Page 64 of The Fate of Black Hearts

“Fuck, Evie.” He couldn’t breathe. The pulsating pressure sent stars to the periphery of his vision. His balls tightened and sparks shot up his spine. With a roar, he thrust into her several times before the release hit him.

A while later, he realized they’d both passed out, her on top of him. He kissed her cheek and gently shook her. “Evie?”

She moaned and turned her head away from him. “It was great. You win. Spectacular. Great…”

“Wake up. We have to get you back before they come to interrogate me.”

She muttered, “I don’t want to go. I haven’t felt this warm in so long.” Her fingers interlaced with his. “Let me stay.”

“I want that too, but it’s not safe for you.”

“I’ll kill ’em. Then we can stay like this forever.”

“I dream about the same thing every day of my life.”

She pushed to a sit and hung her head. “Lightheaded. Give me a sec.”

He massaged her temples. “Better?”

She nodded. In silence, they both found clothes.

Once dressed, she pushed her hands beneath the untucked edges of his shirt to touch his skin and put her head on his chest. “We have to do this better next time.”

“I think we did itpretty goodthis time.”

She giggled. “Yeah.”

“Let’s get you returned before anyone notices you’re gone, but…” He reached around to remove a box off his side table. “I’ve meant to give this to you for a long time.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a box that will only open for you if you say ‘black hearts at the Seine’.”

“That’s cute. Ironic. But cute.” She rotated the small wooden box carved with intricate designs that reminded her of the tattooed swirls all over Dom. “Black hearts at the Seine.” It gently opened at the top to reveal two black diamond earrings. “They’re beautiful. Are they magical or special in some way?”

“Wear them when you want me to come to you. Think of me when you touch them and I’ll find you. Wherever you are.”

She went on tiptoe to kiss him. “Better be careful or I’ll be thinking of you every time I’m alone in my bedroom.” She tucked the box under her arm. “Promise me you won’t put up a wall and refuse to do this again.”

“I’ll try. Remember, I can’t claim you to the world. I can only give you moments when I think it might be safe, but even that could be dangerous. They watch me. If they notice me giving you attention, they’ll hunt you.”

“I’m a big girl who can fight on my own.”

“I know. But it would pit us against them in a war I’m not entirely sure we’d win.”

Chapter Twenty

1995

Dom scanned the chart for his next patient for less than ten seconds before entering the exam room. Human medicine had started to bore him. Time for a change. Perhaps he could go back into ER medicine or even become a paramedic. Or maybe something different. He’d switched to internal medicine consultation out of curiosity. Now, it’d become a time suck, with a lot of humans whining about their pain.

When he entered the room, he first noticed the pointy red stilettos. Not what he expected to see on a seventy-two-year-old human male. The long legs and curvy figure in a short white dress…

Evie.

Off and on, he’d come out of the shadows to spend time with her over the past few years. They were working together to find the way to break the curse. Being a part of her family by participating occasionally in the monthly full moon dinner and other moments had been life altering. They accepted him for what he was, even if Roman remained cool toward him. This was his mother after all.

“I forget how sexy you are in green scrubs. A few microns of fabric between the air and skin.” Sheran her finger from his cheek, down his neck to his chest, and circled his nipple, which strained for her touch. She traced a few of the marks on his arms. “I can’t ever get enough of your marks, Doctor…” She glanced at his name tag. “Dr. Gruber?”