My palms warmed, and the embers really started pulsating. Pain and death were everywhere—in the smoldering heaps on the ground and in those who still stood. Beyond the Rise, fire spread from tree to tree as they continued exploding under the heat of the eather. Smoke whirled through the air in thick tendrils, carrying the nearly suffocating stench of burnt wood and charred flesh. Orphine shouted as another draken crashed into the courtyard, kicking up soil and loose rock as it slid across the ground.

Guards rushed from all sides of the courtyard and on the Rise, kneeling and taking aim at the tan draken as it circled back, raining shimmering blood in its wake. The blood showered the west side and the guards there— They shrieked, falling to the ground and writhing as they pulled out of their armor and clothes. Their agony turned my insides frigid. I’d never heard shrieks like that before. It sounded as if they were screaming for the

release of death.

“Dear gods,” I whispered. “What is happening to them?” “Our blood,” Orphine growled. “It will burn most alive.”

“Fuck.” I looked for Nyktos, unable to make out most of those in the smoke. “Even Primals?”

“It’ll burn them, too, but it won’t kill them.”

I supposed that was a relief—kind of. I sucked in a short, smoky breath as the tan draken released another burst of flames. The stream cut short. A large, black-and-gray draken swooped down from the sky, crashing into its side.

“Nektas,” I rasped, awed by his size. I couldn’t even see the other draken.

“They’re coming!” a guard shouted, drawing our attention to the Rise. “Shut the gates! Shut the gates!”

A chill of dread shot down my spine as I took off for the gates, ignoring the rocky ground under my feet. I raced past those heaps. I couldn’t look at

them. The urge to stop and change what had happened was already pressing down on me. If I looked, I didn’t know if I could stop myself.

“They’re not going to make it!” Orphine shouted. “They’re already there!”

I didn’t see them at first. It was too smoky beyond the Rise, but then Nektas and the tan draken appeared just outside it. Nektas dug his talons in, his wings whipping through the air as he twisted, throwing the asshole draken into the burning trees. A shower of silver sparks lit the ground beyond the Rise.

Jerking to a stop, I swallowed a shout of surprise as they slammed into the partially closed gates, splintering the wood. They poured in through the opening, a mass of sunken, chalky flesh and hungry, wide mouths. There had to be dozens of them—maybe even hundreds.

They swallowed the guards at the gate, taking them down in a frenzy. Then they were inside the courtyard, running faster than I would’ve thought their frail, malnourished bodies were capable of.

But I guessed I wasn’t the only one motivated by hunger.

“Don’t die,” Orphine warned, tossing me the sword she held. There was a flash of silvery-blue as she shifted into her draken form.

An onyx-hued wing swept over me as she came down on her forelegs and extended her long neck, firing on a group of fallen. They went up in a wail of shrieks, some falling to the ground and others still running.

Head or heart, I reminded myself as my breathing slowed and became even. I braced myself, the short sword in one hand and my dagger in the other.

The first entombed god made it past Orphine, its fangs bared and the grayish skin around its eyes smudged black. Two more were quick to join it as Orphine swiped out with her horned tail, knocking several burning fallen back. I waited until they reached for me.

Snapping forward, I slammed my dagger deep into one. Hot, shimmery blood that smelled of decay spurted from the god’s chest as I kicked it back into the other. I spun, sweeping the sword out wide in an arc. The sharp blade cut through the god’s neck far too easily. My lip curled, and I twisted, thrusting my dagger into the chest of the third as Orphine lit up the courtyard once more. The light was brief but lasted long enough for me to catch sight of Bele fighting near the gates. The snarls of the fallen gods

quickly overshadowed the shock of seeing her after I’d last seen her dazed and drenched in blood.

I had no idea how many of Nyktos’s close guards were here at night, but the fallen gods were everywhere, running or feeding on the ones they took down and those already wounded.

Nektas suddenly took flight, appearing in the sky above the Rise. He flew out toward the deeper, denser parts of the Red Woods, where I’d originally seen the flames. The burning had stopped, but smoke billowed into the air.

A pain-filled scream jerked my head to where a guard was slamming his dagger into the side of a god that had him on his back.

Disgust and anger throbbed within me as I stalked forward, sheathing the dagger. How could anyone, Primal or not, unleash something like this? Using both hands, I shoved the sword deep into the god’s back. As I withdrew the blade, the god pitched forward, falling onto the guard.

