“It’s okay,” Ty said gently. He continued to watch her, clearly unsure of what to do. Ena just sat there, making no move to lay down again.
“Did you want to talk about it?” he asked cautiously.
Ena didn’t know what she wanted. She’d been trying hard not to think about it all, and since they’d arrived in Attax, there’d been plenty of distractions helping her keep her mind off it. But the dream had made her viscerally remember the fear she’d felt during the attack. She remembered running through the dark, fearing for Ty’s life, and using her magic in ways she never thought she could. Using hervisanisto make that man slit his own throat. She remembered wanting them to suffer—to die—and part of her thriving in the knowledge that she was capable of doing it.
She remembered those dark feelings, and her guilt and shame over them mixed with her fear as tears came to her eyes. Then she looked over at Ty in the dim light, and she remembered other feelings that were equally as dangerous. And all at once, everything came crashing down in such painful clarity.
She was in bed with a daemon. The same daemon she’d foolishly, willingly fell for years ago, and had never moved on from. A daemon who, if she were being honest, she wasn’t even trying to get away from anymore. A daemon who was drawing her in, making her care about him again, making herwanthim.
Gaia, what in the Underworld was she doing? She was losing her grip on herself. She’d always been one of the best witches in her Coven. Always helping people, perfecting her potions and spellwords, serving Gaia, and maintaining the balance. That was her path.
What path was she on now?
All at once, she felt so out of control and scared and…unworthy. The tears started to spill over and she turned her face away from Ty so he wouldn’t see.
“Hey, hey,” Ty said, sensing her distress. “It’s alright, Ena. You’re safe here, you’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you. You know that, right?”
She nodded as he wrapped his arms around her gently. But he didn’t know that it wasn’t others she was afraid of. It was herself.
She started to sob, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Ty had never judged her over what happened. He’d understood she’d done what was necessary, and she wanted nothing more but to allow him to comfort her, to hold her, and reassure her that she was still good. And that Gaia still loved her. She knew, if given the chance, he would tell her that, all of that,and he would make her feel seen and worthy again. And she was so, so grateful for that. For him.
So she let him hold her, and slowly stroke her hair, as she sobbed quietly into his chest.
When her crying gradually stopped, Ty laid her down gently on her side and curled up behind her. She felt her body calm down as he slowly stroked her hair, her arm, the side of her thigh. His touch felt so right, and despite her fear and her guilt over her feelings for him, she felt drawn to him. The same way she’d been all those years ago.
She didn’t want to think about the man she’d killed anymore. She didn’t want to think about what Heran or her sister would say about it, about any of this. She just wanted to stop thinking. And his hands felt good. Gaia, they felt so good.
How could something so wrong feel so good?
So she decided to let go. She decided to lean in to what felt good and right and safe, in a world where everything increasingly felt bad and wrong and unsafe.
She arched back into him in silent invitation, pressing her ass softly into his crotch. She felt his cock through his pants, already half-hard, and she knew it was a bad idea, she knew it would only add to her guilt and all her confusing feelings, but she was so, so tired of fighting what felt good, what felt right, what called to her.
“Please, Ty,” she whispered quietly.
She felt his body freeze behind her, finally understanding her meaning. For a second, she wasn’t sure if he would continue. Maybe he would be the rational one, and put a stop to this right now, before any more lines were crossed.
Then he took a deep breath, his head nestled into the crux of her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin and hair, and he groaned. “Fuck, Ena,” he said. “This is a bad idea.”
“I know,” she said, “but I don’t care.”
He paused for just a second, as if holding himself back, before sliding her hair off her shoulder and kissing her neck gently, tenderly. The single kiss sent shivers down Ena’s body. She couldn’t even comprehend how many times she’d dreamed of having his lips on her again.
“Fuck it. Me neither,” he said.
Then he unleashed himself.
He kissed her neck again, open-mouthed this time, licking her, tasting her. She loved it. Gaia, she loved it so fucking much, and she wanted more. She arched deeper into him, feeling his rock-hard cock behind her, and she ground into it. She brought her hand up to tangle in his hair, holding his mouth to her as he continued to kiss up and down her neck, nibbling at that sweet spot just under her ear.
She squirmed and writhed in front of him, and sensing she wanted more, he slowly lowered the hand he’d been stroking her arm with to pull up her shift, bunching it around her waist. Her bottom half was fully exposed now, and his hand felt so big and warm as it slowly traveled up over her stomach, tracing circles with his fingers, until it came up to cup her breast.
He squeezed gently, kneading it softly as she arched back into him with a moan. He began to swirl his thumb over her nipple, making it peak and driving her mad until he eventually pinched it. The sharp shock of pain drove her crazy, making her gasp and sending a throb right down to her core.
Ena tilted her head back and moaned. “Fuck, Ty.”
“More?” he asked, his voice breathless from kissing her neck.
“Yes, fuck yes.”
