Page 268 of Caelum

And I was grateful for it because I could feel the wooziness of blood loss hit me, as well as the weakness that came from being so close to climax.

When she pulled back, genuinely sated, her mouth moved over mine. Of course, I could taste the blood on her lips, against her tongue, but I didn’t complain. I loved her sensuality, her passion, and as she kissed me, her hips bucked against mine, and I was hers for the taking.

She fucked me hard, fast, not like how I’d imagined her Claiming me. It was raw and rough and pure and all Eve, and I wouldn’t change it for a second.

When I reached down and began to caress her clit, needing her to come so I didn’t shame myself by exploding inside her without her finding her woman’s joy first, she ground out my name, and I knew I’d die a happy man if I heard that for the rest of my life.

When she came, the way her pussy tightened around me was more heaven, but this time, it was combined with the exquisite taunt of hell.

She sucked me dry, those tiny muscles pulling from me, milking me of everything that was me until it merged with everything that was her.

As she Claimed me, made me hers in earnest, I recognized that I’d always been hers.

Even before I’d known her.

Even before I’d been a spark of life in my mother’s womb, I’d been hers from the very beginning, and that was how it was supposed to be.

EIGHTEEN

NESTOR

“Talk about arrogant,” I muttered as I stared up at the bar in Ploie?ti and read the name.

Drekavac.

It was how we’d found the Original, so we couldn’t complain that much about him being a prick, but still, it was excessive. If his name had to be invoked during the wishes we’d use to kill him, why tempt fate the way he had?

“Ghoulsarearrogant,” Dre muttered under his breath. “You know that.”

I did, and I reached up to rub my throat, scarred forever by a Ghoul’s attack. “Still, this just seems a bit crazier than usual. Why would you give someone the means of?—”

“Of what? No one can use the name against him save us, and only that because of Eve,” Reed grumbled, but that was only because he was pissed that he hadn’t persuaded Eve to come in full-on leathers.

I was certain the Hell Hound had a dominatrix fetish, and that would certainly fit considering the beast’s temperament.

A part of me was astounded at how much control Reed had been showing of late, especially when Hounds were renowned for being hard to handle, and yet, Eve did something to him. Mellowed him out.

Perhaps she was themajnunequivalent of CBD oil or something, and though he was usually grumpy, we’d had no major explosions. Yet. Outbursts, sure. A lot of broken furniture? Hell, yes. But nothing too wild.

“I don’t care. It’s still a stupid move to pull, and I didn’t think a Ghoul so old would be?—”

“What? Careless? Rash? The bastard has lived so long he’s gone through evolution, Nestor. Wouldn’t you be bored shitless?”

Eve appeared then, and she placed her hand on Reed’s arm. Instantly, the other man calmed, and she tipped her head to the side and asked, “Problem?”

I couldn’t blame him for being smitten with her. There was something about her, something that had the power to just hit us square between the eyes.

I’d have resented it if I knew she wasn’t as taken with us, and now that I’d been Claimed? Mygouillewas about as close to purring as it could get.

Even if it didn’t have the organs to purr.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at the bar where the Original had asked us to meet. At least, his PA had told us this was where we’d meet.

The only part of our plan that had the potential to go wrong was that Drekavac wouldn’t be there himself. Or, should I say, Mihai Adamescu, as the Ghoul was currently named.

He was, Samuel had discovered, two things.

One—a mafia overlord for this area who hid his criminal ties in legal businesses like the bar opposite us.

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