Page 3 of For Love and Blood and Fury

Gently, she unlocked a treasured memory from Elena’s youth, allowing Elena to experience it again. A vivid sense memory of freedom—bare feet sinking into wet sand, the salty tang of ocean air, golden skin baking in the sun.

Elena gasped, immersed in the warmth and joy of a stolen moment centuries ago. Zuri’s gift never failed to overwhelm the senses. And just like that, they were yanked into the past. Elena’s past. Her first life.

Closing her eyes, Zuri was dragged into the place Elena had gone back to a thousand times when they were together. The place that Zuri knew better than she knew her own memories.

The brilliance of the Spanish sun momentarily blinded her as she emerged from the cool alleyway into Cadiz’s bustling town square. Her ears were assaulted by the cacophony of Spanish merchants loudly hawking their wares, raucous laughter spillingfrom crowded taverns, and the cries of seagulls overhead. The scent of the nearby ocean mingled with smells of roasted meat and sweat from the throngs of people. If only Elena didn’t remember the smells so strongly—or if deodorant had been invented.

Beside her, Catalina appeared—dark, flawless skin reflecting her Moorish ancestry and grin radiant. Zuri wasn’t just watching the memory unfold; she was in it now, standing in Elena’s place. Zuri could choose to watch the memory rather than experience it, but she loved this one too much not to live it along with her. Elena knew that and had selected it anyway.

Catalina’s hand grasped hers tightly, just as it must have grasped Elena’s centuries ago. The mischief in her unforgettable eyes was impossible to resist. “Come on!” Catalina urged, breaking into a run and pulling Zuri forward, the vividness of the memory dragging her deeper into Elena’s past.

Drunk on the ignorance and exuberance of youth, Zuri hiked up her pain-in-the-ass skirts, relishing the feeling of the sun-warmed cobblestones beneath her sandals. They darted through the crowded marketplace. Running, they dodged old women shaking their heads in open disgust at two girls experiencing joy, and ignored leering men who shouted vulgar things.

The sounds of the busy port faded away as they slipped through a narrow crevice in the old stone walls surrounding the city. Stones that were smooth beneath Zuri’s palms when she pushed off of them, throat raw from laughter.

Cool sea spray misted Zuri’s flushed and heated skin. Their secret cove waited just ahead, waves crashing rhythmically against the jagged boulders. Zuri squealed as Catalina suddenly tugged her into the refreshing turquoise waters, their silk and linen garments clinging to their bodies and growing heavy. Zuri could never imagine wearing so much fucking fabric. And then washing it all by hand.

After splashing each other in the surf, they sprawled atop a huge sun-bathed rock jutting out of the sand. Zuri closed her eyes, stretching out to let the glorious sunlight dry her drenched clothes.

A light touch brought her back to the moment. Catalina was slowly tracing the length of Zuri’s bare arm with her fingertips the way she’d once touched Elena. She opened her eyes to find Catalina propped up on one elbow, gazing down at her with naked longing.

Zuri’s heart soared in her chest when Catalina leaned down, her intentions clear. In this charged moment, Zuri knew with absolute clarity that she would risk everything for a taste of the forbidden. Do anything to keep Catalina’s love. To gaze at her until they died old and wrinkled and content.

When Catalina’s soft lips met hers, all rational thought fled her mind. She pulled the other girl tightly against her body, losing herself in the tender kiss.

In this perfect moment, there were no societal rules, no fire and brimstone, no consequences for their risky actions. There was only the blissful press of Catalina’s body and the gentle caress of the sea breeze.

That was all Elena wanted to remember. Zuri knew the rest from the secrets they’d whispered to each other in the dark. Knew that the uncomplicated joy of Elena’s first love would fall victim to social mores. To Catalina’s parents’ decision to marry her off to a financier in Seville. And then there was Elena’s reckless reaction.

Easing out of the memory and into the present, the scent of salt was still lodged in Zuri’s sinuses. The tingle of Catalina’s soft kiss on her lips. But she hadn’t gotten out fast enough to avoid the crushing regret that weighed so heavy on Elena’s heart.

The bittersweet ache of Elena’s memory lingered despite Zuri’s attempts to outrun it. She took a steadying breath,compartmentalizing the emotions and reminding herself that they weren’t hers. It wasn’t her first love she lost. She wasn’t the one who would never feel the sun again.

Her thumbs traced Elena’s sharp cheekbones, following the curve down her jaw to her chin and over her throat. Before she could talk herself out of it, Zuri leaned in, body still half in the past, and kissed her.

Elena’s lips tasted like salt and yearning. Like they’d never been apart. Deepening their kiss, Elena’s palms ran up Zuri’s thighs. She resented her traitorous body for igniting at Elena’s touch, even as her mouth moved of its own accord.

Teeth and tongues clashed, both of them vying for control. Zuri pushed harder into her, using her tongue exactly how Elena liked until she was moaning. Until she was relenting and making a mistake look so fucking tempting.

“You always did like that one,” Elena whispered against her mouth. “Glad to see that soft spot for innocence remains intact. Still want to save them all?”

Zuri scraped her nails through Elena’s hair before making a fist and yanking back hard enough to hurt. Panting, Elena looked up at her, all smug grin and flushed skin.

“Did you forget I felteverythingyou remember feeling?” Zuri pinned her down with her eyes. With the truth. “Should I remind you of the heaving in your chest?” With her free hand, she wrapped her fingers around Elena’s elegant neck. “Of how you were a quivering mess when your trembling hand slipped under all those damp skirts?” Zuri’s lip curled with the satisfaction of the upper hand. “Of just how quickly a merchant’s daughter unraveled you with clumsy fingers?”

Elena laughed, flashing the lethal points of her fangs. Zuri had missed when those had made an appearance, and hated how her body devolved into aching desire at the sight of them.

“Oh, so it wasmyinnocence that turned you on?” Elena found one of her fangs with the tip of her tongue. “If you like it so much, baby, I can play the sweet?—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Zuri snapped before biting down on Elena’s lip and pulling it until she groaned.

“Do I need to beg you to make me?” Elena dug her fingers into Zuri’s ass, grabbing her hard but not nearly hard enough. “If you give me a taste, I’ll kill every fucking witch on the east coast for you.”

“Threats of mass murder aren’t my thing.” Zuri hovered over her lips, wishing that giving in didn’t have so many consequences. “You must have me confused with someone else.”

In a smooth, single motion, Elena stood, wrapping Zuri’s legs around her waist before pressing her against the desk.

Fuck.

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