Chapter Twenty-Five

By the time they had traveled to the bar where Razor’s friend was waiting for them, Sasha’s thoughts had gotten a little out of control.

Goddess, just the amount of shit Razor and his brothers had gone through in the Underworld…she’d truly had no idea. Night’s anecdotes tended to be more fantastical in nature, taking something bad and twisting it into a joke everyone could laugh at. But the short history Razor had revealed to her…

It had taken everything in her power not to say fuck the investigation and just dote on Razor until he was sick of her.

Three of his words in particular had hit her heart and twisted, refusing to budge. I was invisible. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. She’d unknowingly treated him just like Erummon had, as if he were invisible. All because of her stupid pride. And he’d been so fucking patient with her.

His comment back in the parking garage, about welcoming Sasha to the club, made sense now, too. Razor blamed himself for some of his brothers’ suffering. Which wasn’t true. He’d been a child, and there had been nothing he could have done. Yet he still seemed to carry the weight of that on his shoulders. Sasha knew the feeling all too well. They were truly two peas in a pod.

But back in his room, she’d turned the mood lighter, knowing that was what he’d needed in that moment. If she hadn’t changed the mood, if she’d comforted him and asked everything she was dying to know, then she was afraid he’d then have the freedom to ask about more details of her past. And as much as she was opening up to Razor, that was something she just wasn’t ready for. Not yet.

But the least she could do was never ignore him again. She vowed it. Knowing a little of his past now, knowing she’d ignored him time and time again, she’d rather stab herself before knowingly hurting him again.

But beyond that, their relationship was still balanced precariously. They were an us, but she wasn’t sure what that meant. She was comfortable with him, she was obviously a fan of the sex they had, but she still felt uneasy when it came to naming emotions. She trusted him when it came to fighting and sex, but trusting him with her heart and her past? She didn’t think she was brave enough to make herself that vulnerable again.

The place Razor’s contact brought them to was less of a bar and more of a sketchy dive. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and to focus on their job. They were going to get their hands on Castor one way or another, and there would be blood.

Razor strolled up to the crowded bar and gave a slight nod towards the bartender. “Kaxat.”

Kaxat, the bartender, was one of the Demons in Shadow Realm who had minimal amounts of human in his DNA. Standing at eight feet tall, with six arms, three tails, and scales covering him from head to toe, he was an impressive sight. Sasha could also see why he was the only bartender in such a busy place. Each of his arms was mixing its own drink and sliding them in front of customers, or otherwise giving them to the bar wench to deliver. And in a tiny skirt, no top, thigh-high boots, and an impressive swagger to complete the package, she really was a bar wench. At the same time, Kaxat fixed his attention on Razor and smiled in what Sasha thought was meant to be a friendly manner. Two rows of fangs lined his upper and lower jaw. “Judge.”

Sasha stood next to Razor at the bar, sweeping her gaze over anyone nearby. She lowered her voice, but over the din in the place, it was probably pointless. She got right to the point. “Castor?”

Kaxat eyed her, but she stared back at him, unblinking and waiting for him to respond. She felt Razor tense, then he growled menacingly. Kaxat didn’t even look at him, but it was clear he got the message, because he replied without any further prompting.

“Ya,” he said. The copious amount of fangs he had impeded his English. “Left ’bout ten min’tes ago. Came in ’lone, left wit two big guys. Vamps, seemed like.”

Razor nodded. “Thanks. Which way?”

Kaxat gestured to the back door with his chin. “S’all I know.”

They thanked the guy again and headed out the back door. The overwhelming stench of trash and piss invaded their noses, but they walked quickly through the back parking lot. It led to a narrow alley, and from there, branched out to a street with rundown shacks everywhere.

“Can you follow Castor’s scent?” she asked.

Razor nodded, his black eyes focused on something ahead. “Already am. Still strong, they haven’t been gone long. On foot. He’s a fucking idiot.”

She smiled to herself, speeding up when his steps quickened. Like a bloodhound on the trail, his focus was sharp. It was turning her on a little. “He’s going to pay for everything he’s done.”

He spared a glance for her, and she met his wicked grin with one of hers.

Only a few minutes later, he brought them to a large metal shed. They were silent as they pressed their backs against the wall, glancing inside to get a feel for the situation.

At first, all she saw were two men—probably the Vamps Kaxat had mentioned—writhing on the ground. They were in obvious pain, their backs bowed as the rest of their bodies convulsed. Then she heard Castor. The sound of his voice slithered through the open doorway, and Sasha bared her teeth in a silent hiss. All she could think about was the image of Hailie’s dead body, and suddenly, she was too impatient to go along with the calmly assessing method Razor was so fond of. She needed to get her own justice, now.

Razor would have her back, so it wasn’t too reckless, right? And besides, they couldn’t risk him escaping with their answers. It was now or never.

Pulling out her pistol, she turned the corner and stormed into the shack with a snarl. She heard Razor swear behind her.

“Hey, asshole,” she said.

When Castor looked up, she smirked and squeezed the trigger, her gold bullet hitting its mark perfectly in his left kneecap.

Sure, gold couldn’t kill a Vampire, but a bullet was a bullet.

And Castor obviously hadn’t anticipated where her shot was going. He shrieked in pain as his leg collapsed from under him, his hands flying out to brace himself on the dirt floor. Stomping over to him, Sasha kicked him, her boot connecting with his shoulder and knocking him off balance. Even then, he tried getting up again, so she spun in a semicircle, the outside of her boot now slamming into Castor’s head. “Stay down, fucker.”

Somewhere behind her, she heard a garbled sound, and the deeper timbre of Razor’s growl. Then the smack of flesh on flesh. Metal on flesh.

Castor laughed then. It was a strangled sound, forced out around pain. Then he mumbled something too soft to hear. He clutched something in his hand, but it wasn’t a weapon. She narrowed her eyes. It looked like some sort of amulet.

Before she could process anything else, she was hurtling forward, a massive weight slamming into her back. Pain streaked through her when she landed on the hard-packed dirt, but she quickly flipped over and held her gun in front of her. The Vampire charging her was no longer just a Vampire. While she’d been paying attention to Castor, this creature had changed into one of the Vamp-Shifter hybrids.

A quick glance to her right showed Razor already locked in a fight with the second Vamp-Shifter. He was holding his own, and she trusted him to take care of it without any trouble. Just like she’d take care of this one.

“Kill them!” Castor shouted to the Vamp-Shifters, and there was a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. He must have been controlling the creatures somehow.

She shot at the hybrid, but even when the bullet went straight through the creature’s heart, the hybrid didn’t slow down for a second. The gun was knocked from her hand as the creature tackled her, and she rolled with it, punching and kicking. Thank Goddess for those training sessions with Sael.

Her body reacted on instinct, lashing out at the creature and blocking its own punches against her. She needed to reach her machete sheathed at her hip, but the creature had her pinned down. So she just fought him as much as she could, pressing for any advantage while avoiding his blows. Particularly, she avoided the thing’s mouth, with its ropy saliva and huge fangs. The claws were a bitch, too, and she felt their sting as the hybrid caught her off guard and raked its claws down her side.

She finally twisted and was able to grab the dagger from her boot, but wasn’t able to block the creature’s next attack, and got four deep slashes across her cheek for the trouble.

She snarled, but the pain only added to her adrenaline. She didn’t bother to wipe away the blood as it dripped down her face. “You’re gonna pay for that one.” She clutched her dagger tightly, then jammed the blade up through the chin and towards the brain.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause when the Vamp-Shifter fell in agony, she rolled away. She stumbled to her feet and then her back was flush against a broad back.

Razor.

Glancing over her shoulder, Razor doing the same, their gazes met for a brief moment. It was as if time had slowed down. She saw the predatory gleam in his black eyes, felt the spike of desire rush over her in response. There was wetness at her back, but she wasn’t sure if it was his blood, hers, or both. In that moment, they were one, connected. A team, true partners. Fighting with the other at their back.

It was a feeling that spread warmth through her heart. And turned her the fuck on.

This was what she wanted. This felt good. Felt like…a future. One she could live for, strive for.

The moment came to an abrupt end when one of the Vamp-Shifters made a rush for the pair of them. Razor snapped into action, roaring loudly, his saber claws swinging. Goddess, he’s beautiful.

She returned her focus to her own hybrid, who was pushing himself up despite the dagger piercing his face. Unsheathing her machete, she charged forward and took care of that problem, the Vamp-Shifter’s head rolling away from his body a moment later, a black puddle forming under the gaping neck.

Turning back to Razor, she saw him end the other creature.

As one, they turned to Castor.

Before her eyes, Castor lost his confidence, his eyes darting between Razor, Sasha, and the open doorway.

“There’s no way you’re getting past us, so don’t bother,” Razor warned, stalking forward. Castor backed up until his back hit the metal wall of the shack. Razor still held his saber claws in both hands, a predator ready to strike at any second.

She stepped up to Castor. “Why Hailie?”

The Vampire asshole sneered. “No matter what happens here, I’m already dead. And your little bitch got what she deserved. She should have kept her mouth shut.”

The fucker didn’t even try to deny it or play dumb. He seriously had some balls.

She needed to snap his vile neck. She settled for a mean right hook, powerful enough to whip his head to the side. “What happened to protecting the children, you piece of shit? I thought you were capable of at least that much decency.”

He snorted. “I had no idea she knew so much, or I would have killed her sooner. She ruined my plans. Our plans. The magic required more power, so I solved two problems at the same time.”

“What magic?” Razor asked sharply.

Castor shrugged, staring straight at the far wall.

“Oh, now you’re refusing to talk?” Razor’s arm shot out, one saber claw slicing across his chest. Castor flinched, but otherwise didn’t open up. So Razor slashed at him again. And again. He ended by stomping his boot down onto the knee Sasha had shot earlier.

Castor finally cried out in pain, crumpling to the floor.

