the front door of the B&B, through the open front room, and stopped in front of my door. He didn’t let go of my hand, and my half-asleep brain considered just dragging him in to snuggle with the other guys.
One day. Not yet.
“So.” Shadow stared at our hands, his thumb sweeping over mine. “It’ll be okay if I kiss you good morning tomorrow?”
I grinned, leaning my chest against his as I stood on tiptoes. “Only if you kiss me goodnight first.”
He grinned back as he bowed over me, bracing his other arm against my back. I would’ve swooned if he hadn’t pinned me against him. In the dark hallway, with his face fully uncovered, long hair falling over his shoulders, and his bright white eye glowing like a cat’s, he was every woman’s fantasy when it came to late night kisses in the shadows.
The kiss was long, sensual, and lingering. I saw stars as he returned us upright, his fingers reluctantly untangling from mine as our bodies separated.
“Goodnight, Mari.” He walked backwards toward his door, eyes never leaving me.
I leaned my head on my door, hand on the knob as I watched him back away. My legs could barely hold me up from fatigue, all the drinks at dinner, and everything this gorgeous man did to burrow his way into my heart.
“Goodnight, Shadow,” I breathed before opening the door and quietly slipping inside.
Epilogue
REAPER
The air was warm, the sun pleasant on my face. Desert stretched out in all directions, the sky a perfect royal blue with fluffy clouds. My gas tank was full, so I accelerated and felt the power of the motorcycle kick underneath me. The road was empty and smooth, with no potholes.
That was how I knew this was a dream.
I pulled over at the edge of a canyon, parking under the sparse shade of a Joshua tree. Ancient rock formations stretched out as far as the eye could see, their ribbons of color too vivid to be real.
My instincts urged me to turn around at the footsteps behind me, but I stayed facing forward while the last bit of uncertainty left me.
“Took you long enough, Daren.”
“You always were an impatient bastard, Reaper.”
I turned slowly, all expectations gone at what I would see standing there.
It was just my brother.
He was still in his riding gear, russet brown hair pushed around by the wind, those cheeky green eyes we shared bright and full of life.
That was what brought my breaths to a stutter, he looked so alive. More than that, he looked fucking good. Nothing at all like the lifeless, pale, clammy body I held as he faded away.
“What’s the matter, Reap? You choking up on me?”
“Man, you just…” How could I be dreaming? I could feel my throat closing up. “It’s good to see you, that’s all.”
“I’ll visit more. Noelle’s mind is a little hm, distracted, shall we say?”
“Yeah,” I barked out a laugh, still staring at him in disbelief. “Yeah, she’s all wrapped up in that guy.”
“I saw everything that happened on that mission.” Daren hooked his thumbs through his belt loops, propping his foot up on a rock. “Larkan’s good people. You should patch him in.”
“How did you see everything?”
“Freyja showed me.” He smiled lightheartedly. “She’s like an anchor that we all come home to. Sometimes I’m tethered to her, other times I’m free to make visits as I please. Like this one.”
“They said I had to…to be open to letting you visit me.”
“Right. It’s a two-way street,” he grinned. “Talking animals have a way of opening you up to things, don’t they?”
“Heh. I’m a stubborn ass, but yeah, I think it was my old lady’s cat that sealed the deal.”
Daren’s face grew dreamy at the mention of her.
“Mariposa,” he breathed. “What a name. What a woman.”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t feel the need to elaborate. If his spirit, consciousness, or whatever was in Freyja’s domain, he must have seen plenty. And knew exactly what kind of woman she was.
“You did good, Reap. Mom’ll be proud.”
Wait. Did he say will or would be proud? If she was dead, he had to know, right? I opened my mouth to ask, but his face darkened and what he said next made my stomach drop.
“You have to break down the door.”
“What?” I blinked. “What door?”
“You have to break it,” he repeated, his tone grave. “She’ll die if you don’t.”
“Who, Mari? Or Mom? Is Mom okay? Is she with you?”
“It’s gonna hurt, man. It’s gonna hurt like hell for a long fuckin’ time.” His brow pinched with pain at the vision he was seeing. “But it’s the right thing to do.”
Goddamn my brother and his fucking predictions with no fucking context.
“Daren, please.” I moved closer, close enough to touch him, but afraid he might disappear if I did. “You have to give me more than that. What’s gonna hurt? What door am I breaking?”
“Listen to Hades,” he continued as if I hadn’t said anything. “No matter how badly you want to, do not disobey the command.”
“What command?” I demanded, fear now slicing through my veins. “Who is he going to make me kill? Daren!”
But my brother was already gone.
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TO BE CONTINUED IN HEARTLESS - STEEL DEMONS MC BOOK 6
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PRE-ORDER HEARTLESS HERE
Acknowledgments
They kissed! THEY KISSED! I’ve been wanting to write that scene for at least four books and it finally happened! But the best part is I’m so lucky I get to share it with all of you SDMC readers. Thank you for coming along for another leg of this ride! Hold on tight, because the road is only going to get bumpier from here.
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If you’d like to hang out with me regularly, join my reader group, Crystal’s Coven. We’re a friendly bunch, and I’m always posting teasers and new excerpts there before anywhere else online.
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A big shout-out to my pack babes, Kathryn and Aleera, for hearing me vent, cheering me on, and enduring my teasing—cough-torturing-cough—about the events of this book.
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Brandy, I just heart your face so much. I swear you’ve been supporting me since Day 1, and I appreciate you endlessly.
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Telisha, Danielle, Janet, and Izzy, you all make my job (and life!) easier by ensuring these books are ready for the world to see. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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See you all in the next book!
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-Crystal
Also by Crystal Ash
Series prequels (Free! Click to download)
Falling for the Wolf: A Shifted Mates prequel
Her 3 Demons: An Unholy Trinity prequel
Raised by Wolves: A North West Wolf Pack prequel
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Steel Demons MC
Lawless
Powerless
Fearless
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Shifted Mates Trilogy
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Unholy Trinity: The Complete Series
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Harem of Freaks series
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For a complete list of books by Crystal Ash, visit her Amazon page.
About the Author
Crystal Ash is a USA Today Bestselling Author from California. From an early age, she’s been obsessed with magic, heart-wrenching love stories, strange animals, and the people who turn into them.
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When she’s not writing, she’s probably in her garden of crazy-looking plants or drinking craft beer with her husband and cat.
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She loves interacting with her readers so don’t hesitate to reach out!
CrystalAshBooks.com