Page 88 of Red Dreams

His filthy command is my undoing. My orgasm crashes over me.

With a guttural groan, Kaden stills, spilling himself deep inside me.

We collapse onto the bed, our limbs tangled and sweat-slicked. Kaden rolls to the side, pulling me against his chest.

We lie like that for a long while, basking in the afterglow and the quiet intimacy of the moment. The golden light of late morning spills through the windows, painting our entwined bodies in a soft, honeyed glow.

Eventually, Kaden breaks the comfortable silence.

“Marry me,” he says, his voice a low rumble against my cheek.

I still. Slowly, I lift my head. His blue eyes are earnest and unwavering as they hold mine.

“What?” I whisper, hardly daring to believe what I heard.

He cups my face in his large, calloused hand. “Marry me, Layla. Be mine, in every way, forever.”

Kaden’s arms come around me, crushing me to his chest as if he can absorb me into himself and make us as one in body as we are in spirit.

They say monsters don't get happy endings. But as Kaden's hold tightens, I realize they never met a monster worth loving.

I say into the warmth of his skin, “Yes.”

EPILOGUE

KADEN

“Delete it,” I order Cassie. “Show me you've learned there's more power in your hands than any AI.”

The three of us stand at the top of the stairs leading to the server room at Siren’s Call. It took me days to even get Cassie to admit the AI that started this whole mess was ready and waiting to be activated. Honesty is taking her much longer to learn than deceit ever did.

I stare at Cassie, waiting. Her eyes narrow against mine, a silent battle of wills before we descend.

“Cassie,” I warn. “Don’t make me tell you again.”

Layla's hand slips into mine, steadying me. Her throat tattoo peeks out from her black turtleneck—once a mark of captivity, now a sign of her power. At her touch, some of the tension eases from my shoulders. The bite of her engagement ring, a three-carat black diamond with a ruby halo on a white gold band, cuts into my palm when I squeeze. I smile, glad that both the ring and my Wraithling can draw blood.

With a huff, Cassie turns on her heel and stalks down the metal stairs. I keep my grip on Layla's hand as we follow. The last time the three of us were in a server room together, Cassie put a bullet in my shoulder before abducting Layla. The spot still aches, a reminder of how close I came to losing everything.

“Let's not have a repeat of last time, shall we?” I mutter, my voice echoing off the concrete walls. “I'm rather fond of this suit, and I'd prefer not to get blood on it.”

The door to the server room hisses open, a blast of cold air hitting us as we step inside. The space is cavernous with rows upon rows of sleek black servers stretching out before us. Blue-and-green lights blink in rhythm, and the only sound is the gentle whir of cooling fans.

Cassie strides over to the main terminal. She pulls up the AI interface, and lines of code scroll past, reflecting in her slitted eyes. I watch her with one hand resting on the knife at my belt.

Old habits die hard.

“It's almost a shame to destroy it,” Cassie muses, studying the screen. “The power the Oracle could have given us ... we could have been gods.”

“We're already gods,” I counter, pulling Layla closer to my side. “This is our kingdom now. The Siren's Call belongs to us.”

A smirk tugs at Cassie's red lips. “Does it? You’re not just warming my throne?”

Rage flares through me, but Layla pulls at my hand, grounding me. I take a breath, holding my temper at bay. “Thank you for giving me the perfect opportunity to tell you that you’re going to college in the fall.”

“Excuseme? College? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I assure you, I'm not.” My tone is calm but as hard as Layla’s black diamond. “You need structure. Direction. A chance to develop your skills beyond Morelli's teachings.”

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