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Abraxos rose onto his knees and lifted her effortlessly into his arms. Sarah wrapped her legs around his waist and settled astride his lap. The new position gave her control of their pace.

She braced her hands against his shoulders and began moving over him. Abraxos held her steady while she rode him. The change in angle sent pleasure streaking through her each time the head of his shaft struck the sensitive place deep inside her.

Sarah quickened her movements as she chased the release they both desperately needed. His gaze remained locked with hers. Watching his restraint unravel beneath her intensified every sensation.

Abraxos pressed his fingers more firmly against her clit. The tension inside Sarah sharpened as her body tightened around his cock. He tensed beneath her. Pleasure gathered with every movement, threatening to consume her. Her orgasm exploded, sending her over the edge and making her scream his name. He joined her a moment later. Sarah clung to Abraxos as the world beyond them disappeared. She gave herself completely to the male who held her heart, shared her future, and was bound to her for eternity. If only they could remain in this bubble forever.

CHAPTER 17

ABRAXOS

"You're not sneaking out of this bed before I've had coffee." Sarah's voice was rough with sleep and muffled against his chest.

They’d both passed out after making love and had been asleep for a few hours. He smiled as her fingers had drifted to her throat and traced the mark there like she needed to confirm it was still real. At times, it felt like a dream to him, too.

"I wasn't sneaking anywhere." Abraxos kept his arm around her.

He was in no hurry to get up. He preferred staying tucked next to his mate to dealing with Lucifer and his demons. The sun had climbed high enough that gold slats of it cut through the curtains and lay across her bare skin. He was the luckiest male alive.

"I was contemplating whether we could stay here all day and decided we don’t have to go anywhere until we’re called.” He kissed the top of her head.

"Smart angel." She pressed a kiss to his sternum, right over the place where his heart had spent millennia doing its job without ever once feeling like this. "You learn quickly."

A soft knock rattled the door before he could answer her. “Ugh,” Sarah groaned. “You cursed us.”

He chuckled as Amelia shoved the door open without waiting for permission. She was balancing a tray loaded with coffee, beignets, and what looked suspiciously like a plate of eggs. Elsie must have cooked those. Nobody else in the house had cooked since the chaos had begun.

"Rise and shine, lovebirds." Amelia set the tray on the dresser. “Over four hours of sleep is for people with fewer emergencies. But I come bearing breakfast, gossip, and a very important observation about acoustics in this house."

Sarah dragged the sheet higher and sat up against the headboard. Her dark hair was wild around her shoulders. "You couldn't have left the tray and texted the rest?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Amelia dropped into the chair by the window, propping her boots on the sill like she owned the place, which, given the fact that she was mated to Camael, was pretty much the case. “Now, about those acoustics.”

Sarah’s cheeks got even redder. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure, you don't." Amelia chuckled. "Because from where I was standing two doors down, it sounded less like 'resting' and more like somebody was reenacting the fall of Rome in here."

"I slept like a baby," Abraxos offered, entirely straight-faced as he handed Sarah a beignet. "I woke up crying every couple of hours and needed to be held. It was very restful."

Sarah choked on a laugh and buried her face against his chest, shoulders shaking. "Oh my God. Ignore him. He's delirious from his earlier blood loss."

"I love you, too, Little Guardian, even though I heard every word of that insult." Abraxos pressed his mouth to the crown of her head, more pleased with himself than the situation probably warranted.

"It sounded pretty satisfying," Amelia insisted. Her grin didn't waver, though her humor cooled at the edges a beat later.

Something more careful slid into her expression before she changed the subject. "I’m glad you’re both in tiptop shape because I have a reason for braving possible nudity and bringing eggs. Are you two doing a ceremony? A real one. Because Elsie's downstairs pacing in the library, ranting about the need to celebrate your love. I told her I'd ask before she barged in here herself."

Sarah froze with the beignet halfway to her mouth. Abraxos felt the flicker of nerves move through her. Their bond was new, and he was still learning to read everything, but that one was obvious. He set his hand over hers, offering comfort.

She let out a breath. "We talked about that last night. We want to have a mating ceremony and celebration. Sparky promised me cake." Her mouth curved into a smile as she glanced at him. "But not until we’ve dealt with Lucifer. I'm not standing up in front of everyone we love while a fallen archangel is out there sending Titans to my doorstep."

"That's fair," Amelia allowed, though her tone said she'd expected the answer and had already prepared a rebuttal. "Except Elsie's going to tell you that's not how this works."

Right on cue, Elsie's voice carried through the open door. “She’s right.” It was closer than any of them expected, which meant the vampire queen had been listening from the hallway the entire time. She stepped into the doorway a beat later, dressed in battle leathers.

"Waiting until we’ve handled Lucifer is a mistake," the queen continued. "I've fought countless wars. Nothing is ever simple. It might take time to send the devil packing. Getting past the immediate threat of the Titans is another story. We were talking earlier about how we can eliminate that threat once and for all. If you wait for all the danger to be gone before you stand up in front of witnesses, you'll be waiting until the sun burns out."

Sarah waved the beignet, sending powdered sugar everywhere. "The bond's done, Elsie. We aren't putting anything off."