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“Yes!” he roared, spreading his hands. “Why can’t you understand? I cannot live without you, Cerise! My soul is yours. Where you go, I go, and no force in this world or the next can sever what I feel for you.”

“But why?” I cried, tears flowing again. “You would end your life for me, give up your kingdom for me, but why? I am nothing! I am not worth that!”

“Who are you to decide that?” he challenged. “You can choose how you see yourself, but you cannot choose how I see you. I see someone fierce and fearless, who will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent. Whether it’s a witch or a Wolven Mage, she will fight for them until her dying breath. That’s who I want by my side.”

“But she’s not here,” I sobbed, pressing a hand to my chest. “The only thing here is a coward who isn’t strong enough to face the truth. Someone who is afraid she’ll destroy everything around her. Because that’s all I’m capable of: destruction. My mother, my father, Elvira… They’re all gone. I can’t lose you, too, Alaric. I can’t.”

Alaric drew closer, but I pressed a hand against his chest, halting him. “Stop trying to comfort me,” I hissed. “Stop it.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, witchling,” he growled.

I glared up at him. His eyes burned, his jaw flexing with his anger.

I had the strangest urge to smack him across the face. I wanted to break him. No, I wanted to shove him again. No, I wanted to⁠—

A sudden bolt of longing coursed through me. Liquid heat churned in my belly, undeniable and all-consuming.

I raised my shaking hands and pressed my palms to his face, dragging him down to meet me. With vicious intensity, I pressed my mouth to his.

Thirty-Two

THE WITCH

Icouldn’t control myself.

The moment our lips met, a fiery inferno exploded within me. My mouth devoured his, my teeth snagging his lip. His chest rumbled with a deep sound, his hands tightening around my waist.

But he was holding back. I could tell he was still trying to shield me.

I shoved my tongue between his lips, feasting on him, tasting him completely. His mouth opened fully, letting me in, tongue meeting my own with fervent, demanding strokes.

But his body was too still. He was kissing me, but he was keeping distance between us.

I needed to erase that distance.

My fingers dug into his cheeks. I withdrew a fraction and whispered, “Give yourself to me, Alaric. Unleash it all.”

He let out a growl, but I was kissing him again, pushing my body against his. My chest rose and fell with sharp breaths, and I could feel his own frantic pulse alongside it. My fingers pressed into his firm chest, then trailed down the hard ridges of his abdomen until I reached his trousers. I teased the edges of his waistband, and his breath shuddered.

“Cerise,” he panted against me.

“Your soul is mine, and mine is yours,” I breathed. “Right?”

He gave me an anguished look. “You’re hurting right now. You can’t⁠—”

“Don’t you dare tell me what I can’t do,” I snarled, capturing his lower lip between my teeth and tugging hard. “Either you want me, or you don’t.”

A strangled grunt escaped him, as if my words physically wounded him. “I want you.”

“Then take me.” I tugged his trousers down, exposing his hard length. Gods, he was massive. My mouth went dry as I took a moment to drink in every glorious inch of him.

He was an absolute masterpiece.

I gave another tug, letting the trousers fall to his ankles. Then, I pulled open his tunic, one button at a time, and slid it off his muscular arms until he stood naked before me. Every inch of him was toned and rugged. He looked like a god, his huge frame towering over me.

I itched to run my fingers over every last inch of him, to memorize his beautiful, flawless body.

My eyes dipped to his cock. I held my breath as I wrapped my fingers around it. His eyes closed, and he unleashed a tortured groan. Storms, I loved that sound. It seemed to give me power. I squeezed, fingers clenching, and his body jerked wildly.