Page 46 of Destined to the Reaper

The space around him blurred as he opened a doorway through the Veil. He stepped forward and vanished from view. The blurring faded, and I turned my gaze towards Pharos, still shaken by this encounter.

“How are you faring?” he asked, studying my features.

“I’m fine,” I said in a slightly distracted tone. “Actually, I feel great. Whatever magic you used to heal me is amazing. But I’m more concerned about this thing with Cornelius. Did you know about this?”

“What exactly did my brother tell you?”

Although annoyed that he didn’t immediately answer my question, I answered his by giving him a quick summary of our discussion. Pharos pinched his lips, visibly displeased by some of the things Haroth told me.

“I didn’t know about Cornelius’s master plan. I knew he would want to get me back and intended to tell you after we had completed the first mission. I just wish my brother wouldn’t have interfered the way he did.”

“Why not?” I asked, feeling somewhat offended. “I needed to know this. How am I to make an enlightened decision about how to manage the situation if I don’t have the full picture?”

“I know. Sadly, I have this insane urge to protect you. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. You only have two days to decide. It feels like an unfair amount of pressure. You cannot come without giving me your soul. If you do, we are both guaranteed to die. So how do I tell you that without you thinking that I’m trying to coerce you into giving in to me?”

A horrible thought suddenly hit me as he spoke those words.

“Is that why you’ve been asking for my soul this whole time? Because you can’t succeed without owning me?”

I felt guilty as soon as I blurted out those words. Seeing him recoil and a hurt expression descending over his features only heightened my guilt.

“No, Kali. Long before I even knew you would be my salvation, I wanted you. I’ve hungered for your soul from the very first time I saw you. You were standing by the entrance of Cornelius’s mansion with your brother. The whole time he was making his case about why Cornelius should take you both as apprentices, I was just transfixed by you. When I gave you my soul in the crypt, it was like being hugged by the Gods themselves. For the first time since this whole nightmare began, I actually wanted to be fully owned by someone. I could have remained a part of you forever.”

My throat constricted, and I slipped my arms around his waist. He drew me against him and wrapped his wings around me.

“I have seen and felt your soul, Kali. We were one, in perfect unison. So long as I draw breath, I can never want anyone else more than I want you.”

“I felt you, too, Pharos. It was… perfect harmony. I also remember thinking it was like the light of the Gods had filled me.”

“It’s because we are soulmates, my bride.”

“I think you’re right. I think wearesoulmates,” I said, the truth of that statement settling deeply in my heart.

Pharos leaned forward and claimed my lips in a kiss filled with such tenderness I felt myself melting from the inside out. My hands glided up his broad chest, over his shoulders, and sank into the soft locks of his black hair streaked with silver.

He immediately deepened the kiss, the flame of passion sparking low in my belly in response. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, our tongues still mingling as he carried me back inside my room.

Chapter 12

Kali

My stomach fluttered with anticipation as Pharos stopped right in front of the bed. He didn’t put me down right away, as reluctant as I was to end the kiss. Just like when he had been in his Wraith form during our couplings prior to his rebirth, his body was warm, but his breath cool. He tasted fresh, like anise and mint with a hint of honey. The texture of his tongue had lost that sponginess to be more like the one of a human although a bit rougher.

He finally loosened his hold around me, letting me slide along his muscular body until I was back on my feet. However, he pulled up the flowy, white nightgown I hadn’t even noticed I was wearing. By the fresh and slightly fruity scent emanating from my skin, I realized that my man had bathed me before putting that gown on me.

I’d been too frazzled by finding Haroth in my room when I woke up to really pay attention to such a detail. But the silkiness of the fabric against my skin as he pulled it off me screamed its luxury. He tossed it aside before reclaiming my lips. The heatof his body against mine sent a shiver down my spine. But the hardness of his pauldron, and the skirted belt that covered his tight pants annoyed me to no end.

I wanted to explore and feel all of him… therealhim.

Even as our tongues warred, I let my hands roam down his sides, lingering for the briefest moment on the exposed bones of his ribcage that peeked between the skin. It could have been creepy, but in his case, it was not only sexy, but it also gave him a dangerous and otherworldly edge that I found quite the turn on.

Pursuing their journey south, my hands settled on the large metallic belt adorned with a skull. I blindly fiddled with it until I successfully unclasped it. I let it fall off him. It landed on the floor with the soft rustling sound of fabric followed by the muffled thump of the belt. I immediately went on to loosen the lace holding up his pants. Pharos didn’t resist, but broke the kiss, his right hand fisting my hair on my nape as he began to cover my jaw and neck with kisses.

Another shiver coursed through me when he nibbled on that sensitive spot right in the crook of my neck. During our previous nights together, Pharos had been extremely attentive to my responses to his touch. His generosity as a lover had taken me by surprise. It had been difficult for me to fully assess his own reactions to my caresses. As a Wraith, his facial features had been too undefined to properly convey his emotions. His partially ethereal body had also made it impossible to know for certain what his responses would be to real physical contact. And I wanted to discover everything about him.

Starting with that mysterious cock of his…

As soon as I detached the lace, I tugged down the leathery fabric of his trousers. Pulling away from his lips still roaming over my neck and the curve of my shoulders, I started reciprocating with kisses along his neck and chest. The way he initially stiffened hinted that he wasn’t necessarily keen onrelinquishing control. To my delight, he gradually relaxed, his hand still cupping the back of my head, but without restraining my movements.

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