Page 56 of Ira

I couldn’t tell her that I would be more than happy to take orders from her, so instead I shifted up the bed, burying my faceagainst her wet cunt, though none of the arousal stuck to my stupid human-realm form.

Meera gasped in surprise, arching her back, pressing further into me. “Is that your way of saying you wouldn’t mind? That’s so… hot. The idea of doing this with you in the shadow realm isn’t nearly as scary now.”

Good. Perfect. That was exactly how I wanted Meera to feel.

“Verner,” she whispered after a few moments, digging her heels into the mattress as a shudder ran down the length of her body. Of course she came quietly, her voice as delicate as it was when she was speaking. It was beautiful. I wanted to lean in close and hoard every sound for myself.

I lifted my gaze to Meera’s face, where she was staring down at me, shiny fingers still lightly toying with her cunt.

“Maybe one more,” she whispered. “Be good, and stay right where you are.”

Yes, my darling. Anything for you.

Chapter 19

Islept restlessly and woke up feeling hot and sticky and… embarrassed?

No, that wasn’t quite right. Or maybe it was and there was embarrassment there, but it was also a little more complex than that. I was selfishly glad that Verner wasn’t in his corporeal form so we didn’t have to talk about what I’d done last night. But I didn’t regret that it had happened. A tiny fissure had formed in the wall I’d had up when he’d fed from me in the in-between, but getting myself off in front of him—for no reason other than I wanted to—had been like taking a sledgehammer to it.

There was no going back now. There was no “just friends” after that. The problem was, whatwerewe if we weren’t just friends? I wasn’t built like the other ex-Hunters. I wasn’t romantic. I didn’t know how to open up and be vulnerable and trust.

Verner deserved everything. All of someone. He had so much to give in return. Could I be that for him when my brain kept fighting me at every turn?

Could I fight back?

I blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from my eyes, startling when I realized Verner wasn’t in the room with me. Throwing the sheets off the bed, I sprinted for the bathroom, still naked, just catching myself in time before I turned the lights on.

“There you are,” I breathed, clutching my chest. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how much light would filter through the blinds.”

Verner reached out, touching my cheek in a reassuring gesture.

“This is so less than ideal,” I murmured, hating that he was stuck in this dark, horrible bathroom. “Is it worth me pointing out again that you can go home? Because you can. This is awful for you.”

Verner slowly and deliberately shook his head. After a second’s pause, he ran a shadowy finger along my jaw, before dragging it down my neck. And then lower. I shivered at the phantom feel of his touch on my sternum, before his movement came to a stop just above my bellybutton. My usual self-consciousness about my stomach was nowhere to be found, not when I couldfeelhow much Verner wanted me.

“I’m going to shower,” I mumbled, face heating as I realized how sticky I was between the legs. Even if I wasn’t, I’d be showering again, trying not to think about the kinds of sheets I’d been sleeping naked on last night.

There was nowhere for Verner to go, so he hung around as the shower sputtered reluctantly to life and I waited for the water to work its way up to lukewarm. While I couldn’t see his eyes—just the hood—itseemedlike he was watching with interest, probably curious about how things worked in the human realm. This late-eighties motel room definitely wasn’t the finest example of new technology.

My stomach complained loudly as I finished washing and drying myself, and I shot Verner a guilty look. “I might have to venture out to get food.”

He didn’t shake his head, but he didn’t nod supportively or touch my face either. It was a necessary evil, and we both knew it.

“I’ll be as fast as I can,” I promised, heading back into the bedroom to pull on my clothes from yesterday. The sweatshirt still wasn’t dry, so I reluctantly put Harlow’s tight jacket on top, catching my reflection in the mirror above the small table as I did so.

I looked tired, and my messy bun was more like a bird’s nest, but other than that…

Honestly, I looked pretty good. I couldn’t remember the last time I looked in a mirror on purpose, but I was certain that the person looking back at me now wasn’t the same as the person who’d looked back at me then.

This woman had life in her eyes. She had resolve. Her chin wasn’t tucked down, but lifted and proud. She looked like she unapologetically took up space around her like it was hers to take.

She also looked like she’d had several orgasms in the past twenty-four hours, and was intending to have several more.

I liked the woman I saw in my reflection.

I was going to keep her.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I called to Verner, shoving my feet into my shoes and heading out the door, locking it behind me and making a beeline for the van. I didn’t intend on going far, but this area definitely didn’t encourage walking. It made me miss the shadow realm even more, where I wandered through peaceful gardens to get wherever I needed to go.

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