Blood Flows Deep in the Empire (34 page)

Dyletri kept drinking from her long after their bodies stopped coming. She kept drinking from him, too. Their energies were still roaring around them, though, and it was as if her soul itself experienced the most chaotic orgasm in history.

She told herself to stop sucking in his blood. It was too much. But she wasn’t in control anymore. Nothing about her was. Dyletri eventually rolled them over. She ended up on her back, still intertwined with him, and then she seemed to black out for a bit. When she came to, she was licking his neck while he held her and repeated the favor.

He was still hard inside her. Ismini mewled. She caressed his back and inhaled, his scent sliding deep into her.

“I fucking love you,” she whispered, panting and trying to breathe past the malfunctioning of her heart.

“And I love you,” he said, chuckling softly and nuzzling her cheek.

Ismini couldn’t believe it. She had a moment of shock as she stared up at the ceiling of the temple and saw the sparks of their power still crackling on it.

“We broke the bed. Nylicia told me to, and it happened.” She was still in shock, eyes wide.

Dyletri chuckled, his body moving against hers. “Figured. And that’s okay. I’m nowhere near done with you, woman.” To prove it, he thrust into her. Ismini almost flew off the bed, her too sensitive flesh reawakening with a vengeance.

Holy shit.

“Are you serious?”

“Very.” He licked down her jaw. “I have
a lot
of time to make up for. And your pussy is like crack.”

Ismini burst out laughing, causing her walls to shudder around him and making him hiss. “No you didn’t.” She giggled, her voice catching on a gasp.

“What?” Dyletri pulled back and threw her a pout that made her clench even more. “You don’t feel the same way about my cock?”

“Maybe,” she breathed, spreading her legs.

“Maybe? That’s it woman. I’m coming inside you until I turn you into an addict.” And he attacked her neck, his body thrusting and his teeth piercing deep again.

Oh . . . my . . .

Her future was going to be something else. Of that Ismini had no freaking doubt.

Obviously
.

Epilogue

Two weeks later.

-Renentr. Abideos—Chamber of Souls.

The darkness was normal. He was used to it. Voices reached out as he passed by. That was normal, too. They were whispers with no identity. Pleas that held no meaning. Echoes of what once had been. Crius could do nothing to aide or comfort the glowing souls he watched over. They would either reincarnate when Fate allowed, or they would remain there. Forever.

Just like him.

He could go into the world whenever he wished. He usually took great pleasure in doing so. Except that now, everywhere he went, the echo of her presence remained. In his home, out in the world. The many places he’d frequented with her were nothing more than a taunt now. He no longer had a reason to leave the underworld. The reason was gone.

And he was perfectly fine with that.

Liar.

“Damn it.” He ran a hand down his face, heading toward the one place he should have been avoiding. But like a damned fish on a hook, he kept getting dragged back to that chamber against his will. He knew what awaited him there, and yet he couldn’t stop himself.

Crius entered the
Abideos
and adamantly ignored that he had to force himself
not
to look at the now empty dais.

He was not going to look. Nope. There was no reason to.

And doesn’t that hurt like a bitch?

Ridiculous.

She’s alive now. She’s going to have a life.

Yup.

Without Dyletri. He fell in love with the girl.

And that mattered why? It changed nothing. Why would it?

“Oh, the Gods damn it! No, actually, damn
me.
”

Crius froze. Okay, that was a lie. He almost slammed into one of the walls and crashed all the
Aristri
to the floor. He caught himself before he could do any damage.

The voice sounded again. It was a feminine voice he’d never heard before but instantly recognized. More than once he’d caught the faint echo of it in Dyletri’s memories. It had been indistinct but enough.

His chest suddenly felt too tight.

The fuck?

His breath froze. Then it went into overdrive, fueled by the adrenaline drenching his system. His muscles locked up, affording him just enough mobility for him to turn his head a bit. Shocked, Crius realized a couple of things. One, his teeth were bared, and two, he was ready to pounce. His body was coiled tight, preparing itself.

“Why the fuck did I volunteer to do this? Ouch! What the . . . Gods damn it, Crius. Spikes? Really? Since when? You morose . . .” She paused a moment. “What is Cy’s favorite word? Ah, yes! Morose motherfucker . . .”

Was she really cursing
him
out?

Wait . . .

Wait . . .

Shit.

Crius was shaking. He could deny a million other things, but he couldn’t deny that. Not only could he feel the tremors, but looking down at his hands, he could see them. He braced one hand against the nearest unoccupied shelf and fought the urge to grab at his chest. Fought to stay calm as his brain forced him to admit that it was
her
voice he heard.

“Oh, yeah. Great. Smart woman. I will take him his . . . his . . . what is the damned word? Invitation. Oh, yes. I had to—just had to—bring his invitation.”

