Cerys could have slept for a month. She had no idea she could feel so exhausted and so happy at the same time. Saeed had seemed almost nervous about putting Seattle in their wake, but not Cerys. The city harbored so many painful memories for her that she doubted she’d ever return. She liked that Los Angeles was an unfamiliar city. No one here knew her, feared her, or made conjectures about her. She was nothing more than another supernatural creature among many. Not even worth a passing glance. The anonymity gave her comfort. It was a fresh start and for once, she was excited to embark on a new adventure.
That didn’t mean her excitement didn’t come with a learning curve, however.
“What is it, love?” Saeed spoke against her ear in the quiet dark. His warm breath coaxed chills to the surface of Cerys’s skin. His wide chest pressed against her back as he tucked her body closer to his.
“I’m okay.” She let her fingertips glide over each of his knuckles. “Just finding freedom a little tough to get used to.”
Since their return to L.A., they’d kept a low profile. Saeed had given control of his coven to his most trusted confidants and he hadn’t wanted to disrupt the new order they’d established here. In fact, he’d done nothing to reclaim his position as the coven’s master. He’d told her he would leave that decision to Sasha, Diego, and the members of the coven. From what she’d seen so far, they all adored him. She was fairly certain he’d be running the show again in no time.
“You can have whatever you want.” The smooth timbre of Saeed’s voice flowed over her like satin. He put his lips to her bare shoulder and she shivered. “Go wherever you want. Do whatever you want. You have no boundaries here. No limitations. The only thing that matters to me is that you’re safe and happy.”
Cerys had never known a more selfless male than Saeed. His only concern was for her well-being. No one had ever cared for her like that before. No one had ever loved her like he did. There were days she didn’t feel deserving of his love. Not after all of the horrible things she’d done for Rin. But there were other times, like now, as they lay entwined in the hours just after sunset, when she felt as though his love had washed her soul clean. In such a short amount of time Saeed had become the weight that anchored her, the focus that centered her, and the calm to her raging storm. She loved him more than anyone or anything in this world.
His happiness was important to her too and Cerys knew something had weighed on his mind and heart since their return to L.A. “You should talk to her, Saeed.”
He let out a chuff of laughter. “I would if she ever saw fit to return home.”
His response might have been a little melodramatic, but it was true that Sasha spent very little time at the house. Cerys had tried to stay out of coven business in the weeks since they’d arrived. It had nothing to do with her. She simply offered her support to Saeed if he needed it.
“Maybe she just needs a little freedom, too. She’ll come around, give her some time.”
Saeed’s arms went tighter around her as he held her close. “I hope you’re right. I worry for her.”
So selfless. So caring. So opposite of what she’d lived with for centuries. Cerys turned in his embrace to face him. “She’s a big girl. I’m sure she can take care of herself.”
Saeed’s eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile. “You’re right. I worry too much.”
Cerys tilted her head up to kiss him. Her mouth moved slowly over his for a long, indulgent moment. Her favorite part of her newfound freedom was knowing her time with Saeed no longer amounted to stolen moments. She could lie here with him like this all night if she wanted to. Kissing, touching, whispering to one another in the dark. She had no one to answer to. Nowhere to be but right here.
And honestly, there was nowhere else she’d rather be.
Saeed rolled Cerys onto her back and settled his hips between her thighs. Her knees fell open as the hard, hot length of his erection brushed against her sex. Cerys’s back arched and the sensitive points of her nipples grazed his chest, adding a layer of sensation that coaxed a soft moan from her lips. They’d started off every night of the past couple of weeks this way and it seemed that neither of them could ever get enough.
“There are far too many hours of daylight,” Saeed murmured close to her ear. “I can’t wait for winter.”
A slow smile spread across Cerys’s lips. Her head came up from the pillow as she nuzzled his throat before grazing her teeth against his skin. Saeed let out a low growl that sent a rush of excitement through her core. Cerys rolled her hips and she drew in a gasp of pleasure as her clit slid along his shaft. “Oh come on, you haven’t exactly been sleeping all day.”
The return of his soul and the solidification of their tether had fortified Saeed’s strength as well. The sunrise didn’t put him down as easily as it used too. Instead, it slowly wearied him as anyone would be at the end of a long day.
“If I had it my way, we wouldn’t sleep at all.” He entered her in a slow thrust that caused Cerys’s back to arch off the mattress.
“How would we spend those extra hours?” Cerys drew in a sharp breath as he pulled out to the tip, and thrust again.
“Like this.” He repeated the motion, a slow roll of his hips that nearly drove Cerys out of her mind with want. “Fucking.”
He’d certainly loosened up from the stiff, stoic vampire she’d met that night in Crimson. Cerys liked him like this, raw and uninhibited. It turned her blood to smoke and set her soul on fire. “Sounds like a pretty damned good way to spend a day.”
