I woke up to darkness but there was something soft and warm about it. The darkness I’d entered when Henri had taken me down wasn’t the one I woke to. I was still on edge, but I could feel a big hand smoothing down my back, a warm mouth at my neck, and this time the scrape of teeth wasn’t something to worry about. This time it was something to beg for.

I let my head rest back. Even in the confusion of those first few moments, I knew I was somewhere good. Strangely enough, though I’d been angry at the king before, I knew he would never put me somewhere bad and let me wake like this. The man might have to kill me one day, but he would do it humanely.

And Trent. Trent had promised me.

So I was either safe or I’d gone to the Heaven plane, and in that moment I didn’t care which.

I sighed and smiled as the man behind me palmed my breast.

“Relax, Kelsey mine,” he whispered in my ear. “I’ll have you better in no time at all.”

Or I was dreaming and that was all right, too. I reached back to touch my dream lover, and that was when my back spasmed. Hard.

“Easy.” Gray forced me onto my belly, and I felt a big hand on the small of my back. “Apparently you went down hard.”

But I hadn’t. Trent had caught me. He’d been so gentle with me. “It must be where the dart hit. That hurt.”

Would I hurt in a dream? That seemed wrong.

I stiffened because there was something wrong. I wasn’t dreaming. This was real. I could sense it. I’d thought for a moment that Marcus was here, but he wasn’t. I sent out that invisible thread that tied us somehow together, but I got nothing back. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t even close, and I knew Gray wasn’t here. He couldn’t actually be here with me.

The arms around me tightened. “Hush, I’m using the sword. I told you I could use the sword to contact you. A certain king managed to find me and told me I better deal with your problem or he would have me executed. I think there’s a wolf who would love to carry out that particular order.”

Gladys. He could contact me through her. I relaxed a bit. The king had certainly found a creative solution. “The king exaggerates. He’s not all that into executions.”

“I think you’d be surprised,” Gray said, rubbing my lower back. “I was worried in the beginning that the king would simply use your power, but I think he’s come to care about you.”

I groaned at the feeling of those big hands stroking me and getting my tense muscles to relax. “He cared about my dad.”

Gray moved his hands down, rubbing, and I felt some sort of spark go through me, a deep warmth that seemed to relax my whole body. “He did, but now he cares about you. I think he considers you a part of his family. Poor Donovan. Never thought he would have to deal with a demon like me. Better?”

“Yes.” It came out all breathy and sexy, like I was saying yes to something other than the question he’d asked. Like I was giving him a blanket yes to anything and everything he wanted to do.

I pretty much was.

He rolled me over and snuggled against me, his body warming mine in a way it never had before. He rested his cheek against mine and put a hand on my chest. “You feel so good. I’m going to beat the shit out of Jacob for not telling me about the unique properties of this piece of silver.”

His fingers found my nipples and started to roll them, tweaking them and making my skin come to life.

That brought up another question. “How did I get naked? I mean, you’re not actually here, right? We’re in some weird sword place. Am I dressed in the real world?”

“Nope. You’re naked. I’m definitely naked. I’m here with you. That’s all that counts. I can be with you even when we’re apart.” He traced the shell of my ear with his tongue. “As to your gorgeous nudity, I would hope it was the queen, but suspect it was someone else. I can’t be too angry with him. He’s trying to help you. Why isn’t Marcus here, baby? Not that I mind. I can’t tell you how little I mind being here with you like this again.”

“Where is here, exactly?” I was confused, but his hands on my skin were working their magic. It felt like my bed. It smelled like I was still in the room I slept in with Marcus, but Gray couldn’t be here. “The last thing I remember was fighting with Trent. Henri hit me with a tranquilizer.”

He scraped those deliciously curved fangs over my neck. “The way the king explained it, you got a nasty dose of angelic insanity. Jacob explained a bit of it to me. When an angel is unbalanced, he sends out some seriously bad vibes, and you picked them up. You’re sensitive to them. Particularly sensitive. They toppled all your carefully placed walls like they were toys, but this is a temporary thing. Once you’ve fed the beast, so to speak, you’ll be back to normal, though I’m going to find that vampire and kick his ass for leaving you vulnerable.”

