She stops and smiles at all three of us.
She is absolutely breathtaking… I can’t believe she is mine.
Dani holds up her hands and acts like she just took a picture. “For the spank bank,” she teases.
“Get over here,” I say to her.
She runs over and jumps on the bed, her tits bounce as she crawls up, laying between me and Adonis. Dax sits at my other side.
I pull her close to me, placing my arm over her bare chest. Dax wraps his arm around my waist, and Adonis turns towards Dani. She throws her arm over his side.
Together, we are a beautiful tangle of limbs.
The feeling I have for these three is beyond love. I’ve never felt so grateful in my entire life.
Dani exhales a pleased sigh, “I love you all so much. Thank you for loving me in return.”
I kiss the back of her head. We all tell her we love her back.
“Oh, and Dax,” she quickly adds.
“What’s up, baby?” He says.
“Next time you spank, make it hurt.”
“Ooooooh!” The sound escapes mine and Adonis’ lips in unity, a joyful exclamation that surrounds us. Adonis shoots me a playful grin. “Burn, Dax!” he teases, the words dripping with lighthearted sarcasm.
Dax leans over playfully and begins to tickle Dani’s sides. Her delighted laughter and squeals are bright and infectious, filling my ears with a melody of joy that dances around like a warm breeze. It’s a sound so pure that it wraps around my heart, making the moment feel timeless.
I will never get enough of this…
Chapter 32
Dani
I clamp my hand over my mouth, stifling a gasp as I take in the horrific sight before me. The lifeless body lies sprawled on the cold ground, a nightmarish sight of contorted limbs and grotesque angles. It’s as if a cruel joke has been played on her form, with limbs twisted unnaturally and fragments of flesh missing, revealing raw, unsettling tissue where her ovaries once resided. A sense of dread hangs heavy in the air—this isn’t just a murder: it’s a message.
The Keepers of the Mist community murmurs in hushed tones, the atmosphere thick with unease. They say the symbol etched into her chest—a disturbing insignia that feels both alien and hauntingly familiar—foretells of impending doom. The lines of the symbol curl and twist, suggesting a foreboding that sends chills down my spine as their words repeat in my head, ‘Death is near.’
The woman’s face is a mask of horror, yet her eyes—or the lack thereof—chill me to the core. Where they once were filled with life, there are now two hollow sockets. In their place are glimmering golden crystals. They emit a faint, otherworldly glow, casting a strange light across her pallid face.
As I stand frozen in disbelief yet fascinated by the horrors, a raven appears. It caws and squawks as it sits perched on a tree branch, like it has a message for me.
Jules leans closer, “A raven is often associated with omens and the afterlife. It signifies the presence of death… which, makes sense, since she is super dead,” she mutters to me and Carter, her eyes wide with dread. The weight of her words hangs heavy between us.
Erin was in her backyard, immersed in a ritual that hinted at witchcraft. In the center of a meticulously drawn ceremonial circle, her lifeless body was discovered, a haunting centerpiece to an enigmatic scene. Intricate symbols, etched in crimson cover her skin, their vividness mirrored by the markings that spiraled across nearby tree trunks and rugged stones.
Carter fills us in, “Her lover, Heather, explained that they merely engaged in worship, a sacred practice meant to connect with the earth and its energies.” We give Carter a look, raising our eyebrows at him. “What? Her words, not mine… anyway, Heather said she started to feel faint and had gone inside to lie down for a bit. She was too discombobulated to address my and Sheriff Rhoton’s additional questions.”
It’s not the work of a shadowmire, and it certainly wasn’t her lover who did this. However, this was unquestionably done by someone’s hands.
I glance back at her body again.That symbol… it’s so familiar.
I search my memory, and something clicks.
Holy fuck…that symbol is the same symbol I saw in Octavia’s lair!
“Whoever did this is a sick son of a bitch,” Carter turns to face both me and Jules. “Sorry you guys have to see this. We will catch this person.”