Shoving the fallen aside, I jerked back. The guard’s eyes were open and blinking rapidly as blood frothed from his mouth and his…throat. My hands heated, and the embers pulsed. I knew I shouldn’t, even if healing someone couldn’t be felt by the gods and Primals of other Courts. But it was like instinct; a reaction I couldn’t control, just as Aios had said. I started to reach for him—

Orphine landed beside me, nudging me back with her wing as she let out a thin stream of fire toward a group of fallen gods clamoring toward us. I stepped out of the path of her wings and saw that the guard’s eyes no longer blinked. Blood no longer flowed as freely. The embers stretched against my chest. Shuddering, I turned away and found a new horror.

Entombed gods had swarmed the fallen draken, who had shifted into its mortal form. There were so many fallen near the draken that I couldn’t see who it was.

I took off, leaping off the guard’s body. The draken was in a far more vulnerable position now. I plunged a dagger into a god’s head and shoved another into Orphine’s path. Her head snapped down, and the crunch of bones was something I wouldn’t forget for a very long time. Shoving aside another god, I caught a glimpse of reddish-brown skin that was too red, and honey-brown hair—

Oh, gods.

I began to hack at the gods, losing all sense of skill in my panic to get them off the draken. I reached Davina’s side, air lodged in my too-tight throat. Half of her was burnt and unrecognizable. The other half had been torn apart by sharpened nails and fangs. It was clear…

My stomach twisted as nausea rose. Davina was gone. Just like that. My entire body spasmed with the knowledge that I could fix it. The embers wanted that. That was what I wanted. Because that had been Davina, and now she was gone.

“Stop!”

My head jerked up, and my gaze clashed with Ector’s deep amber eyes. The fair-haired god turned, lifting a hand. A bolt of eather erupted from his palm, slamming into a fallen god and throwing it back several feet.

“Don’t do it.” Ector swung his sword with his other hand, cleaving through a fallen god’s neck. I jerked back from Davina. “It will only make things worse down the road.”

Pushing past the tightness threatening to seal off my throat, I forced myself away from Davina. Breathe in. Ector was right. If I brought any of them back to life, the other gods and Primals would feel it. Hold. Part of me wondered if it mattered since they already knew an ember of life was here, but it wouldn’t help matters at all. The pressure on my chest increased.

“Keep it together,” I whispered hoarsely, making myself go where Bele fought as I exhaled, breathed in again, and held it.

Shoulder-length black hair snapped around her shoulders as the goddess spun, driving her sword through a fallen’s face. She saw me then, and both brows rose, forming deep creases in light brown skin that no longer carried the pallor of death. She yanked her blade free. “Nyktos is going to lose his shit once he realizes you’re out here.”

That was highly likely. “Where is he?”

“With Rhahar and Saion.” Her eyes, now silver, glowed with eather. “They were in the woods, trying to catch the freed gods.” She dragged the back of her hand across her forehead. A smear of blood remained. “They must’ve gotten swamped.”

My chest clenched as I turned, striking out at a nearby god. I pushed it off the sword. Was that where Nektas had flown? Worry threatened to seize me. “They have to be okay.”

“I know.” Bele dipped and picked up a long, slender spear. She tossed it to me. “They’re lighter, double-edged, and more fun.”

The spear was significantly lighter, and given how I’d already begun to feel the strain in my muscles, I knew it wouldn’t be nearly as physically taxing. I dropped the sword and shifted the spear into my right hand. “How many gods do you think were freed?”

“Too many.” Bele whistled as Orphine clubbed a god with her tail. “I think several of the chambers broke open.”

“Is Lethe at risk, too?”

“Ehthawn and a few other draken are there in case any of them broke off from this mess and are making their way there.” Bele lifted her sword, pointing at the destroyed gate. Her eyes, tapered at the corners, narrowed. “And someone just rang the damn dinner bell because more are coming. We need to end the buffet they’re trying to make of our people.”

Our people.

I looked up and saw the guards on the Rise now, firing at the ground outside the wall. Coughing as a gust of smoke moved over us, I shut myself down as I started forward. They weren’t my people. They never would be. I found the veil of nothingness welcoming as it settled over me. Then, I felt absolutely numb. No intense urging of the embers. No pinching guilt that stung my skin with each new scream. No agony of seeing Davina. No dread of others being hurt or worse. No fear of Nyktos being wounded or curiosity why I was so worried about that and the concern that fostered. I fell into the controlled madness of battle and became what I’d always been.