He shifted and I could feel the hard press of his cock against my side.

“Don’t be mad at Donovan. I don’t think even Marcus quite understood how disconnected we’ve become. He tried to calm me down, but it didn’t work.” And right that moment, I didn’t care. I knew I should, but something felt so right. When I stopped worrying, when I took a deep breath, everything felt perfect. Like something had shifted and the world finally made sense.

I breathed in, the scent around me familiar and soothing. I didn’t try to place it. I let it flow over me, over us, because I could feel my wolf, too. It was one of those odd moments when we were in pure sync. It happened sometimes when we were fighting, and it happened often when we threw down.

Oddly, it had never happened with Gray. Only Marcus had been able to bring us together, to soothe both sides of my fractured soul. Something had changed and I welcomed it heartily.

“Let me kiss you, Kelsey mine. It’s been so fucking long.”

I turned, but the room was dark and my eyes hadn’t adjusted yet. I reached for him, but his hands came out, locking me down as he pressed me into the soft comfort of the mattress. His face loomed over me. Gray was the most masculine man I’d ever seen, with a perfectly square jaw and deep blue eyes. When he got passionate, they turned almost purple. And I’d forgotten about how dominant he could be in the bedroom. He leaned down and brought his mouth to mine. I didn’t fight him. Why would I? I needed this. I needed him so badly and he was here somehow. His tongue stroked into my mouth, playing with mine as he made a place for himself between my legs.

I didn’t care who had undressed me. I only cared that he was here and I could forget about everything else.

“Reach up and hold the railing of the headboard,” Gray ordered, getting to his knees. Even in the low light, I could see his big, muscular chest. He was naked, too, his massive body making my mouth water.

“I want to touch you.”

His lips quirked up in a grin that had my heart pounding. “You will, but not until I touch you. I’m not the one who went crazy, baby. I have to make sure you’re okay. It’s all right. I’ve been told I can take my time. This won’t be like the first time with the Ala demon. I’ve got control now. So put your hands up and grip the headboard. Let me take care of you.”

I did as he asked because he was an obnoxiously stubborn ass when it came to sex. Of course it always ended in me screaming in pure pleasure, but only after he’d frustrated me in the sweetest way possible.

He stared at me for a moment, his eyes glowing in the darkness. Not in a way that would scare me. It was a low glow, showing me that his demonic self was with us, too. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Do you have any idea how much I think about you?”

Probably as much as I thought about him. I couldn’t help but ask the question. “Then why don’t you come home?”

He placed a hand on my neck, running it down my body as though he could feel my soul through the skin he touched. “Because I thought I would hurt you. I thought I would keep you from what you need.”

“You thought that?” I couldn’t help but notice he’d used the past tense.

Again, his lips curled up. It was the most I’d seen him smile since the beginning of our relationship. “It’s recently been brought to my attention that things aren’t always as perfect as they seem. And that sometimes imperfect solutions are the best way.”

He leaned over and kissed me again. He kissed my mouth and forehead, my cheeks and nose. He gave me the comforting weight of his body as he moved his way down. This was where I needed to be, chest to chest, limbs tangled up, him all around me. He was so warm. I loved the feel of his scruff against my skin. I hadn’t noticed that he had a beard, but I could feel it rasping sweetly. Everywhere it touched me, my skin seemed to come alive.

“I thought you had everything you needed from a man who could truly take care of you, but I’ve seen the light,” he explained. “I understand now and I won’t let you down.”

My whole body tightened as he kissed my breast, softly at first, but I knew what was coming. I could never forget how long and well this man had loved me. Or how kinky he could be. He licked my nipple right before I felt the fine edge of his teeth. I hissed as he bit down lightly, keeping it on the right edge of pain. That sensation sizzled through my system, made me whimper and want more. I could already feel my body heating, softening and making me ready for him.

“I don’t understand.”

He moved to my other breast, tormenting it in the same manner. “You don’t have to. You only have to believe that everything is going to be all right. I’ll be here for you. I’ll find a way to make it work. Even after…I’ll make it work.”

