Page 26 of Dead to Rights
He expected it to hurt, at least a little, but he felt only a rush of pure pleasure when Finn’s fangs sank into the crook of his neck. Heat bloomed beneath his mate’s lips and spread, flooding him with endorphins that finally pushed him over the edge.
He shouted Finn’s name as his orgasm ripped through him. His muscles tightened, his body rigid as steams of translucent cream jetted from his cock to splash against his belly.
Finn followed after him, his growl of completion vibrating in his chest as pulse after pulse of his release filled Noah’s clutching channel.
Dizzy and disoriented, he moaned his approval when he felt Finn’s lips cover his, his tongue prodding the seam, seeking entrance. He opened willingly, shuddering as the distinct taste of copper filled his mouth.
He swallowed instinctively, crying out again when another surge of heat pulsed through him. It was like being bathed in pure, unfiltered sunlight. The sensation lasted only briefly, fading quickly and leaving behind a sense of unshakeable certainty.
Finn was his, and no one, not even the gods themselves, would take the vampire from him.
“Fuck, I think I died again.”
Noah stiffened as Finn’s ragged voice floated into his mind, but he settled almost at once with an indulgent grin. When his mate started to roll away, however, he wrapped his arms around his neck to stop him.
“Stay.”
Finn stilled, clearly working through the same shock Noah just had.“I’m crushing you.”
“You’re not,”he assured him.“I like it.”Surrounded by Finn’s big frame, he felt safe, like nothing could touch him.“Just stay.”
Of course, he didn’t listen. The cowboy never did.
Rolling to his side, he pulled Noah with him, gathered him into his arms to hold him against his chest.“How’s this?”
Noah smiled and snuggled closer, his heart full and his body blissfully relaxed.“Perfect.”
Chapter nine
Theplanhadbeenset in motion.
Finn didn’t know what Noah had said to convince the god, but Erebus had agreed—albeit reluctantly—to grant them sanctuary at his isolated cottage. In the village, their friends would spread the rumor that he and Noah had crossed the river to live out their happily ever afterlife in mated bliss.
Now, they just had to wait.
With no way to send messages through the wards, they wouldn’t know when or if Karleigh took the bait. Noah reasoned that she wouldn’t linger in the village once she heard the news, and Finn tended to agree.
If their ruse worked, it would happen quickly.
Just to be safe, however, they had agreed to give it three days. If Karleigh hadn’t crossed by then, she likely wasn’t going to, and they’d have to figure out a different way to deal with her.
Erebus lived in a place known at the Borderlands, which was exactly what it sounded like. An area of land that bordered the village on three sides. Few knew it even existed, and almostno one had ever stepped foot there outside of its permanent residents.
Home to a host of gods and other primordial beings, it was a wild, uncultivated land, filled with jagged mountains, rushing streams, and thick, tangled forests. And at its very edge, just before the famed gates, flowed the River Lethe.
Which had given Finn an idea.
Rather than rely on a witch whose magic could be unpredictable in the Underworld, a single drop of water from the Lethe could erase the memories of a mortal’s past life. He hoped their subterfuge worked, but it didn’t hurt to have a backup plan, just in case.
“Are you sure about this?” Noah asked for the third time since they had set off for the river that morning.
“You’re the one who wanted to erase her memories.”
“Ofus.” He wrung his hands together and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “I don’t know. It seems kind of wrong to eraseallof her memories.”
In any other situation, Finn might have agreed, but Karleigh had proven she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted, and she didn’t care who got hurt in the process.
“We’ll only use it if we don’t have another choice,” he promised. “Although…”
