Page 15 of Payne's Envy

My skin tingled. I envisioned two massive hands spreading my legs. A dark-haired man ate at my pussy. A dark-haired man I’d loved my whole life. The dream was so vivid that my bed was drenched. Making matters worse? Kitty had been outside my door. She probably heard me.

I made a sound in my throat and shook my head like it would get rid of the erotic scene in my brain. “Are you saying if I take care of the reason for the heat, it will go away?”

She coughed. “It won’t work if you’re taking care of the heat alone. If someone helped, it might ease eventually.”

I squeezed my fingers tightly. “Eventually?”

“Well, with this kind of problem, I’d imagine it might take more than once.” The old woman avoided my eyes as she continued, “You might want to get this settled soon, so you can focus on saving the worlds.”

I thought of Payne and all the years of his constant rejection. The fire within me might not have dulled, but my heart had cracked.

“Easier said than done.”

Chapter Nine

Payne

Shepherd Donavan was a soul reaper that lived in the human world. He attached himself to Prudence as of late. He was with her so much that Grim gave the soul reaper the go ahead to protect her. A part of me thought we should be more wary of Shepherd. It was hard to trust anyone due to Harvest targeting Grim's daughter, but I saw Shepherd and his gremlins, so I had some insight. He was one of the fucking marked mates.He was Prudence’s. I couldn’t see Grim allowing the demon around his daughter if that wasn’t the case, which was honestly a good thing. I was way too fucking distracted to keep Prudence safe. She deserved someone to look after better than I had.

Working alone was better, too. I got my shit done quicker, and Prudence couldn’t call me out on anything when she wasn’t with me. Something she said days ago still haunted me.

“I hope you figure your shit out, Payne. Joy won’t always be waiting for you.”

Prudence was more perceptive than I gave her credit for. Besides Grim and maybe my parents, I didn’t thinkanyoneknew my affections for Joy. I’d gotten too good at dismissing my girl in order to protect her—from me—that everyone assumed I grew tired of her relentless pursuit. The truth was the opposite. Her unabashed tries at getting me alone or finding a way to touch me were the things that kept me going day by day.

It was like Prudence peered right into my deepest fears and said them out loud.

I fucking know.

I was trying my hardest to figure out what I was, so I’d understandwhyI hurt Joy with a kiss back then. She’d innocently touched me her entire life, evenafter the incident she didn’t remember. Every time she’d put her hands on me, it sent fear to my insides, thinking I’d burn her again. I hadn’t, but I believed it was because the heat was gone.

It's back.

I got lucky when I temporarily lost the grip on my sanity and buried my face between her legs. My heart thudded against my ribcage when I pictured her becoming a mass of flames before my eyes again.

Never again.

By the time I finished my Reaper work, the heat wanted to combust. My arms, legs, hands, and feet were heavy. My heart was in constant pain. All my thoughts were about Joy. Her smile. Her blonde hair swaying as she turned to face me. She was the sweetest creature I’d ever met, but there was a special mischief she reserved for me. All fucking me. The way her eyes lit up and roved over me. The way she flounced toward me… Fucking Hades.

She was my torturer. If a day came where she stopped killing me with all her attention, I’d truly lose my shit.

All too well, I could remember the blood coating my hands and the metallic taste in my mouth of the two men I’d killed because they’d touched Joy.

Ihadlost my shit. I had so much to fucking do before I went ballistic again.

Joy.

I needed to see her at least once before she went to sleep. Every hour not seeing her made the raw ache in my cock worse and my heart—that organ’s been sore for over a century.

I ported straight to the hall outside of Joy’s room. Her scent was strong, but she wasn’t there. The quickening of my pulse and thrum of my heart let me know she was in the castle. As I stalked down the hall, her arousal hit my nose and her breathing reached my ears. I rubbed my head relentlessly and closed my eyes. I needed to see and smell her to feel normal, but it was too dangerous.

Hell’s bells. At that rate, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to go on staying in Grim’s castle. How much longer I could protectanyonewhen I was so ensnared by Joy’s scent?

“I knew I sensed you.” I hadn’t realized Kitty was in the hallway with me.

I growled. A strange billow of smoke wafted from my nostrils before the tension eased in my shoulders.

“Holy mother of Hades,” Kitty murmured as she blinked at me. “Is that smoke?”

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