There was a pause. It lingered, allowing a flicker of hope to swell in my chest before it was snatched back. “Escort him from my sight,” he ordered, blank, emotionless. Bored. “I never want to see his face again.”

The world was a blur, a muffled din as I screamed and fought. It was futile. The progress I had made in the human realm, the dreams I had allowed myself to believe, the plans we had whispered to one another in the quiet of night—all of it gone with a snap of his fingers. I would never know that taste of peace again. I would never see my mate again.

My Rosemary.

Chapter One

LUCA

PRESENT DAY

(Two Days Before Teighan Epilogue)

There were really only two things that made early mornings more bearable. The first was breakfast in bed: stacks of soft pancakes with lashings of syrup, or Chef Milo’s savory meat pies with cheese and relish brought to me on a silver tray.

The second was having Cair’s mouth on my dick.

As divine as it was to slowly blink into consciousness with my mate’s arms surrounding me in a warm, safe cocoon—one of my life’s simplest yet greatest pleasures—my lazy ass sometimes needed extra encouragement. However, as I stirred awake, squinting as the sun laser-beamed straight into my retinas, I could not smell the sweet, sticky scent of fruit and fluffy goodness in the air. Nor did I feel anything special happening between my legs.

Was Cair bored of our mated-and-in-love routine already? The fact that we’d already formed routines made me all giddy. We were adorable. It had only been six months since we came back to the Otherworld after Alex and Teighan’s mating, and if Cair was no longer feeling the honeymoon-like bliss, he never let it show. His enthusiasm spoke for itself, and seriously, how anyone could be as perky as he was at the ass crack of dawn was beyond my comprehension.

Without fail, on the mornings when he couldn’t stay in bed with me, he’d nuzzle the back of my neck, wait until I stirred, then grind up against my ass, getting me all hot and bothered before slipping under the covers to suck me dry—almost like an apology for leaving. If he deemed me too peaceful to disturb, he’d sneak out while I was dead to the world and return later to present his platter of freshly baked goods before going about his duties with the most self-satisfied smirk on his face. Either way, he always seemed eager to follow his provider instincts, and on the days when he felt particularly doting, I got both. I was out here living the dream.

Except… this morning I was awake with no food, no blow job, and no mate in sight.

Where has he gone?