Page 137 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

That hand gripping her chin slipped to her throat, jerking her forward so her lips met his again. The kiss was hard and punishing, and fire flooded through her veins. Her hands slipped into his hair, and she tugged hard. Theon let out a growl in response, and he pulled back. Anger radiated in his emerald eyes, but lust emanated even more.

“Why do you think it is appropriate to keep kissing me this morning?” she breathed.

“Why do you think you can continue to be mouthy without consequences?” he countered, an arm snaking around her back and tugging her down the seat so she was lying beneath him.

“We are not alone, Theon,” she rasped.

Between the buzz of the alcohol and the sensations of his body pressing into hers, her head was spinning. She was trying, and failing miserably, to keep her wits about her. The bond certainly wasn’t helping as it drank in the contact.

“Mmm,” he hummed against her skin, sliding his lips to her neck. “They are wisely keeping silent and pretending they are not watching.” He dragged his mouth up to her ear, where he whispered, “But they are definitely watching, Tessa. Make no mistake.”

Then his lips were slowly trailing back down the column of her throat, but that wasn’t what made her gasp. His magic pressed against her skin, cold and dark. His presence was everywhere at once, and oh gods, she couldn’t think straight. The bond reached for him. She was sure she could actually see the silver cord straining towards him as all the sensations overwhelmed her.

“Who did you call, Tessa?” he murmured, his lips coming back up to trail along her jaw. His shadows trailed up her thighs, under his shirt she still wore. “Tell me,” he pushed. “Or Luka and Axel are going to get quite the show. Who did you call?”

“Dex,” she gasped, but his darkness didn’t pull back.

No, it skated up her torso as if it were his own hands, and his lips brushed the shell of her ear when he whispered again. “The not lover?”

“Yes,” she rasped, her back arching off the seat as his magic caressed her breasts.

His arm was still looped around her back, holding her in place against the seat, and his knee came up, working its way between her thighs. The fingers of his other hand trailed up her throat until he cupped her jaw, his thumb running along her bottom lip. “Why did you call him?”

“I had to hear his voice. Make sure he was alive,” she breathed out, his magic raking over her skin again and making it impossible to focus.

“Why?”

Gods, even his voice was sensuous and only added to everything else bombarding her.

“Because a vision at the assessment tried to convince me he was dead,” she cried, his shadows climbing further up her thighs and making wet heat pool in her core. “The Achaz Heir was in my vision. He tortured me with his magic and said he did the same to my friends. That he killed them. All of them. Because of who I am to you.”

“Why is Dex so important?” Theon pushed. His finger traced around her lips, his eyes on hers as his dark magic brushed against her center, making her grind herself against his leg that was forcing her thighs farther apart.

“He keeps me from going over an edge,” she gasped, pleasure flaring out as she ground her clit against him again. “He helps glue the broken pieces back together, even when I don’t think it’s worth it anymore.”

Everything stopped. Theon’s fingers. His lips. His magic. It all stilled against her flesh at her words. She was panting beneath him, and he slowly brushed his thumb along her cheekbone, almost tenderly.

“Good girl,” he praised softly. “Thank you for telling me.”

He was still pressed against her, and her mind was reeling. She couldn’t get coherent thoughts to form, and it was utter bliss to not be able to godsdamn think. To just feel pleasure. There was movement in the front seat, but Theon leaned forward, running the tip of his nose along the length of her own, and by the gods, she wished they were anywhere private.

She wished he hadn’t stopped.

His lips hovered over hers, and she felt his breath as he whispered, “This is going to hurt.”

“What?” she started, her eyes widening, but his mouth pressed to hers and his magic poured into her and down her throat. It seeped into her being, burning a path along her veins. She arched against him for a completely different reason, but there were hands, physical hands, holding her down. Her eyes locked on Axel, who was gritting his teeth as he held her in place.

She writhed beneath Theon, screaming against his mouth as he continued to press his magic into her. It was almost as bad as when she had been given the Mark. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, and she was just as helpless.

Finally, Theon pulled back, pushing off of her. Axel released her, and she scrambled up. Luka had pulled the vehicle into a vacant lot on the outskirts of the city at some point. Axel had already exited the vehicle and was reaching for her, but she shoved his hands aside as her stomach lurched. Her legs gave out when she tried to step out of the vehicle, and she fell out instead, her leggings and knees ripping open on the pavement.

“Gods, Tessa,” Axel muttered, reaching for her again at the same time Theon came up beside him and began to crouch beside her. She threw up her hand to keep them away, and the St. Orcas brothers went flying across the lot. Tessa didn’t have time to process that as she pushed herself back to her feet. She stumbled a few more steps from the vehicle before she dropped to her knees again and heaved.

“That was not earth magic,” she heard Axel snarl from wherever they had landed.

“No shit,” Theon growled.

“Did you see—”

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