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“But something almost happened to you tonight.”
“What do you mean?” I ask absently, my brows furrowed in confusion.
“I knew that I made that dagger appear in his palm, that he had no control over it anymore. But seeing you jump in front of that blade, seeing you lying on the ground ready to accept your fate, it tore my heart in two.” She pauses, taking a staggered breath. “I can’t lose any of you—you and Maximus are susceptible to the dagger, but we don’t know that it won’t work on light gods. Any of you could be taken from me in the blink of an eye.”
“But we have the dagger, little mate.” I cup her cheek and she leans into the touch, hope glimmering in her eyes as they meet my own. “We’ll make sure it never gets into Romulus’ hands again.”
“I—I’ve seen death. It nearly broke me when I saw Nelle die. But I’ve never seen so many—”
“I know,” I say, not needing her to finish. I saw the shock on her face from across that field. “I wish I could hide you away, shield you from all of this, but that wouldn’t be fair to you. You’re meant for greatness. Just know that I will do everything in my power to ensure Romulus is stopped before he can take another life.”
“We’ll fight for them,” she agrees, determination shining in her eyes. “We’ll make sure no one else needs to be buried because of that monster.”
Her words ring through the night air like a promise, so filled with life, blood, and battle lust, my mind nearly fogs over with need, but when I scan her face, I can tell that something is still off.
“What is it?”
“I struggled with control over my powers and came to terms with them, but something happened in the fight,” she chews at her bottom lip before continuing, “I killed Abigail. The shadows … they just swallowed her whole—devoured her until nothing remained.”
My expression remains unchanged as she searches my face.
“I’m just—I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want to become a monster.”
“Everyone said there was a reason that Romulus didn’t receive the power of death.” I rub my thumb over her cheek while my other hand caresses her arm. “The fates only bless those who are worthy of wielding it. Your mother had two children before you, and despite them both being able to manipulate shadows, neither of them received the power of death. You were given this power for a reason. Trust yourself just as much as we all trust you.”
Silence stretches between us for a moment, indecision warring in her eyes like she wants to believe my words, but something is holding her back.
“I trust you with my life, little mate. As do my brothers.” I smile softly. “But more importantly, everyone else does too. You showed them today how caring and selfless you are, tending to the injured while you warred with these feelings. You saved countless people today, not just by healing them, but with your quick thinking. Countless more would’ve died tonight if Romulus knew he’d lost the dagger. He would’ve sacrificed everyone to get it back.”
Her expression shifts as my words sink in, that glimmer of hope blooming into full life as her lips crash on mine. I groan into her mouth, our tongues tangling desperately like we need the other to breathe.
“Thank you.”
Our lips barely part as my hand skims down to the hem of her shirt and delves beneath, grateful that she must have taken off her tight leather armor. I groan as the pads of my fingers graze her soft, warm skin, reveling in the smooth expanse of her body, fitting perfectly against me.
“No, thank you, Olivia,” I say, pulling away for a moment. She looks up at me, her lips parted and swollen from our kiss. The sight nearly takes my breath away, distracting me from the very reason I pulled away in the first place. “You’ve brought so much into my life that I never knew was missing. I can’t imagine what my life would be without you.”
“Good thing you’ll never have to.” She grins, rubbing just above my heart where that invisible tether links us, joining our souls as one. “You’re stuck with me for eternity. Think you can handle that?”
“Oh, I can handle it.” I smirk. “Can you?”
“I can handle anything life throws at me, as long as you’re by my side for this life and the next.” She leans up, gently biting my lower lip and rolling it between her teeth. My cock throbs at the sensation, pain and pleasure mixing in a perfect symphony, just like my mate and I.
I stab my fingers through her hair as my lips crash on hers, consuming her with every stroke and caress.
My hand moves further up her torso until I reach the soft curve of her breast. Kneading the sensitive flesh, I push the cup of her bra down and automatically find her nipple, coaxing a moan from her luscious lips. Her sounds are swallowed by my tongue sweeping in to caress hers in long, languid strokes, showing exactly what I’d do to her pussy if we had time.
“I need you, Mateo,” she says between our kisses, unwilling to part long enough to get the words out. “I need to feel you inside me, to know you’re still with me.”
“You’ll never get rid of me, little mate,” I growl, ripping her shirt off. She gasps as I pull it from her heated skin, her back arching as she tries to get closer. Her skin pebbles into goosebumps as a cool gust of air breezes past us, but she won’t be cold for long—I’ll make sure of that.
I hurriedly pull my leather armor from me and throw it to the ground, not caring where the hell it goes as long as it’s off me.
“This might be quicker.” She smirks mischievously, cocking a brow.
My lips part, and I’m about to ask her what she means, when the cool breeze wraps around my naked skin, teasing it into goose-flesh.
“Sneaky little mate,” I chastise, unable to keep the conspiratorial grin off my face as I drink in every inch of her supple skin.