A killer.

A monster.

I drove the spear into a god’s heart and then tore it free. Several strands of hair whipped around my face as I spun, striking down another and then another. Twisting sharply, I used the spear’s side to knock a fallen god away as I jerked the spear back, impaling the god behind me. Snarling, I kicked the fallen free as I turned, driving the point through the back of a head. Orphine followed, catching others between her powerful jaws or burning them with fire. She stayed close to me as I worked my way through the courtyard.

I didn’t keep track of how many lives were lost—how many I was taking—as sweat dampened my brow. I’d ended seventeen lives before I came to the Shadowlands—eighteen if I counted Tavius. My lip curled in disgust as I thrust once more. I didn’t count my stepbrother, as he was

below even a barrat, but I hadn’t tallied since I’d entered the Shadowlands, and I couldn’t start now.

Blood stained my robe as I spun, driving the spear through a back and then a head. My muscles ached, but adrenaline pumped hotly through me as I whirled, jabbing the shadowstone spear through the chest of a fallen god on fire. Bolts of eather ripped through the smoke, coming from Bele and Ector as well as several of the guards. I quickly noticed that the ones Ector and the other guards hit with eather were only wounded, but the ones that Bele struck went down for the count. Hadn’t Saion been willing to bet that Bele was stronger now? That was a bet he’d win.

Spinning, I slammed the side of the spear into one of the fallen gods that Ector had hit with eather, knocking it to the ground. I lifted the weapon

—

My world turned silver as a bolt of eather arced and crackled mere inches from my face. I wrenched back, my bare feet slipping on what could only be blood pooling beneath them. I hit the ground, ignoring the wetness drenching my robe and knees as another streak of essence burned through the spot where I’d been standing—

Orphine yelped, staggering back as the eather struck her. I cried out as the energy raced over her body, lighting up the veins and ridges of her scales. I popped to my feet as Orphine reared up on her hind legs, swinging her wings back. One slammed into my chest, and I was suddenly off my feet, flying backward.

I hit the ground hard. Air punched out of my lungs, but I somehow managed to hold onto the spear. “Ouch.” I moaned, knowing I couldn’t stay down long. I rolled and got to my feet, about to yell at whoever had the worst aim, but as I turned—

I came face-to-face with a god.

A completely well-fed and well-dressed god, fair of hair and skin and carrying a healthy glow that screamed that he hadn’t spent a second of his life entombed. Breathing heavily, I didn’t strike out. I had no idea if this was one of the Shadowlands gods that I hadn’t met.

“Pale-haired.” He looked me over, his eyes narrowing. “Freckled. You must be her.” The god’s head tilted to the side as he began to smile. “And here I thought I would have to go inside to find you. But you are… charmed.”

“Fuck,” I whispered. This was a powerful god.

“Maybe later.” He winked as I lifted the spear. His gaze flicked behind me. “Or not.”

A hand clamped down on my braid, jerking me back. The smell of soil and decay enveloped me. Years of training kicked in as the fallen god gripped my shoulder from behind and went for my throat. I twisted to the side—

Sudden, shocking pain blasted through me as fangs shredded the skin of my shoulder. The fallen god latched on, its nails slicing through the robe. It didn’t seem to care that it had missed my throat. I reacted without thought, tearing myself free. Red-hot pain swamped me, and flesh ripped— maybe even muscle. Gritting my teeth, I faced the fallen.

She was…fresh. Her skin wasn’t as chalky or sunken as the others. She even looked young, about my age. Blood streamed down her chin—my blood. Her eyes flashed with eather, intense and unnerving. She launched herself at me.

Agony radiated from my shoulder and shot down my arm as I thrust up. I took the impact of the spear piercing her chest badly, falling to a knee under the weight as the spear ended up wedged between her and the ground. Cursing, I rose, unsheathing my dagger as I turned.

The male god was still there, unmoving and untouched by the chaos of smoke and death. “Interesting. Your blood. It smells like…life.” He sniffed the air, and the glow of essence pulsed behind his pupils as his eyes widened. “Blood. Ash. Blood and—”

A stream of fire interrupted him, swallowing the bastard as Orphine landed beside me. Relieved to see that she was okay enough to remain in her draken form and fight, I shoved the strange words aside as I gingerly touched my shoulder. Air hissed between my teeth. It was a bloody, ragged mess, but it could’ve been worse. I’d survive, but if she had gotten me at the throat, I’d be dead.

