Page 88 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

She didn’t answer—not with words. Her body softened against mine, her head tucked beneath my chin, her breathing slowly evening out. A fragile trust, a thread I’d die to protect before it snapped.

I pressed a kiss to her hair, closing my eyes. The storm inside me quieted, just for that moment, but the fear remained, lurking beneath the calm.

Fates help me, I would never stop loving her, whether it destroyed me or saved me, because one truth still haunted me: if she ever doubted me enough to leave, if she ever slipped from my grasp… I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

CHAPTER 31

CORDELIA

The next morning, after more mind-blowing sex, Si had left me to go back to Genesion, after asking me to come with him, even for a few days.

I needed to check with Sephy about watching Guinn, but gods help me—I wanted to see his kingdom. More than that, I just wanted to be with him.

Pathetic. I was turning into a lovesick sap.

For a heartbeat, the old fear flickered—what if I was just another conquest, something he’d use and discard when the tide turned? I shoved the thought down hard. No. I wasn’t going there—not today.

‘Ouch,’ I muttered, wincing as I buttoned my leathers. Everything hurt—in a good, smug, absolutely Si-shaped way. We probably should’ve stopped after the second time. Or the third; I would’ve been fine after the third.

I shuffled into the kitchen and found Sephy and Bronte at the table, demolishing eggs and toast with steaming mugs of coffee.

‘What the fuck?’ Bronte said tersely, putting a hand out to me. Sephy’s grin almost split her face as she slid a cup of coffee towards me.

What? Did I have a morning-after glow? Shit. I plonked into a chair and let my head thunk on the table. ‘He’s always assumed I’d end up in his bed and…’ I said as heat crept into my face.

‘But you didn’t end up in his bed?’ Bronte asked dryly.

‘No, of course not.’ Technically, I wasn’t lying. I’d ended up against the wall and then in my bed, then this morning, over the console table, and in the shower… and it was so incredibly hot. Great sex with a man who could easily hold my weight—and, gods, that divine, huge cock. Desire washed through me at the thought.

‘He was seething about me leaving the Underworld with you two. He tried to push his weight around, and I gave him a piece of my mind.’

‘Ah. So you gave him a piece of your mind,’ Bronte repeated flatly. ‘Not a piece of your booty?’

I could tell she knew exactly what had happened, and so did Persephone, who was trying—and failing—to swallow her grin.

‘Yes, I gave him a piece of my mind.’ I clenched my jaw. ‘I slapped him across the face… and then… I had sex with him. Okay?’

‘Well you sure showed him, huh?’ Bronte pursed her lips and arched a brow. ‘The bad-decision express has officially left the station.’

‘Bronte, she obviously loves him,’ Sephy said defensively.

I snapped my mouth shut and swiped a hand across my forehead. Was what I felt love? What if he got bored of me? The thought squeezed my chest again until I could hardly breathe, but I had to trust he’d meant what he’d said.

‘It’s done now, right? She can’t undo it.’ Bronte’s eyes swung to Sephy.

‘Nope. Only death can break the bond,’ Sephy said cheerily.

‘Undo what?’ I squinted at her. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘It’s subtle but—’ Sephy began, eyeing me.

‘It’s subtle because you’re her friend. You don’t want to bang her.’ Bronte cut in.

‘You’re such an unromantic asshole, Bronte,’ Sephy shot back. ‘She’s clearly accepted it, which definitely means she loves him. It’s obvious, otherwise she wouldn’t be glowing like a firefly. It’s undeniable… She’s his, and anyone who tries to take her away will feel his wrath.’

‘Hey! I’m right here.’ I jabbed a finger at myself.

Bronte narrowed her eyes as she looked me over. ‘She looks almost angelic, which is a hysterical contradiction given her profession.’