Page 21 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

Lochlan’s gaze met mine, and the same grief and hopelessness I was drowning in also shimmered in the depths of his eyes.

The dim chamber grew brighter, as though a dying fire was being stoked.

Sliding my cheek against the grime covered floor, I took in the heartbreaking scene in front of me.

Axelle had turned Rhodes’ face toward her, and she was kissing him as though it was their first and last kiss.

Which was exactly what it was.

The kiss that had started gentle, quickly turned demanding. With a heroic effort, Rhodes lifted his hand to cradle the back of her head. I felt like a creep for watching such a private moment between them, but I couldn’t summon the strength to look away… nor did I want to.

Rhodes was a force to be reckoned with during battle, but privately, the man was a teddy bear who stopped the car to help turtles cross the road and had spent weeks bottle-feeding a litter of orphaned kittens around the clock. Which was why I was shocked to see the fingers of his right-hand hook into her hair, roughly hauling her toward him.

He hungrily devoured her mouth with an energy that seemed impossible for a dying man. As I continued trying to make sense of what I was seeing, his left arm grabbed her waist and hauled her on top of him.

It was when her glow flickered that the pieces clicked into place, and I understood what I was seeing.

He wasn’t just devouring her mouth; he was devouring her energy.

“Rhodes! Your oath!” I sucked in a layer of dust from the floor and coughed.

“He’s not breaking his oath.” Lochlan’s eyes glittered dangerously. “She’s feeding him.” The muscle in his jaw jerked as he clenched and unclenched his teeth.

“Oh,” I wheezed.

He would drain her in a matter of minutes. Her energy would save him, and us, but she was sacrificing herself.

A flush traveled over Rhodes’ gray skin as strength returned to his body, but the pair didn’t break the kiss. Rhodes’ hands traveled over her back, touching and exploring the body of the first woman he’d ever been enamored by.

It had been nearly ten minutes since they began kissing when Rhodes broke the kiss and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He brushed the dark hair from Axelle’s face, then pulled her tight against his chest.

Her glow had dimmed, but she’d healed him without fading away.

“You saved me, love.” He tucked her head under his chin and held her close. “My life belongs to you.”

She pulled back and stared up at him. “I just did it for the kiss.” A smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Totally worth it. I 10/10 recommend.”

Axelle jumped as Lochlan’s laughter bounced around the tunnels, reminding her they had an audience. An adorable blushspread across her pale cheeks, and she scrambled off Rhodes’ lap.

“I can help you two.” She caught her lip between her teeth as her gaze bounced between Loch and me.

Sensing her indecision, Lochlan made the decision for her. “Take care of him first. I can wait.”

With a shaky jerk of her head, she moved toward me. Dropping to her knees, she gently rolled me onto my side.

I looked up into her face and caught my breath. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on, and not just because of her outward appearance.

She was clad in a pair of white sweatpants, an oversized T-shirt with the words‘If you’ve got it, haunt it’printed across the chest, and a pair of fuzzy leopard-print socks. Dark hair fell around her face.

She was a free spirit in all senses of the term and my heart twisted with a longing to be close to her. Rhodes and Lochlan’s reactions to her made perfect sense.

“Hi. We haven’t met. I’m Axelle, but you can call me Axe.” She was struggling to make eye contact, but that didn’t stop her from accomplishing what she’d set out to do.

Lying down beside me, she slowly scooted forward until her body brushed against me. Her chocolate eyes locked with mine, and another flush traveled across her cheeks.

“Is it okay if we kiss? Well, it doesn’t have to be a kiss, I just need to stick my lips on yours. Or at least that’s what worked to heal Rhodes, so hopefully it will work for you…” She was rambling, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Lochlan barked a dry laugh. “Axe, take a breath. I can assure you Evander wants nothing more than to feel your lips all over him.”

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