“I love you.” He drives into me. “I love you more than anything in this Godsforsaken world.”
My heart does a hard flip. I believe him. I feel his truth as deep inside of me as he is, hammering me just as fiercely. Griffin would choose me over anything, which is why I can never get in his way of trying to make a better world—of bringing Thalyria back to what it once was.
And if I can’t stop him, I’ll have to help him.
“I will never leave you,” I vow, feeling the magic in my words bind me. “Only death can tear us apart, and even then, I will wait for you at the edges of the Underworld until you come to me again.”
“Cat.” His voice breaks. His thrusts falter.
Griffin pulls out of me, flips me over, and then covers me from head to toe, burying his face in my neck and his shaft between my legs. He makes love to me with fevered intensity, no longer dominant or in control. He shudders and rocks, and we chase each other blindly up a wave that builds, crests, and then finally crashes when I topple over the edge with a hoarse cry.
Griffin’s eyes capture mine. He holds my face in his hands. “You. Belong. With. Me.” He gives a final, hard thrust before his seed explodes inside of me, his claim still ringing off the granite walls. A magical tempest erupts from my body. Lightning and words collide in the air, the storm searing his declaration into my heart and mind. I’ll never doubt us again.
The room rocks. A crack snakes up the wall near my head, splitting the stone. Plaster dust shivers down from the ceiling. Reining in whatever is happening is beyond me. My emotions are raw and blazing, fanned into combustion by the beat of wings in my chest.
Griffin throws his head back. The sweat-beaded muscles in his corded neck bulge as his whole body goes rigid. It’s the most glorious sight I’ve ever seen. I drink it in. Drink him in—his scent and his seed, his love and his life force. My arms stop aching, and strength infuses every part of me, leaving me bursting with energy. And ready to start again.
Griffin tenses one last time and then slowly relaxes. He settles so he’s not crushing me, using his forearms to carry the bulk of his weight. His hands still hold my head. Brushing hair out of my face, he looks at me with sated, adoring eyes. He kisses me. “Kardia mou.”
I wrap my arms around his neck. I’ll bet my eyes are pretty sated and adoring, too. “You’re my heart as well.”
CHAPTER 4
WE SLEEP. WELL, GRIFFIN DOES, AND I WATCH HIM. HE’S clearly exhausted, with dark shadows under his eyes that not even the thick sweep of his inky lashes can hide. Even at rest, there’s an unusual tenseness around his mouth. I don’t close my eyes. I got plenty of sleep while I was finishing healing, escaping reality, and holed up in what turned out to be the one place no one thought to look for me.
I’m not exactly comfortable. The bed is small for Griffin. For both of us, it’s ridiculously tight, but there are worse things than being trapped against and tangled up with the man I love. The blanket is scratchy. The bare mattress isn’t much better. And it’s hot, but I’m learning to deal with that. Even like it. Sort of. It’s Griffin, so I can take it. Besides, whenever I try to wiggle away from him, even just a little bit, his arm tightens around me. Even in sleep, he’s not letting me go.
Finally, the torch gutters and dies. Oddly, it’s the sudden darkness that wakes him up. With a husky groan, Griffin nuzzles my neck as he sweeps his hand up my back. My leg slips between his, and I cling to his shoulders, loving the feel of all that solid muscle under warm, smooth skin. His already rock-hard arousal presses against my lower belly. When I press back, he makes a low, masculine sound that sets me on fire.
He curves his hand around my hip, holding me firmly against him. “Remind me to do some hiring. I need to employ a legion of poets.”
I kiss the underside of his scruffy jaw, rubbing against him. I can’t help myself. He feels so good. “A legion? That’s a lot of poets.”
“It’ll be worth it if one of them can possibly come up with the words to describe how much I want you right now.”
I’m on my back so fast it makes me dizzy. I laugh, already breathless with anticipation. “You just had me.”
“If it wasn’t within the last eight minutes, it doesn’t count.”
“Oh, it counted.” It counted so much I’ll never forget it as long as I live. My stomach dips at the memory of Griffin spanking me, of his unrelenting grip on my wrists, and of the explosive fullness when he finally thrust into me. Who knew that being so utterly at the mercy of another person—a person I trust—could be so fantastically exciting?
Griffin grunts and sucks hard on my neck, I’m sure leaving a mark. “Why do you always argue?”
I grin, not that he can see in the pitch-black. “Because I’m always right.”
He chuckles. “I’ll let you get away with that.”
Laughing, I wiggle underneath him. “Get away with that?”
“Yes. I have more important things on my mind.” He demonstrates by sliding down my body. The rasp of stubble, his hands and lips, and teeth and tongue make me forget not only what we were talking about, but how to talk. I grip his hair and mumble incoherently. With his mouth between my legs, he does a dozen different things that turn me inside out. My mind blanks, and pleasure takes over, leaving me throbbing and trembling in its wake.
The strength of my climax unleashes my unpredictable magic, and lightning bounces off the stone walls long enough to illuminate Griffin’s face. He looks smug and satisfied under a messy tumble of midnight hair.