as I twist my tongue through her mouth. And it’s like a wildfire.

Pleasure erupts through me, and I feel my legs tremble at the force of it. My darkness entwines with her light, creating a hazy, purple dusk. Briar groans, her nails digging into my back as my magic becomes one with hers. Eagerly, I hoist her into my arms and prop her on the windowsill. She eases her legs apart, making room for me to press my body against hers. I drop my hand to her lower back, fingers brushing over cold metal before gripping her supple ass. I pant, trailing my kisses from her lips to her neck. Her heart is beating wildly, blood moving quickly through her jugular. I rest my fangs on it, nipping her gently, and she giggles. The sound makes me smile.

When I slip a hand beneath her nightgown, trailing it over her thighs and up her abdomen, she gasps. Briar breathes shakily as I explore her body, leaving soft kisses along her collarbone. Mine. She is mine, and I am hers. And at this moment, the thought doesn't frighten me. I run a hand down her spine, feeling that cold metal again, and suddenly Briar twists out of reach. She curls in on herself back pressed tightly against the window. Her cheeks are red from our kisses and perhaps guilt.

I cock a brow and drag my finger along her jaw. “Briar,” I purr. “What are you doing with a dagger under your nightgown?”

She shivers, leaning into my touch for an instant before pulling away with a look of fear. “For protection,” she says hurriedly.

“Against?” I press a light kiss to her finger, tongue darting over it quickly. Night, I want to swallow her and her magic whole.

“Aiden,” she whispers.

I pause in my teasing touches and narrow my eyes. “If he touches you – does anything – you will tell me.” It isn’t a question.

“Would you believe me?” She asks, looking doubtful.

“Would you lie?” I counter.

Briar pauses, tongue darting over her pouty lips. “Not to you.”

“Then you have nothing to fear.” I take her hand and help her down from the windowsill. She stares up at me, looking lost. “You should sleep now.”

“Can I stay with you?” She asks.

“Willem would be put out to find I suddenly had a new roommate,” I say with a grin, even though regret hangs heavy in my chest. “This will be your only night with Aiden, I promise. Tell him I ordered him to sleep on the floor – on pain of death.”

“Alright, I understand.” Briar smiles softly at my poor attempt at a joke. “Goodnight.”

The influence of the soulbond is wearing off now and I drop her hand reluctantly. "Sleep well, Briar."

“Maybe I’ll dream of you.” Is her whispered reply as she disappears down the hall.

I wait until the lock clicks closed before releasing a long, ragged breath. I lean on the window, thoughts racing. “Shit,” I mutter, pounding my fist on the glass. “Shit, shit.”

I used to pride myself on my self-control; on my focus. And now, one doe-eyed look from a beautiful mortal has me losing all my senses. She isn't mine to love – not even mine to fuck. She's a tool. A tool that suddenly became significantly more useful. I bite my lip, not daring to hope too much. I felt magic when we kissed, and our souls touched. The magic I need – my opposite. She is light, where I am dark.

It should be impossible, of course. Few mortals are ever blessed with magic. Her mother’s lineage is one of the few lines that possess it, one girl in every generation. Of course, the translations said it was the first-born. Rose. And yet, Briar seems to be the key in all of this. The translations might have been wrong, I think giddily. I needed the last-born all along. I should thank her father for correcting a grave error.

If, I think fiercely if her magic is real and not some illusion of the soul bond. But, Night, I hope it's real. Not simply because I will have the tool that I need, but because if it were real, I wouldn't need petty revenge any longer. It wouldn't be necessary to use her to hurt her father. Perhaps, perhaps seeing Briar happy with me would be the best revenge of all. I shake my head, trying to clear it of the muddied mess it's become since I opened the soulbond completely to her. I can still feel her heart beating in time with mine. Find the Nephilim first, I chide myself, and then I can deal with Briar.

Chapter 12

Briar

“We’ve been here for days now, and still no sign of the Nephilim,” Aiden complains, leaning against the dirty bricks of the Diamond.

I purse my lips, already tired of the Minor God. But I share his unhappiness. Verstad is nothing like I remember, and nothing I ever want to experience again. I watch guiltily as a girl who can't be any older than twelve ushers her younger sister through the crowded streets towards a baker's stand. I've seen them for three days now, and each day they're dirtier than the last. At least the baker is kind enough to offer them a sweet roll to share between themselves. I never wanted for anything as a child.

“What are you looking at?” Aiden asks, tilting his head curiously. He follows my gaze to the two girls and scoffs. “For someone on a mission to kill her future husband, you certainly have a bleeding heart.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say quietly and drag my gaze to the crowd.

“Watch your tone,” Aiden snaps.

I ignore him. I've grown braver over the past few days with Aiden. He still threatens to reveal me, but he doesn't know I took precautions myself. My cheeks warm as I think of the night Kane and I last collided. It was like nothing I've ever felt. It was like he and I

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