. There’s nothing more that can be done tonight. Chase isn’t in danger. The officers who died can’t be brought back to life. Let it go. Come upstairs, and we’ll take care of you, and help you relax, and then, you can sleep.” His lip twitched, and I felt a delicious shiver run through me.
“I’m so tired…I don’t know how much fun I’ll be.” I loved my men, I loved sex, but tonight I had very little left to give.
“Shush, and let us worry about the giving.” And with that, Trillian swept me up in his arms and carried me up the stairs to the second floor, which housed our rooms.
Home was a three-story Victorian, with a full basement. Delilah and Shade had the third floor. Smoky, Trillian, Morio, and I shared the second floor. Hanna’s room was on the main level, along with the main living area.
And Menolly and Nerissa had the basement, where Menolly could be protected during the day when she slept. For a long time, the entrance had remained secret, but with so many people living at our place, we finally just let it go and installed a steel door leading down to her suite. It was still behind the bookshelves, and only the three of us, along with Iris and Nerissa, had keys to get through the imposing barrier, but everybody in the house knew where it was.
Iris, who had made her home in Hanna’s room until a few months ago, now lived with Bruce in a cute little trailer out back, while the guys were building their house. It was about half-finished, and they expected to be able to move in by Litha, the summer solstice. And Vanzir, Shamas, and Rozurial slept in a shed-cum-studio apartment down the drive a ways.
We originally owned the house and five acres, but Smoky had recently bought the ten acres that buttressed our land, including Birchwater Pond and a patch of wetlands. Now we had fifteen acres in which to prowl, explore, and expand. We couldn’t build on four of the acres—the wetlands themselves—but that just made things more comfortable. The wetlands would be protected.
Instead of carrying me to the bedroom, Trillian swept me into the bathroom and set me down. As he flipped a switch, music began to filter into the room. Morio had wired our suite for sound. A pounding, sensuous beat came on as Lindstrøm and Christabelle’s “Lovesick” echoed through the speakers.
I stared at the tub. It was piled high with bubbles and rose petals, while candles lit the room. Sighing, I inhaled the deep spicy scents of Twilight Dream Song, the newest body wash and perfume I’d discovered. With an overtone of vanilla and notes of cinnamon, amber, and peach, it reminded me of the deep woods in Otherworld, of the sparkling lights of the eye catchers, and the vast canopy of stars overhead.
Starting to relax, I held out my arms. Trillian liked undressing me, and on nights like tonight, I was only too happy to let him have his way. He reached out and began unfastening the busks on my corset. As the molded leather loosened, I let out a long breath. Corsets and bustiers gave my double-Ds more support than any bra could, but at the end of the day, it was nice to get out of the boots and the leather.
He pressed against my back, reaching around to gently cup my breasts, his breath warm on my neck. I let out a soft sound and leaned back into his embrace as he fingered my nipples. He ran his thumb along the curve of my breast, sliding it up to the point between them, then slowly traced a line down to the waistband of my skirt.
Reaching around my waist, he held the material with one hand, while he unzipped the skirt with the other. Then he let the skirt go, and it puddled at my feet.
I shivered, even though the room was warm. The combination of his touch with how tired I was made me dizzy, sending me spinning as he slid his fingers beneath the sides of my panties and slowly drew them down.
As I stepped out of the silky material, he kissed my tailbone, then trailed kisses down over the curve of my ass, igniting a spark within me. I wavered, and he held me steady, moving around front, where he slipped his hand between my legs, moving them ever so slightly apart. My stomach quaked, and I reached down to run my hands over his hair as he pressed his lips to my clit, gently stroking with his tongue.
Arching my back, I let out a throaty moan as he settled in, nibbling, tasting me, licking me. As I melted into the sensation, he trailed a hand up my thigh, his skin molten against mine. I came, sharply, quickly, and without warning.
A satisfied smile on his face, Trillian motioned for me to get in the bathtub. My stomach still fluttering, I obeyed, sinking into the flurry of bubbles. As I leaned my head gratefully against the warm porcelain of the tub, the scent of the bath wash rose to tickle my nose, and the rose petals felt like velvet against my skin as they floated atop the mass of bubbles.
I was tired, oh so tired, and with the release of orgasm, my body had gone limp. The candlelight flickered softly as the hot water eased the strain out of my muscles and loosened the grime that had caked on me.
Ever meticulous, Trillian carefully hung up my clothes. Then he settled down on the floor next to the tub. I draped my hand out, and he took it, stroking my fingers lightly.
“Was it rough tonight?” He kissed the palm of my hand and then let go, and I slid my arm back under the water.
