She wouldn’t.
Sin kissed him back with a hunger that matched his.
He didn’t want to think about what she would face. He only wanted to think about them, how perfectly their bodies aligned with each other, how no matter where she went, she belonged to him. If she was going to leave, he was going to send her with one hell of a goodbye.
As if her magic took a life of its own, all of their clothes shredded apart, falling into piles on the floor. Sin jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. Smiles broke across their lips, but he couldn’t break them apart.
Max pinned her against the wall, his lips hovering over hers for a heartbeat too long. He felt her breath on his mouth, a mixture of longing and fear. His heart pounded, an erratic rhythm as he fought his own hesitation, the deep need to make her stay warring with the knowledge that he couldn’t.
He swallowed her gasp when he thrust into her, it wasn’t gentle—it was desperate, an unspoken promise carved into her skin, a need to mark her, claim her, before she could slip away.
His tongue found hers, their mouths moving in a dance that matched the slow, grinding rhythm of his hips. The air was thick with the scent of firewood and sex, their breaths mingling in a hot, fevered rush. Every thrust was a statement, every stroke a plea, and Sin’s nails raked down his back, urging him on, grounding herself in the chaos of his touch.
The sounds of her pussy made him growl, pulling out of her before dropping to his knees.
“Just a taste.” His thumbs slid under her knees, holding her up and pressing her back against the wall as he devoured her. Her moans made the walls shake, and he could feel her concern through the bond.
Smiling up at her, he said, “I have an idea.”
She nodded rapidly. “Okay.”
A dark ripple of magic enveloped them, and suddenly they stood deep in an unfamiliar forest, the chill of the night biting into their bare skin. Sin glanced around, unease seeping in as she realized just how isolated they were—how vulnerable. Max watched her, a dark hunger flashing in his eyes, a promise that this night would test them both.
At least her magic couldn’t control anything out here on a catastrophic level.
Max’s lips curled into a smile, slow and dangerous, revealing the sharp glint of his fangs. Sin’s breath caught, her throattightening as her eyes searched his, now darkened to a predator’s gaze.
He watched her chest rise and fall, her pulse fluttering beneath her skin, and when she took a hesitant step back, the thrill of the chase simmered beneath his own skin. He moved closer, a low growl reverberating through him, feeling the delicious power shift in the air between them.
He grabbed her wrist, pulling her close. “You want to leave, fine. But remember this face, Sin. Remember the monster I can become. If anyone dares touch you, if I even sense you’re in trouble, I will rip the world apart to find you. I will be your salvation, or your reckoning—whatever it takes to bring you back.”
Her breath hitched. “And if I hunt you?”
“Hunt me, my love, and I will crawl for you. But right now, I’m struggling to control myself. Every part of me wants to lock you in my room and never let you leave. You’re going to have to help me.”
“How?” she asked with a hopeless look on her face.
His tongue snaked out, now forked at the end, and he licked down her jaw before growling into her ear.
“Run.”
Sin
Feral delight filled her chest, and she didn’t have to be told twice before she took off into a sprint.
She ran for over a mile, and there was no sign of Max.
She frowned as she came to a stop, sweat slicking against her skin despite the cool, night air. Looking back, there was no sign of Max anywhere. No sounds. No scents, and she refused to cheat and use the bond.
She understood his need well, and hoped they marked each other enough that would last for days. Sin wondered if there were spells for slowing healing.
A twig snapped, but there was no sign of him. Clearly intentional.
A snake shifter, and one as swift as Max, wouldn’t make a sound.
Sin smiled, and continued running.
And because she was not as swift as a shifter, she tripped on a tree root, falling face first into the mossy ground.