Saeed cupped the back of her neck with one hand while he braced the bulk of his weight on his opposite arm. He continued to move at a slow, measured pace as though each thrust of his hips had been carefully thought out and orchestrated. He kissed her. Slowly at first, and then more deeply. Their lips met and parted, tongues intertwined in a sensual dance. His fangs nicked her bottom lip and he let out an indulgent moan. The coppery tang of blood hit Cerys’s tongue and her stomach tightened pleasantly as Saeed began to pound into her with more urgency.
“Gods yes. Don’t stop, Saeed.” Pleasure built within her, twisting and twining as though binding her with a length of satin cord. Every inch of her tightened. The world fell out from under her until all that was left was the two of them and the blinding ecstasy that crested to a nearly unbearable peak. She wanted his fangs buried deep in her throat as she came. “I’m close,” she said on a breath. “I want your bite.”
Saeed pulled back with a low growl before burying his face against her throat. His thrusts became desperate and wild as his fangs broke the surface of her skin. “Saeed!” Cerys cried out as the orgasm exploded through her, deep pulsing waves of sensation that spread from her center, outward, and left her breathless and shaking.
Her fists wound into the sheets as Saeed fucked her with abandon. Chills broke out over Cerys’s flesh from the sensation of his mouth suckling at her throat. It seemed there would be no end to the blinding pleasure that consumed her and to be honest, she didn’t want it to end.
Saeed pulled away from her throat with a roar. His body went rigid and his movements became disjointed as a tremor rocked him from head to toe. He shuddered over Cerys as he collapsed on top of her and buried himself as deep inside of her as he could go. The pulsing spasms of his orgasm traveled along his shaft and against the sensitive, swollen flesh of her pussy. Cerys was flooded with delicious warmth as she fell back on the pillows, sated. At least, for now.
She smiled against his shoulder as they came down from the high together, their deep, panting breaths as one. She could lie like this forever. Skin to skin without a single word spoken between them. She thought about all of the lonely years of emptiness spent as Rin’s possession. The hollow feeling that never went away no matter how many cheeseburgers, pizzas, or pasta she shoved into her mouth. She’d never felt so full, so sated, as she did now. Saeed was all the sustenance she’d ever need to nourish that part of her. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still mad in love with a well-made bowl of Phŏ, though.
“Are you hungry?”
Cerys laughed. Saeed pulled back and gave her a curious look as he brushed the hair from her face. “I was just thinking about food.”
“What about it?”
“Just that I don’t need it in the same way I used to.”
He gave her a soft smile. “And why’s that?”
“Because both my soul and my heart are full now.”
He put his mouth to hers and kissed her. “I love you, Cerys.”
“I love you, too.” So much. And she knew that her feelings for him would never, ever diminish. “I wouldn’t say no to breakfast, though.”
Saeed chuckled. Gods, she loved the sound of his happiness. “What were you thinking?”
“Oh … pancakes, eggs, bacon. Maybe some French toast. Coffee…”
“Done. We can discuss what’s for lunch while we’re eating.”
How could she have ever doubted that they were made for each other? “Why stop there? We’ll plan the entire week’s menu.”
He kissed her again. Slowly this time. “Done.”
* * *
Saeed had never known such happiness as he did now. The Collective no longer called to him, the memories no longer held any sway over him. He had his soul and his mate by his side. Worry still gnawed at him, however.
His agreement with Gregor had been so simple: bring Cerys to L.A. and her soul would be hers once again. But why? For what purpose? Something scratched at the back of Saeed’s mind. The answer to his question. He’d been given a trail of breadcrumbs to follow within the Collective, but he couldn’t make any sense of it.
So many fates intertwined. So many lives disrupted.
McAlister’s magic had been bound at the request of Cerys’s sister. Saeed didn’t know the reasoning behind the request, but it stood to reason there was no love lost between Fiona and McAlister. Did that make Ian Gregor her ally by default? And what was Cerys’s role in it all? She’d been an innocent victim, caught in the crossfire of Fiona’s dealings with Rin. What purpose would it serve to have her in L.A.? McAlister was already bound. Surely, Gregor didn’t want Cerys to take his soul as well. Perhaps it wasn’t about Cerys at all, but Fiona …
“Saeed?” Cerys’s voice blew through his mind like a cleansing breeze. “You okay?”
Her sweet smile and concerned expression nearly laid him low. Gods, she was the most breathtakingly beautiful creature he’d ever seen. They sat together, curled up on the couch, in the study that had once been his office. A movie played in the background—something with superheroes, he wasn’t really paying attention—as they spent a quiet evening together. His mind was too full of worry for anything else. Too full of concern for his mate’s well-being. He would never let Gregor—or anyone—harm her, but until Gregor’s intentions became clear, Saeed would remain on edge.
