staring into the sky. I had to restrain myself not to lower the wall I’d erected between us to reach through our bond and sense what she was thinking. I had a fairly good idea that I didn’t want to know her thoughts, even if my instincts were itching to sate my curiosity.
What good would it do to probe for how to make my mate feel better when I was the reason behind her sadness?
So instead I spent my time patrolling the woods surrounding the glade, ensuring nothing crept up on us. But nothing did. There was no trace of any of the foul creatures that haunted the rest of Hel—only songbirds and small mammals scuttling across the forest floor. It was entirely… peaceful.
Perhaps it would be worth the effort of setting up a more permanent base here until Hel took her army and left, and I could begin my plans to put Annabel on the throne.
I let my gaze sweep over my mate as she sat on the grass with her arms around her knees. My would-be goddess.
She had the strength. It had taken all I had to restrain her after she’d found Freya’s body, and she was not even at her full power then. With my help, she would be capable of ruling the underworld. She might not like it, but it would keep her safe.
Until then, I would build her a cottage here, in this glade. Somewhere she would feel more comfortable and secure, with a roof that might break her endless staring at the churning soul siphon high above. As if she sensed my attention, Annabel turned her head and looked at me.
I steeled myself against the fire snapping up my spine as our eyes connected and held her gaze, willing her to speak.
She didn’t, unsurprisingly. She just kept staring at me, through me, as if she was looking for something in my eyes.
If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought she might be searching for some sign I wasn’t the dark monster she now knew me to be.
A pity we both knew there was no such sign to be found.
Annabel shifted on the grass, and I expected her to simply lie back down to continue staring at the sky. Instead she got to her feet, swaying a little as she found her balance.
She was too spent. Weakened. I had told myself she had enough strength still. As I watched her now, struggling to get to her feet, I knew I had been lying to myself.
Lead settled heavily in my gut and I closed my eyes for a moment, letting my inner chill swallow anything and everything. But when I opened them again, Annabel was walking toward me.
“Grim,” she said, hesitance lining her voice. “I need… help.”
The way she grimaced as she said it, one hand flailing vaguely for demonstration, I didn’t have to ask what sort of help she had in mind. Eyebrows high on my forehead, I asked, “You come to me willingly?”
Annabel grimaced again. “I suppose that sounds sexier than I’m here because I need an energy boost.”
I would have laughed if it wasn’t for the relief easing the dread in my gut. At least we would be spared that.
I sucked in a breath through my nose. Unsurprisingly, no touch of desire flavored her pheromones. As happily as she had given herself to me since the troll’s cave, I knew she hated me too much to desire me now.
It didn’t matter. I was obligated to protect her, and ensuring she was not drained of power was of the highest priority. Before Annabel, sex had been nothing but a transaction, and now it would be again. I would endure that a thousand times over. For her.
She made no move to undress herself, or me. She simply stood in front of me with her gaze locked on my chest, refusing to meet my eyes. That was fine; it would be easier this way.
With mechanical movements, I undid the straps of first her leathers, then my own, until we both stood naked in the silent glade.
“Down,” I rasped, clearing my throat to combat the unexpected hoarseness. “Hands and knees.”
She darted one look up at me at the command—just a swift glance before she knelt on all fours in front of me. My cock, subdued until now by the awkwardness of the encounter, surged at the sight of her surrender.
I strode around her, coming to a halt between her slightly spread knees. Her pussy sat so