Page 18 of A Petal in the Crown

It was the most beautiful sight Gray had ever seen; her head thrown back and her body quivering as he fucked her with his fingers, and he was certain it was an image he would never forget as long as he lived.

It wasn’t until she stilled beneath him that he pulled his fingers back, pressing kisses up her belly and neck until he was on top of her. He kicked off his pants and ripped off his shirt, unable to stand the thought of his skin not touching hers for another second. He was so hard it was painful, but he didn’t want to rush. He needed to take his time, to feel and taste and worship every single inch of her.

Lea’s hands trailed the lines of his back, pulling him closer, their hearts pounding in rhythm with one another as he dipped his head to her breast, swirling his tongue around her nipple. She squirmed against him, arching to push her breast deeper into his mouth as her shadows reached between them and positioned him at her opening.

Gray’s chest rumbled, the feeling of her, warm and soft against him, driving him mad.

"Please," she begged, pulling him closer. "Please. I need to feel you."

And suddenly, the desire to go slow, to savor every moment, was crushed to bits.

He thrust inside her, gliding in as if his cock had been made just for her, and Lea cried out, her fingernails biting into his back. Gray reached the end of her and stilled, allowing her to adjust.

He could hardly breathe, the need to move so intense, it made his muscles shake. Lea wiggled beneath him, a silent plea for more, and he groaned, allowing himself to give in to the overwhelming need to claim her as his. To fuck her so deeply, so thoroughly, that even the gods would know she was his, and only his. That he would never again allow her to be taken away from him.

He began to move, his pleasure building unlike anything he’d ever felt before as he thrust again and again, harder and deeper, their need for one another driving them to the brink and holding them there for only a moment before they tumbled over the edge together. Lea screamed his name, and Gray growled hers as her walls pulsed around him, squeezing him as he spilled himself inside her.

It was ecstasy. Absolute euphoria.

"Mine," he rumbled into her mouth as he stilled, breaths ragged and heart thundering.

They laid there together, unable to part for gods knew how long. Gray pressed kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, her eyes and nose and jaw, and then finally, her lips before grabbing a wet cloth to clean Lea and himself. The sight of Lea’s flushed skin was breathtaking, and his eyes lingered for several long moments before he finally pulled the blanket back over them and gathered her into his arms. His fingers caressed an absent trail up and down her arms as their breathing returned to normal.

"Gray," Lea said, her voice sounding somehow melodic and broken at the same time. "I still don’t…" Lea trailed off, and even without the bond, Gray could tell what she was thinking.

"We lost one hundred and sixty-two brave men and women," he said, his voice low and somber. He’d forgotten that she had no clue what the outcome of the battle had been, other than their own deaths. "Your friends are alive. As is Vincent. All the fatal injuries were sustained in battle. The moonflowers worked, Lea. Not just for us, but for the sick and injured as well. There’s no trace of the Lonely Death within the camp."

Lea sucked in a sharp inhale, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. It was the first moment since her death, both here and beyond the veil, that Gray saw a small bit of light within her. Of who she used to be. The soft, gentle woman she’d been before.

She nodded. "And Alaric?" Her words were tight, and within an instant, every hint of that softness was gone. Black flames danced along her skin, up her legs and around her hands.

Gray shook his head. "We don’t know where he is. There’s been no sign of him so far."

"He could be anywhere." Darkness flooded Lea’s features, and it struck Gray how fierce she looked. Purely Fae, the flickering light of her fire accentuating her sharpened cheeks and jaw, the graceful way she turned her head.

"How many caves and small villages are there to hide in throughout the kingdom?" she asked.

"Hundreds," Gray answered. "But I know this land. No matter how long it takes, wewillfind him." He grabbed her face again, shaking gently to emphasize his promise.

Lea’s hand drifted to her head, her fingers trailing the moonflower crown above her brow. "And what if we don’t have time?" The desperation in Lea’s voice made Gray pause. Fear flooded his veins, instant and overwhelming. He grabbed herchin and met her eyes.

"What do you mean? What aren’t you telling me, Little Flower?" he asked, a shiver running down his spine.

The silence was thick and heavy as Lea swallowed, nodding absently, her eyes millions of miles away. Gray watched as she closed her eyes. Forced himself to remain still as she took a deep breath and commanded her flames and shadows to diminish, her nostrils flaring as she fought against her own power.

"The goddess said only I could end this. That I have to be the one to make the killing blow," Lea said. Gray’s heart thundered against his ribs as he searched her gaze, but it wasn’t pride or confidence he saw there. It was pure terror.

"This crown. I—" she paused, pressing her lips together. Gray somehow kept the dread and horror off his face as he grabbed Lea’s hand and squeezed. He waited for her to continue,doing everything he could to make sure she knew she wasn’t alone in whatever she was about to tell him.

"Until the last petal falls. That’s how long we have to kill Alaric and return the magic he stole to the earth."

Gray sucked in a breath, his lungs constricting as he counted the flowers on her crown—forty-two tiny, pure white petals dispersed around crescent shaped seeds in between the dark thorns. "How often do they fall? How much time do we have?" he asked, needing to know the answer and afraid to hear it all at once.

"I don’t know. I don’t know anything, other than I have until this crown is bare to kill Alaric."

"And if it takes more time?" Gray swallowed, steeling himself for her answer.

A single tear rolled down Lea’s cheek, a sliver of emotion betraying her stony exterior. "Then I return beyond the veil—"

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