Her palm felt better.
Her eyes widened, and she looked at her palm to see the Kyllwood marking. Huh. “You just became a Kyllwood.”
He looked down at his chest and laughed. “I wondered about that.”
“So did I.” Since she didn’t have any other vampire attributes, or demon ones, either, she hadn’t thought she’d get fangs or the mating mark. Satisfaction filled her at seeing it on his chest, right over his heart. She gulped as she realized he was still hard and pulsing inside her.
He kissed her, his tongue sliding inside her mouth as he began to move again. Slowly at first and then with increasing speed and power.
Pleasure pummeled her. He started pounding, one hand streaking up her torso to grasp her neck, holding her in place. His fang grazed her ear.
She gasped, climbing again fast and hard. He drove her up, and then suddenly she was exploding again, undulating around him. His fangs pierced deep into her neck, and she cried out as the orgasm spiraled out of control edged with such intense pleasure there was a hint of pain. Delicious and decadent. Heat hinted above her breast, and then flash fire burned right through her. She gasped as the orgasm roared back in, continuing on and on until sparks flashed bright behind her eyes.
Finally, he shuddered with his own release, kissing and calming her until her body relaxed. Hope gasped, panting, trying to bring her heart rate down. He removed the brutally hot hand with his marking and then kissed her right where she burned, over her heart.
This was how it was always meant to be. She glanced down at the jagged and dangerous looking P over her heart. It was both deadly looking and beautiful. They’d given each other their hearts. Literally.
Gently, he kissed her, covered her, held her tight. She gulped, trying to focus. He licked along her jaw up to her ear, where he nipped her earlobe. “Mine, Hope. Forever,” he whispered.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Paxton lay on his back with Hope sprawled over him. The scent of orange spice and vanilla beans surrounded him. He’d never, in his entire life, felt this good. For years he’d wanted Hope. Her gift of herself was more than he’d ever deserved. However, he would never let her go now. There was barely room for the two of them on the narrow cot, but he didn’t care. All hell was breaking loose in the world, and right now, all he felt was peace.
Finally.
He’d stoked the fire not long ago, so it crackled, spreading heat throughout the small structure. A quick glance at the splintered door showed light still coming under it, but the afternoon was half over. Night would arrive within a few hours, and the Kurjans would attack the Realm.
There was no doubt he needed to be there.
“I wish we could stay here forever,” she mumbled, her mouth moving on his shoulder.
So did he. “We’d starve.”
She moved her compact body against him and awakened his interest again. “Might be worth it.”
“Definitely worth it.” He kept his voice light. Even in this moment of bliss, he couldn’t stop worrying about Hunter and Vero. Had they found shelter? Had they found help? It frustrated him that he couldn’t be there covering their backs. That he could only hope they were safe.
Vero hadn’t expressed any emotion regarding Hunter’s betrayal, but surely there had to be tension boiling up between them. Paxton had to believe that Vero was strong enough to deal with the situation at hand and face the personal crap later when there was time and space to do so. It was amazing how quickly he found himself caring about this newfound brother.
Hope stirred, her hand sliding across his chest. “I can’t believe you killed Drake,” she said softly, tracing a pattern across the mating mark covering his heart.
Paxton ran a hand down her thick hair and kept going, tracing the fine lines of her small body to cup her buttock. “I think Drake and I both knew it would always come down to that in the end,” he admitted. “We just didn’t know which way it would go.” There had been no hesitation in his movements, even though he and Drake had known each other as children. When it came to Hope’s safety, Paxton would never waver. That was absolute. Hopefully she understood, but even if not, he wouldn’t be moved.
“The Kurjans never should have invented that knife,” she said. “Any weapon that can decapitate an immortal so quickly should be outlawed.”
Paxton couldn’t argue with that sentiment, although he’d been happy he’d had the weapon at that moment. While he could live with killing the Kurjan leader, his Hope was a sweetheart with a kind soul. Even though she was a fighter, a warrior even, she’d had such dreams about fixing the world. “Drake didn’t give us a choice. You know that, right?”
She nodded and her head bumped his chin. “I do know,” she said. “He was going to kill you and Hunter, and at some point, me. I would’ve done it if I’d had my hand on the knife,” she admitted quietly. “I’m not sure what that says about me. We’ve been friends since we were kids, and I still think I should have been able to find a way for us all to live peacefully together.”
His heart turned over as it usually did when she showed her sweet side. He wouldn’t allow her to blame herself for the outcome. “I wish we could have found peace as well, but that’s not what Drake wanted. He didn’t give either of us a choice.”
She was silent for several long moments, no doubt thinking through his words. “Do you think there was ever a point, even for a moment, when he wanted to work with us? To make peace for everybody and not just his version, where he ruled the world?”
“No.” Paxton had seen the truth in the Kurjan leader from the beginning. “Sorry.”
She sighed. “Why do you think he captured those enhanced females and yet promised to let them go?”
“He was probably lying.”
She shook her head and bumped his chin harder. “I don’t think so. It felt like he was telling me the truth. The Kurjans are injecting something into the enhanced females. I don’t know what. I don’t know why. It’s driving me a little crazy, and I’m worried about Lyrica and Genevieve, who are two enhanced females that were kind to me when Drake kidnapped me.”
“We’ll find them and free them,” Pax promised. Having her naked body wrapped over him was killing him, but he’d already taken her three times, and she had to be sore. He forced himself to relax. He now had lifetimes to enjoy with her, and keeping her safe and comfortable and happy would always be his first priority. “We’ll figure out the Kurjan plans. All of them. Vero didn’t know, but at some point, we’ll infiltrate their entire computer system and find out what the Kurjans are up to.” He flexed his wrist, still feeling residual pain from yesterday’s break. He sent healing cells to the fracture lines and to his fingers to repair the damage sustained during the torture Ulric had inflicted on him.
Hope kissed his chest, and he felt the small touch to his heart. Maybe deeper. “You’re better? Your blood isn’t sluggish any longer?” she asked.
“Yes. The Kurjans do seem to like their drugs lately.” His blood was finally flowing freely as his body accepted the return to his actual genetic composition. He shifted uneasily. Even though he had evil Kurjan blood in his lineage, he wasn’t letting her go. Maybe it was because of the evil. He didn’t care. “Should we talk about the fact that I’m a Kurjan?” The idea made him want to hit something. Hard.