Page 261 of Red Ruin

It’s hard to say no.

It’s even harder to stop after I let myself fall into his flow.

We turn the mountain into a volcano basin.

Something untangles inside me as the undead melt.

I may never have to see another walking corpse.

When there’s nothing left to burn, gentle shadows tug my knuckles. I finally release Vhex’s power.

The loss feels like disconnecting my adrenaline drip.

I sag.

Remy shoulders in for the catch, deftly twisting me out of Vhex’s arms and into his.

His eyes shine dark but bright.

He strokes my cheek. “You’ve worked hard.”

“Yeah.” There’s so much more to handle first, but soon, I can have the hot shower of my dreams. “Take us home?”

“Home?” Remy’s fingers freeze beside my ear. Emotions pinwheel from his soul, spinning faster than I can read. I catch something hot and greedy as Remy’s eyes flicker between black and red.

“Back to the keep,” I clarify as tendrils wiggle around my heart. “Help me find Cherise.”

“Hold on,” Remy whispers and drags me to his chest.

I tug Vhex along for the ride.

Remy must’ve sent Tan, Simms, and the baggage ahead while I was playing purgatory.

We wink back to the keep’s courtyard, appearing just above the outer walls. The main gate hangs open. Outside, squads are hard at work, piling and burning the undead.

Tense little pulses of power pepper my senses from Sentinels on high alert.

They relax, spotting me.

Then they see Vhex and Remy and run the other way.

Cherise looks at her limit, tending to a crowd of wild-eyed Sentinels. Snarling and shoving, they’re half out of their minds and refusing to wait in line for the next available Guide.

I wince at the auras raging with pain and violence.

My fingers twitch.

They need me.

As soon as I think about freeing up my silks, Vhex and Remy dig into my soul, not willing to share a single piece. They step between me and the other Sentinels, blocking my view, and muffling the chaotic, conflicting swirl of sensations until all I can read is their single-minded desire to monopolize me.

“I’m sharing with you a fuckingbat,” Vhex snarls. “Isn’t that enough?”

“I hate to agree.” Remy’s shadows squeeze me into a full-body hug, secure as sausage casings.With extra pressure on the thighs. A shadow tilts my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. “It seems I’m a possessive monster.”

My insides flutter.

Hands roam from my thighs to my ass and my throat to my hair. I can’t tell whose. They all have claws.

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