When I finally lift my head, her face is flushed, eyes glazed, mouth parted as she drags in air.
She looks wrecked.
Beautiful.
“Torin,” she whispers, dazed. “I?—”
“You did that,” I say, kissing her inner thigh. “You. Not the bond.”
A shaky laugh breaks out of her. “Liar.”
“Not a lie.” I crawl back up her body, kissing my way to her mouth. She tastes like herself—wild and warm and storm-charged.
Her hands find me again immediately, greedy now, confidence returning with a vengeance. She strokes me, and the sound I make is not dignified.
Her smile turns wicked. “Tell me what you want.”
My throat tightens. “You.”
“That’s not specific.”
I huff a laugh into her shoulder. “I want you to touch me like that again. And then I want to be inside you. And I want you to tell me you still choose me when I do.”
Her expression softens, heat and tenderness braided together. “Always.”
She slides down my body before I can stop her, wing brushing the stone. I start to protest—the floor is cold, she’s still healing—but she shakes her head, eyes bright.
“Let me,” she says.
I swallow hard and let her.
Her mouth closes around me, warm and wet, and my vision blacks out. I grip the stone on either side of her, fighting the instinct to move too fast, to take too much.
Zara hums as she tastes me, curious and unafraid. Her tongue flicks, learning. Her hand strokes the base of me in time with her mouth, and the combined sensation makes my gills flare so hard it’s embarrassing.
She pulls back just enough to look up at me, lashes damp. “Like that?”
I laugh breathlessly. “Exactly like that.”
She takes me again, deeper, and I swear I see stars. Lightning crackles along her shoulders, responding to her own excitement. My water magic slips over her skin, a cool caress that makes her shiver.
The bond pulses, urging, wanting the final step.
I reach down, sliding my fingers into her hair. Not forcing. Just holding. “Zara.”
She releases me with a soft pop, mouth glossy. “What?”
“I’m not going to last if you keep doing that.”
She smiles, triumphant. “Good.”
I catch her chin, make her look at me. “Still sure?”
Her gaze doesn’t waver. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
The words undo me all over again.
I guide her back onto the warmed stone, careful of her wing and shoulder. She opens to me immediately, thighs spreading, inviting.
