Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Then he smooths a gentle hand over my belly and pauses. His breath catches. A shadow crosses his face—grief, longing, devastation? I can’t tell which.
But the way he cups my stomach with both hands breaks me open. After I answer Blackbourne’s Call, Raiden will lose most rights to his son. Yes, everyone will know he fathered my youngling. But as my mate, magickind will recognize Blackbourne as the child’s father.
I rise up. “Raiden…I’ll stay. The danger, it’s—”
“No, you won’t stay. I won’t let you.” His voice, low and solemn, shakes. “Please. Just let me…say good-bye.”
Those words cut me to the core.
He eases me back onto the bed, settles between my thighs, and kisses the silky-wet flesh there with a reverence that steals my breath. I gasp—then cry out as pleasure streaks up my spine. He lingers, savoring me, as if he can’t bear to let go.
“Raiden…” I whimper, lifting my hips, giving him everything. Even after all that’s passed between us, I can’t resist. I can’t stop loving him.
Beneath his caress, I mewl and buck, surrendering every last shiver to him. My climax breaks over me in shattering waves.
Before my cries even fade, he rises, positions himself between my legs, and slides inside me—deep, deep, impossibly deep. I gasp, clutching his shoulders. He feels like home. Like the place I belong.
His jaw clenches, and his eyes close as if sensations overwhelm him, too. Then he cups my face in both hands and refuses to look anywhere but into my eyes. His thrusts are slow, tender, heartbreakingly careful—as if this isn’t sex at all, but something sacred. Something final.
Every stroke lifts me higher until I break again, trembling and clinging to him. He follows with a guttural sound that tears from deep in his chest, collapsing over me, body shuddering.
Then he gathers me close, tucking me against him as if afraid to let go. I curl into him like a kitten seeking warmth, sated and sighing. His hand drifts to my belly, splaying protectively over our baby.
Silent tears—tears I don’t show him—fall as I drink in our final moment together. Tomorrow, I’ll belong to another man. And I’ll never know this kind of happiness again.
Chapter
Nine
Raiden
* * *
The following morning, I wake feeling low and exhausted. Reality hits me—it’s New Year’s Eve. Of all the mornings to lose Tabby, it has to be today. The symbolic turning of a page. The death of the old, the birth of the new. The whole bloody world gets a fresh start tonight…and so do I.
Just not the kind I want.
I’ll never wake with Tabitha in my arms again, her legs tangled in mine. The thought is a searing pain as I bury my face in her neck and inhale. Her natural perfume, like cinnamon and fresh spring rain, makes me ache instantly. I’d know it anywhere. And I’ll miss that scent forever.
For one reckless moment, I think about staying here, spending the rest of my days memorizing her. If I could bottle the feeling of Tabitha—her warmth, her weight, her scent—I’d live on that and nothing else.
But that’s impossible.
Though the sun hasn’t yet risen, my fantasy night is over. I awakened her several times to make love. Still, it wasn’t enough. It never will be. Wanting her is easy. Walking away from her while she’s soft and sleeping in my bed? That feels like treason against my own soul. But I’ll commit it because keeping Tabby and the baby safe is my first priority, regardless of the fact that means cutting out my own heart.
After pressing a kiss to her forehead, I untangle myself from her and rise. Stomping down my regret, I shower and dress. I find Bram in the kitchen, drinking coffee. I pour myself a mug and sip, wincing. The brew he makes is usually so strong, it can take the paint off walls. Today, I fear I’ll need it.
The Doomsday Brethren leader wears an edgy, watchful expression that doesn’t bode well. His fingers flex once around the mug, knuckles whitening, before he forces himself to still. A telltale crackle of unchecked anger stirs behind his eyes before he shutters it. The Devouring Shadow spell Mathias cast on him weeks ago hasn’t eased. How long does Bram have before the darkness swallows whatever light is left in his soul?
“Do you have a minute?” I ask. “I have a problem.”
Bram sips coffee with a hiss. “A minute, literally. I’m off to meet Duke. Long story.”
Not one with a happy ending, clearly.
Quickly, I tell him nearly everything that’s transpired since I last saw him, including the parchment outlining the Untouchable family tree Tabitha and I retrieved.
“Bloody hell.” Bram shakes his head. “Well, the good news for you is, there’s no need to worry about Tabitha’s or your youngling’s safety now. Mathias’s attention has…veered. He’s closing in on the Untouchable’s identity.”