Page 43 of To Crave Truly

There were two figures, heads together, strolling along the edge of the mountain. I couldn’t see her clearly, but I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that was my Lori.

“Lori!” I shouted.

She paused and turned this way and fuck, my heart leaped in my chest. Too long I had been without her, too long I had missed her touch, her kiss. I snapped my wings out and flew the short distance just to reach her quicker. I scooped her into my arms and sped into the sky. The sharp burst of her laughter lifted my heart, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as I possibly could.

I landed at the top of the mountain, far away from prying eyes just so I could have a moment without anyone interrupting us. Our bond snapped instantly back into place, pulling us together until my lips closed the few inches to hers. Hell, how much I had missed the taste of her. Her lips were soft beneath mine and a low moan rumbled out of me.

Her tongue pushed past my lips with little resistance, and I tightened my fingers around her hips, walking her backwards until her back hit the rocky wall behind her. Fuck, I never wanted this kiss to end.

Her hands ran up my back to where my wings protruded, causing another groan when her fingers brushed my sensitive feathers. I could feel that touch all the way down to my cock. My foot slipped between hers and she widened her legs, giving me space to get even closer. I nestled my hips against hers and loved the gasp that escaped her lips.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly.

“Hi.” I rested my forehead against hers and just breathed in our connection for a minute. Now that she was here in front of me, I felt settled and content. Like I was finally whole again.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Honestly,” she said, looking at the ground, “I’m angry and hurt. He took something from me. He took my choice away and now he’s making me—”

She broke off in a scream and doubled over in pain. “Lori!”

I could feel her pain through the bond because we were one heart and soul. What she felt, so did I and vice versa. There was an intense stabbing pain in my lower gut, like someone had thrust a knife in there and was rearranging my insides.

Her fingers dug into my arms as I held her until whatever this was had passed. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

She’d gone pale. Well, paler than she was. Her eyes looked dull, and her body trembled.

“Mordecai had Selene cast a spell.”

“What kind of spell?”

She shook her head and mimed zipping her lips.

That motherfucker! “A spell of silence?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a spell that removes your ability to say certain things. I’m guessing so you can’t blab about his plans. It shouldn’t cause pain though.”

Lori’s mouth turned down in a grimace. “Oh, that was all Selene.”

“I’ll have their heads. I’ll slice their skin from their bones and—”

Lori placed her hand over my mouth, silencing me. “Save the violence for later, love.”

My anger instantly melted at her words, and I nipped at her fingers.

“Hey!” she said with a soft laugh. “I bet I can bite better than you now.”

I instantly sobered, reminded of the horrible thing Mordecai had done. How could I have created something that could cause so much pain. So much trauma. “I’m sorry he did this to you, Lori.”

She looked away, and, whilst I felt her anger and pain, there was also an undercurrent of shame.

“It’s not your fault, Lori.”

“I know,” she said softly. “Doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.”

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