Sasha had no lost love for her former business partner and ex-lover. He was scum. She’d always known he wasn’t the greatest man, but never suspected he was heartless.

“The magic Valtu is using for these drugs. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?” It wasn’t hard to guess.

Castor smirked at her. “The most powerful magic around. The darkest kind.” His eyes took on a wild gleam. “I guess it doesn’t really matter if you know or not. You’re all going to die. You have no idea what’s coming.” He laughed.

Razor snarled. “Black magic.”

Castor was still laughing. So Sasha shot him in the other knee.

Razor and Sasha glanced at each other while Castor howled in pain, his head bowed. Finally, after he was reduced to whimpers, he answered. “Black magic, yes…but so much more. Genius.”

“Tell me.” Razor demanded. When there was no further answer and it was clear Castor was about to pass out, Razor stepped forward. In one swift movement, he arced the saber claw down, the serrated curve of the blade catching on Castor’s shoulder and ripping through skin and muscle. It wasn’t near enough to be lethal, but enough to make him bleed out slowly. “Talk, asshole.”

If she hadn’t been so serious about finding out these answers, she would have smiled. Working together in this capacity with him was almost…romantic. To her, at least. And he was seriously hot to watch work.

Castor clutched at his wound with another shout of pain, dropping the medallion she’d noticed earlier. She quickly picked it up and studied it. It was a dark emerald, with symbols etched all along the setting of the stone.

She held it up for Castor to see. “You used this. What is it?”

Castor paled even more than a Vampire should. He was losing a lot of blood, and quickly. “She doesn’t trust me with her pets. I’ve been loyal to her, and she can’t even give me full power over them,” he mumbled.

Sasha felt a jolt in her gut. She knew where this was going. “Pets?”

Castor gestured angrily to the dead Vamp-Shifters. “They’re Valtu’s creations. But they were my idea. I should get to control them, too. She’s so proud of them, like they’re not part mine.” He looked disgusted, now leaning heavily against the wall. “I run the drugs, and putting the magic in them wasn’t complicated, not really. Getting people to try ‘something new’ was too fucking easy. Take the drugs a few times, then they shift and are connected to their maker.” His voice was getting thinner, and he was practically slurring his words. Why was he…?

She turned to Razor, a suspicion growing. “Did you poison your blades?”

Razor’s smile was full of pride. “Night’s special blend. Thought it might come handy in getting answers.”

Sasha grinned. “Nice.” To Castor, she said, “How is this helping you?”

Castor smiled, delirious. “She promised me everything. But then it turned out that the first twenty or so batches of drugs killed more often than not. Most of those bodies went to feeding your K Demons out in Two. Lrox was very grateful.” He laughed like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. Sasha was glad Lrox was dead. “Valtu didn’t give a shit when I complained. Soon it became clear that I was never going to get any of the power she promised me.”

All those seemingly random and gruesome deaths were starting to make a whole lot of sense now. All the melted bodies were actually victims of Valtu’s recipe tweaking.

“But then we figured out the correct recipe, and everything started to look up again. Ahh, good times,” Castor said with a hum.

Razor narrowed his eyes. “What’s the purpose of the Vamp-Shifters?”

“How the hell should I know?” Castor’s eyes flashed in fury, but he was now too weak to act upon it.

Razor laughed, a harsh sound. He stepped even closer to Castor, in his face. “Ah, I see. You thought you were a team again. Partners. I bet she promised you the world after you succeeded. All the power you could dream of. Little did you know, she gave less than two fucks about you. You were just a fucking pawn. Ouch, buddy.”

Finding strength from somewhere, Castor lunged forward, stabbing Razor’s chest with a blade she hadn’t seen.

Pure hot rage filled Sasha, a type of raw emotion she was unfamiliar with. Before Razor could strike back on his own, Sasha stepped in and grabbed Castor by his hair and threw him to the floor. She placed her boot on the Vampire’s chest, slowly pressing her weight onto him. “You don’t get to fucking touch him.” She spat on his face. “You’re going to stay here and bleed out into the dirt like the spineless worm you are. You’re going to die a long, lonely death.”

She lifted the medallion she’d confiscated from him, tossed it on the ground, and crushed it with her boot.

“You fucking whore,” Castor spat, his voice frail. He continued to call her more offensive names, but she didn’t hear them because she’d turned and walked out of the shack, fully comfortable with leaving that man in there to die.

She felt Razor’s fury as he silently followed her. Then she felt the energy crackling between them. She shivered and turned to smile at him, to say it was a job well done.

Her breath left in a rush.

Razor looked at her like he was going to fuck her where she stood.

He prowled up to her, not even caring that he was bleeding. Her instincts demanded that she back up. She did no such thing. Nope, she stayed right where she was, until he was on her. She lifted her chin and met his gaze, her chest rapidly rising and falling with her quickening breath.

His hand shot out and curled around the nape of her neck, then pulled her forward. His lips descended on her in a harsh kiss, and Sasha softened with a moan. His fingers dove into her curls, holding her head in place as his tongue slipped into her mouth, pulling more moans from her.

In the next moment, he shoved her up against the cold metal of the shack’s walls, his hand moving from the nape of her neck to the front of her throat. He applied just the lightest pressure, and desire pooled in her.

“Razor…” she begged. She’d never get enough of him.

“Yeah, pretty girl?” He dragged his mouth down the side of her neck. He didn’t let go of her throat, biting and sucking at her skin. At the same time, his other hand cupped her breast through her hoodie. She was suddenly wearing way too many clothes.

“Fuck me,” she whimpered. “Please.”

“I will,” he replied. He slid his hand down from her breast, along her side and stomach, and finally ended at the top of her pants. “And you’re going to scream my name when you come. I want everyone to know who’s fucking you.” He’d undone her zipper and worked his hand down her pants, sliding under her panties to cup her between her thighs just as he finished speaking.

Sasha closed her eyes, gasping at the possessive touch. She pressed her hips forward. “Yes.”

“Open your eyes,” he said, his voice low.

She obeyed the command without hesitation. Her gaze found his, and his eyes were so dark, they were almost completely black. Without looking away, his thumb slipped down and pressed against her clit.

She whimpered at the sharp pleasure, but he didn’t stop. He made small, tight circles with his finger. Only when she was panting did he pause, and it was only to move his hand down. Her hips bucked impatiently, but when two of his fingers slid home into her pussy, she moaned in relief and need. His thumb continued working at her clit while he pumped his two fingers in and out of her.

The entire time, his lips were pressed against her ear, switching between breathing words in Empyrean and Vruk, oblivious that she couldn’t understand it.

“Oh, Goddess, Raz…” She threw her head back, ready to come with his name on her tongue, not caring that anyone could be watching them right now, and probably was.

Her climax was right there. Her thighs quivered, her body tensing in anticipation. Her pussy clenched once around his fingers, and they moaned together.

And then a sharp sense of alarm filled her, her head pounding with immediate pain as a Call hit her.

“Shit. Fuck. No!” she nearly sobbed.

In the few seconds it had taken her to realize she’d gotten a Call to retrieve souls, her body must have sent a clear message to Razor. He had stilled, his confused and concerned gaze raking over her.

“What is it? Are you okay?” he asked.

She closed her eyes. “I have to go.”

“What?!” His disbelief was almost comical. She really shouldn’t laugh, not with her orgasm still close enough to coax back in a second, and with Razor’s cock pressing insistently against her thigh.

“I got a fucking Call. And, Razor…it feels bad. Five deaths that I can feel already. It’s probably why Xavier put me back on rotation. I need to go right now.” She cringed when another wave of pain hit her. There would be no delaying this. “I—”

Razor and the crappy shack were there one second, and then the next, after a brief sensation of travel, she was staring at the inside of a house she’d never been in before. She quickly fixed her jeans.

Apparently, her acknowledgment of the Call needing immediate attention had transported her right to the souls without waiting for her to go through the motions herself.

With a growl, she tried to focus on her work, not the fact that the universe had essentially cockblocked her.

...

Not three minutes after Sasha had poofed out, leaving Razor a panting, growling mess, he’d gone back to Castor. He hadn’t intended to leave him alive, but with his substantial wounds, he had thought the Vampire wouldn’t be going anywhere for at least the handful of hours it would take him to heal. But Razor had fucked up. Again. When he went back into the building, Castor was no longer in there.

There was blood on the floor, but no trace of his having moved on his own accord. Which meant someone, most likely Valtu, had teleported him out. Razor gritted his teeth. He blamed no one but himself.

Taking a huge gulp of air in an attempt to regain his composure, he turned on his heel and went back outside. He needed to find a balance when it came to his feelings for Sasha and his responsibilities as Judge. Otherwise, his dick would continue to lead him into fuck ups like this.

Getting the city cleaners on the phone was his next move. He briefed them on the situation, and then stomped around some, cursing his own stupidity. But Goddess, fighting side by side with Sasha had given him the biggest battle wood ever, the type of hard-on that usually came after a fight. It wasn’t usually sexual, just a reaction to the adrenaline. But with Sasha earlier, it had been a mix of both. He’d wanted her so bad, it’d hurt.

He had been out of control turned on the minute she’d started fighting the Vamp-Shifter. His irritation at her having rushed in, guns blazing, had vanished instantly. Sleek and quick, she moved like a dancer. His Reaper made it all look effortless. When they’d ended up back to back, an unfuckingbelievable connection between them had sparked to life. So intense, he was surprised he hadn’t grabbed her for a kiss and fucked her right then and there. Then they’d begun to kick ass. There had been a rhythm to Sasha’s fighting that had felt almost natural for him to pick up, and they’d synched to each other like they’d been doing it for years.

The eroticism of the entire thing still had him on the edge of coming.

