We placed Bellamy's soul shards in a bauble to mute the brightness and attached it to a chain around my neck. It sent gentle vibrations through my breastbone, stirring the shard inside me to attentiveness, but it was an unpleasant feeling. In fact, I felt more at peace than I had in a long time, but I wasn't sure if that was from Bellamy's soul nearly being complete or from the presence of the Andarien man sitting next to me.

Getting out of the Synod's compound hadn't been as difficult as I expected, though it probably helped that we had a member assisting in our escape. Amaya escorted us through yet another hidden door where a car was conveniently waiting. The gates opened upon our approach, making me think the vehicle had some sort of sensor on it that only high-ranking officials received.

My police training made me want to tell them it was a rather poor system, but since we were exploiting the holes in it, I thought I'd save it for next time. Because as I watched the bright lights on the mountain top fade from view, something whispered we would be back.

We passed the place I hid my stolen car, and I snorted, thinking about how I'd driven back to town to buy supplies, only to end up not even spending a single night in the wilderness. Of course, with my luck, if I hadn't been prepared for it, it would have happened. If I could have chosen between the two scenarios, I would have definitely gone with a cold night on uncomfortable ground instead of being shot with a poisonous dart.

"You okay?" Cian asked, squeezing my hand.

He hadn't released it since waking, and it did not bother me in the slightest, though I felt inexplicably shy and at a rare loss for words. Whenever I caught him glancing at me, I flushed and looked away.

"I'm fine."

Another squeeze. This one longer than the other. "I'm not human, but I've been around them long enough to know that when a woman says she's fine, it's usually the opposite."

"Why are you asking me if I'm fine? You just woke up from a magically induced coma?" I shrieked. Arguing. This was something I could do.

Cian's lips parted, and he jerked the car onto the shoulder of the road. Killing the engine, he turned in his seat to face me. I wasn't sure where we were, maybe even in Canada at this point. Wherever we were, it was remote and mostly wilderness, and with no light pollution or passing cars, I could barely make out his features in the darkness. But I'd spent so much time recalling his features my brain filled in the details between the shadows, and the tautness in the mate bond did the rest. He was furious.

"And why was I in that magically induced coma, Bria?"

I pressed my lips together and glared in the general direction I thought his eyes might be. "From what I heard, you threw an epic temper tantrum."

The pressure built inside the car, and a crack appeared on the windshield. I wished I had enough energy or know how to put on my own impressive display of power, but frankly, I was exhausted. So I went the route I already knew he hated. I said nothing.

The crack lengthened. "I felt you die, Bria."

"I felt me die, too. Wasn't so bad, actually." The crack splintered, dipping lower into the driver's field of vision. "Might want to get a grip on the anger there, buddy. We need this car to get to the Fae."

"You shouldn't have come after me."

"What? So then I would get to feel you die? No fucking way." I unbuckled and leaned toward him. Close enough to feel his breath on my face.

Suddenly, his breathing stopped, and his hand found mine again. "You... you feel it too?"

"How do you think I found you?"

Cian whispered something in a language I didn't understand. "I didn't think—I wasn't sure you'd be able to feel the bond since you were part human."

"I didn't. Not until after June and I escaped from Jac and Kohl."

The pressure returned, but thankfully, the damage to the windshield didn't get any worse. His grip tightened, though, and his thumb moved over the pulse in my wrist. I wasn't sure if he was trying to calm himself with the simple motion or if he was checking for a heartbeat.

"That's a story for later," I said, swallowing hard as the simple touch stoked the constant desire I carried for this man. "They told me you were dead and something told me you weren't. Like I knew with complete certainty, and I couldn't figure out why. Then, I remembered what you said in the cave before—" Desire spiked higher just thinking about what happened next that night. "Before we were together the first time. That you felt completion when you healed me, and it clicked. I had to find you. You would've done the same thing, right?"

Why was my voice so weak and small when I asked that? Like he could hurt me with his answer. I didn't love him. This bond between us didn't equal love. Kohl and Bellamy were proof of that. But I did care for him—enough to risk my life to find him, it would seem. And his actions suggested his feelings were at least as deep as mine.

I felt the console under my arm raise, and I pulled back, unsure of what was happening. A sharp crack sounded in the car as Cian ripped it off and threw it in the backseat, eliminating the barrier between us. One of his big hands clamped around the back of my neck, holding me in place as he bent his head to bind his mouth to mine.

The power in our kisses still astounded me. Kisses had always been pleasant but nothing extraordinary. They were the first steps in a dance, the gentle build up before pulling out all the stops. But with Cian... they were an exquisite pleasure I could chase for hours. Every brush of skin and tongue tied another thread between us.

His hands pushed through my hair, fisting the tangled strands, and tugging with just enough force that I gasped against him. I felt him smile against my mouth at the sound, and he pulled again, this time hard enough to pull my head back and expose my neck to him.

Every kiss was hot as a brand against my throat, and while there was nothing mysterious about his destination, he slowed his pace as he went lower. His purposeful teasing and display of control infuriated me as much as it frustrated me.

