Darkness Rising

by Katie Reus

  Surprise and pleasure punched through him as she did the same, sinking her canines right where his neck and shoulder met. Then she came even harder, her head falling back as her climax crested.

  He let go of his control, losing himself inside her as he sought out her mouth again.

  Even as he came down from his high, it was too much and not enough. He wanted more.

  So much more. All of her. Forever.

  “I’m not done,” he rasped out as he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

  Her hair was long and wild, draped around her breasts and face. “Good. I’m not close to done either.” To reiterate, she tightened her walls around his already growing cock.

  He’d been asleep for thousands of years. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to be done for at least a week. Maybe longer.

  Maybe never.

  Chapter 31

  Three days later

  Greer stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the feel of the warm sunlight bathing the bed she shared with Reaper. Over the last three days they had mated over and over, only taking breaks to eat and sleep. Barely. Some of her friends had checked in but she’d made it clear that unless there was an emergency or someone needed help—she didn’t want to see anyone else.

  She’d even lost weight, but didn’t care. She’d never felt so energized, so alive, in her life. “I’m hungry,” she murmured as she rolled over, cuddling up against his side.

  “I am too.” There was a wicked note in his voice as he stroked his fingers down her spine.

  Though she was very tempted to give him exactly what he wanted—what she wanted—she nudged at his chest. “Food first. Real food.”

  He made a sort of grumbling sound that was way too adorable before he rolled off the bed and grabbed her robe.

  They’d eventually made it back to the bedroom that he had claimed as his own. As far as she knew they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so this room was as good as any.

  As she thought of that, she realized that they did need to talk about the future. Talking wasn’t something they’d done a lot of in the last three days.

  Unless dirty talk counted.

  She slipped into her silky robe as he grabbed a pair of pants and tugged them on. No shirt of course because he wanted to make her crazy. The wicked look he gave her as they left the room had heat rushing between her legs.

  This male.

  Eventually they made it downstairs to the kitchen—but not until after a quickie on the stairs.

  After the first twelve hours, she’d realized that the mating bond was no joke. The need she felt for him was still growing.

  “I seriously never expected you,” he murmured as he opened the refrigerator.

  “Right back at you. But I wouldn’t want this any other way.” It was weird, but she couldn’t even picture her life without him now, and she’d only known him such a short time compared to her very long life.

  “I can’t believe my awakening never hinted at you.” He shook his head as he pulled out a carton of eggs someone had dropped off. “You are the only thing that even matters.

  She had no idea where the food was coming from— Wait, what? “What do you mean?”

  He paused, watching her carefully. “When I woke up, my blood told me that there was fire and destruction on the horizon, that things would soon change. That…fire would bathe everything.”

  Hurt punctured her chest as she digested his words. “Why did you not say anything before?”

  He rounded the island supernaturally fast, cupping her cheek with one hand. “There was nothing anyone could have done. It was simply what I knew, what my dragon half knew bone-deep. There was nothing I could have changed.”

  “You still should have told me.”

  He watched her carefully. “You are right. I’m not used to sharing anything with anyone. I used to operate on a need-to-know basis with my subordinates.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “I am not your subordinate.”

  “No, you’re not. You are my mate. My very forgiving mate,” he murmured, leaning forward so that his lips almost touched hers.

  She couldn’t help but smile. “We’re definitely going to need to work on our communication skills. That means we talk about stuff. Heck, we talk about everything. I don’t want secrets between us. If you have a weird feeling, please tell me. And I will do the same.”

  “I don’t want secrets between us either.” Then he kissed her, his mouth featherlight against hers before it deepened into something more.

  But she gently pushed against his chest even as her dragon grumbled. “No way. Food.”

  He grinned wickedly but actually stepped back. “We will eat quickly.”

  “Have you ever had any other weird feelings?” she asked as he started pulling out different things to cook with.

  “Occasionally, yes, before my Hibernation. I don’t know another way to describe it but my blood simply tells me things.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know. But you gave me something to think about.”

  “What are you doing on your phone?”

  “Texting Victoria, who is a giant research nerd.”

  “I do not know what this word ‘nerd’ means. I don’t think there is a translation for it.”

  Greer simply snorted and continued texting Victoria. If Reaper’s blood had “told him” of this coming fire and destruction, she wondered if there were perhaps any prophecies about all of this.

  It didn’t hurt to check.

  * * *

  Greer heard her phone ringing on top of the island countertop, and when she made a move to grab it Reaper wrapped his arms around her, his fingers digging into her bare ass.

  “No moving,” he grumbled against her neck as he nibbled her sensitive skin.

  She giggled against him. After they’d eaten, they’d had more fun on the kitchen floor. Twice.

  “Come on, I recognize Victoria’s ringtone.”

  He sighed as if she was asking him to lift the entire world on his shoulders, but eventually he loosened his grip and helped her to her feet.

  “Hey,” she said to her friend and fellow healer.

