“I’ll die if I don’t come soon,” I whined, clawing at anything within reach.
“Well, we can’t have that.”
Please, please, please, please, please.
The mantra repeated in my head until it became a one-word drone. Ezra thrust harder against my ass, sustaining the burn while gently bumping the toys inside me. One hand clamped on my hip, the other disappeared between my legs to wickedly twist my clit between his thumb and index finger.
The world exploded behind my eyelids as tremors wracked violently through my limbs, lasting far longer than any orgasm I’d had before. The uncontrollable spasms prolonged the pleasure as the toys continued to vibrate and move, rubbing against all my sensitive, swollen tissues. When the waves finallyceased, only the ice strapping me down kept me from melting into a puddle on the ground.
My body was so lax, Ezra easily pulled the plug from my ass with only a brief twinge of discomfort. The ice replica of his cock withdrew as well. All my holes now empty, my juices mixed with warmed lube to trickle down my thighs. The restraints vanished from my wrists and skates before my muscles were ready to take the weight, but Ezra was there to catch me, like always.
He scooped me up in his arms, unconcerned by the sharp blades swinging by his shoulder, and carried me away from the pond. The string lights winked through the branches of the tree, like a farewell wave from a kinky voyeur who had just watched me surrender yet another part of myself.
There was no doubt about it now; I was completely head over heels for this man. It was like he slipped inside me, stole my heart, and held it out of reach over his head. No matter how high I jumped, I couldn’t get it back. It was more than just the physical stuff or even the heavy emotions from our bond; it was the got-each-other’s-backs, life or death, no one’s ever going to hurt youkind of shit.
He just fucking spanked me because my rash actions put me in danger and absolutely terrified him. He made me an ice replica of his cock for my birthday. It made sense, and at the same time, didn’t. I just knew he was mine, and for the first time, I truly,truly, thanked whatever god lurked in the ocean for changing me that night.
CHAPTER 27
Ezra
Sitting in the living room and eating pizza was as far from ice dildos and butt plugs as one could get. Not that I was complaining. It was nice to spend time with my cousin and his bond, and a second afternoon off was nothing to scoff at, but it also really fucking sucked. Rani kept shooting me heated looks when she thought no one was looking and now my dick was trapped in my pants in a permanent tent formation. I kept the couch cushion in my lap.
Sorry, soldier. Your mission has been denied.
“I just don’t understand why he’s so fixated on me,” Rani exclaimed, before shoving another triangle of pizza in her mouth. “I ’on’t efem no heem.”
“You’re our weak link,” Kai responded, and Eryn smacked him on the arm with a glare. An entire conversation passed without either of them saying a word, the biggest perk of being a bonded couple. Lots of scrunching brows and narrowed eyes later, Kai nodded and glanced at Rani with an apologetic frown. “I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”
She shrugged, not appearing the slightest bit bothered, but she couldn’t hide from me. Guilt ate at her side of the bond, an ugly blooming cloud of it. I scooted closer, knocking an empty pizza box out of the way until our hips touched.
“You better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking,” I whispered. “Eryn was an even bigger target last year than you are now. Not once did we blame her for that.” I bumped her shoulder. “It’s just the siren’s turn for the spotlight, that’s all.”
“Except, they came after me when I was human, too.”
Ah. Now I understood the source of her guilt. She thought the djinn were able to get a stronghold because of her. The mission to rescue her was when Eryn destroyed Kol’s mind, igniting this crusade of retribution that his father, Soloman, had against us. His vendetta against her was personal, in that she was correct, but the djinn would have moved against the sirens regardless of Rani’s connection to them.
“We don’t blame you, Rani,” Kai assured, while Eryn nodded her head frantically beside him. “It wasourfault you were caught in the crosshairs. If we’d done our jobs better, you wouldn’t even be on their radar.”
Gods, wasn’t that the truth. Rani being in danger was all my fault; I’d failed at my duties last semester. I dropped the ball. Fumbled the bag. Pet the porcupine and danced with his cousin, as they say. The point was, Rani wouldn’t be Soloman’s target right now if it weren’t for me.
Sometimes, I wondered if she would be better off without this bond between us. It wasn’t too late. We’d initiated but hadn’t completed it. There was nothing stopping her from leaving this mess behind and restarting her life somewhere far away from the djinn.From me. I had no doubt Cova would protect her as one of his own. The separation would hurt like a bitch for a while, but our fledgling bond would eventually fade and she’d forget all about me.
I rubbed at my chest. The mere thought of being without her felt like someone stabbed me through the heart. But if it was better for her… safer… then maybe…
“What’s done is done,” Kai emphasized, continuing their conversation despite the world-rocking epiphany that was slowly killing me. “The djinn will do everything they can to get their hands on Rani, this we know. Soloman is on a mission, and his followers will do anything to deliver on it.”
“Capturing Rani would incur a lifetime of favor,” I added, then swiveled to face her fully. She needed to understand the severity of the situation. “It goes without saying, but you know I’ll say it anyway;stay on witch land. You’re safe behind our wards.”
Rani rolled her eyes with a huff. “I’m not stupid.”
“Never,” I swore. “But you do love to do things that piss me off.”
The conversation turned to strategy. The djinn were a massive pain in our asses, and so far, all we’d done was put a Band-Aid on the problem. We were stuck on defense, and it was time to switch it up. That dark part of me paced like a beast in a cage, ready to be unleashed upon the enemy.
It was dangerous to let it out so close to Rani—I still didn’t trust my control. But it wanted to hunt. Wanted to kill. I shut it down before Rani felt its murderous tendencies and silently swallowed my disgust. Maybe she really was better off without me.
As the pizza dwindled and the fireplace simmered to coals, our strategizing devolved into arguing. Kai was trapped in an endless loop of reaction, a point he was very insulted about me making. But I called it like I saw it. He walked a fine line, being an heir, and was just as vulnerable to the consequences as we were—more so—but that didn’t excuse his inaction. I was tiredof plotting and negotiating. I wanted Soloman’s blood, and I wanted it now.
