Page 41 of Lifeblood

We stared at each other, both our chests heaving with our release. That was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced. Not that the one-night stands I’d had over the years could come close to comparing.

“I can’t wait to mark you,” Gareth said as we held eye contact. Intense and dark and full of desire. “To claim you. To have you submit to me in full.”

“Soon,” I replied. It was all I could say. Because the release of all the tension between us had nearly taken me over. Had nearly broken me.

What would havingallfourof the demon kings claim me be like?

Gareth helped me up. “Yes, soon. Although I quite like you on your knees.”

CHAPTER16

Icleaned up in Gareth’s chambers and then stayed there when maybe I shouldn’t have. Not just because of what had happened between us, but because I was supposed to be treating all of the demon kings equally. Although… it was hard to turn down the Gareth asking me to stay. It’d turned into him holding me, which had turned into a nap that had come on fast and easy for us both until a rousingSLAMsent us both jolting out of bed.

Gareth rolled out of his plush bed right onto his feet, fires burning in his hands. His chest was bare, but he’d at least pulled back on his suit pants at some point.

I was less quick—and less dressed considering Gareth had torn up my dress last night. “It was probably just something falling.” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

The door to Gareth’s chambers burst open. The only hint we had of what was to come was a bone-chill that swept the room, followed by a piercing shriek.

More wraiths.

I wrapped the bedsheet around me and climbed from the bed, my free hand already in the air with light magic on my fingertips. The wraith steered clear from me, but Gareth was there, flanking the creature with a fistful of fire, which he drove into the wraith’s body. It shrieked again before shriveling up.

“Again?” I asked. Once, I could see. Twice was concerning. But athirdattack.

Tintagel and the High Palace aren’t safe anymore.

“Here,” Gareth said as he charged for a nearby wardrobe. From within, he withdrew a dress and threw it to me. I tried hard not to think about who might’ve worn this before—which of the women who’d gone on in my place.

I pulled it on gratefully and met him at the door, where he was tugging on a T-shirt.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” He ducked his head out the door and pulled back as another wraith appeared.

I reached forward this time, lighting up the wraith’s body with light magic. It burned away into fine dust. They were certainly easier to fight when workingwithsomeone.

“We need to find the others,” Gareth said, but when he turned back to me, concern was written in his features. “But we need to keep you safe, too.”

“I’m safest by your side.” I meant by the sides ofallthe demon kings, but there was no mistaking my words, or tone. Gareth and I had gotten off on the wrong foot entirely. But that didn’t matter now.

Gareth nodded. “Stay close.” Then he entered the corridor outside his chambers. I followed suit after slipping into the shoes I’d worn here and kept light magic glowing in my hands.

For every wraith that swooped in to attack us, we met them with fire and light, until nothing remained but ash. We fought our way back toward the great hall and my chambers. Some of the palace staff ran scared while those who could stayed to fight.

Other creatures attacked—the same some sort of invisible-like fae from the Court of Illusion who had attacked Lance and me. Others stood their ground with nothing but magic—mages and witches, I guessed.

That was when we saw large swaths of shadow literallyconsumingattackers.

Mordred.

Gareth stopped us before Mordred’s shadows, but the King of the Court of Darkness appeared in short order. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sight of the two of us together, especially our relatively disheveled appearance, seemed to stop him in his tracks.

His dark, cold eyes narrowed on Gareth. “We had an agreement.”

I stepped between them. We didnothave time for a kingly standoff if the palace was under attack. “Which was upheld. Now, can we help you or are you going to be stubborn about that, too?”

Mordred’s jaw worked. Gareth gave him the slightest of nods—an acknowledgment that I’d spoken the truth. Never mind that wenearlyhadn’t kept the agreement.

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