Just like that, she and Juliette squared off, circling each other, hatred pulsing off the woman and vibrating in the air. You made a critical mistake, Julie girl, she projected. Throwing Strider into the mix had guaranteed that Kaia wouldn’t mess around. This was serious and she would act without any hint of mercy.

Wait for it…wait…

“You think you’re invincible, now that you’ve defeated your mother,” Juliette snapped. “Well, clearly she didn’t give the fight her all.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself.” Wait…

Circle…circle…

“I’ve watched during each of the competitions.” The smugness had returned to Juliette’s tone. “Know what I noticed?”

Wait… “That you’re inferior in every way?” Wait…

Eyes narrowing… “That you lack control.”

How ironic. Right now Juliette’s emotions were driving her every move. She thought Kaia was distracted. Kaia wasn’t; she was simply prepared.

A shriek echoed. Juliette’s body tensing…flinging toward her…

Now!

Just before the other Harpy reached her, Kaia leapt into the air, wings working overtime, backflipped behind Juliette. Having witnessed what Kaia had done to Tabitha, Juliette had suspected the move and quickly spun. But Kaia had suspected that move and quickly performed another flip. Once again, she was behind Juliette.

Before the Harpy realized Kaia had changed locations, Kaia grabbed her wings, claws sinking past skin and into tendon, and ripped with every bit of her strength. Exactly as she’d done to her mother.

A patented Kaia the Wing-Shredder move, and as easy as licking the bowl of her favorite ice cream during Fertile Week—aka Hell Week—but then, what did you expect from a woman with a name like hers?

Strider whooped. “That’s my girl.”

Juliette grunted as she fell face-first against the sand. She tried to pull herself to her knees, but she no longer had the strength, and simply collapsed. Blood pooled around her, as promised, the stark crimson nearly obscene against the purity of the white granules.

The Eagleshields were silent for several heartbeats, their shock palpable. Then, gasps sounded.

Grinning, Kaia crouched beside her nemesis. Juliette’s pain-filled eyes looked past her. “We’ve both hurt the other. Let that be enough. I’ll even say I’m sorry it came to this. But, and hear me well, if you come after anyone I love, I will ruin you. And you know I can do it now. I have the Paring Rod and I will take your soul without remorse. Plus, I’ve got those goody-goody angels on my side. You shouldn’t have pissed them off. Enough said.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. Juliette might taunt her about not truly knowing how to utilize the Rod or might even push her to do something she didn’t want to do. Namely, take the woman’s head. So she stood and walked toward Strider.

Grinning, he met her halfway.

KAIA SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY making love to her man, in her bedroom, of all places. Being in her Alaskan house, the very house where he’d once broken her heart, was surreal. Anyway, he’d gotten an infusion of strength after her victory against Juliette. An infusion he’d put to very good use.

Now, she lay in his arms, sated beyond compare. She owed this man so much. Her current state of happiness, yes, but also her confidence in herself. She was strong, but he’d made her stronger. Because he trusted her, saw deeper than the surface, never caring what other people thought of her, never caring about her mistakes. And he wasn’t afraid to love her for who and what she was, changing her the furthest thing from his mind.

“I love you,” she told him.

“That’s because you’re smart. Further proof—look who you ended up with. Me, rather than that shithead Paris.”

She chuckled. Did her good to hear him discuss his friend with amusement rather than resentment or jealousy. “Didn’t you have something else to tell me?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “Here goes. Speaking of Paris, I have to head up to the heavens to help him find his not-so-dead girlfriend. I promised him. I told you that before, right?”

“You did.”

“Good. I want you to go with me.”

As if she had to think about it. And her willingness didn’t just spring from a desire to remain by Strider’s side. She wanted Paris happy. “Of course.”

“Thank you. And I love you, too. Not only do you make me happy, you make my demon happy. You feed him in a way I hadn’t known he needed, making me stronger than ever. That’s why I’m challenging myself to make sure you’re blissed out for the rest of your days.”

She groaned. “You have to stop doing that.” If he was hurt—again—because of her…

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you convince me of the merits of not challenging myself, baby doll.”

“And just how will you let me convince you, hmm?”

“Don’t be silly. With your body, of course.”

She planted little kisses all over his face. “And I will. But didn’t you have something else to tell me?”

“Yes, but how do you know that?”

She tapped a finger against her temple. “Smart, remember?”

He sat up, reached down and dug into his discarded pants’ pocket. When he straightened, he held out his hand, a chain dangling from his fingers. “Here.”

“What’s this?” she asked, sitting up beside him as she claimed it. A thin wooden disk hung from the links. In the center was an intricate, if lopsided, blue butterfly, matching the one tattooed across his stomach and hip.

A flush colored his cheeks. “It’s a necklace. Well, a medallion. It’s not the same as your mom’s or the one she gave you, but—”

“The cuts on your hands,” she gasped out. “You carved this yourself.”

He nodded.

Her eyes filled with tears as she removed the one Tabitha had given her, placed it on the nightstand and donned the new one. “This is better than my mother’s.” She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Strider. I was just kidding before, but now I mean it.”

He gave a warm, husky chuckle. “Actually, I prefer Bonin’. And I seriously love you, too, Red. More than I can ever say.”

“All Sabin did was tattoo Gwen’s name on several parts of his body after they got married, the loser,” she said, fingering the medallion’s surface. “I’m so lucky.”

He stiffened. “Uh, yeah, speaking of married…”

“Finally,” she said on a laugh. “But if you’ve got something to confess, there’s a better time. Like, when you’re about to be inside me.”

“You know we’re hitched,” he said, studying her intently, and she nodded. He relaxed. “How?”

“Some people make bad secret-keepers and would be better served spilling everything to their doting wife.”

“Kaia.”

“Fine. I felt the connection.”

“Because of the mind-speak, I’m betting. I should have known.” He grinned at that. “And you don’t mind?”

“Mind? I want to be your wife. You remember my goals as a young girl, don’t you?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “But…maybe you should get my name tattooed all over you. I mean, I adore the medallion so the ink would just be icing on the cake, proving we’re a better couple than Sabin and Gwen.”

“Consider it done.”

As she straddled his waist, he reached up and cupped her jaw. “Now, I’m not doubting you, you understand, but I’m gonna need you to prove your love. You do remember promising to do so, don’t you?”

“I do. Just tell me how,” she whispered, breathless, knowing exactly where he was headed with this. “I mean, I love you for your mind, of course, so I guess I could sit here for hours, describing how I delight in your every genius idea. And then I could—”

“Just for today, we’re going to pretend you love me for my body.” He lay back down, pulling her with him. “So, you can start up top and work your way down. Okay, okay. You can also show me how grateful you are for my brilliance while you’re at it. I mean, your sister is safe because of me. It’s the least you can do.”