“Gods . . . Ethan,” I whimper.
“I got you.” His voice is a gravelly rasp. “I need you to come for me again. I need—”
We shout together as our bodies arch and warmth spills across my stomach. Our climax rocks through us until I go limp beneath his trembling body, my head lolling to the side. Ethan shifts off me and uses his T-shirt to wipe my stomach clean. Then he nearly collapses onto his back. We lie side by side, fighting to catch our breath.
“Wait,” I say once I can form words. Confusion tugs my brows into a frown. “I thought there’s more ...”
He emits a sound halfway between tortured and amused. “We can’t. I don’t have a condom.”
“But—”
He abruptly pushes himself onto his elbow and catches my chin between his fingers. “There is nothing I want more than to bury myself inside you and fuck you until you come around my cock. But I can’t risk ... If you become pregnant ...”
“You’re right,” I breathe, shocked that for a split second I wanted to take that risk. “Of course we can’t.”
“Later.” He sighs and presses his forehead against mine. “I promise.”
I want to cradle his promise in my heart. To hold it and keep it safe. But I swallow the emotion tightening my throat. I don’t want to think about later. I’m supposed to be over thisinfatuationlater.
“Let’s not worry about later.” It was just sex. Not even full-on sex since I’m technically still a virgin. See? Nothing changed. “This was pretty fun.”
“Pretty fun?”Ethan looks down at me with a mock frown, even as something like hurt shadows his eyes. “I’ve got to do better than that.”
“What?” I widen my eyes with innocence.Nowis enough. “I thought it wasnice.”
“That’s it.” His smile is pure wickedness, and relief runs through me. No one will get their heart broken. “I’m going to make you come so hard, you won’t be able to see straight.”
“Oh, yeah?” I squeak, pressing my thighs together.
His laughter tickles my skin as he dips his head to my breast. When he licks my nipple and sucks it into his mouth, I have no sass to give.
When my eyes flicker open, I’m groggy as I’m dragged out of a dreamless slumber. It’s still dark as a crypt outside. I don’t know what woke me, but Ethan has his big body curled against my back with his arm flung over my stomach, a possessive hand on my breast. I wiggle my ass closer to him and sigh, linking my fingers through his. The quiet stillness of the night ensconces us, and my eyes flutter shut, only to snap open a second later.
Mihwa-ya.
My mother is dead, but I would know her voice anywhere. I don’t want to wake up Ethan. I’m most likely hallucinating anyway—which is disturbing, but I’ll worry about that later. Holding my breath, I lift his arm off me and slip out of the blanket tangled around us.
Mihwa-ya.
I’m just hallucinating ... Oh, fuck it. I run the rest of the way out of the room and into the small courtyard of our house.
“Mother?” I spin left and right. “Mother?”
I stare out into the dark forest, tears streaming down my face. She’s not here. Of course she’s not. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Because the house holds a hint of her life force and it makes me feel closer to her. But enough is enough. I dry my wet cheeks with impatient swipes of my hand. She’s gone.
With a deafening crack, a rush of heat pushes me from behind, making me stumble and fall onto my hands and knees. Shaking my head to clear it, I get to my feet and turn around. Flames, hot and towering, are consuming my childhood home ... with Ethan inside.
A shrill scream rises to my throat. “No.”
Run, Daughter.I hear my mother’s voice again.You must run.
This isn’t an ordinary fire. I sense a tendril of her gi in the fiery heat. The magic from the last of her life force is burning the house down. Within seconds, a wooden pillar crumbles to cinders and collapses the roof over the kitchen.Ethan.
“Are you doing this? Why, Mother?” I shout into the night. “Stop. Please stop. Ethan’s inside.”
Run, Daughter,the voice repeats. I want to clap my hands over my ears.
“No. You’re dead.” I clench my fists. “He’s all I have.”
