Souls Unfractured (Hades Hangmen 3)

And the number eleven. Always eleven times. His life was measured in sets of eleven. Flame forever relived the slices from his father’s blade, and the last eleven breaths of his baby brother’s short tragic life.

My arms around his waist instinctively held him closer. Woken from my touch, I felt Flame move underneath me, his chest stilling as his hands frantically felt along my back. He was making sure I was really here.

I lifted my head, only to be met with the intense dark eyes I adored so much. “Morning,” I greeted, feeling a blush rush to my cheeks. Flame’s eyes ran over my naked body and he shifted in his position.

“Maddie,” he replied. I slowly crawled up his body to reach his mouth. Making sure my kiss was welcome, and reading in his slightly parted lips that it was, I bent down and timidly pressed my lips against his.

It felt just as precious as it had the night before, the same swarm of butterflies accosting my stomach, as I had felt the first time we kissed. I broke away, and stroking his hair, asked, “Are you okay?”

Flame’s eyes kept dipping to my mouth and he nodded his head. “Yeah.”

A smile tugged on my mouth and I asked, “And did you sleep?”

Flame breathed out a relieved breath, and replied, “Yeah. I always do when you’re here.”

“Then you shall always sleep,” I hushed out quietly. I felt Flame groan, as his erect length pressed against my thigh. My heart fluttered, and I ached for his touch.

“Flame?” I asked quietly and watched his hand on mine. “Will you bathe with me?”

Flame’s nostrils flared, accompanied by a single sharp nod. I freed myself from his arms and slid off the bed. As the cool breeze wrapped around me, I suddenly felt very naked. I covered my chest with my arms, but Flame’s hand pulled them down. “Don’t,” he ordered, and I blushed anew.

Feeling Flame’s eyes watch me walk into the living room, I headed straight for the bathroom and began running the faucet. The steam from the warm water misted up the room. Absentmindedly, I leaned against the sink as I waited for the tub to fill. Flame appeared at the entrance to the bathroom. His large inked body was naked, and heavy muscles moved with his every step.

The wind escaped my lungs as his gaze targeted mine. And that familiar warm needing sensation built between my legs. Flame entered the room and stood right before me. His hand lifted and pushed back my hair from my face. He held a strand between his fingers. “I’ve always liked your hair.”

I smiled. I reached up and traced the skin under his eyes. “And I have always liked your eyes.” Flame expelled a quick breath through his nose. Stepping closer still, I said, “And now I love them… just like I love you.”

Flame’s hand stilled in my hair and his eyes closed, like he was desperate to hear that confession from my lips. Heart melting, I reached up and took his hand in mine. Flame’s eyes opened and I led him to the now full bath, and turned off the faucet.

Guiding him round me, I gestured for Flame to get into the tub first. He climbed in, dwarfing the large tub, then held out his hand for me to follow. I did not hesitate. Placing my hand within his, I climbed in. Flame immediately pulled me into his arms and sighed heavily, in happiness.

We sat in silence for minutes, relishing the soothing water, then I reached for the soap and lathered it in my hands. Turning round, I asked, “May I care for you?”

Flame nodded his head, and placing my hands on his scarred tattooed skin, I began to wash him, showing with my touch how much he meant to me. I soaped over his arms and across his chest. The entire time I did so, his eyes never moved from mine. Then as my hands moved down his hard stomach, he caught my wrist. I looked up in panic, but the soft expression on his face quickly assuaged any worry. I waited for him to speak, then he finally rasped, “No one has ever cared for me like this before.”

My heart cracked, because as much as my life had been difficult, and as much as I had shunned their affection, I had my sisters. But for Flame… there was no one.

Leaning in, until my breasts pressed against his hard chest, I said, “That is in the past. Because I will care for you every day for the rest of our lives. You are my Flame. I will treasure you always. More than you will ever know.”

Flame’s eyes flared, and with firm hands in my hair, he brought my mouth down to his. The kiss started off sweet and shy, but it was not long before an incredible heat built between us. Flame’s hands left the safety of my face and drifted down across my back, over my hips, to land on my thighs. I could feel his hard length pressing against me as he rolled. When a long groan left his mouth, I let him guide my legs to either side of hips. Breaking my mouth from Flame’s on a breathy moan, I pressed my forehead to his, my trembling hands flush to his cheeks.

“Do it, Flame. I want to feel you inside of me again. I need to feel you inside.”

Flame’s face flashed with apprehension. “Just focus on me, Flame. No pain is needed. No fear. Just us, remember?”

Flame groaned and then shifted, one hand holding my waist. When I felt him at my entrance, he stilled, muscles tensed. I watched as his eyes squeezed shut, reliving whatever picture was holding him back. But I lowered down. Flame’s eyes snapped open as he filled me so impossibly full.

“Maddie,” he groaned as he filled me to the hilt. I sat above him, my hands holding his face, and his arms holding my waist.

We both breathed.

Then I felt it. The peace and love that Lilah told me she had experienced with Ky. And I knew nothing this precious could be wrong. I knew that nobody as caring and as loving as Flame could be a sinner. No flames ran in his blood. Just love for me, and that was enough, always enough.