And the desire to have her so completely that she’d have a piece of his own soul inside her was overwhelming. It took all of his willpower and self-control not to take off after her. Not that he would know where to look. Then again, yelling for Xavier until the leader of the Reapers was forced to come tell him to shut his face-hole was sounding like a damn good starting point. Yeah, that wouldn’t come off as desperate at all.

He needed to stop thinking about it and get some work done. He blew out a breath and ran a hand over his skull. His hair felt longer than usual. He’d need to make time to buzz it down later.

The cleaners finally arrived, and after giving them instructions, he left them to it and took off for the nearest gateway. It’d been twenty minutes since Sasha had left him, and he was still wincing as he was forced to walk with the never-ending erection.

Right before he stepped through the gateway, his phone vibrated with a message. Fishing it out of his front pocket, Razor frowned as he saw it was from Sasha. He quickly opened it.

Hurry,.I needb y

His frown deepened, the back of his neck prickling. What the fuck? Even with the typos, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what it said. She needed backup. And the typos didn’t elicit any good feelings. Razor dialed her, but it went straight to voicemail.

He took off in a dead run, not really knowing where he was going, only that he needed to get to Sasha. Now. He went through the gateway and stepped out into One. He dialed Sin. Thankfully, his brother picked up on the second ring.

“Have there been any reports of deaths, fighting, anything weird?”

“No, why?” Sin replied. Before Razor could explain, Luka’s voice in the background made him pause. He was yelling something, and then there was shuffling, followed by Sin’s muffled voice. Any other time, he would have rushed to Sin to find out what the fuck had come over Luka. But his brain refused to move past Sasha needing his help.

“Sorry, I’m back.” He now heard the ever-present sounds of typing in the background.

“I need to find Sasha. If you hear of anything that could involve Reapers, call me.”

“Is she okay?”

Razor’s heartbeat was drumming against his chest, his nose in the air as he filtered through thousands of scents. “I fucking hope so. Or someone’s going to die,” he told his brother, and then hung up. He needed all his senses if he was going to find her.

He ran and sniffed for what felt like an eternity. The longer he got nothing, the more panicked he became. He’d been running around Shadow Realm, entering and exiting gateways, but no signs of her or any other Reapers. He’d even tried calling Locke and Archer, but no luck there, either.

When he glanced at his watch, he realized he’d only really been looking for fifteen minutes. Motherfucker, it felt like he’d been at this for hours.

“Fuck!” he roared. Then a thought made him stop dead in his tracks. What about that odd and new awareness of Sasha he’d begun to sense inside himself? The one he’d been trying to ignore, because he had no idea what to do with it, or what it even was? Could he use that to track her? Only one way to find out.

It’s barely a flicker now, he noted with disappointment. But when he reached deeper inside himself, intentionally feeling for it, grasping at it, it pulsed to life. Stronger now.

Instincts demanded he shifted to Hellhound for this. When he did, and the pleasure/pain of the change washed over him, he groaned. Determined, he closed himself off to everything around him, letting his instincts guide him. Using the now active awareness of her, he followed it, intent on finding a way to make it stronger somehow and use it to track her.

Razor gasped when it led him to the part where he was connected to his brothers on a soul level. Then there it was.

Sweet Goddess of Hellfire…

Where there had once been three threads running from his soul to his brothers’, there were now four. A connection to Sasha. Faint, but there was no doubt it was her. The silvery-gold threads that connected him to Edge, Night, and Sin shined brightly and pulsed with life. Sasha’s line was almost clear, though a faint electric blue was beginning to appear in the end closest to Razor’s soul. Incomplete, the word whispered through his mind.

It was almost invisible because he was connected to her, but since she hadn’t accepted him as her mate, she wasn’t connected to him. Not fully. Though, she had to be on some level if there was a thread connecting them, even if it was thin and fragile.

Well, shit.

He’d been freaking out over the mate thing, and apparently he had already formed a permanent bond with her. Part of him wanted to howl from joy. The other part was pissing itself in fear. Thankfully, he didn’t have time to think about the fact that Sasha could, even with the connection she seemed to have formed with him, tell him where he could stick his bond and walk away. He couldn’t think too hard on it, because he had just found a sure way to track her, and he was going to use that link and deal with the existence of it later.

The second he tugged delicately on that nearly invisible string, his senses blew up. He could feel everything around him, but it was all attuned to Sasha. He could almost smell her, too. He ran in the direction the link was pointing him in, using it as a compass. The Hellfire that surrounded each of his paws left a blue trail in his wake.

Razor lost count of how many gateways and streets he went through. When a buzzing sensation under his skin began, he slowed down. She was nearby. He followed her scent, which grew stronger with each step.

And then he was passing Others running in the opposite direction. Screams and screeches hit his ears, fear for Sasha rising into his throat. He snarled and picked up his pace.

Please be okay, pretty girl.

Turning a corner at full speed, he had only seconds to take in the scene of chaos before he was leaping into the air and closing his maw around the neck of a Vampire-Shifter. The creature went down hard. Razor shook his head fiercely, trying to tear through the thick flesh. The Vamp-Shifter attempted to claw at him, but Razor’s teeth were buried too deep to be dislodged. He took scratches to his back, but nothing mattered more than getting to his Sasha.

Snarling and twisting his head from side to side again, he didn’t release the creature until it fell silent, its flailing slowly dying down.

Dropping the carcass, he took a moment to look around. He could feel her, and she was alive, thank fuck. But where?

He spotted Carmen’s black and blonde ponytail swinging back and forth. The commander of Sector Six was fighting another of the creatures, her double short swords flying through the air like fans.

There were a few soldiers from the Shadow Realm army fighting, some pulling civilians out of the crossfire. But it was quickly becoming obvious that the Vamp-Shifters had the upper hand. There had to be at least fifteen of them.

Cursing, Razor moved forward, taking out another creature on his way to Carmen.

When he reached her, she was pulling one of her swords free from a Vamp-Shifter’s head, using her foot against its neck for leverage. The body twitched and sprayed blood from the gash in its head.

“Hijo de puta.” Son of a whore. She snarled at the dead beast, the black blood splashing on her gray jeans. Razor knew some Spanish; he’d been friends with Carmen and Gabriel for too long not to at least know his swear words.

He needed to talk to her, so he shifted back to his human skin, his clothes and weapons in place instantly.

Carmen’s nose twitched as if she’d caught his scent, and then she was looking up at him. “How the hell did you make it here so quickly? I only just hung up with Edge.”

Razor shook his head. “I’m not here for you. I’m looking for Sasha.” He glanced around again.

“The Reaper?” she asked in confusion, as both she and Razor moved farther into the heart of the chaos.

“Yes, the Reaper,” he confirmed impatiently, punching another creature and using a saber to slash at its neck. “Have you seen her?”

Before Carmen could answer him, another Vamp-Shifter came at them. The commander pulled out her swords and attacked. Razor knew she could handle herself; she wouldn’t be a commander otherwise. So, once again, he used the newly formed link to feel for Sasha. He didn’t have to look for long. The second he felt her presence, there was a crash to his right, and there she was, coming out of a two story house at a dead run. Xavier was closely behind her, a small child tucked into his arms.

Beautiful turquoise eyes softened in relief when they spotted him. She made a beeline towards him, and he rushed to meet her.

“Thank fuck. What the hell happened?” he asked when she and Xavier were within earshot. He wanted to reach out and bring her into his arms, to feel her alive and warm. But it would probably be unprofessional with her boss right there and all. So he refrained.

“I think Shadow Realm is under attack,” Sasha said, her eyes darting around, watching for attacks. “Xavier says Reapers are collecting from both Iseabach and Simorah. They have similar situations in their Sectors.”

“Fuck,” Razor cursed harshly. So Sector Five, Six, and Seven were getting hit simultaneously—the farthest Sectors from One, the Sector in which the Hellhounds had their headquarters.

Was it some sort of red herring? He needed to warn Night and Sin.

“Why haven’t I heard from them?” Razor went for his cell phone and realized it wasn’t in any of his pockets. He must have dropped it.

He spit out a slew of swear words. What the hell was wrong with him? He was failing miserably at his job.

Xavier held the kid closer to his chest. “I need to get out of here. There are too many Calls to linger in one place,” he said. “I’ll be in touch.” And then Xavier and the kid were gone. Razor wasn’t even going to ask why the leader of the Reapers had just taken off with a baby in his arms. He had other shit to worry about.

“Razor.” Sasha touched his arm. “Look at me.”

He turned, realizing that he was in a weird half-shifted state—his hands had claws, and he knew his eyes and teeth were all Hellhound, too. He cursed in Vruk and shifted fully back to his human skin.

“You’re not psychic, Raz. You can’t know everything all the time,” she said to him, her voice firm, but affection softened her words. “No one can. Not even Xavier, and I’m pretty sure that bastard is close to godhood or something.” She gave him a grin, and then stepped into his body, her forehead resting against his chest.

His breath hitched, and he wrapped his arms around her. Everything about her melted into everything that was Razor. It was fucking magical. That was the only way he could describe it. So perfect, and it made him feel like as long as Sasha was with him, everything would be okay.

Fuck this, there was no point in trying to deny it. He was in love with her. Probably had been for a while, but there was no reason now to try to explain it away with lies.

I love Sasha. The feeling settled easier than he’d thought. Emotion welled, and he wished he could tell her then and there…but the words refused to leave his throat. She wasn’t ready to hear them. That certainly didn’t mean he was giving up, fuck no. It only meant that he’d have to fight harder for her.

Her text to him for help was another step in the right direction. She could have just as easily reached out to Locke or Archer, or even Sael, but no, Sasha had gone to him. It spoke volumes.

Keeping his eyes on their surroundings, he watched their backs as Sasha finished giving him a quick, tight hug. When she pulled back, she reached up and touched his face.

Her smile was pure eagerness. “Now, help me kill stuff.”

He gave her a slow smile in return. “If we weren’t surrounded by chaos,” he told her softly, “I’d fuck you right here.”

