“Shh.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “It’s all right. It’ll be over soon.”
I tried to focus on his featherlight kisses, tried to hold on to the little bit of light he offered. But it was no use. Pain rose up and crashed down, dragging me with it. This was worse than when Vittoria removed my mortal heart. There was no end and no sense of time as the blade continued to tear my magic from me.
Rose-gold fire exploded between us, the blade hungrily lapping up the flames before they could touch Wrath. I squeezed my eyes shut, teeth clenched, as the heat grew to unbearable temperatures. Sweat dotted my brow, dripped down my chest, sizzled against the blade.
Tears streamed down my face, dampening Wrath’s fingers that still clenched tightly around the Blade of Ruination’s hilt. My instinct to survive, to retain my power, made me want to fight back. It took effort I didn’t know I possessed to lock my arms at my sides, to will my magic away. The tortuous magical transfer went on for several long minutes that felt like hours.
A hole in my center grew, and where power once welled up, it was slowly being replaced with nothing. My body grew weaker with each ounce of magic that left me, the instinct to fight draining from my tensed body. My screams slowed as my knees shook, and suddenly the dagger was yanked free. It clattered onto the floor as Wrath scooped me up and cradled me against his chest. His heart hammered a frantic beat, the rhythm keeping my own blood pounding.
I hadn’t died, but it felt like some not-so-small part of me had. A sob wrenched free, and I couldn’t tell if it was relief for what we’d done or grief at what I’d lost. Perhaps it was both. My eyes squeezed shut as if that would prevent the tears from continuing to fall.
Wrath held me tighter, rocking me for several long minutes, until the overwhelming sense of loss receded a bit. I didn’t want him to regret our choice and struggled to pull myself together.
Heat continued to surround us, and I finally managed to crack open an eye. Beautiful burning wings of flame extended from behind Wrath. Silver-tipped and fierce. Another tear slid along my cheek. Not from sadness or grief this time, but from witnessing divine glory so close. Vittoria and I were goddesses from the underworld, but Wrath was true divinity, and I was overcome by the force of love that radiated around him.
That sense of great loss, that grief of giving up my magic, it didn’t disappear, but I allowed that feeling of awe to cleanse my sadness. To remind me of all I’d gained. All we’d gained. The curse was truly broken. This part of our nightmare was over.
As above, so below. Together we’d achieved balance. We won. And yet…
“They’re incredible,” I whispered, blinking as the wings grew impossibly larger. I’d never seen anything as stunning and deadly in all my life. Even when we’d known each other before, Wrath had never shown me his wings. They were a weapon he’d kept hidden. “You’re incredible.”
Wrath held me tighter, his chin now resting on my head. Tension hadn’t yet left his body—if anything, he was coiled tighter than before.
He also hadn’t uttered a single word since we broke the curse.
A bead of sweat rolled from my hairline down my neck, and I shivered. Wrath shook slightly, burying his face in my hair, and I realized it wasn’t sweat, but tears. I mustered enough energy to wrap my arms around him, holding him as he wept.
“We’re all right,” I croaked. “It’s all right. It’s over.”
His mighty wings flapped, and within the flames of the inner feathers there were a thousand tiny gold flecks. My focus slid from the gold flecks to the silver tips. The colors of each of our amulets were aspects of his wings. I’d always wondered about that. Once, I’d thought it meant one was blessed by the sun goddess and the other by the moon goddess. How wrong I’d been.
Wrath inhaled once, then exhaled slowly. He pressed his lips to my forehead and placed me on my feet. I couldn’t stop staring at the fiery wings. They reminded me of my magic, but there was not a sense of familiarity to them. This was his magic through and through, and yet I was drawn to them like a moth to a flame. I went to touch a feather but drew my hand back and gave Wrath a sheepish look. “I forgot fire will likely burn me now.”
Sadness crashed into me again as I inadvertently sought my magic. A rift in my center split further at the emptiness that was there; it was the place where Source once curled up, waiting for me to tap into it. Now there was nothing. It felt as if I’d lost a limb—my body still reached for it, confused when it grasped nothing at all. I blinked until I was able to control any tears from falling. Despite my loss, I was happy I broke the curse. I wanted redemption for the role I’d played as a vengeance goddess. But even through the good, I still mourned my loss. Felt it acutely. I’d never again know what it was like to wield fire magic.
