I came with his name on my lips, inner walls clenching around him, and felt him follow me over seconds later—his whole body shuddering, a groan tearing from his chest as he spilled himself inside me.
We stayed tangled together for a long moment afterward, breathing hard, hearts pounding in tandem. His shadows slowly receded from the walls, letting thin threads of moonlight creep back in through the shuttered window.
He rolled to his side, pulling me with him, tucking me against his chest like I belonged there.
“What happens tomorrow?” I asked quietly.
His fingers traced lazy patterns on my hip. “Tomorrow we face whatever comes. Together.”
“And tonight?”
His smile was slow, wicked, full of promise. “Tonight, I’m going to make you scream my name so many times that even myshadows won’t be able to muffle the sound.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Rest up, Princess. We’re just getting started.”
Chapter Fifty
Aurelia
Iwoke slowly, rested and warm, for the first time in weeks. Rydian’s arm lay heavy across my waist, shadows curled lazily along his skin like contented cats. His breathing was steady against the back of my neck.
For a long moment, I didn’t move.
I didn’t want to.
My body was sore in a way that felt satisfying.
Gods. Last night had been even better than our first, and that was saying something.
His voice came from the warm space behind my ear, low and rough with sleep. “Thinking of running off?”
I smiled into the pillow. “Not at all.”
“Good.” His nose brushed my shoulder. “Because if you leave this bed, I might burn the cabin down.”
“Out of the two of us, I’m the one who could do such a thing.”
“My shadows would restrain you before that could happen.”
Heat pulsed through me at the way he said it—lazy,possessive, still half-asleep. A promise in the making. Or maybe a threat. With Rydian, it was hard to tell the difference.
I rolled onto my back. He propped himself on his elbow, hair tousled, eyes dark, with last-night’s hunger muted only slightly by sleep.
He studied me for a long, quiet moment, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face.
“How do you feel?” he asked softly.
“Tired,” I whispered. “Sore.”
He smirked, satisfied.
“And…” I hesitated.
His eyes softened, and he waited.
“Different,” I admitted. “I can’t explain it. My magic feels… heavier? Or deeper. Like there’s something else to it, something closer to the surface than ever.”
His thumb brushed my cheekbone. “I can feel it.” His gaze darkened as his hand slid beneath the blankets, trailing over my hips to my thighs. “And I can feel you.”
My pulse jumped. “Rydian?—”
