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Kora opens her mouth to speak, but Aldeon cuts her off. “Before we discussed any plans, I want to be certain you won’t cross us.” The dhampir steps forward, his jaw set. “Vow in blood that you’ll protect our family, and we’ll agree to remain peaceful with yourarmy.” His words are laced with a hidden threat, but I respect his hardness. Aldeon has probably done more than threaten to protect his mate, and now he’s going to be a father. He’s a good man.
“Done.” I nod my head, and the Queen produces a blade from beneath her delicate dress.
“Wait, Thea-” Ren grabs my hand before I can approach the Queen. “Blood is binding. This should go both ways.”Make them promise to protect you,he thinks.
I know of something even better. “I’ll take the vow if you’ll agree to remain peaceful with the inhabitants of my settlement, even if I’m gone. There are wholesome people there. Families.Children.” I think of Rhyl, and her dagger eyes as they search for the next danger. “We’ll both agree to help each other.”
The Queen shrugs her shoulders, causing the overhead light to glint off of her metallic markings. “Easy deal. We’ll agree to this stipulation, yes, Aldeon?”
The male bows his head, stepping back.
“Then it is done.” Jeen pulls the sharpest side of the blade down her hand. Blood falls instantly, seeping down her arm and splattering on the ground. It’s black, reminding me of the dead dhampir I sacrificed before learning to heal.
No more mistakes.
I cross the space between us, lifting my palm. Without warning, she places the tip of the knife above my thumb. It glides into my flesh with so much ease that I hardly feel the sting. Warmth creeps over my skin, trailing down my wrist.
Jeen slaps our hands together, grinning a fangy grin. She tugs me in until my head is inches from her heart.“I always knew we’d be friends.”
21
Ren
Epilogue
The Next Morning
Thea sleeps as I work, the golden stream of her hair spread over the bed I fashioned for her during our first week here.
We’re leaving in one month. We won’t be gone for forever; Thea would hate leaving her new family for too long. But… we will be away from this warm oasis I’ve created for her.
I look around our quaint private quarters. Thea had chosen the largest building for us to stay in, so we have neighbors, but the room itself is secured and sheltered from prying eyes. She said it was an office. Somewhere that people spent their days selling products to others over some line of technology.
Now it’s ours.
The walls are slate gray and made of a thick double-layer of concrete. I’ve carved two three-inch deep shelves along the outside wall, and along the shelf Thea has placed her prized possessions. Most of the items are sticks or dead insects, but a few are mementos from the places we’ve been together.
Last night she placed something new on the shelf. A silver-plated fork, the one Maggie gave her to eat with her food. They fed my mate a disgusting-looking mush that had white, stringy worms doused in red sauce. I much prefer Thea stick to the natural ingredients we’ve found in her world so far, but… my mateenjoyedthe worms.She made plans to return for another meal.
I shudder, remembering how she offered me a taste of the food like she does all others.No. way.
Other than her shelves and the bed, our home is plain. Some might say it lacks flavor, but they can’t see the future of this room like Thea can. She’s drilled holes into the bottoms of aluminum cans and planted tiny sprouts inside. Each of the cans rest in the top corners of the room, suspended in air by invisible fishing line.
“They’ll spread,” My mate had said, beaming. “They’ll climb all over the walls, and it’ll feel like the forest in here.”
I place my hand on Thea’s thigh, stroking her skin through the silky see-through mesh of her dress. She hardly wears anything else, and I think it’s because the opulent fabric reminds her of her old home.
But now, I am her home.
Once I touch her skin, it’s hard to stop.
My fingers trail higher, slipping beneath the slit in her skirt until I’m pressing against her cool flesh. Thea moans in her sleep, and a little v forms between her brows. I trace the curve of her knee and continue higher, sucking in lungfuls of Thea’s scent until it’s all I can smell.
And still, I want more.
Gently, I slip beneath the thin sheet she’s wrapped herself in and slide between her legs, pushing them apart until she’s spread wide. Her hand twitches, her sleepy moan returning.
Slowly, I let my lips fall to her exposed cunt. At first contact, I simply brush my lips over her flesh, breathing more of her sex into me. The next touch is less controlled, and I let myself kiss her fully, wrapping my arms around her thighs until her legs are hitched over my shoulders.
