His name rips from my lips, a cry of release, my head tilting back as the first stars blink through the twilight sky above.
And then, my magicserupt.
Fire flickers over my skin, glowing embers trailing in the air like falling sparks. Wind whips around us, stirring the trees, sending leaves spiraling into the sky. The lagoon ripples outward, waves shivering across the surface, glowing faintly with reflected starlight. The earth beneath us trembles, a deep, resonant hum—like it feels everything I do.
It’s too much, too raw, too powerful, but Thane holds me through it. His arms are strong, his body still moving against mine, carrying me through the storm—riding it with me instead of resisting it.
I feel his breath against my skin, grounding me even as my magics spiral outward, unfurling in waves of fire, wind, water, earth. His voice comes low. Rough. Reverent.
“I’ve got you.”
Three simple words, but they anchor me, pull me back from the edge, hold me together as I shatter completely. His hands tighten, fingers pressing into my skin, his lips brushing my neck as the last tremors of power fade.
And as my power settles, the echoes of them linger like a whispered secret. All I can do is collapse against him, breathless, boneless and completely undone.
He searches my face, brushing damp strands from my cheek, his gaze intent—like he needs proof I’m still here. “You still with me?” he murmurs.
I smile and nod, my body weightless.
Thane moves again. With a swift, fluid motion, he shifts us—flipping me onto my back, his body covering mine, pressing me into the blanket beneath us.
I gasp, my limbs still trembling from the rush of pleasure and the magics humming beneath my skin.
His eyes find mine, dark and molten, golden flecks dancing in the twilight.
I bite my lower lip, anticipation coiling tight all over again, my fingers digging into his sculpted arms.
And then he moves again.
He thrusts—controlled, hungry, like he’s staking a claim deeper than skin. My hands clutch for purchase—his arms, the blanket, anything that will keep me from floating away. His grip tightens, his muscles flexing beneath my touch.
My powers begin to stir again as I arch my back, welcoming the release with a shuddering gasp.
This time, the magics fuse.
They coalesce around us, swirling in delicate tendrils, a shimmering blend of fire, water, air, and earth. It doesn’t explode outward—it dances, twists, fuses together into something new. Something radiant.
This is what true balance must feel like.
The magics sparkle in the air, glimmering like stardust, spinning around us before dissolving like mist in the night. The energy lingers—warm, electric, but controlled. A breathtaking, intimate display of power that ebbs as my body relaxes beneath him.
I collapse, my chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. I don’t know what just happened—I only know I’ll never be the same.
Thane groans, his head dipping to my shoulder, his movements slowing as he rides me through it. He lifts his head, eyes heavy with hunger—but now lit with something else. Hewatches me, completely wrecked.
I reach up and brush my fingers along his cheek, tracing the line of his jaw, before cupping his face.
Then—his mouth stretches into a wicked grin. “We’re going to burn this lagoon down. And I’m not letting you go until you beg me to stop.”
I let out a breathless laugh, still reeling. Still trembling from the aftershocks of magics and pleasure. My fingers trail up his chest, over the hard planes of muscle, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath.
“That’s because you took forever to make a move.” I tease. “So I’ve been a bit pent up.”
Thane’s smirk deepens, his hands roaming again.
His lips graze my jaw. “I guess I’ve got to make up for lost time.”
He shifts—grips my hips—and then—hooks both of my legs over his shoulders. His hands brace on either side of my head, his fierce gaze locking on mine.