The brat gave him the sexiest little smirk he’d ever seen, right before she pulled out her machete and spun on her booted feet. Her ass swayed invitingly. “You coming or what?” she asked over her shoulder.

He was a lucky, lucky man.

“Oh, I’ll be coming, all right,” he called after her. His mood improving, Razor followed her, his rifle out and ready.

A shadow in motion suddenly blurred past his peripheral vision and made him pause. No one else seemed to have noticed it.

Until bodies began to hit the floor.

One after the other, the attackers went down in pools of blood. Everyone was looking around in a panic, wondering if the invisible killer was friend or foe. Razor smiled slowly. Edge had just arrived.

His brother barreled through two Vampire-Shifters, slashing and stabbing at them without making any noise.

Death you don’t see coming.

Turning back in the direction Sasha had gone, Razor caught up with her just as a Vamp-Shifter was emerging from a convenience store. The minute the creature spotted them, it bared its fangs and charged.

“I got him,” she said, knees bent in preparation, her machete spinning in a tight circle in front of her.

For the next ten minutes, they worked together like a well-oiled machine. And it felt fucking good to have her by his side.

Breathing heavily, Razor pushed the last of the creatures off him. Sasha’s face was grim, and he knew exactly how she felt. There was no satisfaction in killing these beasts. Not after Castor had reluctantly explained their origins. Their deaths left him with a bad taste in his mouth. All he felt was disgust at Valtu for having used innocents, much like Erummon had for his sick experiments. And anger, lots of anger, at himself for not having found out sooner what was really going on. Maybe if he had, he could have found a cure, a way to stop it, or at least a way to reverse the change.

Sasha’s hand was on his shoulder. “There is nothing you could have done,” she reminded him, as if reading his troubled thoughts. “These people made their own choices. You know addiction can be cured with the help of a Witch. They liked their lives. That placed them in Valtu’s path. Not you.”

Razor chuckled grimly. Goddess, had he ever needed this many pep talks in his life?

“Thank you.” He kissed her quickly. “Let’s go help the others.”

It took an hour to calm down the civilians and get them back in their homes. Repair crews were called in to handle the damage, and Razor was confident that the Shifters, who mostly handled all the construction in Shadow Realm, would be able to fix the worst of it so that all the affected could as least sleep in their houses. They would deal with the rest tomorrow.

When they finally made it back to the Night House, bloody and drained of energy, they were promptly informed that everyone was already seated and ready to start the meeting.

“What meeting?” Razor asked, picking dried black blood off his forearm.

Night made a sound of disgust. “You’re seriously off your fucking game. Pussy that good, Raz?”

Razor snarled and launched himself at his brother, but Edge got to him before he could get there. Night didn’t even flinch. The fucking asshole just grinned.

Razor gave him a death glare. Night’s smile only got wider.

“Razor isn’t the only one who forgot. There’s been too much going on,” Edge said while Razor pulled himself free.

“The meeting with all the commanders, the Witches, and the rest of the gang?” Night answered. “Everyone is already here, they’re all fine. Aleks, Sin, Isea, and Mory look no better than you three, though.” Night motioned towards the door to the war room.

Sasha stepped into Night’s path.

“Just so we’re clear,” she said, staring right up at Night’s face, “and the question doesn’t continue to plague you at night when you’re all alone in your undoubtedly huge bed: yes, Night, the pussy is that good.” She flipped him off, then proceeded to open the door for everyone.

If he hadn’t been in love with her already, that would have done it.

Night and Edge shared a look. And when Night looked to him, his purple eyes were bright and full of approval. As if he needed another reason to fall any harder for his beautiful Reaper. He didn’t need anyone standing up for him, but she had done just that. Maybe she hadn’t realized what her actions declared. Nonetheless, she had just confirmed to his brothers that they were, indeed, dancing around a mating.

Inside the war room, those already present were standing around the rectangular table, talking amongst themselves. First in Razor’s field of view was Simorah, aka Mory, commander of Sector Five. There were scratches across her face, and grass stuck to her long black braids. Her clothing was covered in dirt and black blood. She was talking with Iseabach from Seven, whose short hair was covered in the same black ooze. Several cuts marred his dark skin, and his shirt was torn along one side. The ancestral tattoo that ran down to his elbows was smeared in red blood. More of Isea’s skin showed through countless tears in his clothing, ink peeking through every inch. Razor knew his entire body was decorated with the tattoos that were so important to his culture.

As they all noticed everyone else had just arrived, they began to take their seats. Aleks and her twin brother, Bek, sat next to each other. Aleks’ clothes were caked with black blood, which made it clear she had helped the other Sectors. Bek looked fine, so he’d evidently stayed behind.

Carmen took a seat next to Sael, looking pretty damn good for someone who had just been in a mini war. In fact, she seemed to have had enough time to go home, shower, and somehow change the color of her hair.

“Looking good, Carmen,” he complimented, fully intending on teasing her. “Interesting color. What do you call it?”

Carmen flipped him off. “I call it shut-your-fucking-mouth ice blue.”

He laughed, and pulled Sasha deeper into the room.

Sin and Luka sat next to each other. Sin also had several deep gashes on his neck and one across his chest, the remnants of a white T-shirt doing very little to hide the amount of blood splattered on him. It made Razor want to go over and check his little brother over. He didn’t because it usually pissed Sin off. Luka looked uninjured, though a little pissed himself. The alpha of the Shifters kept shooting odd glances at Sin. His baby brother only glowered back at the big bear Shifter. It made Razor frown and wonder if they’d had a fight. In the two years since Luka and Sin had become an item, he couldn’t recall a time they hadn’t been eye fucking each other at every opportunity.

Atsuko, commander of Four, parked her long body, her double katanas strapped tightly to her back, next to the Vampire clan leader and his second-in-command. On normal days, she was sweet and chatty. Today her face was closed off, and her vibe was deadly.

Gabriel gave her a tight-lipped smile, but his fangs were visible, and it became clear that all the fresh blood was making him hungry. Razor’s lips twitched. He met the Vampire’s gaze, intentionally bringing up his forearm with the big, bloody cut on it and waving it at Gabriel. The Vampire leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, and scowled. Anila only rolled her eyes. She didn’t look to be having any problems keeping her blood lust under control.

The three Rs took their seats next to Edge, and that only left Night, Sasha, and Razor. They took their seats just as Edge cleared his throat.

“Shadow Realm is under attack.” Edge stated the obvious, his eyes reflecting the fury everyone was feeling. The absence of Edge’s icy control wasn’t a good sign. “How?” His voice was practically all growls. His angry breaths filled the room.

Night spoke up, sighing deeply. “What my brother is trying to say with all this heavy breathing is that there were attacks in Sectors Five, Six, and Seven. Thank fuck that Aleks and Sin got to Five and Seven in time to help, and that Razor and Sasha were already in Six. Whoever orchestrated this attack somehow knew that there was a shift change scheduled, and that there would be a period of ten minutes where soldiers would be leaving and/or starting their shift. The opening for an attack was too perfect.” It was Night’s turn to bare his fangs. “I smell a rat.”

Fucking fuck. Razor fisted his hands under the table. This was worse than he had thought.

Edge leaned forward, his palms flat on the tabletop. “The only reason why I’m not sending out every Guild assassin at my disposal is that I have no fucking idea where to send them. Find this rat. Now.”

“Gods, Edge, don’t run for president, please,” Night said. “Again, what my brother is trying to say is that normal protocols and rules need not apply when you’re trying to dig up this piece of shit. Cheat, kill, maim, dance to the Goddess of the moon, black magic, animal sacrifice: all good. Encouraged, actually.”

Edge snarled at Night, his gaze promising an ass kicking. Night waved him off, used to it. “Yeah, yeah.”

Edge looked to Razor then. “Before we move on to our counterattack plan, my brother and his Reaper have a few things to add.”

Razor almost choked on his own saliva over Edge’s choice of words. He managed to keep it cool, taking hold of Sasha’s hand under the table. He froze at the action because he hadn’t intended to do that. But when Sasha only squeezed his hand in return and didn’t complain about Edge’s comment or the hand holding, he relaxed, nodding at her to go first.

She told everyone about her encounter with Valtu, then about the meeting with Razor’s contact that had led to Castor and everything they had learned from him. It brought them to the earlier fight, and he picked up from there. He recounted to them everything after Sasha had been Called on the soul collection, leaving out their sexy little tryst, of course.

“When I arrived in Six, Carmen and her team already had a good handle on it,” Razor said, sending Carmen a smile.

Then he told them about their previous trip to Three and their encounter with Lrox. And then he got to Hailie.

Sael gasped. “Oh fuck, I want that bastard’s head on a stick.” She got up and started pacing, her body vibrating with agitation.

Romina spoke up for the first time during the entire meeting. Her hand was rubbing tight circles against her chest. While her face usually remained neutral, today there was a strange tension behind her jade green eyes. “We might have an answer about that.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the eldest Witch. Her sisters remained quiet on either side of her. Romina was always in the middle; it was something about their energies needing to mix in a certain way for their power to manifest. It was rumored that the three spoke telepathically like Razor and his brothers did. He had never once heard Rosalyn or Ruby speak, so he could believe that.

“We’ve been going over the magic in the items and the remains from one of the shifting Vampires. I can’t say that I know a lot about it, because my training never included the dark arts or Demon magic. But we are told about it, though mostly what not to do. The young girl’s soul being torn out the way you have described, and the events that have transpired, but mostly the feel of the magic, lead us to believe we’re dealing with soul magic. Powerful soul magic. The strongest, ugliest type of magic there is, in fact.” Romina placed a hand to her throat as if even talking about it was making her sick.

