Page 101 of Bad Demon

“Fuck.”

He swiped his thumbs over my cheeks. They came away wet. I lifted my hand and felt my face, and my fingers came away wet as well. I’d had no idea I was crying. I didn’t cry. I never cried.

“I’m so fucking in love with you, Tink,” he said in his gorgeous, gritty voice.

All the air was punched from my lungs, and I had to drag in a desperate breath. “The last time someone told me they loved me, I was seven years old,” I said, still whispering because I was too scared I’d break this spell I’d somehow cast over him or be thrust out of whatever fucking beautiful alternate universe I’d stumbled into.

“Baby, you’re killing me.” He pressed his lips to the top of my head.

Tentatively, I touched his sides. Then, letting the fear drop, I wrapped my arms around him. “Oh gods, this is really happening,” I choked out. “You’re really mine.”

Relic growled, scooped me off my feet, and holding me close, carried me from the room.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

FERN

Relic heldme to him as he strode through the caves, growling sweet, sexy things in my ear.

“Gonna take care of you, baby. Gonna make you feel so fucking good.” He nuzzled my neck. “My beautiful little Tink. My perfect mate. Fuck, the way you make me feel.”

I clung to him, unable to get close enough. Gods, that night, when I thought I was claiming his soul, the way my world had spun around me, the heat I’d felt, the unexplainable sense of safety that I’d felt and couldn’t explain—none of it had anything to do with his soul—no, the moment we touched, a primal part of me had recognized him as mine, my mate, and I’d missed it.

I pressed my face against his throat and breathed him in. His scent was home and comfort and every good thing.

Finally, we reached his quarters, and he quickly let us in, shut the door behind us, and lowered me to the floor.

He was breathing hard as he looked down at me. Then, taking me by surprise, he dropped to his knees in front of me and wrapped his arms around my middle.

He looked up at me, trembling almost as hard as I was, and I saw the truth in those stunning golden eyes, as if he’d said it out loud.

“You’re truly my mate?” I choked out.

“I’m yours, Fern,” he said, his fingers flexing against my back. One hand slid up to grip the back of my neck in a possessive hold. “I have always been and will only ever be yours.”

I held his handsome face in my hands and decided to jump off the ledge, allowing myself to trust in this, in him. “I’m in love with you, too, by the way.”

His nostrils flared, and he flashed his canines. “You love me?”

I nodded. “I never thought this would ever happen for me. I never thought the Fates would give me this after everything they took from me. I thought … I thought they must hate me, that they saw everything that was wrong with me like everyone else has my whole life.” I held onto him tighter. “But if they think I’m worthy of someone as wonderful as you, then maybe I’m not the abomination everyone told me I was.”

Relic pressed his face to my belly, and he was shaking harder now. Rage rolled off him as he breathed heavily in and out several times because he didn’t see me that way—he never had. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were glowing red again, and his fangs had elongated.

“You never were, baby,” he said, his voice rough as hell, confirming it. “To me, you are perfect in every fucking way.” He curled his arms around me tighter. “I’m so sorry, my baby, that I didn’t find you sooner, but I swear to you, if anyone tries to hurt you again, I will make them pay with their life.”

I felt every one of his words down to my soul, and suddenly, I couldn’t get close enough to him. I wanted my bare skin on his, his warmth, his scent. I wanted his hands and his mouth on me, his blood on my tongue, and the hard length straining against the front of his jeans buried deep inside me. I wanted it all.

I wanted every part of him, and I wanted to give him every part of me in return.

Leaning in, I pressed my mouth to his, and he groaned against my lips as I slid my tongue over his bottom lip. “I want you to make me yours, Relic.”

He groaned. “We have time. We don’t have to rush anything.”

“But I want it now. I want to be your mate now.” My body ached for him, for him to cover me, own me, love me.

“I’ll make you come, Fern, over and over, but you’re not ready for what I need to do to make it official.” He stood, lifting me as he did. “We’ll get there, but the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

“You won’t,” I said, wrapping my legs around his thick waist.

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