Page 155 of Savage Crown

I have no idea what I am.

But when Rylan kisses me again, his lips still trembling against mine, I realize I don’t care.

Not as long as he’s here.

Not as long as I’m still his.

53

SERAPHINA

The weight of the cavern, the flickering of dying magic, the whispers of something ancient still lingering in the air—all of it fades into nothing.

Only this remains.

Only him.

Rylan’s hands are rough, gripping, pulling,claiming, as though he’s afraid I’ll vanish between his fingers. As if I’ll slip away like smoke if he doesn’t hold tight enough.

His breath is ragged, his body shaking against mine. This isn’t just hunger. It’s desperation. It’s relief and ruin wrapped into one.

"You almost—" His voice is hoarse, breaking against my lips. "I thought you were gone."

I drag him closer, tearing at the fabric between us, needing to feel him, to remind him that I am here, that I am not a ghost.

His hands slip beneath my tunic, hot, rough, desperate, dragging against my skin as if he’s memorizing every inch.

As if he needs proof.

My back meets the cold stone, but I barely feel it. Not with his mouth, his teeth, his tongue burning a path down my throat. I gasp as he bites, not gentle, not soft—he wants me to feel it.

To feel him.

"Rylan—"

He growls, shoving my tunic higher, baring me to the cold air, but it doesn’t matter. I feel heat everywhere.

His fingers skim over my ribs, spreading fire in their wake. He dips lower, lower?—

I arch beneath him, my breath stuttering, a broken, desperate sound escaping my lips.

His mouth follows the same path as his hands, worshiping and ruining in equal measure.

I claw at his back, at the scars and muscle and strength beneath my hands, pulling him down, needing more, more, more.

He curses, his breath a shuddered wreck against my skin.

"It's done," he rasps, dragging his teeth over my collarbone, his hands gripping my waist like he’s afraid to let go.

I smile, dark and wicked, threading my fingers into his hair, pulling his head back so his gaze meets mine.

"Let's make the most out of it, Rylan."

Something snaps.

Whatever control he had shatters.

Rylan yanks me forward, his lips crashing against mine in a kiss that’s all teeth and desperation. His hands tear at the last barriers between us, ripping away fabric until there’s nothing left but skin against skin, heat against heat.

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