Breathing through the burning pain of the bite, I stiffened as a low snarl rumbled through the courtyard, whipping the smoke into a frenzy. What in the world? Goose bumps spread across my flesh, and several of the entombed gods turned to the Rise, their heads cocking—

I turned at the sound of pounding footsteps, gasping as a fallen god rushed me. I planted my hand against its chest, thrusting the dagger through its temple. A dizzying rush of pain left me nauseous, leaving me slow to pull the blade free. And it cost me. Another fallen slammed into me. I hit

the ground, throwing up my arm and blocking the fallen as it came down on me. Wrong move. I knew that. I’d screwed up. Never get laid out on your back. I knew that.

The fallen’s fangs sank into my forearm.

I screamed as I brought up my leg, wedging my knee against the god’s sunken stomach. I felt each swallow the bastard took. Felt the moan rumbling through its body. I pushed with all my strength, getting nowhere. The sound of pounding boots, shouts, and screams echoed as the ground shook beneath me. A bit of panic seeped in because this…this might be it. This might be how I died. I would be torn apart by fallen gods, just as Nyktos had warned I would be the first time I’d come across them.

No.

I would not die like this.

Kicking my head back, I shouted as I thrust the dagger into the side of the fallen’s head. It toppled, my heart stuttering at the raw agony—

The realm turned black. Silent.

Still.

I thought I might’ve passed out for a heartbeat, but my shoulder and arm still throbbed, and I felt the sudden thrumming of the embers.

Strikes of eather suddenly pierced the churning darkness above me. They came from every direction, spreading out across the courtyard and slamming into the fallen gods, cutting off shrieks mid-scream as the essence poured over their bodies. They shattered, one after another, after another…

Then, through the mass of thick, throbbing shadows, I saw him.

Nyktos, in his Primal form.

He hovered in the air, his wings a mass of pulsating eather and shadows spread wide, his skin shiny and hard, a stunning, whirling kaleidoscope of shadowstone and moonlight. Silvery essence crackled from his all-white eyes and palms. The shirt he wore hung from his shoulders in tatters, rippling around his form.

Gods, he was…terrifying in this form. Beautiful. Primal. Orphine’s rough-scaled muzzle nudged my arm. “Hi,” I croaked.

She crouched over me, aiming at an entombed god that remained standing as Nyktos lowered to the ground.

Fine shivers broke out all over me. I could feel his stare on me as he stalked forward, catching the god before the draken could.

Nyktos gripped the fallen by the head and ripped him in two. Straight down the middle. With his bare hands.

Good gods…

Dropping the still-twitching limbs and limp pieces on either side of him, his wings snapped back, shattering into faint shadows as he stalked forward. The eather-pierced darkness faded from his flesh, but the shadows were still gathered beneath, swirling violently.

I thought that maybe I should sit up or do something, especially as Orphine backed off, bowing her diamond-shaped head. Nyktos was so going to be angry with me, and I’d just seen him rip a god in two with his bare hands. But all I managed to do was rise onto one elbow and…that hurt, sending a bolt of pain through my shoulder and arm.

Nyktos crossed the remaining distance between us too fast for me to track. Shadowy wisps bled into the air around him as he knelt. Only a hint of his eyes was visible in the pools of silvery essence.

I drew in a shallow breath, but it did nothing to ease the faint trembling invading all my limbs. “I think…there’s something wrong with me.”

The shadows stilled under his flesh, deepening as the eather pulsed through his eyes, momentarily erasing his irises once more. His arm lifted.

My breath caught as his warm fingers touched my cheek, sending a faint energy shock through me. “Because you just tore apart a god with your hands, and I found that…kind of hot.”

A ragged laugh came from someone, and I heard Ector mutter, “For fuck’s sake…”

Some of the hardness went out of Nyktos’s jaw. “You’re hurt.” “No, I’m not.”

“Liar.” His fingers slipped from my cheek. He peeled the bloodied collar of the robe aside and cursed. The shadows went wild beneath his flesh, and I saw the faint outline of wings beginning to form behind him for a moment. But when he turned his head to the bloody boots nearing us and said, “Bury our dead and burn the rest,” there was nothing there.