  “Hey yourself. I’ve dug up a bunch of interesting information on a prophecy after your text. That was a good thought and I’m pissed I didn’t think of it earlier.”

  “So you found something?”

  “Maybe, yeah, I think so. And this prophecy mentions your new mate. I’m assuming he’s with you?”

  “Yes. Want me to put you on speaker?”

  “Yes. Though I’m sure he can hear anyway, but this will just be easier.”

  Greer put her clanmate on speaker and then hit the video capability.

  Victoria grinned and waved at the two of them. Her jet-black hair was pulled up into a messy bun with two pencils sticking out of it. Greer could see Drake in the background, poring over some giant tomes that they’d clearly laid out in the clan’s library. It looked as if he was her research assistant. Something Greer was certain the kind dragon did not mind. She also saw their little baby boy in a bassinet, swaddled and soundly asleep right next to Drake.

  As if she read her mind, Victoria pointed over her shoulder. “Drake helped me with the research.”

  Drake half grunted, but didn’t glance over at them as he flipped a page on a huge tome.

  “Basically what I’ve got is that there is this prophecy about the entire world—the Nahom prophecy. It’s a ridiculously old one. There are various mentions of different leaders rising up, including…” She frowned once. “Ah, I’m not sure how to pronounce this but my translation says that it means Reaper. I’m pretty sure it relates to you.” Victoria looked at Reaper so Greer slightly moved the phone.

  Reaper simply nodded but did not respond.

  Victoria didn’t care about his non-response because she kept going, talking about various leaders around the world, including Finn, Lyra, the twins—who were thankf
ully alive and healthy in South America right now after closing the door to a Hell realm. She also mentioned some Alphas that Greer knew of in Mauritius, Japan, Australia and Italy. The others mentioned Greer wasn’t familiar with, but Victoria assured her that they were all current leaders of supernaturally strong territories. The places that had survived. “There’s also a reference to Reaper working with a king. It probably means the Alpha, King.”

  Greer turned to Reaper, surprised. Then she turned back to her friend. “Will you send us everything you have?”

  “Definitely. I’m actually compiling a file and sending it to all supernatural strongholds around the world. The more information we share, the better. So far all of the supernatural cities are more than just surviving, they are thriving. It’s giving everyone hope for a future.”

  Greer nodded because she had heard the same thing. “Thanks,” she said.

  “Unfortunately there are mentions of the Zmey clan. Even with Brennus and his father dead, his clanmates have taken over a few territories, which is right in line with this prophecy.”

  Once they disconnected, she turned to Reaper. “So…this prophecy says that you work with King?”

  He lifted a broad shoulder. “It doesn’t mean I have to. I’m not tied to the male.”

  “Well…we haven’t exactly talked about where we’re going to live. Do you want to stay here or move back to where my clan lives?”

  “I only want you to be happy. I do not care where we live as long as I’m with you.”

  Smiling, she reached for him, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him close. “That’s not exactly an answer.”

  “It is the only answer. And it is the truth.”

  “I don’t see you ever truly submitting to an Alpha. Especially a wolf you don’t know well.”

  “That is also true. But I like King and I like what he is doing here. I could work with him.”

  “I’m sure you will butt heads.”

  “I butt heads with everyone. I am arrogant after all,” he murmured.

  Laughing she leaned up on tiptoe and kissed him. “True enough.”

  “Tell me what you want, my mate,” he said. “We can stay or go. I simply want to be with you.”

  Though she would miss her clan, Greer already knew the answer. “We will stay here. This place needs more help than where my clan lives. I think we can do a lot of good here.” She felt that calling deep in her bones, just as she’d felt the calling to be with Reaper. This was where they needed to be.

  He kissed her in response, long and hard. And for the next hour she didn’t think of anything other than losing herself in Reaper.

  Chapter 32

  “Ignore it,” Reaper said to Greer as someone banged on the front door of the mansion. Sunset had fallen not long ago and after almost four days alone with his mate, he was not ready to give up their privacy.

  “It could be important.”

  “This is important,” he said, reaching between her legs and cupping her. Sometime in the last few minutes she had put on underwear, a useless material he did not understand. She should be naked all the time.

  Another knock followed, this time harder.

  Reaper grabbed a pair of pants and tugged them on before storming out of the living room. They had just gotten settled in front of the fire and he’d planned to taste his mate again. He was completely addicted to her.

  Whoever had interrupted them would pay.

  He practically ripped the front door open. “What?” he growled.

  King stood on the front porch, along with Arthur, Cynara, Justus, Cale and four females he did not recognize. Well, he recognized one as the phoenix but he did not know her.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt. I can come back later.” King raised an eyebrow in question.

  “Good.” He slammed the door in the Alpha’s face.

  “Reaper,” Greer gasped, surprise rolling off her as she pulled the door back open. Her robe was tied securely around her, but her hair was down in soft, tousled waves.

  He wasn’t sure why she was surprised. His dragon was close to setting all of them on fire, even his friends.