After. I hated that word because I knew what he meant. His contract would be up in a few years and he would be lost to me. He would have to live on the Hell plane with his father, but I’d hoped deep down that becoming the plane’s dark prophet would mean something, would buy him time. “Your father is still coming after you?”

He rested his face between my breasts before he started kissing his way down. “He’ll always come after me, but this sword works across the planes, Kelsey mine. Even if I’m stuck in Hell, I can find you. I can have some small bit of comfort even if he has you.”

He? I wasn’t sure who “he” was if he wasn’t talking about Marcus, but I didn’t have a chance to ask because Gray had moved down my body, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my most feminine of parts.

“I’ll share you if it means you get what you need. It’s the only way I would ever do it. God, I missed you. I missed your silky skin and the way you feel against me, and damn it all, I missed the way you taste. I would sell my soul for this. Only ever for this.” He put his mouth on me.

I was glad I was holding on to the headboard because I needed something to hold on to as he spread my legs and settled in. He didn’t hold back. He didn’t have any shame. He ate me like I was the best dessert he’d ever had.

“Let it all go, baby. Don’t hold anything back on me. You need this. You have no idea how good it feels to know you need me.” His words rumbled on my skin, the growl he gave sending tremors through me. “You taste so fucking perfect. I think about how you taste all the time. Better than any meal I’ve ever had. I want to die with the taste of you in my mouth.”

He speared me with his tongue and that was it.

I nearly screamed, so great was the pleasure coursing through me. He licked at me and I went straight over the edge. That was how intense my need was. I hadn’t realized how much I’d ached for this.

Something was different. I could feel it, but I wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was the magic surrounding the sword, but I was calmer. My wolf was happy. She was practically dancing inside me, as though she’d finally gotten everything she’d wished for. She’d always been quiet when Gray was touching me, as though she’d known he was mine, but now she woke up and when we were together, there was nothing in the world better. I was more me in that moment, more at peace than I’d ever been.

I could feel her practically purring, meshing us together and taking the pleasure to greater heights than I’d ever been before. I didn’t resent her. I sometimes did because she seemed so much stronger than me at times. But in that moment I realized that she was me and I was her, and we didn’t work without the other. It was all right to have this. It was good to have this.

“Please, Gray.” I was ready to beg. I needed him. Somehow he’d managed to bridge the two parts of me and I was something new and different. It was more than what Marcus had made me feel. Then I was two parts, both happy with themselves, but in that moment I was one. I was one with the wolf, one with my own soul. One with him.

“Touch me.” He was on his knees, between my legs. He stroked his cock. “This is the strongest wolf in the fucking world, I swear. I’m not sure how this is working, but god, it’s good. It’s so fucking good.”

I wasn’t sure when he’d started calling his cock a wolf, but I was way too far gone. All I cared about was Gray getting inside me. He’d let me off the leash and I reached for him, eager to get my hands on him and that dragon.

I touched his tattoo and he groaned, pushing my hands back.

“Baby, not today. Oh god, I felt that, too.” He sat back on his heels.

“Gray?” What had I done?

“It’s fine now. Be gentle with me, baby.” He stroked himself again and then he covered me with his body and I felt his cock nudge me. “Take me. Take me now.”

He pressed inside me, filling me up and making me squirm in the best possible way. I wrapped my legs around him, holding him tight. I loved the fight. He pressed in and held close. When he pulled back, I tilted my pelvis up, not wanting to lose him for a single second. He fucked me hard, every single thrust bringing me closer and closer to the edge. I lost myself in him, in his touch and smell and the feel of his body driving into mine. I gave as good as I got, holding him and finding the savage rhythm he set.

“Sorry about this, baby. I’m afraid he’s quite insistent. We all have our instincts.”

I thought he was talking about his cock, about coming too soon, but that wasn’t what happened. He leaned over and bit me hard on the shoulder. The pain bloomed and then I went wild as pleasure seemed to flood my veins. I’d never felt anything like it before and I howled like the wolf inside me.

