Page 101 of Vengeance of the Gods

Bridger would bet almost anything Pluto had chosen Vega as his modern-day Mors—his bringer of death.

It was the only way she could deliver souls to the underworld.

Vega could lie and tell half-truths to the others, but she couldn’t lie to Bridger. He’d been there with her. He’d heard everything Romulus revealed… and even some of what he hadn’t.

Pluto was alive, and for whatever reason, he wanted Vega.

Bridger stripped out of his shirt, folding it neatly on the counter. He propped his foot on the edge of the tub and began undoing the laces of his boots.

A loud pop rattled the walls, followed by Vega’s scream.

Bridger was across the small house with his sword in seconds. He couldn’t reach her internally or see what was happening thanks to his fucking shielding lesson!

The locked door didn’t stop him. Bridger pulled it off its hinges to get to Vega.

Vega… who stood in the middle of the room in nothing but her underwear, covered in rust-colored water, her hands protecting her face as she fumbled to turn off the spraying water from the now busted pipe exposed in the wall.

She made the tiniest yelps of protest as she fought with the faucet. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Vega couldn’t get it to turn off.

Bridger reached over her shoulder and twisted the handle. The water eventually stopped shooting out like a missile, trickling down the wall in a slow stream.

Her shoulders sagged, and she took a loud breath. “Vincere is sounding sweeter by the second.”

Bridger leaned against the wall, letting the panic subside, knowing Vega was fine and he’d freaked out over nothing.

She finally turned around to look at him, and he didn’t miss the heavy-lidded stare she raked down his body, taking her time over the cut of muscle between his hips. Her eyes landed on his sword in a death grip, focusing on the veins popping in his forearm.

The tip of his sword scraped against the old flooring. “I couldn’t see. I couldn’t get to you. I didn’t know what was happening.” He chuckled at himself for overreacting. Scanning her for any real injuries, Bridger watched water droplets smear stains down her skin. Her lacy white underwear was speckled orange, but the set was mismatched, and the black bra would survive the incident.

Vega licked her lips and locked eyes with Bridger.

His skin felt like it was on fire.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he told her with little to no conviction. Her heavy stare burned him, making it hard to concentrate on anything other than the craving he had for her—he’d never be able to rid himself of Vega again.

“Like what?” she asked breathily.

“Like you want me to stop being a gentleman and fucking devour you already.” Even to his own ears, Bridger’s voice had a low gravel anyone would recognize as lust.

Vega squeezed her thighs together, immediately catching Bridger’s attention. His mouth watered at the dirty thoughts filling his head.

Vega’s legs spread open. My head between them.

He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth, forcing his stubborn eyes to pull away from the spot between Vega’s thighs. She fucking whimpered when their eyes met again, trembling under nothing but his gaze.

It was over.

Bridger closed the gap between them, the sound of his sword clattering to the floor second to the pounding heartbeat in his ears.

They crashed together in a kiss that made everything around them vanish.

He had his hands under her ass, ripping her off her feet. Vega breathed a faint sigh as Bridger hoisted her up, her bare legs wrapping around his waist. Her arms rested on his shoulders as her hands instinctively fingered through the hair at the nape of his neck, sending a violent chill down his spine.

“Vega…” he moaned, never removing his mouth from hers.

The whisper of her name down the bond turned Vega into putty in Bridger’s hands. Her head fell back, and she writhed like she might come right that very second. Vega’s nails dug into his shoulders, eyes fluttering closed. “Do it again.”

Bridger grabbed the back of her neck and yanked her forward, pulling her back to his lips while he stalked out of the tiny bathroom with her still wrapped around him. “My Vega,” he whispered.