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“I can try a few things. No promises they’ll work.” Rafferty reaches for my head again.
I flinch away. He said what Posey did was corrupted, and until I talk to my husband about options, I’m not going to just let Rafferty dig around in my mind.
“I swear, Rafferty, if you touch my fucking wife again without her permission, I will shove you in a small box and drop you into the bottom of the Deep, and no one will remember that the God of Memory even exists.”
There is stunned silence in the room as we all look at Essos. He’s so calm, like he offered Rafferty tea instead of threatening him with torture. Only the fire blazing in his eyes betrays his anger. It is so wrong, but my pussy throbs with need for him after such a possessive and protective claim. When Essos’s gaze flicks to mine, that angry fire morphs into something more…something intimate just for me, his wife, and it turns my insides molten.
Rafferty lowers his hands, clenching them into fists. I think he might shit himself. “Understood.” His voice is quiet and almost robotic.
Essos ushers Xavier and me from the room so Rafferty can make himself useful. I close the doors behind us quietly, hoping that he can bring Cat some peace of mind.
“I’ll go to the kitchens and make myself useful.” Xavier doesn’t even bother waiting for a response before he stomps away like a child.
Once he’s clear of the hallway, Essos backs me against the wall. “Do I have to prove to my wife that I’m the only one who should be in her dreams?” he growls, possessive and needy.
My heart is nearly bursting from my chest with love and appreciation for this man who keeps putting me first.
“You’ll have to catch me if you want to try,” I challenge before taking off toward his office.
* * *
Essos holdsmy naked body to him. He, of course, caught me. It took nothing for him to corner me in his office and hike up my dress so he could enter me. Not that I put up much of a fight. I was practically panting for him with my legs spread on his desk when he strolled in like heknewI was going to be right where he wanted me. It wasn’t so much a cornering as it was taking what I had on offer. That was only round one. Round two brought us to the same couch where we used to spend many an afternoon making love.
“We need to go to the mortal realm,” I say. Essos idly strokes along my spine as I lie on top of him. I want to burrow closer to him, but there is no closer, so I just kiss his bare chest. We’re tangled together on the couch, and I couldn’t be happier with his arms around me.
It’s rude of me to use sex against my husband to soften him up, but I’ll do what I have to at this point to get him to let me out. We had our honeymoon phase, and while it was nice of Posey to give us this time to regroup and figure out how to handle everything, she won’t be still for much longer. This media blackout from the mortal realm because of the zombies makes me feel itchy.
“No.”
No explanation, no elaboration. If the tone of his voice is any indication, he’s unwilling to even consider it. Instead, Essos idly strokes my upper arm.
“That’s it? No discussion?”
“That’s it. No discussion.”
I press my chin to his chest so I can study his face. His dark hair is mussed, falling into his eyes and giving him a roguish look. Despite the external pressures on us, he still smiles more now than he did during the whole of the Calling.
“I disagree with you and your assessment. During our coronation, we took a vow to serve the souls of mortals in their afterlife. Their afterlife is now in the mortal realm. So, I’ll leave you with a choice—work with me, or step back and let me do what I need to do.”
Essos shifts so he can meet my gaze straight on. “Did you not learn your lesson when my mother lured you into a cave under false pretenses? What about when she choked you? You may be immortal, but the life inside you isn’t yet. Never mind that there’s still a weapon floating around out there that can kill you.”
“That same weapon can kill you, and yet you don’t see me telling you to stay home and knit like a good wifey.” I try to push away from him, but he holds me tightly.
“I’m the King of Death. Nothing can take me from you.”
“You’re the King oftheDead, and my point still stands. Anything you can do, I can do too.”
“My decision remains the same. I don’t want you going to the mortal realm.”
I open my mouth, but I can tell from the mulish set of his lips that there will be no moving him.
“Yes,Daddy,” I say sarcastically, which earns me a swat on the ass.
“Don’t do that, Daphne. Don’t minimize my feelings about your safety with sarcasm. If you’re going to be pissed, be pissed, but I love you, and I’m going to be an asshole. You can either act like a brat about it or listen to me for fucking once.”
This time when I push off his chest, he lets me go. I turn my back to him as I look around for my clothes, because if I don’t, I will say something that will upset us both, and neither of us needs that.
“I love you too, Essos, but we are gods, and above that, we are King and Queen of the Underworld. It is our job to serve the realm.” I look over my shoulder at my husband as he lies there, sculpted and watching me with this inscrutable look. One arm is slung behind his head while the other rests on his stomach.
