Fuck, yes, darling. Burn for me.
Louie inches closer, her mouth twisted in a snarl, white fangs bared in concern.
I smirk, reaching for Aurora’s hand.
“Little flame, you’re on fire again. Tell me why you’re upset.”
Her flames lash out, and my shadows recoil, slinking to my skin’s edge like spooked animals.
Fucking cowards.
Last night, they curled into her fire. Now they waver, unsure whether to kneel or run.
The moment we touch, I’m instantly engulfed in her flames.
The sting is sharper than last time. Interesting.
“I’ll carve that ancient skank’s still-beating monster heart from her boney-ass ribcage,” Aurora spits.
The revenants shudder with glee. They slither up my arms, reveling in her violence as they play with her fire.
Her rage is magnificent.
My smirk sharpens as her antlers rise and her sweet briar crown blooms. The green in her eyes blazes, burning into a copper fury.
The shadows sway, caressing the air around her, drawn to the power spilling from her skin. They reach for her, weaving through the flames like children chasing embers, spellbound by their queen’s wrath.
When she growls, a very human-like flinch runs through them.
Oh, the melodrama! Like a pack of second-stringHamletunderstudies.
“Christ!” Louie breathes, her expression folding somewhere between awe and what-the-fuck.
“Look at you, Aurora! Fuckin’ beautiful!”
Aurora slowly turns her head towards Louie while an invisible wind makes her hair dance along with the flames.
Slowly, the scent of kettle corn thickens in the air, like sugar burning on the edge of something dangerous. It’s the telltale sign she’s slipping, lost in her rage.
She looks like she’s about to use her untethered persuasion magic to get Louie to do something truly terrible.
I trail my hand up her arm to cup her face, gently pressing her cheek to bring her attention back to me.
“Hello, beautiful,” I whisper, leaning forward to press a kiss at the corner of her mouth.
She smiles, then bites her bottom lip with a fang.
My breath stutters, then stops entirely.
One of my shadows flicks toward her jaw, running along her smooth, fire-kissed skin in a silent dare.
Do it.
Christ, even they want me to fuck her senseless.
“You flatter me, little queen. I understand your anger. But Vesna is not a threat. Just a centuries-old soul-whore who thought choking on my cock would make her matter.”
The sentient sulk cloud bristles. One lashes the air, shoving Vesna’s memory out of my space. The rest coil at Aurora’s throat, whispering their intent:Ours.