  “Why don’t you all come in? Is everything okay?” she asked as Reaper stepped back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and keeping her close. He resisted the urge to snarl at everyone.

  “Things are good,” the Alpha said. “Stable at least. But I want to talk to both of you, actually. I’m in the process of setting up a system around the city where different supernaturals have different roles. I love this city, and what I’m proposing is more of a roundtable type of ruling.”

  Reaper was vaguely familiar with the reference. Fuck. It seemed as if they would all be staying for the near future. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to offer them food or drinks. He couldn’t even feign civility. “Come on.” Turning, he stalked to the kitchen, but didn’t take his arm from around his mate.

  He heard Cynara snort and mutter something about his hospitality but he couldn’t even smile.

  “What has brought this on?” Reaper asked once they were all standing in the spacious kitchen. Even though he simply wanted everyone gone, the appearance of these supernaturals was curious.

  “After some soul-searching, I realized that right now I need to concentrate on the greater good. I can’t do that if there is infighting among supernaturals. And the vampires will never follow me unless I mate with one of their own. Not truly anyway. And I refuse to have a mate of convenience.”

  Reaper could respect that. A mating like that was destined to fail anyway. He nodded at the wolf. “I understand. Greer and I have talked and we have decided to stay in New Orleans. Depending upon what you need of us, we are more than happy to help rebuild and keep the city safe.” He looked at his mate for affirmation. He did not want her to think he was speaking for her.

  She smiled at him and then at King. “It is as he says. I need to talk to my Alpha but I am here to stay. I’m not swearing complete loyalty—that is earned. And as of now, Conall is my Alpha but…if you prove you’re worth it, I’ll call you Alpha one day.”

  King nodded once, his mouth curving up slightly. “That is more than fair.”

  “We want to rebuild the world,” Greer said, her words impassioned.

  “Rebuild it better than it was before,” the phoenix—Léonie—said, her skin shimmering a faint blue as she spoke.

  There were murmurs of agreement all around the island. Reaper was inclined to agree. He hadn’t been awake long, but from what he’d seen the world had been on a dark path. This was a time for rebirth.

  “Then if we are all in agreement, I will figure out which sectors of my territory each of you will be in charge of.” He looked at Greer.” “With you being the exception. As the healer, you will help wherever you are needed, whenever you choose.”

  “I would love to get together with more of the healers in the city,” she said. “I actually work with a network of healers around the globe. Most of them survived, and we’ve always shared information.”

  King smiled, nodding. “Good. Once we’ve figured all this out, I will be hunting down two of Brennus’s clanmates who escaped New Orleans.”

  “There were two more?” This surprised Reaper as he thought that King had killed all of the ones in this city—unfortunately many of Brennus’s clanmates still lived in other places around the globe. But he had not left Greer’s side in almost four days so he was not up to date on everything.

  “It would appear so. Justus’s intel on his clan’s hideouts turned out to be correct, and two of those bastards escaped my wrath. They might only be two dragons, but I will not allow them to escape to another one of their clan’s holdings. They have abandoned all their properties, which is just as well. I’m repurposing their properties into homes for people in need. We’ve already started working on a food collective—there are farmers and mages more than willing to help increase the food supplies. No one will go hungry in the city. And everyone will pitch in and work.�
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  Reaper nodded in approval. That was as it should be.

  Leaning back slightly, he wrapped his arm around Greer’s shoulders. She was giving up a lot to be here with him and he would never take her for granted.

  He had woken up expecting fire and war. But he had not expected her.

  Thankfully the fates had given him this perfect female.

  Epilogue

  “Thank you so much for this,” Greer said as they all basically crash-landed into a giant snow-covered field on her clan’s land.

  Nyx, who had transported Greer, Reaper, Bo and their sweet little baby, Thea, smiled. “It’s no problem at all. We had been planning to come up here anyway. Especially since Ian is visiting with Arya and Dragos.”

  “Well, I’m still grateful. I’m going to head to see my Alpha. Do you know where you’re going?”

  Nyx and Bo nodded, with Bo plucking Thea from Nyx’s arms and cuddling her close. Seeing the half-demon cuddle his daughter would have warmed anyone’s heart. “We’ve been here enough to know the layout,” Bo said. “Go on. Just let us know when you’re ready to leave.”

  Greer linked her arm with Reaper’s, their boots crunching in the snow. He kissed the top of her head as they walked in silence, the simple action making her feel secure.

  But as they reached her Alpha’s neighborhood, he said, “Nothing is set in stone. You do not need to move to New Orleans. I like this Montana just as well. In truth, I don’t care where I live as long as I am with you.”

  He had told her the same half a dozen times. She looked up at him. “Can you trust that I know my own mind? We need to be in New Orleans right now. I feel it in my bones.”

  “All right, my smart, beautiful mate.”

  She smiled at the compliment, basking in it and him. It didn’t take long to reach Conall’s house and, to her surprise, the door swung open before they’d even reached the front stoop.