This has to be the highest balcony in Castle Erus. Even the tallest spires of the Moon Temple, the slate of their rooftops, are visible. The shore of Kevus Lake, the winding Daxing River, and all the surrounding city districts… they all can be seen from here.
Lifting my gaze to the heavens, I freeze.
Hundreds of tiny magelights—which could be mistaken for the lantern bugs I grew to adore during summer nights—hover above. The lights dance and sway in the breeze. It’s as if the stars of the universe have been pulled down for one night.
In awe, I reach, my finger grazing one of the silver orbs. It bounces away with my touch, launching itself higher into the night where it settles out of reach.
“I figured we could sleep under the stars and catch sunrise together,” Ryc says and my eyes race down from the heavens to his.
With a tilt of his head, he gestures to my right, and following his gaze, I find the balcony has been furnished. An open-air bedroom. Complete with plush pillows, blankets, and a large, low bed.
I’ve not slept under the stars, but I’ve spent many nights staring at them. Turning my eyes to his, he meets my stare.
“Be careful, nyraphim, it’s almost like you love me,” I say as he draws me into his embrace.
Ryc grins and it’s the kind of breath-stealing, heart-stopping smile I’ll never grow tired of receiving.
“Imagine that, little love,” he teases.
My heart flutters.
Not little witch.
Or little demon, or little death.
But…little love.
My heart has never belonged to me.
Not since the moment we met.
Rising on my toes, my fingers curl into his shirt, pulling him into me. And lifting my face to his, I kiss him, drawing him with me toward the bed.
There’ll be no sleeping under the stars tonight either.
The edge of the bed stops me, but not Ryc. With a small, playful shove, I’m sent tumbling backward, laughing. I’m not left without him for long. His lips find my throat, and the weight of him pressing me into the bed sends delicious shivers darting down my spine.
Trailing my touch down his stomach, I find his belt as I slip my feet free from my heels. As they fall, Ryc wedges a gentle kneebetween my thighs, sweeping my leg out as he drives his hips into mine. It pulls a deep moan from me, the hardened feel of him emptying my head of everything else from today.
His belt falls to the floor, tossed aside by my hand, the metal clanging upon the stone. Reaching for the button of his pants, he snatches my wrist, and frees my throat from his lips.
“We have eternity,” he says, his desire-darkened stare meeting mine.
He pins my wrists above my head using a single hand, and lowering his face to mine, a smirk crosses his face.
Eternity.
Of this.
Of him.
Too easily his stare threatens to be my undoing. I’m burning in the most besotted and brazen way.
“But why wait?” I challenge.
Giving me a lazy grin, he traces his fingers down my arm, leaving a trail of pebbled skin in their wake. They swirl along my collar, down the center of my chest, over my tightened stomach, and lower still, shortening my breath.
The silk of my dress slips aside, and feather-light, teasing touches around the slicked apex of my thighs leave me moaning and breathless beneath him.
