Page 57 of Secrets of Ruin

When he reached the bank where she sat, he stopped before her as her eyes met his. His mouth watered as his gaze ran over her body.

She’d regained some weight since returning, not much, but enough to fill her curves back out again a little. Small white scars crisscrossed her belly, and he’d seen others on her back.

They were fading, but he didn’t know if they’d ever completely go away. They stood as a testament to her strength.

She was so aroused he could see the wetness between her thighs as she lifted her hands over her head and grasped the tree behind her to bare herself to him completely. He doubted she knew how exquisite a banquet she presented.

Brokk grasped her knees, spreading her legs wider before kneeling before her. He kissed her knee and rejoiced in the sound she made.

She lowered her hands to thread her fingers into his hair, drawing him closer. Moving slowly, he left a trail of kisses up her inner thigh until he reached the prize he sought.

She tasted better than he remembered; he savored her taste while fucking her with his tongue. Her fingers tightened in his hair, and she cried out while she came.

The dark fae part of him was already feasting on the sexual energy she exuded when he pulled away from her. Brokk settled his hands on her hips and lifted her from the mossy bank.

I’ll be gentle.

He vowed this repeatedly as her legs circled his waist. She played with his hair, smiling as she wiggled into position over his shaft.

With one thrust, he settled himself deep inside her and groaned as his fingers dug into her. A sense of rightness encapsulated him as she kissed him.

He grasped her head as their tongues entwined. He belonged with this amazing woman who possessed a heart of gold and a will of steel.

She was his; she’d always be his. As they fucked and he fed and fucked some more, he knew only happiness. With whispered words of love, she came again as she eased his starvation and strengthened him once more.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

The last place Brokk ever wanted to go again was Doomed Valley, but there he stood, staring up at the towering structure of the pyramid and the eye at the top. That eye with its elliptical pupil and golden iris stared back at them before shifting to survey the land.

Brokk felt the emperor could somehow watch them from, or communicate with, the eye and knew they were here. When it returned to him, he smiled as he gave the thing the finger.

Having lived in Doomed Valley for so many years, Brokk doubted the ophidians knew the human gesture, but he did. It made him feel good to tell that asshole to fuck off before he got the chance to destroy him.

From experience, Brokk was aware the ophidians were experts at setting traps. That was how they ended up in the dungeon, after all.

The ophidians might not be inside the pyramid anymore, but if they’d left it, they’d also left a deadly path to navigate upon entry. It was a path they’d all have to tread to ensure the ophidians didn’t live within the building… if they ever did.

Standing to his left, Cole pulled shadows from the trees; they slithered across the ground before rising beside him and slipping inside him. Beside him, Ryker leaned a little away from Cole.

Like him, Ryker was still too thin, but his beard was gone, and he’d regained enough weight to at least look formidable again. The ophidians would regret what they’d done to him.

“Have you heard the stories about the Shadow Reaver?” Brokk inquired.

“Those old bedtime tales meant to scare kids into behaving?”

“Yes, except they’re not tales.”

“I can see that.”

After Cole called the shadows to him, they slithered across the ground and swirled around their feet. They stayed there for a few seconds, but when Cole whispered to them, they took off to the pyramid.

Brokk hoped Cole could keep his ability under control while he was away from Lexi. The last thing they needed was his brother spiraling into madness again while they were here.

He didn’t voice his concerns; he couldn’t let the others think Cole might have a weakness. While here, he’d keep an eye on his brother and, if necessary, send someone back to get Lexi before they lost Cole.

Cole wouldn’t come here if he didn’t think he could handle this. Still, Brokk couldn’t help but worry and knew he wasn’t alone when he met Varo’s troubled eyes on the other side of Cole.

“The shadows cannot see into the pyramid,” Cole stated. “It’s too dark for them to enter.”