“And it’s exactly what it sounds like,” she continued, as his stomach dropped with her words. “The soul is pulled while that person is still alive. Then the soul is harvested as pure power and, mixed with the right kind of magic, becomes strong enough to power up anything the magic-user wishes. For example, a Witch can create a love spell for one specific individual with their magic, and if they took a harvested soul and used it in said spell, they could turn the simple love spell into one that would make millions fall to their feet in worship. In this case, this Demon possibly wove a lot of souls into the spell brew, using the power of the souls to activate it, and added ten thousand bonus points, if you will. Which is what I’m estimating it would take to force a creature not meant to shape-change to shift. Infusing the drugs would have certainly worked on getting the spell into the Vampires. Anything is possible when mixing magic with the right kind of power.” Romina stopped, her hands shaking.

“Like souls,” Sasha finished for her.

The Witch glanced up, nodded. “Like souls. There would be repercussions, but only the Demon would know what those would be. They could have lost an ability, or maybe their fertility, but there is no way that type of magic didn’t demand a major payment. It goes against everything we are taught as Witches, and it makes me sick to my stomach. Death, I understand. But taking a soul this way means the person never truly dies. When a soul goes to the Pit, it becomes part of it. Its suffering has a purpose. However, a soul taken this way is just cruel.”

“It never has peace, is never reborn, never takes its final journey, and breaks the cycle.” Sasha’s voice was quiet.

“Yes, Reaper.” Romina offered a small, sad smile.

“But why Vampires?” Gabriel asked. “There are so many Others in Shadow Realm, why only use Vampires?”

“My guess is she tried to kill two birds with one stone. If her plan failed before we caught her, perhaps she hoped we’d blame you and start a territory war,” Night suggested.

Edge shot up from his seat, his palms flat against the tabletop. The veins in his arms visibly pulsed with the effort of holding back. “I don’t care about motivation. I want her carcass. Or her alive. I would like the pleasure of ending her.”

He eyed everyone in the room, then bellowed. The sound was so primal and dominant that Razor and every one of the Sector leaders, plus Sasha, Gabriel, Luka, and Anila could do nothing more than answer Edge’s call to arms. As one, they made a loud noise in return. Part cheer, part war cry, the sound brought chills to his skin. It said, we’re with you, come victory or death.

The energy in the room escalated, as if everyone wanted to dart out onto the streets of Shadow Realm that very moment and hunt down Valtu and her rat.

As Edge laid out a counterattack, the aggression in the room continued to mount until Razor could take no more. He either had to go kill something, or he had to toss Sasha over his shoulder and find a nice, dark corner where they could fuck out all the aggression.

Yeah, option two was better. Plus, if the meeting didn’t come to an end soon, fights would start breaking out. The battlelust was beginning to make everyone edgy.

The minute Night called the meeting to an end, Razor turned to Sasha and laced their fingers together.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he said, already dragging her out.

“And where, exactly, are you taking me?”

“To my rooms.” He stopped, turning and shoving her with his body until her back hit the wall. He leaned down and kissed her, their lips and tongues moving against each other urgently. He cupped one of Sasha’s ass cheeks, squeezing it possessively. He didn’t give a single fuck if anyone was watching. “I need to fuck you.”

Her voice trembled, thick with desire. “Um, yes, Sir?”

He groaned. “Fuck, don’t say that. My dick doesn’t need any more encouragement.”

“So, what’s up with the impromptu meeting?” Razor asked several hours later as he sat down across from Night. He and Sasha had been alternating between sex, eating, and sleeping when Night had mentally called them down. “Has there been a development?”

“Not sure.” Night was tapping a finger against the surface of the table. “Edge should be here any minute. He’s the one who called this secret meeting.”

“Why?”

“I’ll show you in a minute,” Sin answered from his spot in front of his massive computer system. They were in H.O.T this time around, and it was clear Sin was setting up the big white screen that would transmit whatever was on Sin’s personal laptop.

Night asked, “Where’s Sasha?”

“She had to make a phone call. She’ll be down shortly.”

Razor’s mind turned back to the bliss of having her in his bed for over six hours, where they had laughed, talked, and even argued. Eclipsing the happy feelings, he wondered if he was being deceitful by not telling her that he’d discovered he was bonding with her.

Or was he doing the right thing by waiting?

Goddess, he was just so fucking confused. At this point, if he told her, it would go something like this:

Hi, I apologize if this is me coming off a bit strong. You see, I’m in love with you and want to take our relationship to the next level. But I’ve been keeping something from you, only because I didn’t want you to freak out and run. Somehow, I bound myself to you for all eternity. Yeah, no idea how or when that happened. So even though I’m still not exactly sure how you feel about me, you pretty much own me. So, you know, no pressure.

Yeah, that would go well.

Razor pressed the heel of his hand over his eyes, making an effort to rub the uncertainty out of them.

The sound of glass clinking, then liquid being poured, made him glance up.

“What’s going on with you and Sasha?” Night asked, a glass with amber liquid in front of him. “And don’t say nothing, because we all know you two were up there fucking like the world was ending tomorrow.”

Razor sighed, glancing at Night, and then Sin. They were both watching him expectantly.

“I’m not sure, but I know I want her,” he hedged. No reason to tell his brothers about bonding to her. Not until he figured out what the hell he was doing. “But this isn’t the time to get into it. We need to find Valtu. My shit can wait.”

Night snorted. “This is exactly why I don’t do relationships.” He took a big swig from the glass. “Don’t any of you get too close to me. I think it might be contagious.” He shuddered. “First Sin with Luka, now you. I don’t know what the bloody hell is going on with Edge, but I have my suspicions, and I want none of it. What in sweet Hellfire is this world coming to?”

“Not all relationships are perfect all the time, Night,” Sin said, almost defensively.

“Yeah, I think I’ll still pass, thanks,” he deadpanned.

The door swung open and Edge came in, followed by Sasha, who sat next to Razor.

“I called you in for two reasons,” Edge began when he took a seat. “Sin.” Edge motioned for him to take over.

“After going through the security feeds,” Sin started, looking up from his laptop, “the video shows an extra body walking through Sector Six’s unit barracks. There was a scheduled shift change at 8:45, and there was supposed to be twenty out, and twenty in.” He then looked at each of them before saying, “Looks like we had a visitor. Or have a visitor.”

“Show me.” Edge’s voice sounded scarcely human.

Sin pushed a few buttons, and then the security footage began playing for all of them to see. A few more buttons cued up the spot Sin wanted to show them, and then his baby brother rose and walked to the screen.

The images showed the entrance to the Shadow Realm soldiers’ barracks in Sector Six. When the running time on the video reached 8:45 exactly, soldiers began to exit and enter the building. Sin slowed down the footage with a tiny remote he held in his hand, pointed at the passing bodies with his free hand.

“One, two, three, four, five…” He counted all the soldiers that entered and exited until he stopped the video altogether. Using a red marker, he made a huge circle around the image of a person frozen in mid-step.

“This one.” Sin pointed, zooming in. Razor couldn’t tell the person’s gender, but they were wearing a hooded knee-length robe thing, fingerless gloves, and thick boots.

“I was able to I.D. all the soldiers except this one. The camera angle should have captured at least part of the face the way it did the rest of them. As you can see by the hood covering the face, they intentionally tilted their head. Which tells me they had knowledge of the cameras’ presence, and I made sure those babies were well hidden. Very few people know where I placed them.”

“Motherfucker.” Sasha shook her head in disgust. “Valtu had people working on the inside.”

What the fuck had Razor been doing while Valtu’s plan had been unfolding? Guilt assailed him once again.

“So Romina could be right,” Edge said grimly.

“Right about what?” Razor straightened in his chair.

“I needed to be sure before I said anything.” Edge shifted, leaning forward as his voice lowered, like he wanted to make sure no one could possibly hear him. “After the meeting with everyone earlier, Romina pulled me aside. In short, she said there was a strange type of magic in the Night House she hadn’t felt in her earlier visits. Something dark. She’s not entirely sure what to make of it, but she’s certain she can find out what it is. She says it feels almost like a concealment spell. What she doesn’t know is what exactly is being concealed.”

Fucking Hellfire.

“Are you serious?” Sasha asked, her voice also low. “It could be anything. A bomb, an army ready to attack at Valtu’s order, anything.”

“We have to shut down the Night House,” Razor said, looking at Night apologetically.

“What?” Night looked horrified. “You’re out of your fucking mind. I’m not shutting down. You know how much shit I’ll get from the thousands of people who pay to have access to my club?”

“Stop thinking about yourself for once, and think about how many people could potentially get hurt. If this spell is concealing a bomb, it could go off at any time—”

“We’re not shutting down,” Edge cut Razor off, bringing their attention back to him. “We need this to remain between us. We don’t want to alarm Valtu that we’re on to her.” Edge’s face was grave. Or graver, since Edge’s face was usually devoid of all emotion. “That’s not all. Romina says this type of magic could be glamour.”

“Glamour? As in, used to make someone look like someone else?” Razor knew what it was, but the sinking feeling in his gut had made him ask anyway.

“Yes.”

Night cursed. “So someone who has access to my club isn’t who they say they are.”

“They aren’t who they look like would be more accurate,” Sin corrected, looking troubled.

Before anyone could say anything further, there was a polite knock on the door.

At Night’s “come in,” Miguel, the club floor manager, poked his head in. “There’s something you all need to come see.”

When they all reached the main floor, Razor was ready to kill someone. Preferably Erummon. He had known that his father wouldn’t give up so easily, but this was beyond anything he would have guessed his father would do.

“Where are they?” Razor asked as his dark eyes scanned the crowd swiftly, a silent Sasha standing at his side. Her face had remained blank when Miguel had filled them in while they made their way up to the main club. But he had felt tension radiating from her when he’d taken her hand in his.

“By the entrance to your private quarters,” Miguel replied, motioning to the side of the club that held the secured elevators to their private quarters. “It’s like they’re tracking you all by scent.”

