And then—he drives into me. So deep I swear I see stars.
“Oh gods,” I gasp, my fingers twisting into the blanket, my body trembling from the shock of pleasure.
My body tightens like a forge sealing around flame.
“Fuck, Amara,” he growls.
His muscles flex beneath my hands as he thrusts again. And again. Each movement claiming more of me until all I can do is hold on.
The pleasure doesn’t crest this time—itdetonates. A fusion of fire and flesh, power and want. I don’t rise—Iignite.
And gods help me, I take him with me.
A ragged sound escapes him, deep and raw. His body tenses, an arm pulling me closer like I’m the only thing tethering him to this world.
Release tears through him in shuddering waves. He burieshimself deep, chest heaving, forehead pressed to mine as we ride the storm together.
For a long moment, we just breathe. Our bodies still tangled, heartbeats still racing, as the last flickers of magics and heat fade between us.
Thane lifts his head, breath still uneven, and slowly, carefully, eases out of me. His eyes find mine—and the look he gives me? It’s not just satisfaction. It’s possession. A quiet, burning certainty that this—us—is far from over.
Like he’s already claimed every part of me, body and soul.
Thane holds me close as he rolls onto his back. My head rests on his chest, nestled in the crook of his shoulder, my fingers absently tracing the carved lines across his stomach. His arm is wrapped around me, his hand moving in lazy, idle patterns along my back.
He’s tracing my tattoos. His fingertip follows the lines, light and slow, like he’s committing each Elemental shape to memory.
The evening settles around us, the warm air wrapping close. Sounds of the lagoon fill the silence—the distant croak of frogs, the soft rustling of unseen creatures moving through the trees, the rhythmic lapping of water against the shore.
Everything feels quiet. Safe. Even the air seems to know not to intrude.
“That was . . . ” Thane pauses, dragging his thumb along my spine, searching for the word. “ . . . intense,” he says. I can hear the smile in his voice.
I blink, my mind still hazy, floating somewhere between exhaustion and the lingering heat of his touch.
I tilt my head, glancing up at him. “The sex or the magics?”
His fingers press a little firmer against my skin. “Both.”
I still, suddenly more awake. I know what he’s talking about. The fire. The wind. The way my magics surged, unrestrained.
I swallow, shifting against him. “I wasn’t trying to make ithappen.”
Thane hums—low, thoughtful. “Didn’t seem like the kind of thing you could stop.”
I breathe in deep, letting that sink in. He’s right. I couldn’t have stopped it if I tried.
His fingers trace the base of my spine, slow, grounding. “Felt different each time. Like the Elements knew what you needed before you did.”
I nod, my throat suddenly tight. “It was.”
He doesn’t press further, doesn’t ask questions. He just lets it hang between us, his touch gentle, steady, reassuring.
And then, after a long stretch of silence, “It was beautiful.”
My heart trips—I wasn’t expecting that.
He props himself up on one elbow, looking down at me, hair mussed, eyes still lazy with contentment.