“I’m fine.” For now, all he wanted for her was a little peace and the time she needed to adjust to her new life. “Just thinking.”
“About Sasha?”
Ah, yes. The other worry he tried not to address. “She’s out of control. This isn’t like her to behave this way.”
Truly, Saeed had no idea what had gotten into Sasha. Her sense of duty and responsibility had always been so unflappable. It had been hard to believe that she had turned her back on her role as co-leader of the coven, when Diego had told him. But then, Saeed had seen the evidence of her new carefree attitude for himself. She no longer cared about him, her duty, their coven, anything.
“I told you, she just needs to blow off a little steam.”
Saeed supposed if anyone knew what it felt like to be confined and pigeonholed it was Cerys. He was prepared to give his mate all of the freedom to stretch her wings and then some. Why was he not able to extend that courtesy to Sasha as well? She’s not your responsibility anymore. You are no longer a coven master. It was a harsh reminder but a necessary one. He’d stepped down, cast off his own responsibilities in order to search for Cerys. Sasha was his friend and nothing else. It wasn’t his place to intervene in her life. He had to allow her to follow her own path.
“I think you’re right.” Saeed gathered Cerys close to him and tucked her under his arm.
“I mean, what’s she doing, really? Partying a little too hard? From the sound of it, she deserves a little fun.”
“Diego doesn’t think so.” In the weeks since Sasha renounced her role as co-leader, Diego had taken over full responsibility of ruling the coven. From what Saeed had heard, he’d done a stellar job, too. “He thinks she needs to stop acting like an entitled child and come to her senses.”
Cerys laughed. “Typical male response. He’s probably just jealous that he isn’t out there with her, sowing his oats.”
Perhaps, but Saeed doubted it. Diego was easy-going and charming, he came off as carefree, but Saeed knew better. He never would have left him in charge otherwise. “Diego has suggested again that I take back my position. Permitting the acceptance of the rest of our coven, of course.”
Cerys’s gaze searched his. “Is that what you want?”
A part of him missed it. “In time, perhaps. Right now, I’m happy to simply be back with my family, with my mate at my side.”
“I’ll support you in whatever you decide.” She nestled in closer, resting her head against his chest and let out a slow sigh. “In the meantime, we have enough to worry about.”
A rush of anxiety spread through Saeed’s body. “What do you mean?”
Cerys gave him a look. “Come on, Saeed. I know you made a deal with Gregor to get my soul back. What did you promise him?”
It would do him no good to lie to her and he didn’t want to. “I promised I’d bring you to L.A. and nothing more than that.”
Cerys cocked a dubious brow. “Why would he want me here?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.” He hadn’t mentioned what he’d seen in the Collective, but it was time he told her. “I saw the moment you lost your soul.” She stilled beside him and he tightened his hold on her. “I know that your sister traded it for Rin’s services in binding Trenton McAlister’s power.”
Cerys shivered in his embrace. “I don’t know why she did it.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I think they were lovers. Maybe he betrayed her and that’s how she took her revenge. I honestly have no idea. Fiona left after she struck her deal with Rin and I haven’t seen her since.” She let out a rueful laugh. “I don’t even know if she’s still alive.”
Could it be so simple? “Gregor wants you here … in the hopes that your sister will seek you out now that you have your soul back and thereby bring her closer to McAlister?”
“It’s a possibility.” Cerys sat up a little straighter. “It’s quite the gamble, though, don’t you think? Why would Fiona want to face anyone she’d screwed over?”
Saeed had no idea, but he planned to find out. “I’m not sure, love. But in the meantime, we’ll remain cautious and keep our ears to the ground.” It was their only option at this point, besides seeking out Gregor and shaking him down for the information which probably wouldn’t work out well for anyone.
“Cautious, yes.” She reached up and stroked her fingers along his jaw. “But I refuse to live in fear. We aren’t going to shut ourselves up in this house and stop living because we’re afraid of the future. I won’t be anyone’s kept thing ever again. Not even yours, Saeed.”
He turned and put his lips to her palm. “Never. I would never do that to you.” He meant it, too. No matter the cost he would never take her freedom from her.
“Good.” She smiled coyly and Saeed’s cock stirred. He doubted there would ever be a time that he didn’t want her with such immediate intensity. “Because we have nothing to worry about. A couple of ex-assassins can manage their shit, don’t you think?”
Gods, how he loved her. His fire-haired fae.
“Oh, without a doubt.” He put his mouth to hers once again. “Anyone who dares to disrupt our peace will pay a hefty price.”
Cerys brought her hand up for a high five and Saeed gave it a slap. “Damn straight!”
They were meant for one another. The perfect team.
“Now that that’s settled,” Cerys said as she nestled in beside him once again. “What’s for dinner…?”