Crius managed to turn toward the entrance of the chamber just as the little hellion yelling those words burst in. The whole light-speed breathing thing wasn’t an issue anymore. His breath had pretty much screeched to a halt, and it didn’t look like it would be starting up again anytime soon.

It was the most humbling moment of Crius’s life, and he’d thought he was long past shit like that.

“There you are,” she growled, tiny hands on her hips. Brow furrowed. A pout on her face. Eyes so blue they were difficult to stare into.

She was beautiful. Beyond what he had previously thought.

More than he could’ve ever imagined.

She was dressed in jeans. Knee-length, black boots. And a—

It’d only been two weeks and she was wearing a leather jacket?

“Dim—”

Crius choked. He completely
choked
. He had to clear his throat just to try again.

“Dimithinia?”

First look into Blood Stained Tranquility, the second book in the Szolite Series.

“I love this song!”

“Cy, seriously. Don’t start this shit. Shut it.”

Gangnam Style
blasted over the speakers, and Cy took off, straight into the “riding the pony” motion.

“Cy, I’m serious.”

“Don’t be a hater, Ian. Dance this shit with me. This is classic!”

“Someone smack him.”

“Gladly.” Evesse walked right by Cyake and delivered the necessary blow to his head.

“The fuck? The song is playing. I have all the right to dance it!” Cy rubbed his head and glared after her. “Oh shit, girl . . .”

Evesse ignored that last part. The place was packed full of gods and beings she didn’t even know. Hell, she didn’t even know that her new friends knew so many beings. Yet here they all were. Thankfully, so was she. She’d managed to wake up right on time for the celebration. Ismini deserved for her to be here. Dyletri did, too, but Eve was still busy pretending she was mad at him.

“Seriously, Eve, that dress is hot.” Lizzisi, Goddess of Light, came up next to Evesse and handed Eve a glass.

Eve thought Liz’s white dress was just as gorgeous.

She looked down at the tight, red strapless piece with the slit up the thigh. Okay, Eve knew her dress was hot. So were the black heels. She’d picked both of them out on purpose.

He’s not going to be here.

She ignored that thought.

“Your dress is, too.” Eve smiled at Liz and took a sip of whatever had been given her. It was similar to champagne, but with the kick it had, it was definitely more than just fermented grape juice.

“What is this?” she asked, turning to look at Liz.

“
Laussane
,” Liz said, slamming back her glass.

“Huh?” Eve said, surprised with the speed Liz chugged the strong shit.

Liz smiled happily. “It’s our own version of alcohol. Just enjoy it.”

She took another sip. “You trying to get me drunk, Liz?”

Liz laughed, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder. Her eyes sparked whenever she smiled, the lightning in her irises flashing rapidly. Evesse was no longer freaked out by it.

Nah, she’d been freaked the fuck out the first time she’d looked in a mirror after waking out of the coma. Staring into the mirror for the last two weeks had made her more accepting. Swirls of gold, brown, and black dominated her irises now, and when she got mad, specks of red flashed up close.

“Don’t tempt me, woman. I might take you up on that. Make Zen regret he was too late,” Liz said, because she was oh so sensitive.

That was the
one
name Evesse really didn’t want to hear right then.

“Dude, wasn’t Crius supposed to be here?” Cy stopped next to them with two drinks in his hands. Eve would have condemned him, but Ianthen was right behind him, and he had
three.

Sillizi, Liz’s black-haired twin and Goddess of Darkness, waltzed up to the group looking way too stunning in her midnight blue dress. “I believe I see him coming in now. Oh,
baby
.”

Eve looked toward where she was pointing and nearly died. The big motherfucker walking in was the definition of animalism. His arrogant gait matched every other part of him.

“Drink, bitch. Drink. He has that effect on all females,” Liz said under her breath, making another glass of
lausanne
appear in her hand and chugging.

“Hey, have you seen . . .Oh, holy shit. I think I just came,” Soleria gasped, stopping next to Eve.

Evesse heard a small growl from her left. She didn’t have to look to know it was a certain blue-haired creature—
cough
, Ian,
cough
—who was most likely chugging all three of his drinks at once.

Cyake waved over the black-haired guy who had just walked in. “Yo! Cri! It’s been forever!”

Crius’s silver eyes moved in their direction. The God of the Underworld had no pupils, and it took Eve a moment to process that. She didn’t know why that was odder to her than anything else she’d seen thus far.

Crius took a couple of steps toward them and then stopped, looking startled. The way his big body came to a halt was freaking comical. Especially when Eve saw the reason why.

Over the last two weeks, she’d grown close to the small woman headed her way. Oh, Eve had been hostile to her when she first woke up, sure. But that had lasted less than a day, and since then, there had been enough time for Eve to get close to her.

And boy, had they become close. Eve adored Ismini, but Dimi’s personality was too scandalous not to love.

“Dimi!” Eve cried, deciding to play with the God of the Underworld. “There’s your hot ass! Looking for someone to fling it at tonight?”