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Without pause, Warrick grabbed each side of Edric’s head and twisted, snapping his neck with one brutal move. Then he stood and opened his clenched fist. Flames danced on his palm and shot from his hand, setting Edric ablaze before he had a chance to heal enough to reawaken from the merciful death Warrick had given him.

Warrick turned to me then, his eyes bright gold. “Get back, dove.”

I quickly gathered my things and rushed to the edge of the campsite, watching as Warrick burned it all, hellfire spitting from his hands, incinerating human bones to nothing but ash.

Then he strode toward me. He was covered in bite marks and scratches, but they were already healing. His chest was pumping hard, his body held rigid.

As he passed by, I grabbed his hand. “Warrick…”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I have to go.”

He tried to move again, and I stopped him a second time.

He snarled and shook his head.

I wrapped my arms around him. He may not have a soul, he may not think he was capable of love, and maybe that wasn’t what this was, but he was hurting. He felt this. Deeply. He’d just killed one of his brothers and sent his soul back to Hell, and he was in pain. Anger, grief radiated from him like intense black waves. He didn’t move, just remained rigid in my arms as I squeezed him tighter, the oil on my skin mixing with the blood on his.

The need in me to ease the pain he was feeling was so impossibly strong that I slid my hands over his broad shoulder and looked into his eyes. Shadows and light danced across his skin from the fire still blazing at the campsite, and I reached up and cupped his bearded jaw. “I’m so sorry,” I said.

His lips peeled back, incisors still extended, and he growled. The look in his eyes was one I’d never seen before, pain, confusion…god, fear. My hound’s default emotion was anger, it was the only one he truly understood. He didn’t know how to process all he was feeling and had reverted to the basest part of him.

His beast.

I lifted my other hand to his face, my oily, naked skin sliding over his, smearing with more of his blood. His hand shot up, and he grabbed my throat. Like the last time he’d done it, it wasn’t to intimidate, it was pure possessiveness. His thumb moved to my fluttering pulse, and he shook his head, warning me off.

He could never be mine, for a lot of reasons.

But I cared about him, enough to know I couldn’t just settle for animal need with him. It couldn’t just be sex, not for me. My beautiful, vicious, soulless hellhound couldn’t offer me more than that, though, and knowing that was all we shared would eventually shatter my heart into a million pieces.

Unlike him, I’d grow old and frail. I’d die. How long would he want me once I was wrinkled and gray. I didn’t want to know the answer to that.

I would only ever be a blip of time in his immortal life. He and I, we were never meant to be. It was impossible.

But I could give him now.

Because there was no moving on with my life without knowing what it was like to be with him, to give him all of me and have him give me all he was capable of in return. So I ignored his warning and urged him down as I lifted to my tiptoes.

With a tortured snarl, he released my throat and snatched me off my feet, his mouth slamming down on mine. I wrapped my legs around his thick waist, and he stepped forward, my back making contact with a rough tree trunk. He attacked my mouth, a kiss so brutal, so full of need, all I could do was hold on and surrender to it, surrender to him.

The hard, thick length of his cock was pressed between our stomachs, and he rocked against me, grinding it between our slippery, sticky bodies. One of his hands slid down between my breasts and he cupped one, lifting it as he dipped his head, sucking a tight nipple into his mouth.

I threw my head back and cried out. It was too much already. The base of his cock rubbed against my clit as he thrust between us and tugged harder on my nipple. I came, unable to hold back, shuddering against him.

I’d barely got my breath back when he shoved two fingers inside me. I groaned, my thighs shaking. “I want you.”

His growl was vicious. “You’re gonna get me.” He pressed his forehead to mine, flashing sharp white teeth, and added a third finger, then continued to use them to fuck me deep and fast. “Promise me you’re ready, dove? Promise me.”

I nodded, gasping as his thumb did a devastating circle around my clit, as his fingers deep inside me worked my G-spot.

Oh goddess.

I screamed again, coming a second time. I was still fluttering around his fingers when he yanked them free, lifting me away from the tree and spinning me so my back was to his front.

He brushed my hair to the side and his mouth touched my ear as he gripped the back of my neck. “Hands and knees, dove.”

I shuddered, my entire body quivering with need, somehow still turned on after already coming twice. He applied pressure to the back of my neck, and I dropped to my knees, then down on all fours.

Warrick came down behind me, his massive body covering me completely, his mouth back at my ear. “You need to relax and accept me.” He gritted his teeth against my skin. “It’s going to feel like too much, but you can take me. You just need to let me in.” His hand covered my breast and he squeezed. “You gonna let me in, Willow?”