“That’s because they are,” Razor confirmed, barely holding back from barreling through the crowd and tossing the unwanted guests out on their asses. But he knew it wasn’t really their fault. His father was a meddling bastard who would go to any lengths to get what he wanted. It bothered him to admit that he and his brothers had inherited that particular trait from him.

“The four women came in and asked anyone they came in contact with if they knew where to find the unmated princes of the Underworld,” Miguel relayed, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” Night said. “They’re probably here expecting to leave with our babies in their wombs.”

“You make it sound like it would be a chore. Wait until you see them,” the club manager replied with a chuckle.

“Are they hot?” Sin asked, arching an eyebrow.

From his peripheral vision, Razor noticed that Night, along with Edge—who had been quiet this entire time—both turned and eyed Sin. Something was off about Sin’s comment, and they all noticed it. Razor would have looked at his little brother as well, except he was too busy keeping his senses open for any reactions from Sasha. Like Edge, she’d remained completely quiet. Still, he noted that this was the first time in a long time that Sin seemed curious about anyone other than Luka.

“Sin, my man, the words Amazonian and beauties come to mind.” Miguel’s voice held wonder. “I had no idea the women in the Underworld were so lovely.”

Sin made an appreciative sound, but whatever he’d said next was drowned out as Razor took off in the direction of the Demon females, Sasha hot on his heels. Not that she had much choice; he was still gripping her hand like a lifeline.

He needed to put an end to this. If Sin or Night wanted to fuck their visitors, that was their prerogative. He didn’t want anything to do with it. Not to mention he was already pretty much mated. Regardless of whatever Sasha decided, Razor was off the market now. He was going to make it clear to these women, and to Sasha, that he was not going to play into whatever plan Erummon had tried to orchestrate.

He just hoped he could get the women to leave without a fight. Pureblood female Demons were known for being territorial and vicious, and they’d fight off anyone who posed a threat to someone they considered theirs.

Not that Razor and his brothers were theirs, but he had no idea what his father had told them. For all he knew, his father had betrothed them to these women since birth or some shit.

When he finally spotted them, he stopped short.

“What the fuck?” were Sasha’s first words since leaving H.O.T.

“Yeah,” Razor replied, his gaze on the group of women a few feet away.

They might as well have been naked for all the clothes they had on. He wasn’t surprised that they had attracted the attention they had. Nudity certainly wasn’t frowned upon in Shadow Realm, much less in Night’s club, but on top of their near nakedness, they were acting odd. Even for people of Shadow Realm.

And, damn, they were tall. Really tall. He would guess one of them to be as tall as he was, and clearly leading the hunt.

A second later, the leader swung her head around, her nose scenting the air.

The woman’s gaze met his and her eyes went from an orange-red to entirely blood red, her gaze running hungrily down Razor’s body. Her fangs elongated, and she suddenly made a yipping-barking type sound that had the club-goers halting in their movements, all eyes turning to them. Including the other female Demons who now looked in his direction with equal hunger.

“Mine!” the tallest shouted, like a warning to the other females.

Sasha stiffened next to him, and then the Demoness began walking towards him.

Instinct made him take a dominating posture, his beast annoyed and instantly denying this female’s ridiculous claim. He felt more than saw his brothers moving up behind him.

By now, the club had come to a standstill. The music still blared, but no one around them danced. They only watched the exchange with curiosity, some with eagerness, hoping for a bloodbath.

“No. I am not yours,” he told her. “What you seek isn’t here, female.” He made sure to make his voice loud enough so they, and all the club-goers listening in, didn’t miss a single word. “Whatever you were told by Erummon is entirely false and holds no merit in our territory. Leave with your companions and tell your master not to send any more.”

The Demoness smiled as if she hadn’t heard him, then silkily moved towards him. Her breasts and sex were clearly visible through the gossamer of the dress she wore.

When she was a few feet in front of them, she paused. The other three females quickly flanked her.

“My name is Enais,” she said, her lips pouting in a way he supposed she thought was sexy. “It means night flower that eats other flowers, and I am looking directly at what I seek, Prince.” She bowed slightly. “What Erummon told me is irrelevant. I know what I want. What we want,” she finished, motioning with a regal hand to the other women.

Razor narrowed his eyes on her, a low growl vibrating in his chest. Enais’ smoky voice, full of haughtiness, grated his senses. He knew her type all too well, familiar with them from his life in the Underworld.

He snuck a glance to his right, at Sasha. She was standing very still, taking in every single detail of Enais. There was something strange in her gaze…

Movement to his left pulled his attention away before he could begin to guess what Sasha was thinking.

“I don’t think you understand,” Night said, stepping up. “Enais, night flower that eats other flowers, let me put it more plainly so we understand each other.” Night’s voice remained cordial, but the underlying threat rang clear. “My brothers and I aren’t interested. End of story. You are welcome to enjoy my establishment, of course. I am sure you will find more than enough willing partners to fulfill your every need.”

Night was ever the businessman and connoisseur of beautiful creatures. Razor almost rolled his eyes. He couldn’t deny that they weren’t completely horrible looking, but they certainly weren’t his cup of tea. No, his cup was of the badass and cranky Reaper variety.

Her gaze now fully on Night, Enais bowed, then addressed him by his birth name. “Shilok’Elan, Erummon’s heir, Sotiel is to be yours.” One of the other women stepped forward. “She is of the highest ranking families in the Underworld, and should be a perfect fit for you. She will give you strong heirs of pure blood.”

Razor couldn’t help it; he laughed. Night didn’t. This was getting so ridiculous, it was funny.

Then, before any of them could reply, Edge spoke. “You’ve overstayed your welcome. Leave.”

The woman was either very confident in herself, or she was very, very, stupid and had a death wish. Because instead of heeding Edge’s warning, like any death-fearing person would, she lazily took him in, her gaze almost dismissive. Razor wondered how she could ignore the menace coming off of him in waves.

“Ah, Erummon’s assassin,” she said with a sneer. “You were my second choice, but Muriyan here…” She motioned to a scared looking female. Edge didn’t even acknowledge the other Demoness. His eyes only darkened dangerously, still locked on Enais. “She will be yours as I have chosen C’rrenAnkiro. She is in season and ready to birth you many sons and daughters.”

They all gaped. Sasha outright laughed. Some of the people watching gasped while others just began backpedaling it out of the club. Enais had some balls on her, he would give her that.

Now he was sure Enais had a death wish. Unlike the other three Hellhounds, Edge had no qualms about killing females. He didn’t kill innocents, but Enais had stepped over so many lines, his brother wouldn’t think twice about ending her where she stood.

Edge’s snarl effectively froze the rest of the club. “Razor, get her out of my city, or I’ll kill her,” he said, confirming his thoughts. With that, his brother pivoted on his heel and left the scene.

“That was very, very, stupid,” Razor chided.

“No matter.” She shrugged. “I have what I came for.”

Then, before he could blink, she was on him. One minute Enais was standing several feet away, and the next, her body was pressed up against his, her lips on his.

It took his brain a few seconds to catch up. By the time he went to push Enais off, it was too late. He heard one of his brothers groan, and then someone swore violently.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sasha’s voice held barely leashed anger, and then Enais was yanked backwards.

The Demoness stumbled a little before catching herself and turning in Sasha’s direction. She looked her up and down, but unlike with Edge, Enais didn’t dismiss Sasha so easily. Her posture stiffened, and there was a gleam in Enais’ eyes that gave him the sense that she’d caught on quickly to who and what Sasha was to him, and she wasn’t happy about it. Whether Sasha had accepted him or not, she was his mate. Razor was useless to the Demoness and her purpose for being here.

Enais’ chin lifted, her body taking a pose like some fucking queen addressing a town beggar. “I am Enais, it means night flower that eats other flowers—”

“There she goes with the fucking name again,” someone muttered.

“—and I am here to mate with C’rrenAnkiro.” Why was she being so insistent? Did she not get it?

His beautiful, deadly Reaper laughed as she casually began to close in on Enais. “You mean Razor? Is that what you think you’re doing?”

His heart beat wildly. Thanks to the bond, he could sense so many things going on inside Sasha, but he was frozen in place by one feeling in particular. Possessiveness. She was seething with it. He wanted to laugh and roll around in it. To go to her and kiss her and assure her that he was hers. Only hers. But he was staying back. This was nearing challenge territory.

Enais frowned. “Yes. And now if you don’t mind, I have a mate to claim.”

“Now, see, that’s where you’re wrong,” Sasha corrected, moving like a predator. She strolled closer to the other woman. If Enais realized the danger she was in, she didn’t show it. And she was very much in danger. The look in Sasha’s eyes was full of warnings.

“No, I am not. Now you may take your place back with the others.” Enais dismissed her, turning and giving her back. A big mistake.

It happened so fast.

Enais spinning away from Sasha.

Sasha sweeping in behind her.

Her hand in the female Demon’s hair, pulling her head back. Exposing her throat.

A shiny blade against the golden skin of Enais’ neck.

Enais struggling.

Sasha’s lips at her ear, her eyes burning blue like Hellfire as they met Razor’s.

“Razor is mine.” The words were a vicious hiss. “No one takes him from me. No one.”

The blade gleamed and sparkled as it moved across Enais’ throat, bright red blood bubbling in the wake of the blade’s edge. Sasha’s arm strained with the control it took to make the cut painful, but not fatal, like she so very obviously wanted. There were more gasps from the crowd, but no one moved.

He could have stopped it, could have shoved Enais out of the way before Sasha could slide the blade. But he didn’t. Because this wasn’t his fight to stop. Maybe she hadn’t known what she was doing, but the instant Sasha had addressed the Demoness, she had issued a challenge. One Enais had accepted by staking her own claim on him.

The minute Sasha had stepped up to Enais, claiming Razor in public, it had become Sasha’s fight. Her kill, if she so chose.

