Page 7 of Fallen Heirs

“You’re wrong.”

“I’m not.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Your mother? She’s with him. You can’t tell me you’re keeping a clear head about that.”

“She’s not my target.”

“How can that be? They’re together. She’s his right-hand.”

“She’s Elliot’s target. I won’t have anything to do with it. As it should be. When emotions are involved in battle, it impacts our strategic thinking. It happened to me in the DFR dungeon when I saw the state of my father and then when you showed up.”

“I’m not sitting this out. I’m not.”

I reached out and cupped her face. “Alena, you just lost your mom. You need time to grieve properly. Beyond that, you also need to get your bearings after being afflicted with black magic sickness for so long, and held captive too. You need time to get back to the life you were building for yourself. You need some happiness, a break free of pain and battle and all this talk of war. With Constantine and his acolytes currently in the wind, that time is now.That’swhat you need to focus on.” I nuzzled my cheek against hers. “Iloveyou, Alena. I want you to experience some happiness again, love and comfort. Let me give that to you. Letus.Please.” I pulled away a little and told her urgently, “And for the love of Hades, keep your new ability between the four of us. No one else can know, okay?”

She stared at me for several moments, taking my words in.

Then she stroked my cheek, searching my eyes. “You really love me? You didn’t just say that in the moment—or now—to reel me in?”

“I would never utter those words unless they rang absolutely true, unless I was sure.” I grasped her hand on me. “I love you dearly. I love your fire and also your gentleness. I love your forthrightness and also the way you understand even the complicated parts of me. I love your strength and your vulnerability. I love your light as well as the darker side of you.I love all that you are and all that you can become.” I smirked out at her. “And I love how free-spirited you are, how fucking sexy, and how you can take us so incredibly well.” As she giggled at that, I pushed my body against hers, tracing my finger over her lips, as I whispered, “And I also fucking love that you have a primal kink and how downright dirty you can get when the three of us are all over you.”

She licked my finger, her eyes hooding. “And here I thought Xavier was the romantic one. But you can bring it too, just with a dose of filthy thrown into the mix.”

I grinned back at her. “That’s me, little angel.” I whispered at her ear, feeling her tremble as I spoke the hot, delicious words, “When we get back, I’ll give you that filthy side of me that you crave so much.”

Her magic burst from her and she knocked me into the wall, catching me off guard.

And then she was there, one hand squeezing my ass, the other grasping my cock through my leather pants. “Why wait?”

Fuck.A growl rumbled in my throat.

And as she started stroking my cock and digging her nails into my ass, the urge to sink into it and fuck her against the wall right here and now was overwhelming.

But as she went to kiss me, I turned my cheek to her, her soft lips brushing against my skin instead.

“Alena,” I breathed. “We can’t. Not here.”

“Mind-link the boys,” she said, licking along my jaw.

Oh fuck.Talk about testing my control.

“Mmm, and while we’re at it, why haven’t you included me in the mind-linking yet?”

“Soon.”

She frowned. “Whysoon?What’s the delay?”

“Your mind has already been invaded far too much, I didn’t want—”

“Stop it,” she said, pushing off me suddenly.

“Stop what?”

“Treating me like glass, Orpheus!” she cried, her voice echoing around the room and the plea in it rolling right through me.

---