"Cian," I panted as he moved long my collar bones, licking and nipping at the skin there.

"Yes," he purred, grabbing me around the hips and dragging me over to his lap. The nightgown I was wearing bunched around his hands, leaving my long legs exposed, and my thin cotton panties provided little barrier between my wet center and the bulge pushing against his jeans.

Instead of putting my protest into words, I grabbed the hair on top of his head, pushing him toward my breasts while I rolled my hips against him. He rewarded me with a growl that made the car rumble, and he yanked down the top of my nightgown. Cold air rushed over my nipples, making the hard nubs even more erect, but only for the split second it took him to drag one into his warm mouth. The other he pinched between his fingers, making me cry out as an orgasm rocketed through me.

"Good fucking girl," He said, reaching between us, pushing my panties to the side, and sliding a finger inside me to feel the fading flutters.

"Speaking of fucking," I panted, riding his finger as he lowered his mouth to the neglected nipple, "I'd really like you to do that right now."

"So impatient."

"We don't exactly have the best track record for getting to take our time or locations, for that matter. I'm half shocked we're trying this in a car again."

Cian chuckled. "That's why I parked the car, but just in case..." He jerked the parking brake into position.

"Oh, you planned this when you pulled over?" I teased while unzipping his pants with an eagerness I didn't bother to hide. His cock sprang free. I couldn't see it, but it filled my hand just as perfectly as I remembered.

He kissed me as he lifted me high enough to aim the head at my center. He controlled my descent, stopping me from impaling myself in one swift movement, forcing me to feel every inch stretching me open until I was as far down as our current position would allow.

"I wanted to fuck you the moment I knew it was you, but Amaya might have handed us over to the Synod if I had." His voice was tight with strain.

Holding onto his shoulders, my feet planted on either side of his hips, I did my best to ride him, but I couldn't spread my legs wide enough to lower all the way, leaving a good inch of his cock unsheathed.

"It's okay," he whispered, sensing my frustration. "Just make yourself feel good."

"No, wait," I said, reaching between the door and the seat until I found the levers.

First, I slid the seat back so Cian could stretch his legs out fully, and then I reclined the back of the seat until he was lying nearly flat. Then, I laid against him and stretched my own legs out so they were only slightly bent at the knees, leaving almost no space between our bodies. For a heartbeat, I panicked as I felt his eyes on mine, realizing the extreme intimacy of this position, but the bond swelled in my chest, soothing away my fears and telling this was right.

And if I had any lingering doubts, Cian's moan as he sank inside me completely erased them. Mouths fused together, he gripped my ass and pushed and pulled me up and down his cock, his fingers kneading into the plump flesh. It was a slow grind that hit every sensitive part of me, turning the fire between us into a blazing inferno.

"Cian," I panted, breaking the kiss and grabbing the headrest as I increased the momentum. Each rise and fall created a delicious friction against my clit, but I needed more. In answer, he threw his arm around my lower back and pinned me against him as he thrust up, leaving me with nothing to do but cling to him as he drove me over the cliff.

Even though we were miles from anyone, he swallowed my scream with a kiss, feeding me his own as he came hard inside of me, his cock pulsing as my pussy clenched down on it. And on the heels of the climax, another rush of pleasure went through me, this one different from an orgasm. Longer, deeper, and centered in my chest where I felt the mate bond. Stars burst into my vision as I collapsed against Cian.

"Eventually, we'll get to do this in a bed or at least a bedroom," he said when we'd finally caught our breath. "I remember you telling me how much you liked it from behind, and while I'm willing to try in a car, I can get more creative with a little more space."

His words sent a thrill through me. Not just because I was excited to see how creative he could get, but because they spoke of a future. One he saw with me still in it. I still didn't know how I felt about being bonded like this, but I knew how I felt right now. Blissful.

"You won't get any complaints from me," I said, wincing as our damp skin separated. Cian's hands moved over my breasts as I tried to pull up my nightgown, and I arched a brow when I felt his cock twitch inside of me. "As much as I'd like another round, we have to get to the Fae."

He grabbed my top and held it down, a single finger tracing the Grolim wound. It shocked me he could see it, but his full-blooded, Andarien eyesight was far better than mine. A single flame appeared above his palm, giving me enough light to see it.

"Is this—" Cian's voice thickened. "Why didn't they heal you?"

"They did," I said, examining the wound. It actually looked a little better than it had, which was odd since the Synod all seemed to think it wasn't something that could ever heal. "It's better than it was."

"What happened?"

"Grolim? I think that's what they called it."

I yelped as Cian tossed me into the passenger seat, repositioned himself and his seat, and started the car. The scent of burned rubber filled the cabin as he peeled out onto the road.

"Cian. Cian! What is wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me? I don't know how you're alive right now. Much less conscious."

"I'm sorry. I assumed you knew. Oh, my gosh. Will you please slow down?"

"No. We're not stopping until we get to the Fae. I won't lose you again, Bria. I love you."