Nyktos moved astonishingly fast once more, folding an arm around my shoulders. I winced at the fresh wave of pain. He halted, his skin thinning and features sharpening. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay—” Shock flooded me as he worked his other arm under my knees and lifted me into his arms, cradling my unwounded shoulder against his chest. “Y-you don’t have to carry me.”

“I have to carry you.” He started walking. Heat crept into my face. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, Seraphena.” “I’ll be fine.”

Nyktos stared straight ahead, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“My legs work,” I told him, starting to wiggle, but the burst of pain stilled me, making me dizzy.

He glanced down. “Tell me how fine you are again.”

“I can walk,” I muttered, closing my eyes because even being carried caused the torn muscles in my shoulder to throb to the point where it wasn’t the dizziness that worried me but the nausea.

“I can feel your pain. Taste it.”

“It’s really…not that bad,” I forced out, pressing my forehead against his chest as the shivers increased. I was so damn cold. “And there’s…more important stuff to deal with.”

“I’m dealing with the most important stuff right now.”

I heard a door open, and then someone spoke in a hushed voice that faded out. Or did I fade out? I wasn’t sure. But, for a brief second, nothing hurt, and my mind was blissfully empty. I wasn’t thinking about what I’d seen out there. Who I’d seen.

“Davina,” I said, “She’s…”

“I know.” His voice had quieted. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“As am I.”

I breathed through the burn of sorrow. “What…what about Lethe?” “Lethe is fine.”

Relief rose. “But what of the wounded—?”

“I don’t give a shit about any of that right now,” he interrupted, his tone harshening. “You’re shivering.”

My eyes flew open as I tilted my head back. His gaze met mine. The essence had abated, leaving his eyes a sterling silver, and the shadows beneath his skin were now faint. “That’s not true. You give a shit. And I’m just cold.”

“You’re too cold.” A door slammed shut behind us as he strode into a chamber I thought was one of the many unused receiving areas of the main floor. “Just this once, can you stop arguing with me?”

“I’m not arguing.” I clenched my jaw to stop my teeth from chattering.

A chair scraped across the stone floor as we neared the fireplace, following us like a loyal hound. I began to wonder if I was seeing things. “You are almost always arguing with me.”

“No, I—” Flames roared to life, an intense silver before fading to a deep orange and red. “Was that you?”

“Yes. Impressed?” “No,” I lied.

Nyktos smirked as he lowered us into the chair that had moved itself closer to the fireplace. My head sort of fell back, resting in the crook of his arm. It took a moment for his features to piece themselves together. They were all hard, unforgiving lines. “I’m going to check your wounds.”

He didn’t exactly wait for me to answer, but I didn’t stop him either. Soaking up the warmth of his body and the nearby fire, I forced myself to concentrate. “There was a god out there.”

“There were a lot of gods out there, Sera.”

“I know, but this one…wasn’t an entombed god. I don’t think he was from the Shadowlands. Or at least I hope not,” I said, and his hand halted as he reached for the sash. “He was looking for me. He knew what I looked like. Said he…thought he’d have to go into the palace to find me. Orphine sort of burned him to nothing.”

“Did this god say anything else?”

“Yeah. He smelled my blood and said it smelled like life,” I told him, inhaling slowly as I struggled to ignore the pain. “And like blood and ash.”

The eather in Nyktos’s eyes went still.

“Does my blood smell like that?” I asked as I sniffed the air. All I smelled was iron—iron and fresh citrus. My blood and Nyktos’s. “That sounds gross.”

“No, your blood smells like a summer storm.”

My brows pinched. How could blood smell like that? Better yet, what did that even smell like?

Nyktos undid the sash of my robe. The front loosened. His breath was sharp as he parted the folds. “Fuck. The bite is deep.”

“I was hoping it was the lack of clothing you were cursing at,” I murmured.

A short, rough laugh left him. “You are…” My eyes fluttered shut. “What?”

“Open your eyes, Sera.”

I obeyed, only because he’d asked so softly—almost like a plea. His head was bowed, only his profile to me as he carefully peeled the robe back from my shoulder, easing my left arm free of a sleeve and then my right. He cursed. “You were bit twice.”

