I lift my hand, settling my palm over the mating mark on his chest.
The Godfire has burned down to ash, and the clearing is serene. No more shadows or divine interference.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“Now?”Andrik’s fingers trace lazy, possessive patterns down my side. “Now we live, Lumi. We build a life. We love each other until the stars go out. We make up for every single day the gods stole from us.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He smiles. “Unless you have other plans?”
I pull away slightly, performing a dramatic, theatrical stretch.
“Yeah...I was thinking... it’s probably time for me to go back to my apartment now.”
His hand stills on my back, and his mouth twitches.
“Back to your...apartment,” he repeats the last word as if it’s foreign.
His hand slides down to my hip, his claws tracing the line of my bone.
“You can try,” he purrs, his voice dipping into that predatory register that makes my toes curl. “But you won’t get far.” He pauses, his mouth curving against the sensitive skin of my throat. “Besides... you left your heart here. I checked. It belongs to the forest now.”
I snort, trying to mask my expression. “I don’t know. I’m pretty fast when I wanna be. Remember when I snuck out of your bathroom window?”
He lets out a devious laugh against my temple, but there’s a new glint of hunger in his eyes.
“If you know what’s good for you, little mortal, you won’t remind me.” He nips at my jaw, his teeth grazing my skin.“Go ahead.Run.”
He pulls back, his pupils expanding so large there’s only a sliver of color left.
“I have the urge to hunt anyway.”
I study his face, heart already hammering in my chest. He’s serious. Well, not serious as in he wants to hunt and eat me, but serious as inhe wants to hunt and eat me.
“You wouldn’t,” I breathe.
“Try me.” His smile sharpens, showing just a hint of fang. “I’ll even give you a head start.”
My pulse jumps. He’s watching me like I’m the only thing in the world worth catching. Like he’s starving for the chase.
Gods, that shouldn’t be as hot as it is.
Do I want to get chased through the woods and ravaged in the snow by a monster?
Fuck. Yes.
“How much of a head start?” I ask, already shifting toward the edge of the furs, my skin prickling with anticipation.
His grin widens. “Thirty seconds, Lumi. Make them count.”
“That’s not long?—”
“Twenty-nine.”
I scramble to my feet, grabbing the oversized tunic he gave me days ago, pulling it on as I back toward the tree line. My legs feel like jelly, but adrenaline is already flooding my system.
“Andrik wait?—”
