Page 1 of Found In Destruction

PROLOGUE: DIANA

“Diana…” Mal moved through the apartment, sitting next to me on the couch and placing his hand on my shoulder.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t catch the rest of what he said. Everything sounded as if I was underwater, distorted and fuzzy, far away. When he gave it a gentle squeeze, I snapped out of my fog for a moment. He wore blue jeans and a white tee under an open flannel shirt, a very appropriate outfit for the mid 1980s. Mal always looked good, like he’d strutted off a runway or a magazine photo shoot.

Eventually, he’ll realize I’m not worth it and leave. He’ll break my heart, just like they did.

I shook the intrusive thought away and gave him a weak smile. He wrapped his arms around and pulled me into his lap. Burying my face into his chest, I breathed in his familiar cologne. It didn’t matter that we weren’t in our time–or that we left the other four men we cared for behind. Little things, like the smell of Mal’s cologne or the way he held me while I drench his shirt with tears, made me feel like I was safe. Like maybe, after my heart healed, we could build a home here.

Despite the chaos and devastation a couple days ago, I was able to time-hop us into mid-October 1985. Michael took us to one of Heaven’s safe apartments right on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen and the Garment District. Apparently, they had a whole network of these we could use, in multiple locations around the world and in various time periods.

That we had options should have made me feel better, but I felt empty. Lonely. Fucked up. Betrayed.

“Hey, look at me,” Mal whispered into my ear.

He took my chin between his finger and thumb and tilted it up, angling it so our lips met. It wasn’t a sexy kiss by any means—he didn’t bite my lip or dig his fingers into my hair. His kiss brought me out of my negative thoughts, to the here and now. It reminded me that I wasn’t alone. He was here with me.

“You’re never alone.” He echoed my feelings, smoothing his hand through my hair. “You’ll never be alone, because I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

All I could do was nod. Any energy I had was either used for the time-hop or for sobbing.

“The future seems dark, Diana, but know that there’s always light ahead.”

We spent the next couple cuddling in silence, finding comfort in each other’s company. It gave me time to think. Mal was right, everything, even the hurt that split my heart in two, was temporary.

The question was, how was I supposed to mend it?

1

DIANA

Warm lips kissed my cheek, trailing over my jaw, down my neck, and over my collar bone, each kiss becoming more fervent than the one before it. I rolled to my back, still half asleep. My eyes refused to open, even if there was an orgasm waiting for me. I’d been keeping up with my daily training since we left the compound and felt exhausted. Even though we were in Paris during the Victorian era, it had to be done. It was the only way to distract myself from everything.

“Princess…wake up,” Mal’s smooth voice crooned in my ear.

I groaned my protest at him, settling into a comfortable position with my arms thrown above my head and my cheek buried into the pillow. The hot, wet sensation of a tongue dragging over the valley between my breasts roused me from my semi-conscious state.

“Please wake up for me?” he mischievously asked as he parted my legs, and settled between them. He kissed my breasts tenderly, swirling his tongue around each nipple and sucking on them. It made me feel hot and bothered, like I had run a 5K even though I hadn’t moved. His teeth grazed the stiff peak and I opened my eyes.

“There you are.Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning.” My voice was raspy with need.

I wanted him inside me, around me. On top of me, beneath me. He’d been the calm to my emotional storm these past few months—a balm to my torn up heart and battered soul. The way he made me feel so loved and cherished was half the reason I hadn’t gone insane. The other half was sheer stubbornness.

I’m not going to let them destroy me.

He continued to kiss and nip his way down my stomach at a leisurely pace. His gaze burned into mine with every kiss, as if to tease me. I stretched out, letting my legs fall open for him in invitation. He reverently stared between them as he licked his lips, then kissed my right ankle. His lips moved up my calf, past my thigh, right to my seam. His teeth bared down, biting into the flesh there until I gasped. I moaned as he licked over the bite mark. He did the exact same thing on the other side, and I cried out when his teeth sank in, bucking toward him to get more friction.

“Mal!” I moaned, desperate forsomething.

“Your sweet cunt is glistening, and I've barely started. I’m not going to stop eating you until you’re gushing and dripping everywhere, then I’ll lick you clean. I want my face soaked in you. Just say the word, and I’ll make you scream, princess.” He locked eyes with me, the storminess within their blue depths roiling like the ocean.

Mal truly was an ocean–deep, dark, and full of unknown surprises. Sometimes he could be volatile beneath a calm surface. There was a churning force within him, and these past few months of us being alone gave him the room he needed to let it unfurl.

“Yes–” My word faded into a moan as he sucked on my clit and slid his tail inside me.

He wasted no time rubbing my G-spot as he licked and nibbled me, exploring with his tongue. His hands massaged my breasts, thumbs flicking my nipples. The way his eyes bore into me while he gave me such overwhelming pleasure made me tear up. He loved me so much and treated me like the princess he always claimed me to be. Not once since we made up has he ever deceived me. He has always stood by me, even when times were hard. As I writhed in our bed and screamed his name, I felt my magic burst from me.

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