Draco’s head snapped up, his eyes flashing. “She’s not a fuck toy, Aiden.”
“Did I say she was?” Aiden rolled his eyes. “I’m talking about mutual exploration. She’d enjoy it too. Think of it like a trial run.”
“The fact that you’re reducing this to sex shows how little you understand about what’s at stake,” Draco muttered.
I watched the exchange with growing unease. Draco was defending her. Passionately. Which meant...
“You like her,” I said, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut.
Draco met my eyes. “I find her intriguing, is that so wrong?”
“Since when?” Eris asked, looking between us with interest.
“Since I took the time to actually talk to her,” Draco replied. “Something the rest of you might consider trying.”
Aiden groaned, sitting back against the couch. “Is that where you disappeared to tonight? A little one-on-one with the Ophis?”
Draco’s jaw tightened. “We had a conversation. That’s all.”
“About what?”
“None of your fucking business.”
I stood up, unable to sit still any longer. “This isexactlywhat I’m worried about. She’s been here for what, a week? And she’s already driving wedges between us.”
“The only wedge here is your stubbornness,” Draco shot back.
“My stubbornness? I’m trying to protect what we’ve built. Our shield is stable. We work well together. Why risk all that on an unknown variable?”
“Sometimes the unknown is worth exploring,” Draco said. “Are you too chicken shit to take chances?”
The room fell silent. I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples, a headache building behind my eyes. “I’m going to bed. We can continue this discussion tomorrow.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Aiden said, standing and stretching. “The Assembly wants us to bond with her. Our families want it. And apparently, Draco wants it too.” He smirked. “I vote we try it.”
“This isn’t a vote,” I growled. “This is our life. Our futures.”
“Exactly,” Draco said. “Which is why we should consider all options carefully. Including Jupiter.”
I turned and walked toward my bedroom without another word. I couldn’t deal with this right now. Not when my thoughts were so tangled, not when the memory of her fighting, movinglike liquid starlight, those silver eyes flashing, was still so fresh in my mind.
My room was dark and quiet after I slammed and locked the door. I stripped off my shirt, tossing it aside before heading to the adjoining bathroom. A hot shower was exactly what I needed to clear my head.
The water beat down on my shoulders, hot enough to sting, but I welcomed the sensation. It gave me something to focus on besides Jupiter fucking Black. Besides the way she’d moved in the combat arena, so sure of herself. Besides the defiant tilt of her chin when she’d faced down all four of us without flinching, and the smirk she gave me as she got me on the ground.
I pressed my forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall, trying to force the images away. It didn’t work. Instead, they became more vivid. More detailed. The way her black hair had come loose from its braid during our fight, framing her face and falling all the way down to her tight ass. The flush on her cheeks. The fierce light in her silver eyes.
“Fuck,” I muttered, closing my eyes. This was ridiculous.
But my body didn’t seem to care. My cock was already hard and aching. I tried to ignore it, to focus on the practical concerns—the risk she represented to our shield, the unknown nature of her powers, the Assembly’s suspicious behavior and secrecy.
It didn’t help. My mind kept circling back to her. To those full lips that had curved into a smirk. To the sliver of skin visible between her top and pants when she’d moved. To the serpent tattoos that coiled up her arms, seeming to come alive with her magic.
Before I realized what I was doing, my hand was wrapped around my cock, stroking slowly. I told myself I was just relieving tension. That it didn’t mean anything. That it could be anyone in my thoughts right now.
But it wasn’t anyone. It was her. Jupiter on her knees before me, those silver eyes looking up through dark lashes. Her full lips parted, taking me into the heat of her mouth. My fingers tangled in her long black hair, guiding her movements as she took me deeper.
My strokes quickened, my breath coming in harsh pants that echoed against the shower walls. In my mind, her tongue swirled around the head of my cock, her hands gripping my thighs as she moaned around me.
