Page 124 of The Eighth Isle

“And drink your coffee! Both of you—all of it,” she said with a wink.

I grabbed the half-filled cup in my hands and took a sip, just to do something. Just to stop feeling so…filthy.

“We’ll be okay,” Grey told her, drinking his own. “But Mamayka—if you cross us, youwillregret it, regardless of the end of the world.”

The threat was so subtle, and he spoke like he was wishing her good luck, but Mama Si stopped moving for a long second, and just looked at him. Not irritated, not offended, not afraid—she just looked at him.

Then she straightened up and raised her chin. “This is my godson we’re talking about, Master Evernight. Your threats don’t scare me—I frankly couldn’t care less about you.” And she turned around and walked back toward the mansion. “I’ll see you soon!”

I lowered my head to hide my smile until she wasn’t there anymore, then looked at Grey—who was also grinning.

“She’s batshit.” Mama Si was absolutely insane.

“But she’ll help us,” Grey said with a nod, looking at the door. “We can trust her, at least for now.”

“I can’t believe she wants to be agodmother. I just… I can’t…” I really couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“She’s lonely. She wants a family. She considers you very close for some reason.”

Again, I shook my head. “Why?” She manipulated me. She threw me to the Evernights—literally. How could I even begin to believe that she cared about me even a little bit?

“Because she’s been around a long time and she can read people, possibly better than anyone else in the world right now. She knows you. She sees who you are.”

I rested back on the chair and drank my coffee. “And who am I?”

Grey leaned in to kiss me on the lips gently. “You just might be the only pure soul both me and Mamayka will ever come across. Determined. Loyal. Beautiful, in and out.” I blushed bright scarlet. “And so damn delicious I can’t get enough of you.”

I laughed. “Mama Si doesn’t know that, though.”

“But I do.” Another kiss. “Are you done eating? Because you need to rest, baby. Because we got things to do after.”

My toes curled in my sandals. “What things?”

He grinned, so handsome my heart fucking stopped. “Words don’t really do them justice. I’ll have to show you,” he whispered. “Let’s go lie down.”

He stood up and waited for me to drink my coffee, then took my hand and led me back to the bedroom without my having to even tell him the way. But Grey didn’t let me even kiss him when we got on the bed, insisting that I needed to sleep a little first.

And I did. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to, but my stomach was full and my body light and his arms were wrapped around me tightly, my head resting on his shoulder.

I fell asleep within the minute.

Twenty-Six

Wasit possible that I was feverish? Because it felt like my skin wasburning.

Or maybe somethingundermy skin?

Possible, but it burned the most between my legs.

Fuck, I was so wet, and I could tell even before I’d fully awakened. Even before I was aware of my surroundings—of the soft bed underneath me, the smooth sheets, Grey’s hand closed around my breast and his hot lips on my neck, right below my ear. He was whispering, too, words I couldn’t understand the meaning of, but I understood his tone of voice.

I understood thathewas burning, too, with that exact same fire.

“Grey,” I whispered, and I tried to grab him, pull him closer—I needed him so much closer.

He pressed himself against my back hard, his cock against my ass, his hand squeezing my breast harder as he sank his teeth in my neck—not fangs, just normal, square teeth.

“God, baby, I want to fuck you so badly,” he said, and it sounded like the words were painful for him to say. The fire under my skin turned up instantly. “Ineedto. I need to?—”

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