“Touch them.” Wrath watched me closely, sensing my mood. “I am able to control my wings. And even if I wasn’t, you’re my wife. They will not burn you; they’ll simply feel warm.”
Tentatively I reached out, curling my fingers through the magical feathers of flame. Wrath was right—it didn’t burn. It was similar to placing a hand in a warm patch of sunlight, soaking in the rays. Or running my fingers through the water of a summer sea.
This, at least, was like my magic. Comforting, yet capable of massive destruction. Even though the power wasn’t mine, it felt like some small part of me carried on in him.
“The wings depicted in your throne room are ebony,” I said. “I didn’t expect to see these.”
“I’d had the stained glass changed to what I’d last seen.”
I thought of the scene I’d witnessed from Sursea’s memory stone—of how the wings had turned the color of ash when she’d drained away his magic. I was glad we’d won. That we’d defeated someone so driven by hate through the power of our love.
My lips tugged upward as I stroked another feather and the flames teasingly fluttered against my skin. I dragged another finger along the outer edge of his wing, and the same sensation rolled down my back. My attention shot to my husband, immediately noting the devious expression he wore.
“What was that?” I asked as heat slid down my spine, similar to a feather lightly caressing me. My skin tingled pleasantly for another few seconds where the magical feather had touched.
“I might have forgotten to mention an ability I’d lost when my fire magic was taken.”
Another feather of honeyed heat meandered along my neck, gliding across my collarbone before descending to lovingly stroke the wound the Blade of Ruination caused.
The feather slowly spread outward, tracing circles along my breast. Any lingering hollowness or grief dissipated as the flicker of heat rolled across the tight bud, causing a new warmth to unfurl from my belly downward.
“Devil curse me.” My fingers dug into Wrath’s shoulders as that wicked bead of delight moved to my hips, then curled around my inner thighs.
“I’d rather not, my lady. I’ve had enough of curses.” Wrath’s chuckle was deep and sensual as that feather fluttered against my thigh and I swore under my breath. “Lust isn’t the only one who can manifest desire. Only this isn’t yours.” He nipped at my earlobe before kissing the sting away. “It’s mine.”
What had begun as a gentle, featherlike feeling turned into a finger of heat. Wrath grinned as he walked us back toward a shelf of books, slowly pinning my arms above my head. His glorious wings spread wide, covering us in our own private, fiery blanket of white-hot passion.
He bent until his lips brushed my ear. “Would you like to see what sinful things I can do with them, my lady?”
TWENTY-SIX
Heat pulsed between my thighs. Wrath’s magic was as soft as velvet as it gently stroked me, waiting for an answer. Taking a dagger to the chest rapidly faded from my mind, thanks in part to the quick healing of my immortality and the exquisite caresses from my prince. Instead of dwelling on the loss of my magic, I focused on my husband and the wicked gleam in his eyes, the seductive privacy his curtain of wings provided, and all the things we could do right here.
My attention dropped to his full lips while I vividly imagined the interesting places we might make love, the positions. Losing my magic hurt deeply, but suddenly picturing Wrath and me joining high above our realm, among the moon and stars, took some of the sting away.
If I searched hard enough, I would still find magic in everyday things. And making love to the king of demons among the stars was hardly average. The curse was broken, and there were no limits to what we could achieve together. I eyed the manacles hanging from the ceiling in the alcove, and new, devious thoughts flooded in.
“I can’t tell exactly what you’re thinking, but I can sense what you’re feeling now.” He kissed up the column of my throat, and my eyes fluttered shut. Wrath knew exactly where to touch to drive me wild with need. “If you want me, say the words, my lady.” He traced the bare flesh along my bodice, his caress a seduction of its own. “My queen.” He dipped his head, and where his clever fingers had just touched, he now used his tongue. “My love.”
His mouth closed over my breast, and my breath caught from his words and the way he drew on my flesh, sucking and teasing over my clothing.
“I want you, Samael.”