Sasha shoved Enais to the floor. The shallow wound wasn’t deadly, but it would leave her bleeding for a while until it healed.

Sasha lifted her boot, resting it against the Demon’s bleeding throat. She didn’t step down with much pressure, but the threat was crystal clear. “Mine,” she repeated, for emphasis.

Enais’ companions stayed where they were. Scared, but not shocked. It wouldn’t have happened much differently in the Underworld.

There were pathetic noises coming from Enais, but no one dared move to help. Sasha took her boot away and wasn’t even looking at the Demoness anymore. Her beautiful, wild eyes were trained on Razor. Fuck him, he was already hard, his mouth watering for a kiss from her.

He wouldn’t have been able to take his eyes off her even if the club exploded. There was something happening in the air between them. A visceral reaction on both their ends to what had just transpired.

Spectators or not, he needed to be inside her like he needed his next breath.

And then she was moving towards him, and he couldn’t get enough air. There was no hesitation in her movements. She was fury on two feet, her bright gaze never wavering from his as she reached him and pressed up against him. He dropped his head as she crushed her mouth to his.

He welcomed it, savored it, letting her be rough with him, her teeth biting down on his lips, her nails raking down his bare arms. He knew what it felt like to hunger, so he let her take control, keeping his own in check while she had her way with him. There were no words exchanged, only little moans of pleasure and possessive snarls.

Her hands were now pulling at his clothes, her nails scoring skin as it was revealed.

Razor grinned triumphantly down at her, his beast panting, growling for its mate. His shirt came off and her lips and tongue went to his throat. It was enough to snap his control. Freeing a hand, he slipped it into her hair, grabbing two handfuls of curls, and tugged back sharply.

She moaned, her gaze meeting his.

“I’m going to fuck you here, where everyone can watch me take you, and you won’t stop me.” He didn’t even recognize his own voice. It was almost as if he were hearing it underwater. Everything around them seemed to be underwater, suspended and quiet. Everything except the sound of their breathing, their heartbeats, their blood rushing hotly through their veins.

His button fly came undone, and then Sasha’s hand was pulling out his cock as her words heated his lips. “I’d beg if I had to.”

Razor was aware that people were watching, some in awe, some in shocked disbelief. Even his brothers were still present, but he needed this to happen here, now. He needed everyone to understand the woman that claimed him so publically was his. His mate. His Sasha. And he was hers.

“You don’t have to beg. Not this time.” He took her lips hard, his instincts screaming, mark, bruise, claim. Be claimed. Their clothes vanished as he tore at them. “And I’ll make sure you can’t walk tomorrow.”

Sasha’s small moans and desperate hands spurred him on. His need grew as she met him kiss for kiss, touch for touch. His cock was painfully hard, his entire body vibrating with a kaleidoscope of emotions. Pride, lust, love, happiness, greed—too many to name.

Lifting her up by the waist, he moved her away from the growing puddle of blood and deposited her on her back on one of the nearby tables.

“On your hands and knees. Spread your legs for me,” he growled into her neck, his fingers finding the wet heat of her pussy. Gods, she was so hot and wet already. His mouth licked down her throat as Sasha arched off the table, her legs spreading wide. “I won’t be gentle, Sasha, and you’ll do whatever I say because you belong to me.”

...

You belong to me.

Oh sweet fucking Goddess, she was in over her head. And she was loving it.

Emotions flooded her, instincts clamped over her, demanding things of her she couldn’t question.

Violence was fun for her. But tonight was something completely different. The very second that Sasha had seen the female Demon all over her Hellhound, she had lost her fucking mind. Every argument, every caution, every hesitation she’d ever had about her feelings toward him had flown out the window. It seemed that when push came to shove, Razor was hers. Period. She’d come so close to actually killing Enais—something that was beyond illegal for Reapers—it’d been scary. And now words just tumbled from her mouth in a rush.

“Please. Now. Razor, I need you.” She might have slipped into Russian, but she wasn’t sure. No matter which language she spoke, she knew he would understand her intent.

Even as her hips rolled and his fingers still teased her, she realized belatedly that he’d told her to get on her hands and knees. It was very clear that his beast was speaking, the Hellhound that rippled underneath his flesh, and there was nothing hotter than a primal beast deeming her worthy. His teeth nipped at her neck, a stinging reprimand for not obeying his order immediately. His fingers left her pussy and she whimpered from the loss.

Sasha was done fighting her emotions. He wanted her. She wanted him. And she didn’t want anyone else fucking touching him.

She was done being scared of her scars from the past. He wasn’t her ex-husband, and he wasn’t responsible for her past. No, Razor was everything she hadn’t known she’d wanted…needed. She could trust him; she felt that to her soul.

Turning over, she promptly got on her hands and knees, making sure her legs were spread wide and her hips tilted enough so she was practically on display for him.

She heard him make a deep rumbling sound behind her, and she pushed her hips back in response.

His hands were rough on her hips, and then her breath left her lungs all at once when he thrust completely inside of her. He didn’t stay there for long. Pulling back until just the tip of him was inside of her, he quickly thrust forward again. She was soaking wet and gripped him tightly with her internal muscles in encouragement.

“Mine.” The word was a snarl, a claim, and a threat all at once.

Sasha was vaguely aware they were still in the club, surrounded by hundreds of people, including the remaining Hellhounds. It should have been weird for such an intense moment to be so public, but it felt right. No one would be able to question who Razor belonged to, or who she belonged to. It was also really turning her on.

And then he made good on his promise. Nothing about him was gentle.

She moaned hoarsely, throwing her head back to push her hair out of her face as he kept his rough and fast pace. Like the move was an invitation, Razor reached forward and grabbed a fistful of her bouncing curls again, pulling as he slammed his cock into her repeatedly.

Even through her glazed eyes, she noticed the flurry of activity around her. She and Razor weren’t the only ones in the throes of passion.

The club-goers were no longer standing around and watching them. They were all currently engaged in some kind of sexual act; the energy and pheromones that were coming from Razor and Sasha had apparently been too much for others to ignore.

The club usually smelled of sex, but this was something more. Everyone was taken over by a frenzied need that mirrored theirs.

Except for Edge. The tallest Hellhound stood out like a statue in a sea of pleasure, his arms crossed and his expression neutral, practically standing guard. His gaze moved over everything, but stayed on his brothers the most.

He looked from Razor and Sasha over to Night on the other side of the room. Night’s fingers were inside a woman on a table, his mouth over her sex, while a man on his knees was sucking Night’s cock. Sin was nowhere to be found, from what she could tell.

Razor’s fangs bit into Sasha’s neck, making her cry out and snapping her attention back to what really mattered. He leaned over her until his lips were at her ear.

“I want you to be mine.” His voice was rough, and she could hear the faint lilt of the accent he had when he spoke Vruk. “Only mine. Do you understand, pretty girl?”

She couldn’t get enough of those words. She was sure they’d already said it to each other twenty times, but it was clear both of them were embracing what they had. Each time they uttered mine, it was a verbal promise to the other. No more denial.

Her arms shaking, Sasha dropped the front half of her body so her cheek was pressed against the table and her ass was still high in the air. “Yes.”

It was a vulnerable position, but she had never felt so free. Her body sang, and her heart soared. Razor released his hold on her hair, but then his hand came around and curled around the front of her neck. It was a move so utterly possessive that her breath caught in her throat.

“Fuck…do it. Please,” she moaned, tightening her pussy around him to urge him on.

Reading her so well, he slowly squeezed, putting pressure on the sides of her neck, at the same time as his pace slowed considerably—until the gentle rocking of his hips, the shallow penetration, and the gradually tightening hand around her throat had her on the verge of coming. She greedily rocked her hips, taking in the small amount of air he was allowing her. She wanted to sob because he was right there with her, giving her everything she was asking for. Her pussy pulsed with the force of her arousal.

“More,” she whispered.

But he ignored her verbal and nonverbal begging, releasing his hold on her throat and instead moving it back to glide down her spine. “You can’t come yet.” Then his hand smoothed back up to her nape, and he added, “I love you, Sasha.”

He said it so simply, and the phrase floated through every one of her cells, making her still. The words settled in her, feeling heavy, but right. Her eyes closed when tears threatened to fall, the strenuous sex only half of the reason her chest heaved with rapid breath.

He loved her. She felt it, as real as a physical connection. He loved her.

It was almost too much for her to comprehend. Her mouth opened and closed, but all she could do was make unintelligible sounds. Her heart thudded against her ribs so hard, it was if she were tattooing Razor on her bones.

In that moment, she knew she loved him, too.

She’d lost the fight with her tears. The weight of her emotions was too much, and Razor was acting like her personal catharsis. Everything she’d locked up for centuries was tumbling out, swirling around her mind. And through all of it, he was there for her. Supporting her. Giving her so much she wasn’t quite convinced that she deserved.

His teeth scored over her neck, and she wanted to beg for him to break the skin. The more marks he left on her body, the better. They would match the ones he was imprinting on her soul. She reached back, her sharp nails digging into his thighs. Though it wasn’t much, she needed to mark him in return. She clawed at his skin, rewarded by the deep growl that came from his chest.

When he shifted his body behind her, she couldn’t hold onto him, so her hands rested back on the table, trying to keep herself stable. If she didn’t, his rough thrusts would be enough to inch her away from him.

Razor’s open palms rested on her butt cheeks, then squeezed the skin as he ground his pelvis against her, his cock rubbing at her g-spot. Pleasure made her vision blur, brought her closer to release.

Her entire body tensed, held on the edge. One of his fingers slipped between her legs to the lips of her pussy, circling her clit and rubbing it in tight circles.

She gasped his name as she exploded in ecstasy. Her muscles quivered from the force of her orgasm. All she could do was hold onto Razor’s thigh with her nails as she felt him tense, then groan, his cock pulsing inside her as he came just as hard inside of her.

