Josie’s cry was muffled as she bit down on her lip. She broke apart around me, her muscles clenching down, squeezing me, and I exhaled harshly, riding her until she fell back against the couch.

I wasn’t done with her.

Pulling out of her, I let go of her wrists and, using my grip on her waist, I flipped her onto her stomach. I moved over her, pressing my chest to her back as I slid my arm under her waist, lifting her hips. I entered her in one stroke, nearly undone by the tightness I felt.

There was no rhythm to how I moved then. My hips pounded into hers, and I kept going, almost as if I was trying to get myself in there so deep there would be no way of extracting me from her, so fucking deep that there was no her, no me, just us. She was so tight, so wet, and so perfect.

Sweat dampened and slicked our skin. The fleshy sounds our bodies made drove me to the brink. Shifting my hand under her, I found the tight bundle of nerves, worked her until she clamped down on me.

Release powered down my spine, raw and all-consuming, blowing my head right off me. Intense. Couldn’t breathe around it. Couldn’t feel anything else. Only at the very last second, I pulled out and folded my arms around Josie, sealing her body to mine as I came, cradled against her, my face buried in her neck. The world fell away for those precious moments, dropped off and stayed there as our hearts slowed and our bodies relaxed into each other.

“Seth,” she murmured, turning her head to the side. A couple of moments passed. “Are you . . . are you okay now?”

I closed my eyes. Everything would be. I spoke, my voice rough. Empty. “Yes.”

Josie tensed under me and then she looked over her shoulder. Concern pooled into her gaze. “Seth, we need to talk. They’re saying that you’re a—”

“Shh,” I murmured, shifted us onto our sides, until her back was to my front and my arm around her waist. “I just want to hold you right now. Please? We’ll . . . we’ll talk later.”

She was stiff against me for a moment. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

I lied. Add that to the list of fucked-up things I’d done, but she curled into me, pressing her cheek against my chest with both of her hands gripping my arm. Like she was trying to hold me there. Like she already knew on some unconscious level what was happening.

I held her until she fell back asleep.

I held her until I was no longer sure I could walk away.

I held her until it physically fucking hurt to ease her out of my embrace.

Leaning over her, my gaze roamed over her face. My hand shook as I carefully brushed the long, damp strands back from her cheek. I committed every square inch to memory. The natural arch to her brows. The height of her cheeks and the full, pouty bow-shaped lips.

I brushed my lips against her cheek and then again, lower, on her neck, over the faded tag the daimon had given her outside of St. Louis. Then I spoke the three truest words I’d ever spoken and the three words I didn’t deserve to utter, to give air, but I said them.

“I love you.”

CHAPTER 32

Josie

When I opened my eyes, Seth was gone and I was alone in the morning light, lying on my side. I stared at the closed door, wondering if I’d dreamt him. Quite possibly. I’d had some vivid dreams when it came to him, and there was a surreal quality about everything as all my senses came back online.

I looked down at myself.

Considering I was naked under the quilt, I was pretty sure I hadn’t dreamt him. And if that hadn’t done it, the dampness between my thighs was also a very good indication.

But Seth was gone.

Holding the quilt to my breasts, I sat up, wincing slightly as I moved my legs onto the floor. What we’d done—he’d done—on this couch . . . ? Wow. I felt a little shaky.

My clothes were stacked on the floor, as if Seth had folded them for me. Strange. My stomach dipped and twisted as I lifted my gaze again to the library door.

I love you.

His voice echoed in my thoughts. My heart stuttered over itself. He’d never said that before, but I swore I’d heard him. It was too real, his voice too heavy for it to be a part of my imagination, but where was he?

And had he let himself out of the room last night, or had someone else done it? If so, why hadn’t they come to get me? Closing my eyes, I swallowed hard, because I knew Seth hadn’t been let out on his own. Not after what Herc and everyone were saying. They were planning to summon Hephaestus, and they believed him to be the God Killer.

Seth had gotten himself out.

I just want to hold you.

With a sinking feeling, I grabbed my clothes off the floor and quickly changed back into them since there was no way I was walking through this house with just a thin quilt wrapped around me. I doubted anyone but Seth wanted to see that.

We’ll talk later.

Promise?

Promise.

The numb, cold feeling expanded. Things had not been settled between us at all before the Titan appeared. We really needed to talk before, and now it was imperative.

Once in my clothes, I walked over to the door and found that it had been locked. The sinking feeling hit me again. I unlocked the door and stepped out into the brighter hallway. I could hear footsteps upstairs and as I took a step forward, the door at the end of the hall opened.

Alex stepped out, a Covenant dagger in her white-knuckled grip.

The strained set to Alex’s face as she stepped into the hall and saw me was like stepping out into icy, winter rain. I knew it. In my bones, I knew it.

“Do you know where he is?” she asked, striding toward me. Every muscle in my body locked up. When I didn’t respond, she stopped in front of me. “Aiden just found Luke out of commission in the room we had Seth in, and I found Gable in the same condition in the living room. We can’t find Seth.”