I trailed off, my gaze unfocused as I tried to sort through all the information Delilah was sending from her end of the bond.
Confusion and mild distress.
That’s wouldn’t do. Straightening, I did my best to send gentle waves of calm through the bond. She likely hadn’t realized it existed yet, and the last thing I wanted was to invade her privacy before she learned to manage our connection.
I’d taken enough liberties for one day.
"Boss?" Corson leaned forward, his brow furrowed in concern. "You seem...distracted. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I managed, though even I could hear how unconvincing I sounded. "Continue."
"There's not much more to tell," Vine said, eyeing me with growing suspicion. "He was there, then he wasn't. We've lost our best lead on the Order, but at least you managed to get the first piece of the Fallen Key. That’s something. Uh, boss?” He blinked at me, his brow furrowed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but…what the fuck is wrong with you?"
I opened my mouth to respond, to tell everything was fine. To inform them about the Void and Astaroth and the deal I'd been forced to make, but instead found myself shifting uncomfortably as desire spread through my chest. For a moment, I had been confused, unsure of where that emotion had even come from.
No, not my desire.Hers.
In that moment, my cock had twitched traitorously in my pants, responding to sensations that weren't my own, but stirred my own yearning to be near her. To see if she smelled as incredible as she had back in Astaroth’s throne room.
Groaning, I took a sip of my drink, trying to let the sulfur-infused liquid clear some of the fog that was clouding my thoughts, but it was no use. I had only one thought in my mind: Delilah, and the feelings she was sending through the bond.
Confusion. Curiosity.
Lust.
“We’ll continue this later,” I barked, standing from my chair.
“Wait,” Corson called. “We need to talk about this. Archer, you are the first person to cross the realms since Lucifer disappeared. That isn’t something to be taken lightly. We should—”
“I’ll tell you everything,” I promised. “But for now, I need to…” I trailed off, my gaze lifting to the ceiling above us where I could sense Delilah on the second floor.
“Yeah.” Corson’s acceptance was grudging at best. “Fine. But Archer?” He paused until he could be sure my focus was on him. “Don’t loose sight of what really matters, alright?”
I didn’t tell him it might already be too late.
Ignoring the shocked and confused stares of my men, I drained my glass and immediately headed for the stairs, needing the privacy of my room. The chalet was huge, a stunning structure nestled in a remote Swiss valley with an incredible view of the Matterhorn. Each richly appointed bedroom had its own bathroom, as well as huge windows and a large balcony to make the most of the sweeping landscape that surrounded it.
Ignoring all of that luxury, I stormed through the room and toward the shower, discarding my clothes as I went. My cock strained behind my pants, still angry that I had allowed it to go so unsatisfied earlier. Desperate, I clawed at the fabric—literally, because my claws had appeared without my fucking permission.
Again.
I was losing all control, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
Finally naked, I turned on the shower, stepping beneath the icy cold spray and letting out a groan.
I was not going to do it. I was absolutely not going to think about her while I jerked off in the shower like an untrained youth.
Tipping my head back, I brought my hands to my face, which I immediately regretted because my fingers still smelled ofher.
“Fuck.” The word was a hiss, my balls drawing up tight as the bond wreaked havoc on my body.
Forcing my lust—her lust?Ourlust?—into submission, I hastily scrubbed my body, paying special attention to my fingers, before climbing out of the shower and heading to the closet, selecting a black t-shirt and matching lounge pants from the wardrobe I kept here. Rubbing the towel over my wet hair as I stared at the starlit sky outside my window, I wondered what Delilah was doing inside the room she had locked herself in. Was she lying in the bed, recounting the horrors of our time in the Void? Or was she standing at the window, as I was, trying to make sense of our new connection that was probably more frightening and confusing than anything to her.
I could picture her, whispering her questions to her familiar as she got ready for bed.
Then, my traitorous, lust-addled brain began wondering if she slept naked or—
The thought drew me up short; what could she possibly wear? She didn’t have anything besides the borrowed dress that Persephone had callously loaned to her, trying to hurt my witch with a malicious gesture of feigned kindness.
