Page 28 of Swamp Kings 2

He pulled up, needing to see what he felt in her kiss. This strange awakening filled her gaze to the brim as she stared back, as if seeing him for the first time.

Her hand traced the contours of his face, her touch humming in his skin, as though their mixed essence was acknowledging him, greeting him.

His entire body pulsed in response, muscles tightening beneath her gentle curiosity.

“You feel it?” she whispered, her voice thick with wonder.

Bishop nodded, his jaw tight as the enormity of what they'd done settled over him. She wasn’t just his wife anymore—she was the perfect fusion of strength and vulnerability. And the child nestled safelybetween them was the very heartbeat of their bond.

Beth’s eyes slowly filled with tears, her gaze never leaving his as she glided her hand along his neck and shoulder. “I can feel you in me,” she murmured. Her hand drifted lower, and Bishop shuddered as the bond crackled between them, raw and electric.

The animal inside him stretched with satisfaction. The hunger had found its purpose. Now tethered and unshakable. By her.

“You won’t lose me,” she whispered, her voice calm and certain, reading the shadows in his mind. “We’re stronger together.”

He groaned, pulling her against his body and pressing their chests together so their heartbeats collided.

This was their new beginning. He wanted to believe that no one could touch them. Ever. He wanted to say the words out loud, but his mind refused, blocking the path from brain to tongue.

He wanted to understand why while never wanting to fucking know. But he had to know. He had to prepare. He had to prevent. He had to protect.

Another hunger stirred inside him. Lethal.Cruel. Ready to punish without mercy any who’d dare try to touch them in any way.

Bishop extracted himself from Beth’s body, hearing the approaching boat.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Somebody’s coming.” He found his clothes and threw her dress toward her, sensing trouble of some kind. “Dress.”

His phone rang and he looked. Fetch. “Bishop here,” he answered.

“We need you. The demons are attempting to break Celeste’s mind and hi-jack her backlash power. We cannot let that happen.”

“You’re here?”

“I am.”

“I’ll meet you at the dock in two minutes.”

Bishop hung up and hurried to Beth, grabbing the back of her head and pulling her mouth to his. “I have to go. The demons are trying to take over Celeste.”

“Oh God,” she whispered, kissing him back.

“You’ll stay here with your sister. I’ll call you the second I can and let you know what’s going on. If you have any symptoms that worry you, call Lesion immediately, then me.”

“Okay,” she nodded, following him out the door.

He paused on the pier and kissed her one more time, groaning. “I love you so fucking much. I hate leaving when I want to repeat what we just did fifty more times.”

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “I’ll text you, go,” she urged, kissing him one more time.

He hurried down the pier, his mind instantly turning to the problem he was headed to and whether or not he’d even be able to help. His head was a mess and all his new gifts had him dizzy. Part of him said he needed to sleep for a solid twelve hours to recover while another part of him whispered other things. Things that said otherwise if he just kept digging and seeking. He realized it was his usual way of confronting problems. His motto had always been the connection between the will and the way. Where one was, the other could be found. He fed his will into the dynamic and waited for the way to present itself. Hopefully his gift would triple the turnaround time on that.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Bishop stood outside the containment, eyes locked on an unconscious Celeste lying on a stone platform. Though sedated, he could see the subtle twitching of muscles betraying the chaos beneath her skin as the demons weaved themselves into her thoughts and instincts. His new gifts buzzed at the edge of his mind, giving him a clear view of the struggle unfolding within her. She wasn’t just fighting demons—she was fighting herself, her emotions feeding the very things that sought to consume her.

He glanced at Kaphas standing on his right, his new gifts moving along their bond in awe. He was dark fury beneath a serene lake, hiding from Celeste what the demons would use against her. It was the single reason Kaphas wasn’t going insane, and Bishop marveled over the sheer power he quietly executed within himself under such a cruel weight. With her backlash ability tied to her emotions—every surge offear or spike of panic fed directly into the demons’ hands. An elegant yet terrifying simplicity. The demons weren’t just controlling her, they were using her own defense mechanism against her.

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