Page 115 of Fall Before Her Throne

But then Obi flipped her onto her back in a dominant move, pinned her hands above her head, and fused his lips to hers. She groaned against him, arching her back as his hands smoothed down her torso. They were a tangle of tongue, hands, and heat until the kiss broke. He smiled down at her. “I’m proud of you.”

She grinned back, rolling her hips against his. “Are you going to fuck me here in the grass? That sounds nice.”

A sound rumbled from deep in his throat. “Keep piling on your punishment. I don’t mind.”

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “You started it!”

“You started it the other night in my office.” Almost reluctantly, he sat back and pulled her up. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

She was already flushed from fighting, but her blush deepened. It made my mouth water. What was this they kept teasing about punishment?

All the Shadows gathered around her while Cas and I watched on. Scrapes covered her knees and face, and she already had bruising on her cheek. But her smile was huge. Her laugh was full. She was completely, truly one of them.

Cas’s hand landed on my shoulder. “This is what I was telling you about.”

“They saw her potential and helped her become the queen she was meant to be,” I said, repeating what he’d told me before at the penthouse. “We could never have given her that.”

He shook his head. “Nope. But they could. And I’m glad they did.”

“Me, too,” I whispered, watching as each hugged her and kissed her and ruffled her hair and picked her up, only to pretend they were going to tackle her to the ground. It was everything I’d ever wished for her. Safety. Love. Freedom.

“My turn,” Cas said, stretching his arms over his head. “Do you think Ryuji would fall for it again if I flashed my dick at him?”

I snorted, almost in surprise. “I think you could take him fair and square.” Then I grinned. “But yeah, I think he’d fall for it.”

Cas gave me a wink. He called over to the rest of them. “Hey, hey, move along now, we don’t have all day!”

Leona grabbed a water bottle from the patio and took a deep drink while everyone got in line again. She gave me a look out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing.

“That didn’t look that hard,” I teased. “They let you win.”

They definitely didn’t, but it was fun to egg her on.

She almost choked on the water. “Oh, yeah, just a regular fucking walk in the park. I just beat up the Shadows. The least you could do is look impressed.”

I grabbed her head and pulled her against my chest in a move so casual it had both of us freezing for a second. But then she melted against me. “I am impressed.”

“Get used to it,” was her muffled reply.

“Same rules,” Wynn said. “Except, darling, come take your place with us.”

Her head perked up. “What?”

“You’re a Shadow,” he answered. He pointed to the other side of Obi. “You’re part of the gauntlet.”

My eyes went wide while she jogged over and joined their ranks. The realization sat heavy in my gut, almost tugging on my still-bruised ribs.

Once Cas passed their test, I’d have to fight all six of them in order to win. My breath rushed out of my lungs. There was no way.

35

MAX

“Okay, Cas,” Wynn said, raising his fists again. “Two minutes.”

“Begin,” Obi said.

Wynn once again showed off his agility. That man was a blur of pale skin and hair as he went after Cas with the same careful intensity he’d shown Leona. While Leona knew how to exploit Wynn’s weaknesses and catch him off guard, Cas was—and always had been—a fan of brute force. He met Wynn with vicious punches and kicks. The time ticked down, exhausting both of them, until a lucky right hook knocked Wynn backward. Wynn caught himself just in time, then landed a kick in Cas’s chest right as the timer went off. No clear winner.