Page 33 of Retribution

“Me too.” I reached forward, rubbing away the trail of moisture from her eyes. “Want to be scared together?”

She smiled at that, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “They all expect me to be so strong, but this –” she paused and swallowed, “It’s a lot.”

I moved closer to her, close enough that I laid kisses on her skin and felt her warmth, letting it soak into my soul, savoring the comfort. “No one expects anything more than you can give.”

She rolled onto her back, and I followed her, hovering without laying my weight against her, placing kisses any place my mouth could touch. Her body arched toward me, and in an instant, I could smell her want for me. “Do you think you will ever get tired of me?”

I laughed against her skin because the thought was so outrageous I couldn’t fathom it. “You? Never. Though that wolf has overstayed his welcome.”

Her body moved with a silent laugh. “He will grow on you.”

“I don’t know if I’m willing to wait for that.” I bit at her skin, letting my incisors pierce into her just enough to cause the tiniest bead of blood. I lapped it up, letting it hit my body with a powerful punch, giving me instant energy.

Her hands were on me, and her touch never got old. I never grew tired of the feel of her palm gliding over my chest or her fingers playing with my hair. I never would. The fates gifted her to me, and I wasn’t about to regret a single second of this gift.

“I’m going to live out every second for the rest of my life loving everything about you, Liberty. And when the fates see fit to take my life away from me, I’ll carry that love to the afterlife.”

I shimmied her shorts down her hip, making my intent clear. If she didn’t believe me, I would show her in every way I knew how. She gasped as my tongue traveled up her bare thigh, “Do you think there is an afterlife?”

“If there is, I’m about to fuck you into it.” I laughed, and she pulled my hair at that.

“Is that a promise?” She had a single brow raised in question when I gazed up at her.

“It’s a guarantee.” Then, I spent the next three hours loving every inch of my woman, proving to her all the things about her I would never get tired of.

Chapter 16

LIBERTY

I wokeup next to Ellis on his two hundred and twenty-third birthday and didn’t whisper a word about it as I dragged him out of bed and into the shower with me. Then, I let him make me breakfast because birthday or not, no one made pancakes like he did. Each bite tasted like home, reminding me that for the rest of my life, this was where I was supposed to be.

Home. Ellis was my home.

I leaned over from where I sat on the counter to kiss him, and he gladly stopped what he was doing to oblige. “Such a gentleman.”

He smirked. “That’s not what you were saying last night.”

“I said a lot of things last night that can’t be held against me in the light of day,” I confessed because, well, he rocked my world so many times that I knew incoherency became my second language.

“I certainly hope not. Every word that fell from your lips I took as a promise.” He winked before pulling away and flipping the pancake.

“You two make me gag,” Sterling mumbled as he walked in. His eyes instantly fell to Ellis, and I knew out of reflex he wanted to say something more, but every person had a gag order. Absolutely no acknowledgment of Ellis’ birthday until after he is thrust into the surprise party.

“You two got a late start,” Oak added as he came through the doorway. “It’s almost noon.”

“I figured I would feed her before we figured out our day.” Ellis handed me a plate of food, and I dove right in. I got Oak’s hint. Our backyard was filling up rapidly with paranormal people dead set on celebrating with us. But a pancake first couldn’t hurt, right? Besides, we all knew I would still eat the food out there. Apparently, carrying a shifter made calories run through me quicker than fuel on a road trip.

I helped him clean after we ate, distracting him enough to allow everyone else to finish the prep work. Then, when the clock hit twelve-thirty, I set it all in action.

I cleared my throat as I watched him dry the last plate. “So, it’s almost noon thirty.”

“Why do you always insist on saying it like that? It sounds completely ridiculous.” He put the plate into the cabinet.

“Because it sounds completely ridiculous,” I confessed.

“Fair enough.” I reached for his hand. “I wanted to show you something.”

“Show me something? No.” An evil grin took over his face. “I want to show you something.”

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