Page 50 of Dark Fate

"Well, take it up with Miss Exhibitionist 2.0 and her leafy lingerie obsession!" I mock glare when his wandering hand toys with the useless straps.

"Who the hell is this...Axilya? And these might need a deeper look..." Rhyland practically growls, laughing when I swat his grabby paws away.

"Settle down before you tear this cheap costume the rest of the way off!" I squeeze his hand firmly, our playful reunion kindling that soul-deep thrill singing again now we've beaten the odds.

"Maybe you won't need that dress much longer if I decide to have my way with you again," Rhyland teases, giving my ear a light nip.

I laugh, flipping on top of him and pin his roaming hands above his head, straddling his torso. "Oh no, you don't! I can overpower your frisky vampire ass now, mister."

Rhyland's eyes heat further as my weight settles across him. With one quick twist, he reverses our positions, pressing me down into the soft grass.

"I gotta admit, you got some balls for taking on creatures way outta your league; it's fuckin' adorable, Angel," he purrs. "Just don't forget who's got the upper hand when it comes to pure brute strength."

Oh, if he had a clue about my latest upgrade in ass-kicking—Matrix style—he'd know I took his brother down to the ground like yesterday’s trash.

His smirking face lowers toward mine, his warm lips finding the racing pulse in my neck. I tilt back obediently with a shaky exhale that makes him chuckle.

"Don't start something you can't finish—"

My half-hearted protest dies in a long moan as Rhyland claims my mouth fiercely, kissing me like a starving conqueror reunited with lost treasure at long last.

Rhyland

21

"I'm not about to promise my hands will stay to themselves with you strutting around in these little cocktease scraps, baby." A wicked grin slashes across my face, deep chuckles rolling out as my fiery angel slaps away my roaming hands again.

She's on about gentlemanly manners—as if that shit matters now!

Unable to resist another second, I roll us swiftly, pinning soft curves along the length of me. I grind against barely-there barriers, craving sweet skin-on-skin again. "No fuckin' chance of playing the gentleman when my sexy mate's here, squirming around half-naked like some live-action fantasy."

I match her fiery gaze with my own, a ferocious need boiling over to resume where fate's sick joke cut us off.

I take Dani's lips hard, my kiss a mix of raw demand and reverent worship as I savor every eager gasp and moan my hunger coaxes from her. Every inch of me thrums with a heated sense of rightness, feeling her pressed against me after what felt like a goddamn eternity of missing her.

It's sheer perfection...

Our lips part, both of us breathing hard, but I keep her clutched close, not letting an inch slip between us. "To hell with the damn prophecy and all—that can take a backseat for now," I state, my voice fervent as I speak against the rapid beat of Dani's pulse. "We got some major sexual reunion dues to repay first, baby."

Her eager moan urges me on readily enough. Chuckling wolfishly again, I haul Dani close, soaking up the salvation of her softness pressed against my hardness. But there's a gnawing pang of guilt—I almost lost my shit completely without her heavenly touch keeping the remnants of my soul from going to shit...

If not for this angel of a woman finding a goddamn spark of light in the pit of my dark-ass heart, I'd be just another monster gorging on bloodlust by now. I can feel the dark skittering away now, chased off by the blazing light that is everythingDaniis and stands for.

Tasting her blood is like mainlining liquid sun, jolting life into my dead veins and exorcising the icy emptiness from my godforsaken heart. Nothing compares to her, that sweet lifeblood that can bring a dead man's soul back from the brink, driving back the worst of the horrors nestled deep inside me.

"Wait—Where's Lucian?" Dani asks, her voice tinged with concern.

"He's fine. He's with Meadow—We'll get them... after I take care of you properly," I reassure her, my voice soft but firm.

"Meadow? Who—?"

"I'll explain later; don't worry about it."

I knowDani's worried aboutLucian, and rightfully so—he's family, and we don't leave our own behind. But right now, my priority is making sure my mate is safe and whole, both physically and emotionally.

With a predatory grace, I rise to my feet and haul Dani up with me. The moon's gentle rays caress her features, igniting a primal desire within me to strip away the flimsy fabric covering her silken flesh. Our intense gaze never breaks as I trail light fingertips along the barely joined seams of her garment, meticulously unraveling knots and showering whispered kisses upon every inch of exposed skin.

As the flimsy piece falls away from her breasts, her already-hardened nipples betray the effect of the cool night air. My fingers continue their exploration, circling and teasing each peaked nub until Dani gasps with pleasure. I lean down and take one into my mouth, lavishing it with attention until it hardens even further. She moans and tangles her fingers in my hair, urging me on.