"Fuck, you feel incredible," I groan, my voice strained with the effort of control. "So tight. So hot. Squeezing my cock like you never want to let me go."
She moans at my words, her fingernails digging into my shoulders hard enough to leave marks. "Don't stop," she begs, her voice breaking as I begin to move. "Please?—"
I set a rhythm that's relentless and claiming, each thrust driving deeper, harder. The water rushes over us, adding another layer of sensation as I drive into her again and again. My shadows join the dance, caressing her where my hands cannot reach, supporting her weight so I can thrust deeper. They wrap around her wrists, her thighs, holding her open for my possession.
"You're mine," I growl against her ear, feeling her inner walls begin to flutter with the beginnings of her release. "Say it. Tell me who owns every inch of your body."
"Yours," she gasps, her back arching as I hit that spot deep inside that makes her see stars. "I'm yours, Malakai. All yours. Only yours."
"And I'm yours," I admit, the words escaping before I can stop them. "Completely fucking yours, Seraphina."
The declaration seems to push her over the edge. She comes with a scream that echoes off the stone walls, her body convulsing around mine in rhythmic pulses that nearly trigger my release. I fight to hold back, determined to make this last, to brand this moment into both our memories.
I slow my thrusts, drawing out her pleasure until she's trembling and spent in my arms. Only then do I withdraw, my cock glistening with her arousal.
"Turn around," I command. "Hands on the wall. I want to take you from behind, want to feel how deeply I can get inside you."
She obeys without hesitation, bracing against the smooth stone as I position myself behind her. I enter her with one powerful thrust, both of us groaning at the new angle. From behind, I can drive even deeper, hitting spots that make her cry out with each stroke.
"Again," I demand against her ear, my pace relentless now, one arm wrapped around her waist while my other hand tangles in her wet hair, pulling her head back. "Come for me again. I want to feel you shatter around my cock."
My free hand slides between her legs, finding her swollen clit with practiced ease. I circle the sensitive bundle of nerves in time with my thrusts, feeling her tension build with each passing second.
"That's it," I encourage as I feel her tensing around me. "Let go. Give yourself to me completely."
When she comes this time, she takes me with her. Her inner walls clamp down with such exquisite pressure that my control shatters entirely. I thrust deep one last time, my cock pulsing as I empty myself inside her with a hoarse shout that's half her name, half primal claiming.
"Mine," I growl against her neck—against my mating mark—as my release floods through her. "All fucking mine."
For endless moments afterward, we cling to each other, bodies still joined, heartbeats gradually slowing from their frantic pace. The water continues to cascade over us, washing away the evidence of our passion but not the connection that grows stronger with each encounter.
Eventually, I carry her from beneath the waterfall to a patch of soft moss nearby. We collapse together, her head on my chest, my arm around her waist possessively, watching the twilight filter through ancient trees.
After a comfortable silence, she props herself up on one elbow, studying my face with an intensity that would make me uncomfortable from anyone else.
"After what we just shared, you owe me one truth," she says suddenly, her voice soft but determined.
I give her a warning look, not liking the direction this is heading.
"You do," she insists, unfazed by my glare. "I've surrendered completely to you. Given you my body, my trust, even knowing what you are. You owe me this much in return."
I consider refusing, but something in her expression—the vulnerability beneath the bravado—stops me. "Fair enough," I concede finally. "One truth. Ask."
She hesitates, clearly weighing her options carefully. "Who is Julia?" she asks at last. "You said her name that day in your study when we were together. It made you stop everything and order me out."
Of all the questions she might ask, this one cuts deepest. I nearly refuse to answer again, but the earnestness in her golden eyes makes me reconsider.
"Her name was Julia," I say after a long pause, the name strange on my tongue after so long. "She meant everything to me, once. My first mate. And then she broke my heart."
"How?" Seraphina asks gently.
"She died," I say simply, unwilling to elaborate further. "That's all you need to know."
Seraphina's expression softens with compassion. "I'm so sorry," she whispers, her hand coming to rest over my heart. "Truly. To lose your mate..."
The genuine sympathy in her voice catches me off guard. There's no calculation there, no attempt to use this weakness against me—just honest empathy for my loss.
"Decades feel like yesterday when you're immortal," I say, trying to dismiss the topic but acknowledging the weight of time.