Gray growled and I felt him flood me as he gave in and took everything I was willing to give him.

But I swear, somewhere in that moment, I heard another howl. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf had heard me and returned my call.

Gray dropped down beside me, shifting back to his left side. He stared down at me, his arms still wrapped tight. “Better?”

Better? I was perfect. Still, that wasn’t what he was asking. I closed my eyes and breathed in deep, centering myself easily now. “I’m good. Whatever the angelic influence did, it’s gone now.”

He leaned over and kissed me. “I love you so much, Kelsey mine.”

I reached for his hand, my body still thrumming with postcoital afterglow. “Don’t go. I know this sounds stupid, but I have questions. Not about us. It’s about an investigation.”

Now that my head was clear, the only thing I wanted to do beyond fuck again was deal with what I’d learned. That tattoo was important. The fact that Neil Roberts had the same tat as Gray meant something, and I was currently in bed with the only person in the world who might give me answers.

“Of course it is.” He kissed me lightly, his mouth moving over my skin. “Ask away, but I need to go soon. Not because I don’t want to be here.”

Because the magic was wearing off. This was how my life would be. Fleeting hours of passion. I couldn’t work up the will to be bitter. I was too happy to still be in his arms. To have that familiar smell and feel of home around me. I cuddled close because I loved how warm he was. Funny that I didn’t remember him being so warm. “I need to ask you about the tat.”

I hated that I couldn’t feel it here. Something about the sword bringing us together meant the tat on his body didn’t respond to me. He didn’t want me to touch his left side at all. He hissed and moved away from me when I got close. I’d liked how the dragon would shimmer on his skin and I could feel the vibration of his flesh.

“I’ve told you about it,” he replied. “It appeared on my chest the first time my father took me to the Hell plane. It’s grown since then. It’s a symbol of my family.”

“What would it mean on someone not born into your family?”

He stopped for a moment and then seemed to grasp the severity of my question. He sighed, a heavy sound. “Does Neil Roberts have one?”

I nodded. “He does. I saw it earlier tonight. I think it might have something to do with a case I’m following.”

He rested his head down as though he was tired and needed some comfort. “It’s a sign of possession. We mark our lovers in this way. It’s tradition.”

“You didn’t mark me.”

“I never would have. Ever, Kelsey. That tat is how my father will pull me into Hell one day. If Roberts has one, then my brother marked him and he can still control him from time to time. If he…I hate betraying him. I know you don’t understand.”

But I did, in a way. If either of my brothers had turned into an evil son of a bitch, I wouldn’t stop loving them. I would stop them from committing atrocities though. “He’s your brother.”

Gray nodded. “And he’s also the one who sold me out to our father. He’s the one who led your father to his death. I know all of that and yet I still care about him. Fuck. If Roberts has that tat, you have to treat him like the enemy.”

I’d known there was something about it I didn’t like. “He’s been back on this plane for nine years.”

“He’s a sleeper. That’s how my brother would use him. Roberts might not realize it, but there’s no way Nem isn’t fucking with him.”

I glanced down, trying to get a look at the tat on his side. I didn’t try to touch it. Somehow, while the sword’s magic was working, it hurt him. “Is it how your father fucks with you?”

“No, it’s different for me. I’ve got my father’s blood, so on me it’s merely a brand, so to speak. Proof that I belong to him and his house. But it’s also a part of me. The reason it responds to you is my love for you. The tat is actually attached to the soul, not the skin. It sees my soul’s mate and loves her. It’s also why…well, I’ve been told to let that play out.”

“Let what play out?” I was still getting used to him talking in riddles. It was so odd because my Gray, the Texas Ranger, had been so forthcoming. The dark prophet Gray confused me sometimes.

“Let’s just say my dragon sees things I don’t. He isn’t bound by insecurities or social inhibitions. He can ease the way for what should be uncomfortable. Because he knows it’s right. The reason the tattoo doesn’t go away when Roberts changes is because it’s not truly on his skin. It was branded and bonded to his soul.”

“So I have to kill him to break the bond.” I was sure that would make me persona non grata at the next family dinner.

