Page 377 of Heat of the Everflame

“Stop,” he barked. “Turn around.”

I was teetering on the edge, almost too far gone to obey, but the way his eyes shadowed had my fingers falling still.

“Turn around,” he growled again.

I gave him my back and faced the wall. His magic pressed in all around me, warning me he was near. I heard the squeak of the lever, and the water stopped.

“Put your hands on the tile.”

I obeyed.

“Higher. Above your head.”

A rough palm splayed low on my back.

“Such a good girl.”

Finally, his body curved into mine like two pieces carved for a perfect fit. My tension flooded away, along with a soft, relieved breath.

His touch was a blade of the best kind, a sword that felled the nagging beast on my heart. The smallest brush of his finger could slice through my fears and set me at ease.

And there was a hell of a lot more of him touching me now than afinger.

I pushed against him and rolled my hips over the hardness pressing against my ass. He hissed and gripped my waist, fingers digging into my flesh.

I stilled. Held my breath.

My body trembled in anticipation. One thrust, and I would be his, our long, torturous wait finally at its end.

Or so I thought.

He gently pushed away.

I started to turn, and his palm pressed between my shoulders to hold me in place against the wall.

“Luther.” My voice was husky. Pleading. “Why—”

“I waited years for you,” he began. I heard the clink of bottles and the pop of a cork pulling free. “I waited so long, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find you. In truth, I’d given up hope.”

“Lumnos told you I would come. You didn’t believe her?”

“She told me aQueenwould come.”

“Am I not your Queen?”

“Oh, Diem.” His stubble tickled my skin as he kissed the scar on my shoulder. “You areso muchmore to me than just my Queen.”

My heart was a fluttering, restless dove. He poured another scented oil over me, then his thumbs kneaded into the base of my neck. My happiness melted into physical bliss as his fingers rolled down my back, working my sore, exhausted muscles until my body felt boneless.

A very un-Queen-like groan slipped out, earning his quiet laugh.

He continued his massage along my outstretched arms. Those broad, powerful hands—strong enough to kill with or without their magic—were unexpectedly tender.

“What I was really waiting for was the woman I loved. I waited, and I waited. Then I found her, and she made me wait even more.” He set a kiss on my spine. “I would have waited a lifetime, if that’s what it took.”

Conflicting emotions tugged at my heart. Hidden admissions lay in his words—a confirmation of Taran’s long-ago warning that Luther would wait out Henri’s mortal life, holding on to ahope that someday, in our long Descended lives, he might get his chance.

My hands fell as I started to turn again. He grabbed my wrists and pushed them against the tile. “Behave, or you won’t get your reward.”

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