Page 144 of The Never List
The Athanry being the main source of worry—a battle splitting me right down the middle over it. One side of me knows I’m here for a reason, knows I’m meant for them and them for me, so surviving has to be inevitable. And the other side of me knows we’re dealing with magic and power beyond any of our imaginations, so can anythingtrulybe certain?
The kings are my second point of concern.
Baydel has been quiet these past weeks, surely in part due to the Legends’ efforts to keep him away from me, but I can’t help how much his quietness unnerves me.
Maybe I’m overthinking things.
Maybe he’s just a prick who will whine and complain the entire way until I finally choose the Legends and solidify our bonds through love. Maybe he’ll leave me alone after I’ve proven my worth—
“Butterfly.” Jax’s voice cuts through all my worries, shredding them in an instant as he stalks down the stairs, eyes on me when he enters the living room. “I felt your anxiety the second I walked through the door,” he says, stopping to crouch before me. “What is it?”
He slides his hands up my thighs, and I sigh at the contact. Lately, whenever I’m away from any of them too long, I get an irrational sensation in my chest…like a part of me is missing and I’ll turn into a feral animal if I don’tget it back. It scares me, but I have no doubt it’s part of this entire process. I’m truly bonding with these Legends, these princes of Lumathyst, and I have to draw confidence from that, have to hope it helps me survive what’s coming.
I close the book and set it on a table next to the chair. “You know how detrimental idle time is to my mind.”
He nods, shifting on his knees and parting my thighs so he can lean between them, bringing us eye to eye. “Tell me what you need,” he says, leaning down to brush a kiss over my lips.
My entire body relaxes with the contact, that connection inside me that links me to Jax practically purring.
“Is it bad that I wish the Athanry was already over with, but at the same time I don’t want it to be?” I ask, and Jax’s indigo eyes meet mine.
“No,” he says. “It’s a natural reaction to a shitty situation.”
I run my fingers over his shoulders, pulling him closer. Even though it’s been weeks, I still relish this closeness with Jax. We had so much distance between us before, it seems more precious to me than the others. Not that I love them less—I love them all equally—but they never made me fear I’d never get their affection like Jax did.
“You still have time to change your mind.”
“Jax,” I chide him. “We’ve been through this. I’m doing it. There’s no talking me out of it.”
“We don’t deserve you,” he says, gliding his fingers along the collar of my shirt, pulling it down just enough to see the tattoo inked beneath my right collarbone. His mark—an identical rendering of his goddess-given mark and the tattoo outlining it.
He did the tattoo himself, carefully inking my skin and branding me as his at the same time. After, he’d made love to me, fully sealing our bond. Fuck the ceremony, that was more instrumental in defining our status than anything else.
“I want you, Rylee,” he says, dipping down to kiss the tattoo. “I want you alive and happy andwithme. I don’t need more power. I need you.”
I drag my fingers through his hair, tilting his head to meet my eyes. The Nightmare never admits to needing anything, but here, with me, with his mate, he’s vulnerable in a way those outside of us will never see.
“You have me,” I say, my pulse skittering beneath my skin. “Any way you want me.”
His eyes darken, and that mischievous smile stretches his lips. “Anyway I want you?”
I tremble at the look in his eyes. Iknowthat look. Icravethat look.
“Always,” I say as he hooks his hands behind my knees and drags me to the edge of the chair.
“You’re a brave little butterfly,” he says, his expression carnal as he drags my leggings down, tossing them over his shoulder. His eyes flare when he sees that I’m not wearing anything underneath, and he sucks in a breath. “A tease, too,” he observes, his fingers light as he skims them over my thighs. He dips his head between them and inhales deeply, planting a kiss on my now-throbbing core. “You’ve been walking around like this all day?” he asks, flicking his tongue against me.
I arch into his face. His fingers dig into my thighs, settling me back down. “Yes,” I answer, heart racing.
“You were just waiting for me to come home and fuckyou, weren’t you? I bet you quiver every time you eventhinkabout me, my devious little butterfly.” He smirks up at me, settling an arm over my hips to hold me in place so he can dip his head again, dragging his tongue up my center in a long, languid stroke.
“Yes,”I say, breathless. I love the way he calls me his butterfly. The endearment makes me feel like a queen. They all make me feel that way, but right now it’s just Jax and me and—
“Jax,”I groan as he licks me lightly. I tangle my fingers in his hair as he keeps me pinned to the chair, teasing me with too-light flicks of his tongue. I want to arch up, want to get more pressure, but he’s too strong.
He hums against my sensitive flesh, the vibrations sending little shocks of pleasure up my body until I shiver. “I could eat you for hours,” he says, teasing my swollen flesh with the tip of his tongue.
I whimper because I know him and know he can; hewill. The prick loves to edge me, and while it sends me into the most intense orgasms of my life, I’m an impatient, greedy mate when it comes to him.
