Page 9 of Beyond the Storm
“I won’t,” he murmured, snapping his hips faster. “Not until you shatter in my arms.”
I shattered four thrusts later. I felt him smile against my jaw before he joined me in that blissful ecstasy.
Afterward, we lay tangled in the sheets, bodies slick with sweat. Galen leisurely slid his fingers through mine, playing with them. He paused as he touched the stump of the one Phoenix had removed forever ago in order to take off the ring with Asa’s soul.
I had been possessed by Asa at the time, and the ring wouldn’t come off. Chopping off my finger was, perhaps, a bit extreme, but Phoenix had been our enemy back then and hadn’t cared to look into less choppy options.
“He’s done a lot to make up for it since then,” I whispered.
Galen’s eyes flashed to mine.
“Don’t look so surprised.” I rested our joined hands on his chest. “After two years together, I’ve learned how to read you.”
A pensive look crossed his face. “Years later, and that night still haunts me. I’ll never forget the raw pain when you were taken from me. It felt like my soul was torn from my body. I couldn’t breathe again until you were back in my arms.”
“I know the feeling.” I lowered my gaze, my throat tightening as I recalled the night he and the others defeated Lucifer. All eight of their souls had been transferred to Night Fall. Holding Galen’s body but not sensing him had broken me. “I couldn’t breathe again until you were back in my arms either.”
“Don’t hide those hazel eyes from me.” Galen tipped my chin so I’d look back up at him. “There you are.”
“There you are too. Both of you.” I touched below his left eye. It was still pitch-black, as if the pupil had swallowed the entirety of it. The other was a light gray, like the overcast days he loved.
He slid his arms around my waist and sat up in the bed, dragging me onto his lap. And then, his wings unfurled from his back. Hints of red showed in the black feathers. No matter how many times I’d seen them, they still took my breath away. As did the man they belonged to.
“You’re so beautiful,” I said, throat still tight.
“And I’m yours.” Galen’s wings enclosed us. “Only yours.”
I loved when he did this—creating a cocoon where only he and I existed. He nuzzled my neck, and when I heard the purrs vibrating in his chest, I smiled. He intimidated so many people with his raw muscle power, violent outbursts, and his reputation as the avatar of Wrath. But with me, he let his vulnerability show. I didn’t take it for granted. Not a single moment. I knew exactly what I had in my arms.
My soul mate. My entire freaking heart.
When Galen spoke, his voice had a dual layer, a deeper tone mixing with his normal one. “Forever.”
“Forever,” I agreed.
The End
Castor & Kyo
A glimpse into their happily ever after.
Castor
Near Ishigaki in Japan, hidden from the rest of the world, was a subtropical paradise with white-sand beaches and surrounded by deep blue ocean. The island was also home to the hottest male to ever walk the earth.
“Are you monologuing?” Kyo asked, eyebrow arched. “You look like you’re monologuing.”
“To fuck or not to fuck…” I looped my arms around his bare waist and yanked him closer in the water. “That is the question.”
We were in a secluded cove on the island, one we frequented often. I wore swimming trunks, and Kyo wore his birthday suit. My favorite outfit on him. He had shifted into his dragon hybrid form once we’d reached the water. Blue horns jutted from his silky black hair, and green-blue scales covered his skin. His vibrant orange eyes held a glimmer of mischief.
“I can answer that. We’re not fucking here.” Kyo linked his fingers at my nape, careful not to scrape me with his clawed nails. “But you’re awfully cute. Emphasis on awfully.”
“I love when you’re mean to me, little dragon. Gets me hard.” As I waggled my brows at him, his composure broke, and he laughed. “You’re the cute one now. That giggle is adorable.”
“Don’t make me murder you, Red.”
“You wouldn’t.” I kissed the edge of his mouth. “You’d miss me too much.”
