Page 118 of Bride of Death
Hades follows as I carry her into the bedroom, his presence louder than his steps. Though, I can tell he’s trying to tone it down—for his mate.
His fiancée.
His wife.
They’re all the same words to him and to me. She’shis. I respect that. But I’m about to make her mine, too.
He’s going to regret offering to share her with me.
Because I’m pretty sure I’m about to become addicted to Serapina Everheart. Styx, I probably already am, and I haven’t even kissed her yet.
Big blue eyes stare up at me in wonder as I set Sera on the floor beside her bed—one she hasn’t even slept in yet. It’s much larger than her old one, something that will benefit us in time.
But for now, I simply cup her jaw and stare down into her eyes. “Like I said to Hades, I adore foreplay. Which is why I’m going to kiss you everywhere else before I properly taste you.”
Her pupils dilate, her fingers seeming to dig into my shoulders. “Oh” is all she says, the word coming out in a breath.
I take that to mean she’s okay with my intentions.
However, for her, andonly her, I’ll be a gentleman and go slow.
I press my lips to her cheek first, then her jaw, and gradually begin to trace the column of her slender neck. When I reach her thundering pulse, I hum in approval.
She’s aroused.
Which is precisely what I want from her.Pleasure.
And not because Hades told me toplease his wife. But because Iwantto please her.
Shadows, I want to do a lot more than that.
However, I’m making this experience about her. Hades may think this is about confirming her truths, but that’s not my goal. I’m simply using this opportunity to my advantage.
I want her.
And if this is the only way Hades is going to let me have her, then so be it. I’ll make sure she enjoys every second and thinks about me for the rest of her existence. Every time he knots her, thoughts of me will drift through her mind, too.
Thoughts of what I did to her with my mouth.
My hands.
My tongue.
That’ll be my satisfaction. My lasting gratification.
I’ll probably spend the rest of my long life craving her after this, but I’m willing to pay that price for just one moment of bliss.
Tonight she’smine.
And I’m going to show her exactly what that means.
Nibbling on her neck, I run my mouth back up to her jaw and higher to her ear while my palms skim up her sides. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Sera,” I tell her. “I’ve been fantasizingabout you for weeks, wondering what this body would look like beneath my hands. How you flush when you’re turned on. The sounds you might make while I stroke your bare skin and tease you with my mouth.”
She shudders against me. “W-weeks?”
“Maybe even longer,” I admit, my fingers reaching the straps of her stunning gown. I pull one over her shoulder, just to test her reaction, and grin when she trembles again. “You turned away all those fae. But you’re not telling me to leave now, are you?”
She shakes her head. “No. I…” Her throat bobs, suggesting she’s trying to swallow. “Please don’t leave.”
