Page 308 of Sorrow & Strangers

“Take a minute to think things through before you sign a deal with the fucking devil,” I snap harshly at him.

“I didn’t have a minute.”

“Fuck.” I look at Alice. “You have loose ends to tie up?”

Alice nods. “I can come back soon.”

“I’ll deal with this,” I say, pulling her into a hug.

“Take care of our idiot demon baby,” she says, squeezing me and kissing my cheek. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“Always.” I pull back. “Call me tonight?”

Alice nods, and I watch her for a long moment, already missing her. She taps her chest, and a portal opens behind us. Rafe runs through the portal and straight upstairs to see Mira, and I wave at Alice again before the portal snaps closed. I follow him up the stairs, and my eyes go straight to the stranger. He is still hunched over Mira, still working on her, though she looks much better than when I last saw her in the stranger’s arms. She was so weak that I couldn’t even be jealous that he was holding someone else.

“How is she?” Rafe asks, peering over the stranger’s shoulder. I stop at the bottom of the bed, and the stranger’s head lifts and turns toward me.

“Are you all right, princess?”

I nod.

“How is Mira?” Rafe asks again.

The stranger holds his hand out, and I move to his side. He presses a kiss to my temple before turning back to Mira. “She’ll be okay.” Rafe rounds the bed to get closer to her.

“It was a trap for all of you,” the stranger says, looking at Rafe. “Especially you.” Rafe’s attention is locked on Mira, and he brushes a lock of her hair from her face.

The stranger finishes another rune, and when it starts to glow, he straightens and looks down at me. I brush my fingers over his lips, and he nips at the tips with his teeth.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.” His voice is low and quiet, though loud enough that Rafe would be able to hear it if he were not completely enraptured by Mira.

I place my hand on his chest, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me against him. “I’m just grateful.” Grateful for him. He was there, and he prevented history from repeating itself.

“Grateful?”

“For you.” He wanted to be there from the outset, but I knew that would be a bad plan. I couldn’t be distracted, and it needed to look like we were only there for a funeral, which we were. They may have caught us off guard, but we also trapped them in kind. The stranger’s immense power is undeniable, but in this avatar, it’s easier to evade with runes. I have felt the vastness of his power when he is with me in person, and they would have sensed it too if he had worn a glamour. I have no doubt they would have found a way to divide us. We went so Alice could pay her respects, but we had contingencies in case we were crossed.

“You are the one who fought and planned. I only came when you needed,” he says, shaking his head.

“How did you know? I wasn’t able to use our signal.”

“I was within the boundary, and I sensed the dark fae. I knew you might need backup,” he says, fitting me against him. “It seems like there were three traps set for you and your siblings. I don’t know how they all managed to work together, but this took some planning. They knew together that you could not be stopped, so they aimed to divide you.” I exhale, leaning into him. “Your strength is something always taken for granted, but it’s your intelligence that makes you truly dangerous to your enemies.”

I lean in, pressing a kiss to his neck, and then I pull back and glance at Rafe. He is watching Mira carefully as her chest rises and falls. I take the stranger’s hand and pull him from the room and into my room. The moment it closes, I press his back against my door.

“Princess . . .” he groans.

“Hm?” I ask as I press into him and kiss his neck again.

“You’re riding the high from the fight. The adrenaline is in control,” he says, digging his fingers into my hips. “But you’ll crash soon, and I don’t want you to regret anything we do.”

I bite his neck, feeling the same wild desire I usually feel for him, but it’s amplified. I pull him from the door and push him down on the bed before straddling him and bending to suck on his neck. He moans and slides his hands up my thighs to cup my ass beneath my dress, kneading the lush flesh. I rock my hips against his hardening cock. I would ordinarily demand that he actually physically be here, but I just need to feel him in this moment.

“Fuck, little fae,” he groans.

I nip and kiss the strong line of his jaw to his ear. “I’m so wet . . .” I whisper. He rocks his cock against the soft heat between my legs. “So hard.”

“You were so sexy killing those who threatened you. All those who came close,” he moans and pulls me down to grind against the throbbing ridge of his cock. “Fierce and sexy,” he growls. “And mine.”