Page 389 of Evil Hearts

They fell to the cathedral roof in a tangle of limbs, heedless of the rough stone beneath them. Aldric trailed hot kisses down Elena’s neck, savoring the taste of her skin. She arched into him, a soft moan escaping her lips.

“Please,” she gasped, her fingers fumbling with the fastenings of his trousers. “Oh my god,” she whispered as her hands wrapped around his length. “You’re a literal rock.”

He could only grunt as his mind was clouded over by the pure ecstasy of her hand on his length. He knew that despite his cock staying literal stone it would not hurt her, and would change as he sunk into her length as it had every time since the curse.

Why do you know that?

“Aldric,” she whispered, her hands gripping him tighter as she stroked him. “Why do I remember this?”

Aldric needed no further encouragement. In one swift motion, he freed himself and positioned his body over hers. Their eyes locked, a silent acknowledgment of the precipice they were about to cross.

Then, with a thrust of his hips, he was inside her. She cried out, but not in pain as his cock drove inside her core, shifting fromstone to flesh and back to stone as he pulled out. Every thrust was both hard and soft as his curse let him only find relief within her body.

Aldric’s movements were driven by an insatiable hunger, and Elena eagerly matched his every stroke.

Her fingers dug into his skin, leaving red marks in their wake as they moved together with primal desire. The sound of their heavy breathing mixed with the rhythm of their bodies as the only sounds in the otherwise quiet night.

The world narrowed to the slide of skin against skin, the mingling of their ragged breaths. Aldric watched Elena’s face, drinking in every flutter of her eyelashes, every gasp of pleasure. He wanted to imprint this moment on his memory, to carry it with him through the long, lonely days ahead because he had no doubt this was a dream.

With a swift and fluid motion, he shifted and grabbed her ankle, pulling her closer to him. He then deftly tossed one of her ankles around his neck before repeating the action with the other foot, never breaking free from her body he continued to fuck her, driving deeper as she did not relent on the new position.

“Fuck,” he groaned as the new angle let him slam into her to the base of his dick, his balls slapping against her with every uncontrolled thrust.

“God,” she hissed, her hips bucking. “Part of you is still stone.”

“I’d apologize, but I wouldn’t mean it,” he dipped his mouth to nip at her ear and trailed his cold lips down her neck. “I will always be stone except where we join.” He gasped as used his ear to pull him up.

“I didn’t complain.”

As he felt her body tighten around him, Aldric redoubled his efforts. With a final, deep thrust, he sent Elena over the edge. She shattered beneath him, his name a hoarse cry on her lips.

The sight of her surrender was his undoing. With a grunt, Aldric pulled free, spilling his seed on the cathedral stones. For a long moment, he remained poised above her, their gazes locked as they struggled to catch their breath.

Elena’s mind reeled as she lay beneath Aldric, her body trembling from the force of her release. The enormity of what they’d done crashed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to sweep her away.

What had she been thinking, letting a man she barely knew take her on a rooftop? It wasn’t like her to be so reckless, so impulsive. Panic clawed at her throat, urging her to run, to put as much distance between herself and this moment as possible.

But as Aldric’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, the panic receded. The gentle pulse of her body in the aftermath of their lovemaking was a soothing counterpoint to the chaos in her mind. She’d done this before, not up here, but with this man of literal stone. She couldn’t explain it, but everything in the moment had swirled around her like fiery memories urging her on.

She’d made a lot of questionable choices in her life, but this—this felt right in a way she couldn’t quite explain. Like it was always meant to happen, regardless of the consequences.

Besides, Elena thought wryly,I’ve done a lot stupider things than let a handsome man fuck me senseless a few days after meeting him. In the grand scheme of things, this barely cracked the top ten.

So instead of running, she nestled into Aldric’s embrace, letting his warmth seep into her bones. This was crazy, but she was home on winter break, and wasn’t winter break for bad choices?

Her eyes were heavy with pleasure, but something in the distance on the roof, just beyond Aldric, seemed to draw her eye to the same spot even as she tried to simply wait for him to discuss what would happen next.

Ethereal forms shimmered into existence, wisps of light coalescing on the rooftop. Elena gasped, her heart slamming against her ribs. She leaped up, grasping at Aldric’s arm as he rose to stand before her. “What—what are those?” She dropped her hold on his arm only long enough to fix her clothing even though he did not seem to mind being as naked as a man of stone could be.

“The Ethereal Guardians.” Aldric’s voice was steady, a soothing balm to her frayed nerves. “They mean us no harm. Though our state of clothing is probably an issue.”

Elena swallowed hard, her gaze darting between the ghostly apparitions. They drifted closer, their faces serene, eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. A gentle breeze carried their whispers, the melodic echoes weaving through the night air.

“Darkness gathers,” they murmured, voices overlapping like a haunting choir. “The curse’s grip tightens.”

Elena’s mind raced, trying to make sense of their cryptic words. She stepped forward, her curiosity overpowering her fear. “What darkness? What do you mean?”

The spirits swirled around her, their luminous forms casting an eerie glow across the rooftop. “Ancient evil stirs, seeking to claim the cathedral’s power.”

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