I love you, she wanted to sob. Another tear escaped when she still wasn’t able to say the words and she wasn’t quite sure why. It was like trying to run in her dreams while her feet wouldn’t move no matter what she tried.

Her mind knew that she loved him, her body and heart knew, but saying the words out loud would be the very last of her defenses coming down. He would officially own every part of her. And no matter how ready she was for him to do so, she just couldn’t get the words out.

Seemingly aware of just what was going on inside her, Razor turned her over and sat her up, their gazes clashing. She sucked in a breath at the intensity shining back at her. Captivated by everything she saw in his eyes, she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, selfishly taking in the love and warmth and patience she saw there.

She wanted to say something, to be equally as open and brave, but all she managed to mumble against his neck was, “You’re mine.”

His large hands held her steady as he picked her up and walked them into an elevator. “Completely.”

Sasha hid her face in his neck, closing her eyes. Her breaths still erratic, she forced her focus on his breathing, trying to match it. She let her body melt into his, fascinated by the feel of his naked body against hers, the bunching and releasing of the corded muscles underneath her hands while he walked for both of them. Just as their breathing was even and flowed seamlessly as if they were one being, he closed the door to his private rooms behind them.

Still, Razor didn’t let her go. He brought her over to his large bed, placing her down as if she were made of porcelain. She stared at his chest, at all his beautiful tattoos, almost afraid to look him in the eye. She clasped her hands in her lap, having never in her life felt this vulnerable. But no matter how she tried, she was stuck. She couldn’t move past her insecurities to verbalize what they both already knew.

His hand cupped her jaw and he very gently tipped her head back until she was forced to meet his gaze. And he only smiled at her, serving as her anchor. Gods, she loved him. Why had she wasted too many years avoiding him? And why was telling him exactly that so damn hard?

“Do you love me?” he asked, his eyes so beautiful and his face full of the vibrancy and persistence that only he had.

She wanted to say that was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard him ask, because of course the answer was yes, and how could he not see it. But when nothing came out, she simply nodded.

“I see it in those gorgeous eyes, feel it here,” he pressed a hand to his chest, “felt it the instant you realized that you did.” His eyes were shiny with emotion. “But I want you to say it for me, pretty girl. I need to hear you say it.”

Again, her lips parted, but the words wouldn’t come out. She dropped her gaze.

A memory swirled inside her mind, and she realized why she was having such a hard time getting the words out. The last person she’d ever said “I love you” to was her daughter only a few hours before she’d had to collect her innocent soul. As irrational as she told herself it was, she felt responsible for that. She had killed her child because of it. Her love had gotten them killed. Her heart clenched, a paralyzing fear sweeping through her. She couldn’t say the words to Razor and lose him, too.

A pained sound came from her throat, and when she blinked, she found Razor’s face right in front of hers again. His eyes were piercing, his lips a breath away from her lips.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” she whispered, shaking her head.

There was a reason she stayed away from emotion. When she locked them away, she didn’t hurt anyone, and she wouldn’t fail anyone she loved again. She wasn’t strong enough for this.

“My beautiful, stubborn Sasha.” He pressed kisses along her neck, her jaw, and finally her lips. Sasha opened up for him immediately. Then he surprised her by responding to what had just been in her mind. It would have freaked her out, except that she had always secretly loved how well he could read her.

“Love doesn’t make you weak,” he told her. “On the contrary, it makes you strong. A fucking warrior. It makes you strong enough to go to war for those you care about. It gives you the strength to endure and fight whatever may come. Love makes you strong enough to survive and live.”

His tongue swept into her mouth then, taking and giving everything. Somehow she could feel his love for her, and she tried to show him how right he was, that she was a fucking warrior and she had survived because she had loved so hard.

She suddenly realized he hadn’t said all that only for her, but out of his own experience. His love for his brothers had made him strong in every way he’d described. It had made her strong too, in different ways, but it had still been because she had loved.

She put all of the feelings the insight drew from her into her kiss when words wouldn’t come. Even as little sobs burst from her chest, she poured every ounce of emotion into the kiss. They breathed for each other in the never-ending caress of their lips, tongues, bodies.

He slowly kissed down her body. “Tell me.” His words were cool air over her flushed skin. “Because I’m already yours. You’re my mate. Another piece of my soul. Choose me, Sasha. Let me be yours, forever.”

He’d been murmuring so sweetly, she thought he might not be aware of what exactly he’d just said.

Mate.

Sasha had been in Shadow Realm long enough to know exactly what mate meant, what it entailed. She also knew that it would be incomplete if she didn’t accept it.

Not long ago, the word would have sent the brakes screeching and her boots kicking up dust. Now they made her heart skip, not from fear, but excitement. And most satisfyingly, of rightness. Acceptance. The puzzle pieces finally fell into place.

They were two halves of a whole. What she had with Razor went far beyond simple chemistry. Their connection had strengthened to a level she couldn’t even comprehend. And she knew, without a doubt, that he was right. They were mates: he was hers, and she was his. Whatever doubts she’d had simply melted away.

“I need you,” she said.

He chuckled softly. “I know that, pretty girl. I need you to say the other three words.”

He kissed a sensitive place she hadn’t know about in the crook of her hip, making her gasp, and she felt him smile against her skin before he continued. He avoided her vulva, and she had the distinct impression that this was going beyond a simple claim, or just more sex. He was stripping her of everything until he saw her truly bare.

Sasha wasn’t sure she was going to survive this.

As Razor leisurely worked his sweet mouth back up her body, she was melting all over again. Satisfied with how relaxed she had become, he moved completely over her, and she had no choice but to look up at him and meet his gaze again.

Another soft gasp left her when he sank into her, slow, so slow. She lifted her arms to wrap around him, and maybe to coax him to move faster.

But he caught her wrists in his hands, pinning them to the bed on either side of her head. His hips moved as smoothly as ocean waves, an unstoppable force even at low tide. Every thrust felt like he was exposing another layer of her.

Their noses touched, and his gaze held her captive. “Say it. Be the fearless woman I know you are,” he murmured patiently, his lips brushing over hers in a not-quite kiss. “Let me be yours.”

He’d given her the push she needed. Not the hard, violent one she’d thought, but instead, she’d needed the knowledge that he was there for her. That he loved her with a ferocity she’d never known before, and he wasn’t going anywhere.

“I love you.” The words were barely more than a whisper, and her eyes went wide. Then she gave a little laugh, liking the way the words felt. Before he could even say anything in response, she said them again, louder. “I love you.”

He beamed down at her. Then she screamed them at the top of her lungs. “I love you!”

Razor laughed, a booming, exultant sound.

She touched his face. “I do choose you, because you were meant for me. You belong to me, Razor.”

She must have accepted the claim in herself, too, because something flared inside her, an explosion of everything that was good in the world. She was floating in champagne bubbles, laughter, happiness, and warm sunshine.

Sasha laughed out loud. Then she opened her eyes when Razor joined her. They were both laughing, eyes full of tears as their bond came to life. It was beyond anything she had ever thought possible. Where she ended, he began. She felt him everywhere, even in her head, her thoughts. And yet, she could also feel a part of her mind that could remain private, if she so desired it. Knowing she could still have a part of her mind to only herself brought a sense of relief to someone as independent as she was.

They were both looking at each other in wonder.

They moved as one, breathed as one, existed as one. In the back of her mind, Sasha knew their souls had somehow become intertwined in a way that couldn’t be undone. And she was thankful for that.

They were inseparable to their very souls, a true mated pair, and her body felt as light as a feather.

“You’re so beautiful. I love you.” He moved her wrists above her head, pinned in place by one of his hands. His other hand cupped her jaw, curled around her throat, then caressed down to her breasts.

Sasha smiled warmly. “How do you say I love you in Vruk?”

...

Razor laughed again, pressing a kiss to Sasha’s lips, unable to recall the last time he’d felt this happy. Or the last time he’d laughed this much and felt so weightless.

“You want to learn Vruk, huh? I love you is Irin somnan zoa.”

His beautiful mate bit her lip as a small crease appeared between her eyebrows. “Irin somnan zoa,” she repeated slowly.

He smiled proudly, nodding. “That’s it. You’re a natural, pretty girl. Now say it again, but add my name to the end.”

That made her snicker. After kissing him, she did as he asked. “Irin somnan zoa, Razor.”

“Irin somnan zoa, me shal mih,” he told her back.

“What does me shal mih mean?”

Nibbling the line of her throat, he told her, “My pretty girl.”

Sasha tried to pull her arms free where he still held them over her head. “Let me touch you,” she pleaded.

Razor squeezed her wrists a little tighter, making it clear she wasn’t going anywhere. Taking a nipple into his mouth, he sucked at it hard. “No.” He denied her, pushing his cock through the still-wet folds of her pussy, the action making her gasp. Gods, she felt incredible. Wet and warm and so fucking perfect. He never wanted to leave her body again. In fact, he wanted to sleep while his cock remained nestled inside her snug pussy.

“Please,” she begged, arching her back and spreading her legs wider.

It was his turn to inhale sharply as his dick slid in deeper. “Not yet.”

But what he didn’t tell her was that he couldn’t let her go. He had been waiting far too long to have her right there, in his arms and in his bed, that letting her go after only a measly hour was impossible.

You know this happiness won’t last, don’t you? There’s still Valtu to find. And with all the curveballs she’s been sending your way, nothing and no one is safe. Not even the Reapers. Not even Sasha, an insidious little voice inside his head reminded him.

The voice was right. Soon they’d have to get back to the hunt for Valtu and all her minions. He pushed all of it back, deciding that for now, he could enjoy his mate.

He didn’t voice his worries, and instead made love to her. He inhaled the scent they created together, memorizing the utter perfection of it. Because he had a sinking feeling that it could be a while before they were both back here, wrapped up in this perfect cocoon.