Page 66 of The Fate of Black Hearts

He sucked her clit into his mouth and rolled his tongue around it.

“We don’t have a lot of time…I need you inside me,” she ordered.

“We have time. You taste better than anything when you’re screaming my name.” He put a hand on her lower abdomen to keep her still while he continued. Within moments, her entire body shuddered. Her neck arched.

“Stop fighting it.” He did a vicious roll of her clit. A victorious laugh erupted out of him at the little noises she made as she burst into oblivion.

He claimed her mouth and pulled her to the end of the exam table. Her stunning eyes blinked up athim while she untied his scrub pants and pushed them down. Her legs wound his waist and pulled him into her. He set a slow rhythm with his hips.

The more they moved, the more his words scattered in his brain. He wanted to tell her out loud how much he missed her and every bit of the feelings inside, but he feared more thanherears might hear them. He fisted his hand to cover the obsidian ring and used his energy to mask them from the Conclave.

Instead of words, he showed her with his hands, his mouth, and voice how much he adored her as they tumbled over the edge together.

Chapter Twenty-One

Six YearsAgo

Dom unwrapped his arm to view the laceration from a poisoned blade the demon had wielded a few hours ago. It burned and drained his energy. He wrapped his hand around the pendant Evie had given to him as a replacement for the one he gave her over a century ago, since he refused to take his back. He focused on his feelings for her. The energy within him roared to power. It allowed him to evict the fetid poison that had leached throughout his body. He rolled the poison into a ball of energy and tossed it away from him. The wound closed within seconds.

With a slump, he fell back on his bed and threw an arm over his face. He’d have to clean the mess of poison on the floor later. Right now, sleep.

He’d taken on this demon to give the Lanzo boys time to work out how to break the curse. They were within a week of being free from the Crown. He could sense it. He could also sense something dark in his future.

“Wake up. Be ready,”a disembodied voice roared. Atropos rarely spoke to him like this.“Choose the path that involves the least death. You must believe it’s but a part of the journey.”

The world condensed around him as if he’d touched a summons. Someone or something was drawing him out of place to somewhere else. He grabbed his blade off the side table to tuck into his tactical pants and concentrated on keeping his mouth closed.

Moments later, he crashed onto a cold marble floor.

Before he could regain his bearings, a binding locked his wrists behind his back. Simultaneously, an ankle band clicked into place.

He didn’t struggle. Time to face the inescapable andbelievethere could be something on the other side.

The energies of at least ten magi buzzed around him along with the smell of sweaty fear. He hadn’t been to the meeting place of the Conclave, the Devi Temple in the Annapurna region of Nepal, since they’d imprisoned him centuries ago. They’d upgraded from a small temple to a cold, ostentatious hall with marble floors and a round table reminiscent of that from Arthurian legend. Not that there was more than a smidgeon of the mythic chivalry in these younger mage males that had been given a place at the Conclave’s table. He wondered why still no mage females existed within these halls. The one he met centuries ago had been a gracious and peaceful being. Unlike any of these nutjobs, she’d been a balanced master of the elements. He modeled his study after her approach to magic.

“We warned you, Dom. Stay out of entanglements.” Marik looked far too pleased. “Now, we’re done.”

What did he mean by “done”? Did he think to end him?

Instead of wearing traditional tunics like the others around them, Marik wore an expensive-looking blue suit and red-striped tie. How could one move to do the necessary daily exercises in that? His skin had a ruddy hue, and his hairline had started to recede. Mages were beings who should be able to maintain life without aging if they connected to the elements on a daily basis. Obviously, Marik had spent too many years focused on the accumulation of power rather than the understanding and appreciation of it. The power was to be respected. Daily affirmations consisted primarily of giving thanks and seeking connection to the natural world.

“You fell in love, didn’t you?” Marik clucked under his breath.

Inevitable.

On a huge screen behind him flashed images of he and Evie together—them in a restaurant in Florence, the two of them boarding her yacht, Evie with Roman and Ky. Damn, she looked beautiful in that white dress that outlined her breasts. He remembered the red high heels. And her inonlythe heels. A smile threatened to break on his lips.

“What’s funny?” Marik tented his hands. “We made the consequences of such an emotional connection crystal clear. You cannot be trusted, given the prophecy.”

Dom wanted to slam his half-brother’s head against the marble tabletop until he told him why the hell Marik had targeted him with such cruelty since the prophecy had been read. Marik had never offereda hint of concern or an offer of help after the witch uttered the words. Any of the Lanzo boys would’ve done at least that for each other. He couldn’t imagine one of them imprisoning the other and leaving him alone to be tortured by the thought that a single interaction with a woman might trigger the end of the world. He took strength in knowing Evie would walk through fire to help him figure out the prophecy if he asked it of her.

Dom said, “The Fates ordered me to protect her. Therefore, I have.”

Marik slapped his hands on the table. Three of the ten mages at the table jumped. “What the fuck is it with you and those Fates? What sort of devil deal did you make to deceive them into believing you have a shred of moral decency?”

Marik pointed to Dojin, who stood with other “monitors” positioned around the perimeter of the room. “Explain to us his relationship with the Fates.”

Dojin swallowed and stepped forward. “I have observed Domini for over two hundred years. I’ve never witnessed him do anything that wasn’t by our code. The old code. He protects those in need. He has lived alone. He spends most of his time studying and doing exercises that a lot of us find boring. I’ve only seen the Fates talk to him once, and it was a respectful conversation. Dom rids the world of the type of terrifying evil creatures that would make most of us shit our pants. He has even attained level three. Has anyone else here?—”