Her pert breasts, that tight arse, that forbidden shadow between her legs.
“Come on, Reth. That bitch defying you made you lose your edge?” Ceira croons, walking backwards towards the table, hands on the buttons of her trousers, undoing them as she goes. “I have something that might help.”
I move fast and grab her by the throat, slamming her back into the table, looming over her.
“What did you fucking say?”
“There he is!” She grins, licking those plump pink lips seductively.
“You want this? You want my fury?” I spit in her face, and she simply smirks.
“I’m surprised you had to ask.”
A roar erupts from me, my frustrations exploding behind my eyes, the room suddenly full of dark and shadows.
I grab her hip with one hand and roughly flip her over, holding her head to the table by the neck with the other. I grab the waist of her trousers and yank them down in one fluid movement, watching her back arch and her arse strain towards me as she moans.
“My edge is going to fuck you until you bleed,” I growl at her, pulling my own trousers down to pool at my feet. I slap those beautiful cheeks until they are red, my dick growing harder by the second, the evidence of my violence fuelling my desire.
“Ruin me,” she pants.
And I slam into her, hard and deep, so hard she slides up the table and I have to pull her back to me. I snake my arm around her hips and clasp her to me, burying myself as far into her as it will go, her moans turning to yelps.
The pace is brutal and mindless, my dick thrusting with abandon, the friction rough and painful. But I lose myself buried in her, chasing that release with each pound of my length ramming into her, each slithering tremble as it slides out.
I’m so lost in the feel of her insides clamping around me, squeezing me that black hair turns purple, sun-kissed skin turns creamy, and when I release her neck in shock, she turns to stare back at me, those violet eyes defiant.
My release erupts like a raging volcano, shuddering so violently with power that it makes my legs tremble and I scream to the Goddess herself.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Alaya
I wake and stretch my arms up, shaking off the last traces of sleep. When I turn my head, I realise I’m alone—and when I reach towards the blankets where Domanikk had fallen asleep beside me, they’re cold.
Getting up, I notice he’s left clean clothes on the chair by the table, with a scrap of paper balanced on top. A bowl of water and a bar of soap sit waiting.
‘Get dressed. We have somewhere important to visit. Dom x’
I smile to myself as I wash quickly in the ice-cold water and pull on the black loose shirt and black trousers he’s chosen. They fit better than my last ones, though I still have to tuck the turned-over hems into my boots.
Just as I finish Domanikk returns, grinning with unfiltered glee as he comes over and steals a quick kiss.
My body goes rigid. The ease of it—his kiss, my smile, the note signed with an ‘x’—settles over me like a blanket I shouldn’t want. Kiernan’s face flashes behind my eyes. My love. My husband.
When did I last think of him?
Domanikk gives me a questioning look, and I shove the thought down deep, cramming it into that locked piece of my heart that’s threatening to burst.
I smile, but the corners of my mouth feel tight, pulled taut by the secrets I am keeping. It’s a hollow gesture, a decoy meant to keep him from looking too closely at the ruin warring inside me. Though he seems satisfied, grabbing my hand and leading me outside.
“I’ve organised a little trip,” he says, practically bouncing on his toes as he tugs me forwards.
We walk so far into Heartwood that we emerge on the other side, where a thick wall of trees blocks our way. Domanikk leads us to a wide path carved through the forest nearby. The path is well worn, hoofprints pressed deep into the soil.
As it widens ahead, I start to hear a low rumbling, the ring of metal on metal, and shouting. When we reach the end, I gasp at the sight before me.
The clearing is enormous, surrounded by dense forest. Everything is so green, the long grass billowing in the light breeze. And it’s packed with Equitae—well over a hundred of them. Some are in Horse Form, battling each other with rears and squeals, thrashing hooves and snapping teeth. Others fight in Fae Form, swords clashing, fists flying. Domanikk spots Viveen and waves her over.
