Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
He released his bite to throw back his head, his roar echoing all around them. His hips jerked above her, cock pulsing.
As that pressure gave way to jets of seed, she branded him, connecting him, lighting his way. . . .
Forever.
The demon lay atop her, his heart thundering against hers. Poppy’s magic and his smoke mingled in the stillness of the ballroom.
Basking in his warmth, she murmured, “You.” I love you. I need you. Rök was hers.
Maybe she’d come to this place not only to break a curse but to find him.
He nodded and rasped, “Ah, Red, you.”
EIGHTEEN
Hours later, they lay on the dust cover on the floor, spent. Poppy had her head on Rök’s chest as he lazily threaded his fingers through her hair.
After indulging in another couple of rounds, they’d shared her apple muffin and some ideas for the future, then they’d set back in.
Eventually she’d begged no more, and still he made her come again. They’d broken the divan, so they’d moved to the floor with a vow to buy a stronger one for their new house.
This demon actually had been saving his coin very well. If she desired a mansion near her family with the biggest kitchen they could find, he’d purchase it today.
But all idylls must end. “As much as I’m enjoying this,” he said, voice husky from his bellows, “I don’t want to be late for the castle’s grand opening.”
When Poppy leaned up, his attention stole to his mark on her neck, pride and relief filling him. Already her regeneration was healing it, but the mark would remain forever.
“Me neither.” Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. Their lovemaking had chased away her worries, leaving him with a merry witch.
The storm had ended, and moonlight streamed through the windows to bathe her skin as she rose. Watching her don her clothes was nearly as sexy as her stripping them off.
He was about to kiss her again, but the stakes were too high. He rose to dress as well. “Maybe we should have made our way to the foyer and then attacked each other there.”
She glanced at her watch. “Moonset’s in two hours. Without the visitors dogging our every step, we should be okay.”
He didn’t understand how she’d quelled her curse, but they would figure out everything together. We have time.
Strapping on her satchel, she added, “Besides, we were living in the moment! Would you take back what just happened on that poor piece of furniture? Rest in pieces, divan.”
They shared a grin. Fuck, he was going to love life with her. They’d talked about having kids eventually, but for now, she wanted Rök all to herself. He felt the same about her, so she would drink a tea upon their return, and he would use a contraceptive charm going forward. . . .
Hand in hand, they left the ballroom with a last look. This was the place where they’d become Poppy and Rök, the mated pair, yet they would never see it again in all their immortal lives.
Outside, they carefully threaded their way back through the maze, taking in the aftereffects of Rök’s bruising battle.
Entering the castle once more, they paused long enough to settle on a likely direction—they couldn’t exactly retrace their original path—then set off through the endless hallways, turn after turn. Rök still hadn’t scented the other explorers, which meant Raven’s Murk would keep that secret for now. He and Poppy saw no signs of visitors, as expected, but loud knocks sounded from the direction of the lab.
The creature.
Poppy asked, “You think it knows the castle won’t open again for decades?”
“Maybe. But I don’t believe it can get loose.”
“Good. I can’t imagine that thing out in the world.”
As they navigated their way through the labyrinthine halls, she checked her watch again, appearing stressed. “I’m reminded of all those horror movie characters who have sex, and it ends up coming back to haunt them. Maybe we should have headed to the foyer first. Did we make a fatal mistake?”
“We’ll get there before moonset.” Giving it a second thought, he said, “Let’s leg it, just in case.”
They did. With each double back, they picked up the pace even more, until they were sprinting along corridors. Their finish line wasn’t just freedom from this place. It was the start of their existence together.
They ran for that life . . . reaching the foyer where it’d all begun—with only a quarter of an hour to spare.
Heading to a front window, they gazed out. “No sign of the ghouls,” Rök said. “Do you still have an ominous sense?”
Catching her breath, she said, “What I’m feeling for you kind of overwhelms everything, so I don’t even know up from down.” His arm found its way around her at that. “To be fair, I once experienced foreboding just because Clove had a wicked case of heartburn.”