“C’mon, Rubi,” he whispered. “You know you can take it. Breathe.”
Having had him once before didn’t ease the stretch of my body as he pushed inside me, a long, rough moan pouring from my lips as I tried to relax. He cooed and whispered little words of praise in my ear as I opened for him. And once he was again fully seated inside me, hips flush to mine, he pressed his forehead against my own as we both tried to calm the storm raging between us.
“You will be the death of me, Rubi,” he breathed, ragged.
Then he began to move. The tempest arose so much faster than the other night. Unleashed and ragged as our hips synchronized, desperate to meet each other. His fingers wove together with mine and our palms pressed again—
Then, without warning, the magic between us exploded.
A surge of energy ripped through me, raw and uncontrollable, bursting from deep within. Magic, wild and untamed, flared around us, shooting from my hands, my chest, even the ground beneath us.
Blake’s eyes went wide with shock, but he didn’t let go of the connection. I could feel him pulling at the magic now, not just drawing from me but controlling it, shaping the power that burned through me, tempering it with his own immense control.
“You’re not supposed to have this kind of power,” Blake whispered, his voice strained, though there was something almost awed in his tone.
I barely heard him.
The magic inside me was raging, wild and destructive, but Blake was holding it in check, guiding it, as if the connection between us allowed him to control my magic as well. The bond between us pulsed, and for the first time, I realized just how dangerous this could be. If he drew too much, I’d be drained, burned out completely. But right now, in this moment, we were a single force, our energies mingling, his strength amplifying mine and my magic feeding his—we were the eye of the storm.
Then everything faded to a vortex of black. Oblivion.
When I blinked awake, I had the vague impression of Blake, his strong arms holding me securely.
“You’re all right,” he whispered.
“What— What was that?”
He huffed a breath that made his messy strands of auburn flutter around him. “You’re just as powerful as I knew you’d be,” he said with a grin.
I groaned and turned over. Blake took it as an invitation to slide in behind me and wrap me in his strong arms.
“What’s that for?” he asked, kissing my temple and massaging my hands slowly.
“Because I already know you’re going to use this to force me to train.”
A laugh, bright and real, burst from him. It was so beautiful my breath caught, chin tilting over my shoulder to look up and see him smile wide. That happy, almost boyish look on him.
“You’re right,” he said, before pressing teasing kisses to my neck until I was squirming and giggling, turned on and filled with joy, my previous anxiety gone. “But first I’m going to make you come again. And again.” He kissed me between each phrase. “And again. Until I’ve tired you out and youfinallysleep.”
He made good on his word.
38
Iwas overcome by water and flame, swirling together like a deadly dance, rising in waves around me.
Above me, a white beast loomed, towering. Its form twisted in and out of the churning elements, growing larger with every breath I took. My heart pounded in my chest, panic rising like the tide.
Was I seeing the past? The future? Or was this just a cruel illusion? The weight of it crushed me, the uncertainty. The feeling that time had folded in on itself, that there was no past or present or future.
Now I was standing in a vast expanse of mist, the world around me blurred and shifting. But there was a figure in the distance: tall, broad-shouldered, his presence dominating even from afar.
Though I couldn’t see his face, the outline of his body felt achingly familiar, as if I had known him my entire life. He was taut and muscled. My heart beat faster, drawn to him, pulled by something I couldn’t explain.
His silhouette moved closer, the air around him crackling with energy, and the feeling of recognition only deepened. I could almost hear his breathing, steady and strong, his form radiating warmth. I couldn’t see his features, but I knew him. My heart clenched as I watched, the sight of him stirring something deep within me.
Was this Blake in the future? Or someone else entirely?
But as he stepped forward, something dark flickered in the air between us. A chill ran down my spine.