I glanced at my shoulder, seeing the jagged tears there and the wet streaks of blood that drenched the chest of my slip.

“Your muscles are torn in both your shoulder and arm.” His skin thinned again. “You fought your way free.”

“Yeah, I think I might need to spend some time with a Healer.” I didn’t want to think about what he saw—about what that meant for the future, no matter how short it was. Muscles didn’t always heal right, and I needed those muscles. “I hope the coronation gown isn’t sleeveless.”

“You won’t scar. My blood will make sure that doesn’t happen.” I couldn’t have heard him right. “What?”

“You’re in the Culling. You can’t afford to lose this much blood, nor can your body work to heal these wounds while you’re under the stress of the Culling.”

“The wounds aren’t that bad. I…I’m not going to die.”

“No, but you’re in pain, and I cannot allow that to continue. I won’t.”

Air snagged around a sudden knot of foreign emotion. I couldn’t believe that he was offering his blood. To me. I would survive waiting for a Healer. Stopping my pain wasn’t necessary. None of this was. “You should be out there with your people—”

“I’m where I’m needed,” he cut me off again. “Take my blood.”

My gaze darted between his wrist and his arm. “Why are you…?” I trailed off. I knew why he was offering. Maybe it was that he didn’t want to see me in pain. Nyktos was kind. But also, the embers were important. “I’ll be—”

I sucked in a sharp breath as he brought his wrist to his mouth. My heart might’ve stopped a little as his lips parted, and his fangs pierced his skin. Nyktos didn’t even flinch, but I did as blood welled from his vein, a bright red with shimmery blue undertones.

“Let me help you, Sera.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Please.”

A shudder went through me. Please. Hearing him saying please…it was a weakness.

“You’ll enjoy it,” he said. “I promise.”

I glanced at the shimmering blood beginning to run over his skin. Drinking blood didn’t disgust me. It just wasn’t something I’d really considered all that much. But I didn’t think I would enjoy it. Though the tiny drop of blood I had stolen from him hadn’t tasted like blood.

“Okay,” I whispered.

His eyes closed briefly. “Thank you.”

Those two words rattled me even more than him saying please as he lowered his wrist to my mouth. The scent of his blood reached me, overwhelming the smell of mine. His was…it was almost sweet but also smoky.

“Close your mouth over the bite,” he coaxed softly. “And drink.”

His eyes, now bright as the stars, never left mine as I closed my mouth over the wounds he’d created.

My entire body jerked.

The touch of his blood against my tongue was a much stronger shock to the senses than when I’d recklessly tasted just a drop and sealed my fate, breaking off the one thread Holland had pointed to. Immediately, my mouth tingled. His blood ran over my tongue and down my throat, thick and warm, and I didn’t know how death could taste like honey—both sweet and smoky. Lush. Seductive. I swallowed.

Nyktos shuddered as he pressed his wrist more firmly against my mouth. “Keep drinking.”

I drank, taking a deeper, longer draw as his stare remained fixed on mine. The tingling sensation moved down my throat as his blood hit my chest, warming me—warming the embers there. They vibrated. My stomach warmed next. His blood…gods, I’d never tasted anything like it before.

“Good,” he said, his voice deeper and raspy. “You’re doing good. Just a little bit more.”

Only a bit more? I could imagine never stopping. My eyes drifted shut as I drank from the Primal of Death, taking his very essence into me. Starting in my lips, the warmth hit my veins and spread. I didn’t realize how tightly my hands were clenched until my fingers relaxed. The throbbing in my arm and shoulder began to fade as I felt the touch of his fingers against my cheek and then higher. He brushed some hair back from my face as I drank and drank. The warmth continued sliding through me, the tingling sensation following. Then I felt…I felt like those brief moments when I

allowed myself to slip under the surface of my lake, where my thoughts stilled, and I could just be me. Where I found peace.

Like the kind Nektas said that I brought to Nyktos. Peace that allowed him to sleep deeply when I was near. I wanted that to be true, maybe even more desperately than I wanted to stay where I was, but Nyktos eased his wrist from me. I watched the wounds close with heavy eyes, his skin smoothing until no sign of his bite remained.

“Wow,” I whispered. “Impressed now?”

“No.”

He raised a brow.

“A little,” I admitted, still tasting his blood—on my lips, my tongue, and inside me, making me all tingly and warm. I shivered as his hand left my hair and slid down my cheek, but I wasn’t cold. His touch…it was amplified. I felt it everywhere.

