Page 25 of Red Ruin

The change in positions isn’t as helpful as I hoped—his raw cock rubs against my leg.

I lock my feet and cup his jaw.

Every Sentinel has different needs, but guiding follows the same steps, whether you’re holding hands or body-to-body.

First, you join your silks to form the spiritual connection. After that, checking a Sentinel’s damage and doing the fix usually only takes a few seconds.

But then I met these dukes…

Vhex is a smoking mess of chaos so wild I don’t know where to start.

My fingers twitch.

Instead of screaming, I pat his velvet horn. “I’ll do what I can to help you for now.”

A glance won’t be enough.

Fixing Vhex will take me a fuckinglifetime.

I can only start from the basics.

I’ll untangle the tips of Vhex’s silks. Then I’ll work my way down, straightening and soothing his power to clear a path into his meridians—the veins where magic flows. Once I start freeing knots and cleansing toxins, Vhex’s head should clear.

Then I can ask him how he fell this far andwhat the fuckis that thing rubbing against my leg?

Great plan.

Also, doomed from the start.

Vhex’s soul itself is too damaged.

His silks are pitted and charred. Even his meridians have been baked in hellfire.

No wonder he’s suffering.

I stroke his jaw and send him all my softness. “I’ve got you now.”

Vhex’s silks squeeze tighter.

I stop myself from squeezing back.

It’s too dangerous, letting those emotions snowball. The more Vhex bares, the more I want to give him in return.

I’ve already fallen off that cliff.

I’m not doing it again.

Trying to be a machine, I work through Vhex’s soul. With some Sentinels, the process is as easy as rolling a ball of yarn. Guiding Kevan always felt more like sorting ice blocks.

Working on Vhex feels like digging ropes out of a volcano and trying to fix the smoking holes by braiding them with spiderwebs. Meanwhile, both our souls bubble like over-toasted marshmallows.

I don’t know if I’m working too slowly or too well.

Either way, Vhex wants more.

His silks keep twisting out of my grip and trying to weave our souls into a permanent bond.

“Stop that,” I growl, yanking his horn. “Otherwise, I’ll stop, and you’ll just have to burn.”

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