But I want this. I open myself to them.
Then they do the unexpected. They wind around my hands like gloves and extend like claws.
Eryx has wings.
I have claws.
“Chelsea,” Eryx cries.
“More,” I say, panting.
He unleashes everything he has, his hips slapping against me. Pressure builds, the magic tightens and I shatter.
“Eryx!”
“Chelsea!”
A wave of pleasure rolls over me, and I dig my hands into the rugs. The claws cut like glass, leaving ribbons in their wake. And I feel it—a bond snapping into place. Not forming. Completing.
I rise up and Eryx pulls me to him, his hands run down my body—over my breasts, over my clit, plunging into me as he pulls out.
He nuzzles my neck. “You came so hard.”
“I came for you.”
He spins me around slowly, kisses all the soft places on my body and lays me down, where he kisses me more. He spots the tattered rug and frowns.
“What happened?”
I smirk. “I really did become a monster.”
He flicks his tongue inside me. “Not just a monster—my monster.”
And then he pulls me close, and I stare at my hands. They’re normal now, like the magic dissolved when passion hit its peak.
They’re not gone,Nightmare whispers.They’re part of you now.
I'll become the monster I need to be to keep him alive. I thought that earlier and meant it. And now I have the claws to prove it.
A slow smile spreads across my face. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I yawn and close my eyes. Before I drift off completely, I feel Eryx's arms tighten around me.
"I've got you," he whispers.
And I know he does. Just like I've got him.
Whatever comes next—Helena, danger, war—we face it together.
Bonded. Claimed. His.
Chelsea
Iwake up to light streaming into the room.
Eryx lies beside me, his arm thrown over my shoulder, his stomach against my back. His warmth spills across my skin—luxurious, wonderful.
Then the memory of last night crashes down on me.
