Page 61 of Watch Me Burn

Wait. With a gentle tug that sends aftershocks through me, he removes his fangs from my neck. I smile at him, ready to say… shit, I don’t even know how to make words with the way his bite just left me so frazzled… but he looks at me, then immediately his gaze darts away.

A flash of rejection rushes through me. Before I can figure out how to stop it, I’m pretty sure it skitters down our newly finalized bond.

He shakes his head, then points over mine. “No. I’m not regretting a damn thing that just happened. It’s just…look.”

Well, since he’s so insistent…

It’s hard to maneuver when I’m basically still impaled on his cock, but he told me to look so I do.

When the fire burst out of me, all I saw was orange. I thought it was the remnants of the fire that burst out of me. In a way, it is. But that’s not all that.

My fire is contained. A few flames are flickering here or there, but the cave is still glowing a vibrant orange shade—and for one reason in particular.

I gasp. Then, patting his chest in silent apology, I climb off of Conall’s lap. I nearly trip over my discarded leggings in my haste to reach the other side of the cave.

I run my hand over the wall. What was craggy and dark moments ago is smooth and bright and shining. It’s orange, vivid orange, and it reflects my well-fucked expression as I stare in surprise at the wall of crystal.

Crystal…

“Is this fire opal?”

Conall rose up from the floor of the cave, padding over to me. “You found it, Red.”

Did I finally do it?

I… I think so.

Buthow?

“It wasn’t here before, though. I mean, I picked this cave to hunker down in because, I don’t know, itcalledto me for some reason. But I had a ring of fire going before when I was pissed at you. I didn’t see any opal. Did you?”

My naked mate has the decency to look slightly abashed when I mentioned how mad his rejection earlier made me. And, sure, I know now that he ignored me at his door in a misguided bit to keep me from being rushed into mating him. Screw that. I made my decision. I own it. Hopefully, he will, too.

He comes up behind me, resting his hand possessively around the back of my throat. His thumb ghosts over his bite mark, caressing the skin around the bloody bite.

“I didn’t.”

“So where did it come from?”

“I can’t say for sure… I was a little busy, making you mine… but I’m pretty sure it happened when you screamed for me, and you shot all that fire out of you. You didn’t burn me this time?—”

“You didn’t deserve it this time,” I cut in.

“Thanks, Red. But it seems like the fire had to burn something. Looks like that was this cave. And when it did… you’ve got your fire opal.”

Honestly? Put like that, I should’ve expected something like that. Isn’t that what Celeste said? That only a fire witch could find fire opal? I just thought that meant I would have, like, this sixth sense that told me if a rock was just a rock or if it was a crystal. But maybe only a fire wich could find it because only I could dothat?

And I did it because of Conall.

“Look at that. You fucked me so hard, we broke the cave,” I tease.

He chuckles. “Not bad for my first time, huh?”

I blink for a moment. Holy shit. I completely forgot that he was a virgin. That he was saving himself for his mate, not for any other reason than that wolves mate for life, and when he claimed his, he wasn’t letting her go.

I knew what I was getting into. I know what I agreed to. He offered forever, I took it, and then I let him take me.

But it never occurred to me that this was his first time during the actual act. He was so dominating, taking me on all fours at first, then shifting me so that he could fuck me face-to-face, seeing the honesty written in my eyes before he bit me.

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