“I was watching.”
He guided me toward the exit, one hand firm at my elbow, the other wrapped around my waist. I leaned into him more than necessary, but he didn’t comment.
The cool night air hit us as we stepped outside, easing the heat in my cheeks and chest. Above us, the stars burned brighter and clearer than I had ever seen, untouched by the darkness that haunted the world beyond Vaelthorne.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
“Walk,” Daemon muttered, though his voice lacked its usual sharp edge.
Without realizing it, my hand reached for his as we stepped carefully forward. I laced my fingers through his, and our gazes met. I couldn’t tell whether the heat in my cheeks came from the wine or from him. He broke eye contact first, to my quietdisappointment, and took a few steps ahead. Before I could dwell on it, I stumbled.
Once again, his strong hands caught me.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Here.” He swept me off my feet, cradling me effortlessly in his arms, as though I weighed nothing at all. From this height, the world shifted. It was smaller, distant, as if I no longer belonged to it. I became acutely aware of how small I was compared to him.
We walked toward the lodging in silence. At the door, he shifted me with practiced ease, one arm supporting my hips as he adjusted his hold. My face was close enough to feel his breath, and my arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. He opened the door and carried me inside.
He set me down carefully like I might break under his hands. My fingers lingered along his arm as I slid from his hold. He turned, clearly intending to wish me goodnight and put distance between us.
Before he could step away, I caught his hand.
“Stay.”
The word escaped before I could reconsider it.
He stilled. My grip, my gaze, the quiet plea in my voice held him in place.
“You need rest,” he said softly.
“I need…” I faltered, nearly choosing the safer answer. Instead, I swallowed and let the truth rise. “Right now… I need you.”
He turned fully toward me. “Seris, you’re drunk.”
“I don’t care.”
Before he could argue, I rose onto my toes and kissed him.
My hands slid over his shoulders, holding him to me. He froze for half a breath, restraint flickering behind his eyes. Then, he gave in.
The kiss deepened instantly. What began as desperation turned deliberate, as if he were trying to learn me and lose himself at the same time. My head tipped back until his hands found my waist and lifted me effortlessly. My legs wrapped around him without thought, and I surrendered to the pull between us.
One arm supported me while the other moved slowly over my back, firm and deliberate. His mouth trailed from mine to my jaw, then to my throat. His fingers curved at the nape of my neck, steadying me as his lips pressed heat along my skin. When his hand closed over my breast, his thumb dragging slowly over the tight peak beneath my dress, a soft sound escaped me against his mouth.
He carried me to the bed and sat, settling me over him. I straddled him fully now, feeling the unmistakable tension between us through the fabric. His hands gripped my hips, guiding me into a slow rhythm that stole the air from my lungs. Every shift pressed us closer.
My body betrayed me long before I could think. Tightening. Wanting. Reaching for more than I was ready to name.
The thought of him inside me consumed everything else.
My back arched until it could no longer hold, and I fell forward, burying my face in his neck. I breathed him in.
When my balance wavered and my vision blurred, he eased me gently onto the mattress. He lay beside me, one leg threaded between mine. His fingers combed through my hair as his mouth returned to my throat, slower now. Intent.
His hand drifted downward, deliberate and unhurried, grazing everywhere except where I needed him most. My breathing turned uneven as he continued his slow torment.
“Daemon,”