“Much better,” Nyktos murmured.

I followed his stare to my shoulder, where there’d been jagged, angry tears moments ago. The skin was pink and slightly raised, but that was all. “Good gods.”

Nyktos’s thumb drifted over my chin, turning my attention from my shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

I…I really didn’t know. “My skin is humming.”

“It’s my—” Nyktos stiffened as I flicked my tongue over my lower lip, finding the lingering taste of his blood there. Wisps of eather spread out from behind his pupils. “It’s my blood,” he finished, his tone rugged. Coarse.

“I can feel it—your blood.” My gaze fixed on that single strand of hair resting against his cheek. I knew we had important things to discuss, but I became solely focused on the heat of him, more concentrated where the wounds had been—and in other places. “Your blood is really…hot.”

Thick lashes lowered. “Is it?”

“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, lifting an arm that no longer hurt. I curled my fingers around the strand of hair. My thoughts glided from one thing to another. “You’re not mad at me?”

“For what?”

“I didn’t stay inside.”

“Right now, I’m just glad you’re not dead.” His head tilted slightly. “Ask me if I’m mad later.”

I laughed. “I think I’ll pass on that.”

Nyktos had gone still again, but inside, I was anything but. Everything thrummed: my blood, muscles, nerve endings. “I feel different.”

“At the risk of sounding repetitive, it’s my blood.”

“I didn’t feel like this the last time.” I took the strand of hair and tucked it behind his ear.

“You only had a drop last time.” His eyes closed as I drew my fingers along the curve of his cheek, feeling the texture of his skin. It was smooth, like his blood, giving way to the faint scratch of stubble. “Not nearly enough to feel any of these effects.”

“The humming?” I kept exploring, tracing the outline of his jaw to the corner of his lips, knowing he would never allow me to touch him like this at any other time. I would never let myself. “The tingling?”

“The heat.” The tips of his fangs appeared between his parted lips, and a heaviness settled in my chest at the sight of them. It wasn’t the painful pressure of anxiety but a sinful weight that sent a razor-sharp pulse of desire through me. “The essence in a god’s blood has many effects, but they come on far quicker and stronger when it’s the blood of a Primal.”

“Oh,” I murmured, following the lush curve of his lower lip.

Nyktos was quiet for several moments. “You miss your lake, don’t you?”

My gaze flew to his as my fingers halted. “I do.” “I could tell.”

“How could…?” I trailed off as he leaned into my hand. The pads of my fingers slipped over his lower lip. Muscles low in my stomach loosened and then clenched as my blood—his blood—pumped through me. An ache blossomed in the very center of me, so sudden and potent that I drew in a ragged breath.

“What other…effects does your blood have?” I asked, surprised by the throatiness of my voice.

“It can cause a brief sensation of general wellness. A high. It can make you feel stronger. Lure you into believing you’re invincible.” Nyktos’s lashes swept up, and the tendrils of eather swirled lazily. “It can also make you want.”

Desire licked through me, leaving behind a pounding flood of arousal. “I want,” I whispered. “Very badly.”

His nostrils flared as his fingers skated over my jaw. “I know.”

I took a deep breath, my chest rising, but I couldn’t tell if it helped or made things worse as the tips of my breasts brushed against his arm. My free hand pressed against my chest, feeling my rapid heartbeat beneath my palm. My fingers splayed out, lightly grazing a hardened nipple, causing the ache to deepen. His hand trailed down the side of my neck, skimming across my shoulder, and even that faint touch sent waves of sensation through me. My back arched, and I bit down on my lower lip, moaning as I tasted the faint remnants of his blood.

“It will only last a couple of minutes.” His hand paused at the delicate strap of my slip.

“Only a few minutes?” I croaked, my throat suddenly parched despite the heat building within me.

Nyktos stretched his neck, the muscles and tendons taut. “They will be the longest minutes of my life.”

“Yours?” I laughed, my voice shaky and breathless from the surge of desire coursing through me. My hand slipped to his torn shirt, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my palm. My hips shifted, brushing against the firm, insistent ridge of his arousal.

“I can sense your need. Feel it. Taste it. You’re drowning in it.” His eyes slammed shut. “I’m fucking drowning in it.”

A sharp dart of desire sliced through me. “Then drown with me.”