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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ven
I haven’t practiced this spell since I was a teenager. Not many opportunities arise to leap off collapsing buildings, after all. But I call on my magic, and I murmur the spell on my lips. A cushion of air wraps around me and Ryder, halting our flailing plummet, and we float down toward the river.
But then we hit the rush of water and I lose my grip on Ryder’s hand.
The current sweeps me under and, down, down, down. Somewhere along the way I’m dashed into a rock. My lungs burn for air. I try to kick for the surface, but I can’t tell which way it is. I see only shades of blue, and bubbles surrounding me as the last of my air escapes.
Something crashes into me from the side. Ryder. He grabs me under the armpits and hauls me toward the light. We break the surface of the river and I gasp. Glorious oxygen fills my lungs.
“Take another breath!” Ryder yells.
“What?!”
And then I see it: the hex wall spanning the river. We’re coming up on it fast. Ryder yanks me beneath the water and we dive down toward the bottom. The current sweeps us past, underneath the demonic symbols and their poison.
We surface again, and I take in another gulp of air. As we rush down the mountain we tread water, and Ryder sends a rush of magic around us which helps warm my muscles. Before long, the downhill torrent of the river slows, and we find a spot on the bank where we can get out. Ryder offers me a hand as we climb onto solid ground again.
“The beach,” I breathe, pointing toward the stretch of sand not far in the distance.
Soaking wet and bruised, we hike the rest of the way out of the forest. We’re a good bit north of the secret cove, as evidenced by Witch’s Rock, which rises directly offshore from where we are. When we reach the sand, I collapse to my knees.
“We made it. I can’t believe we actually made it,” I say. Giddy laughter rises from my throat.
Ryder flops down next to me. “Are you kidding? It was your faith that sent that creepy bitch back to wherever she came from.”
“It was both of us. Together.” I smile, an exhausted but happy smile.
Everything feels surreal. Against all odds, we saved Luciana, and the man that drove me up the wall two days ago has suddenly become irreplaceable in my life. And when I’d walked into that room with Darkness and seen his greatest fear, I knew that he felt the same about me.
“Together,” Ryder repeats. “I think we make a good pair. You know, business partners.”
His grin is wicked, and I reach over and smack him. He grabs my wrist and pulls me into his lap.
“What’s our next assignment, partner?” I ask, biting my lip. Now that we’re out of danger and we’ve finally gotten past all our hang-ups, I want one thing and one thing only.
Ryder apparently feels the same way. From where I’m lying across his lap, I can feel him harden beneath me. I swing my leg over so I’m straddling him, our chests pressed together.
“Last time, you were naughty, and you made me rush things,” Ryder says. He reaches down and smacks my ass. His voice takes on a smokey tone. “So, this time, I’m going to draw things out. I’m going to give you so much pleasure you can’t take anymore. Before I’m through with you, you’re going to beg me for release.”
I lean forward and kiss the side of Ryder’s jaw. “I don’t beg,” I whisper. “Ever.”
Ryder throws me a look that is pure devil. “Are you really going to challenge me again? You lost last time, Ven. Or are you forgetting?”
A shudder moves through me at the memory of our time in the hot springs. “I do love a good challenge.”
Ryder grabs my hips and flips me over in the sand. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He takes the hem of my dress and rips a strip of cloth off. Then he pulls both of my arms over my head and binds them at the wrists before tying me to a nearby driftwood log. I suck in a breath as he rips off another piece and covers my eyes. My heart is already starting to race, and heat flushes down my body. And he hasn’t even started yet.
I can hear Ryder take off his pants and throw them into the sand beside us. Then he kneels over me, straddling but not lowering himself onto me. His earthy, manly scent hits my nose. Through my blindfold, I can sense shadows from the palm trees overhead dancing in a slight breeze. Ryder’s lips brush over the top of my left shoulder and I let out a soft moan.
He works his way in along my collarbone, then up the side of my neck. His breath mingles with mine. Finally, he makes his way to my lips, dusting them with feather light kisses until my nipples tingle and my sex clenches. He has his hips up off me, but the tip of his cock brushes against my core and I shiver.
When he pulls back, my senses stretch out. Since I can’t see him, my whole body glows with anticipation. Skin tingling, blood burning, breath catching in my chest. I hear him shift in the sand.
His lips touch the inside of my right knee. A ripple of pleasure moves up my thighs. He moves to the other knee, and this time he adds a touch of his lust magic. Bliss unfolds across my skin and deeper, and I bite my lip but a small cry escapes anyway.