“Or kill the man who branded him. Incapacitation would work as well. Of course, if…”

“If what?” I wanted anything I could get in order to not have to kill the queen’s bestie. It would put her in a shitty mood and then I would be in the doghouse. According to Donovan and Quinn, it wasn’t a nice place to be.

“If Roberts remembered the invocation, the actual binding words, he might be able to break the bond, but keep the dragon. The only way to kill the dragon is to kill Roberts. Even then, the dragon would follow his soul. He has to come to peace with it. That’s the only way to win. If he can remember the invocation, he can break Nemcox’s hold on him. If he can find peace with the dragon, it can’t hurt him again. The dragon would belong to him and not Nem.”

“He doesn’t remember those times. Or so I’ve been told.” It wasn’t like I’d ever been allowed to question the wolf. He was too close to the royals and they protected him. They would have to let me handle him now.

“There are always ways around that,” Gray said enigmatically. “Those memories live inside him. They might not be reachable by hypnosis, because they’re buried deep. If I know my brother, he veiled the memories. He buried them so deep that only a powerful spell could bring them back. They’ll be buried in the connection that holds the dragon to the wolf’s soul. You’ll find it there. It might also be the first step in unbinding Roberts from my brother. I hate this. I love my brother.”

“I know you do.” And yet he was still talking to me. He was still here with me when he knew what I had to do.

“But I also know him.” Gray looked down at me. “I choose you, Kelsey mine. Always you. I thought that would be hard, but it isn’t. Being good enough for you…that’s the hard part. Risking you is the hard part, but I think it might be easier because I trust him. I don’t know why, but I do. Maybe it was how passionate he was about you.”

“Marcus?”

“Marcus is gone. Perhaps not today, but his path is set and this is the true reason your bond is broken so early. He won’t come back unless you force him. He’ll go to find his fate soon.” His eyes turned back in his head, leaving me with the eyes of the prophet. “A trick and a trap. You’ll solve the mystery and never see the evil coming for you. The world will fold and bend in on itself and you will be left on the wrong side. Years will pass. Your wolf will howl but he will remain steadfast. Hell will come and you will weep, but never leave the path. Hold fast. The magician will rule but you can win. Take back the plane. Don’t believe the myth that there can be only one. There is strength in numbers. So much strength in the blood. Don’t let them forget. History plays itself out again and again, mothers and fathers giving more than mere advice to their children. They give blood so the story continues. The path is set. Summer is almost here.”

Yep. That was my man. “Don’t leave the path and buy sunscreen. Got it. The summer stuff, though, has totally been used. Although it was winter is coming. You should watch it. I’m pretty sure that’s trademarked, baby. Simply changing up the season isn’t very creative.”

His eyes were back to blue and he shook his head. “I think I’ve finally figured this stuff out. My prophecies aren’t meant to stop events from occurring. You won’t see it until it’s happening. But remember the things I’ve said. They’re more like warnings. And Marcus won’t leave forever. He’ll play his part in the coming months but, my love, that will not include taking care of you.”

I did not want to start playing word games with a prophet. “Where will he go?”

A sad smile played at his lips. “I told you.”

And that was all I would get. At some time in the future Marcus would leave me to get some sun and there was a path. Nice. I had other things to worry about besides my wayward lover.

I had to deal with the sleeper and hope someone hadn’t been waking him up for a little murder spree.

“I love you, Kelsey mine.” He leaned over and kissed me.

I wanted to beg him to come home, but I relaxed beneath him as he loved me all over again.

 

 

When I woke, soft light filtered through the windows. Normally, Marcus hit the button that closed all the blinds before we went to bed, but he hadn’t been here last night. I wasn’t sure I’d been here last night. Not in a literal sense. My body likely hadn’t left this bed, but I’d been somewhere else. Somewhere Gray could touch me.

I lay there for a moment and took stock. It was something Marcus had taught me to do when I was feeling unstable or worried I might be. I breathe in and start at my toes, trying to sense any tension in my body, locating it and releasing it.

I was a happy mess of rubbery goo. There wasn’t a tense muscle in my body. And my soul. Oh, it was at peace, too.

