“You have one cycle of the moon, Prince Loren. I expect your assistance then.” Thorne released Olivia, his dark red gaze pinned on Loren, and Loren nodded.
“Thank you for everything... for helping me save my ki’ara. I am forever in your debt.” Loren held his hand out to Thorne and the demon clasped it and nodded. He released Loren’s hand.
And lingered.
Sable slowly raised her eyes from Thorne’s hand on her arm to his face, her eyebrows creeping up her forehead at the same time. The demon king stared down at her and, for a moment, Loren thought he would attempt to teleport with her, even though Bleu still held her other arm, and then he huffed, let go of her hand and stepped back. It looked as though it had taken Thorne considerable effort to place even that small distance between them.
The Third King frowned, opened his mouth to speak, and then growled and disappeared into a portal.
Sable stared at the shrinking black patch on the floor and then looked over at Olivia and blinked.
“Maybe we should get these wounds looked at now.” Olivia didn’t sound sure and Loren could see she had noticed the demon king’s desire for her friend and was struggling with how to deal with it, just as Sable was.
And Bleu.
He growled something about killing and suffering, released Sable and stalked over to Loren. “My prince, we should return to the kingdom and inform them of our success.”
Loren nodded and stopped to look at Olivia. They had never talked about where she would live and his heart told him that she would want to continue her work with Archangel. It meant a lot to her and he wouldn’t stand in the way of her achieving her dream of promoting a better understanding between demons, fae and mankind when she sought to help him with achieving his own dream of saving his brother.
Olivia smiled. “You don’t need to look so nervous. I’m going wherever you go. I have a whole new world to explore and hopefully document.”
She stepped up to him, tiptoed and pressed a kiss to his lips. Loren growled and gathered her into his arms, slanted his head and claimed her mouth, ignoring the fierce ache as his wounds protested.
Violet light outlined his body and then chased over Olivia, bringing her with him to his apartments in the castle. A moment later, Sable’s voice rang out from the courtyard below, scolding Bleu for kidnapping her again. There was going to be trouble ahead for Sable.
In one lunar month, Loren would lead his army with Bleu and Olivia to the Third Realm and Thorne’s aid, and something told him that when that happened, Sable would be leading her own team to the same location under the banner of Archangel.
All hell was going to break loose in the Third Realm.
Loren smiled against Olivia’s lips, his pain forgotten as he relished the feel of his female as she leaned into him, her mouth dancing with his, her sweet taste intoxicating him.
He focused on their connection, forging a stronger one and using it to seek out her injuries and steal them away before she could notice what he was doing. His back hurt and his throat blazed, but he didn’t care. He would heal these new wounds and his old ones soon enough.
Olivia sighed and broke away from his lips, her dark gaze serious as she looked up at him. “I thought I told you not to do that. I’m immortal now... I can heal my own wounds.”
Loren stared down at his beautiful ki’ara and shook his head, grazing his fingers across her soft dirty cheek at the same time. “I will never allow you to endure pain when I have the power to take it away.”
She pressed her cheek against his palm and smiled, her kiss-swollen lips taking on a wicked look. “And I will never allow you to endure pain when I have the power to take it away.”
Olivia brushed her wild chestnut hair away from her throat and drew the strap of her ruined purple halter-top aside, revealing the marks he had placed on her.
She tilted her head to one side and Loren half-groaned half-growled, gathered her against him and bent his head. His cheek brushed hers and he swept his lips across the healing marks on her skin, and she moaned and clutched his shoulders. Pleasure flowed through their link and he closed his eyes, opened his mouth and obeyed her silent command.
He eased his fangs into her and the first drop of her blood sent a shiver through him, bringing his tired body back to life and erasing his pain as he swallowed it down and pulled more of her sweet blood from her.
His ki’ara.
He had thought he would end this tumultuous journey alone, having sacrificed both of his dreams in the name of duty.
Now he had one of his elusive dreams nestled in his arms, her blood revitalising his body and speeding the healing of his injuries, and the pleasure she took from his bite flowing through him like ambrosia in his veins.