How could I be at such peace without Marcus to hold me together?

This was who he wanted me to become. I would always need nights like the one before, but something had changed and I was more than I’d been.

The next time wouldn’t be so hard. I could see that now. The next time wouldn’t surprise me and I would handle it.

I could handle being myself.

“Kelsey, please…”

I sat straight up, clutching the sheets to my breasts. That was when I realized I wasn’t alone.

Trent lay beside me in the bed, Gladys impaled in his left side.

He looked up at me, his eyes so damn weak. “I can’t. I’m not strong enough to pull it out. Please. It hurts.”

So much of what Gray had said made sense now. When he’d come to me the first time, he’d been inside the Ala demon. At the time, all I’d seen was the Ala, but apparently Gray had figured out how to make me see him last night—even though he’d been inside Trent’s body.

They’d been one the night before. That had been the difference.

“What did you do?” I asked the wolf, trying to wrap my mind around why he would put himself through hours and hours of torture. And embarrassment. “How much did you see?”

Despite the fact that he was impaled on a sword that could poison him, his lips curled in a sexy grin. “I was there the whole time. Told you I would find a way. Keep you safe. Give you what you need. Don’t hate me. Can’t stand it if you hate me.”

Hate him? I scrambled because I wasn’t about to let him die on me. He’d done something extraordinary. I couldn’t hate him. Ever. I didn’t bother with clothes. He’d seen it all before and it was all right for him to see me. I could feel it.

What wasn’t right was that sword in his belly. He’d held that sword for hours and hours while his body had been used to heal my soul.

“I’ll get Henri.”

Trent shook his head. “Just take it out and I’ll change. I have the king’s blood. I took a big old dose before our adventure. I’ll change and that will help the healing process along. You know what we have to do with Roberts, right?”

I had to call in some witches. Luckily, they were coming over today anyway. “I’ll get Liv started on finding the right spell.”

Trent was flat on his back, staring up at me with weak eyes, but I could hear the will in his voice. “Kelsey, we’re partners in this now. Marcus can’t help you anymore. I didn’t get everything that big bastard said, but I got the gist. Is there a reason Gray can’t give us a map?”

I sighed because that would be so much easier. “It’s all in the prophet’s handbook. That was as easy as it gets.”

Trent growled. “I hate prophecies. I’ll help you in any way I can, but I’m the one you turn to now. You understand that?”

I understood I owed him and if he wanted in on this, I would let him. “Okay.” I gripped the hilt of my sword. “This is probably going to hurt.”

He groaned as I pulled the sword free. The sheets were perfectly clean because Gladys didn’t waste a drop of blood. Even as I pulled it out of Trent’s body, I could see the blood absorbing into the silver, and then I watched as the king’s blood worked its magic, beginning to heal the wound. Trent was a nasty ashen color, but I couldn’t help but find him beyond beautiful in that moment.

Wolves need affection. It’s how they heal. There’s often nothing sexual about it. I’ve seen wolves sleep in large piles of naked bodies for mere comfort and warmth. There’s something beautiful about it. Especially when one is sick and needs the touch of his or her brethren. That’s when the wolf pack will come together and lay hands on the ill one, giving them comfort and strength. So I crawled in next to him. I did it on instinct and without that useless shame I might have felt before that night. There was a wolf part of me and Trent had become my pack. I accepted it with surprising ease. I pulled the covers over us and wrapped my arms around him.

“Kelsey, I have to,” he began.

I knew what he had to do. “It’s okay.”

He changed in an instant, proving his incredible strength. One minute I was hugging a man and the next there was a big gray wolf in my arms. He whimpered in pain and I stroked a hand down his back.

“Go to sleep.” I knew why he was fighting it, but he would find me less combative than I’d been before he’d risked his life to save my sanity. I wasn’t going to let his sacrifice be for nothing. I let my hands stroke his soft fur. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here. I won’t leave you and I won’t get into trouble until you’re awake and ready to protect me.”

He managed a bark that sounded something like a snort of disbelief.

But his eyes were closing.

I stayed there, watching over him as he’d watched over me.