Page 60 of Chaos Carnival

With each touch, each demanding kiss, I surrendered, craving the sweet oblivion only he could give. He didn't just see the darkness in me, he craved it, embraced it, made me feel beautiful in all my broken places. The momentum grew more intense as Maverick kissed a fiery trail along the column of my neck, his teeth grazing my sensitive skin. His breath was hot and ragged, hands moving to cup my breasts, thumbs teasing my hardened nipples. Each punch was a declaration of ownership, each retreat a promise of more.

“Your soul calls to mine in every lifetime,” he continued, his words soft, but his movements growing rougher. “I've existed for millennia, but nothing compares to the way you tremble when I touch you.” Each confession was punctuated by a harder punch, his rhythm unwavering. “You are mine. And I want— Ineedyou. To stay. With. Me.”

My eyes fluttered closed, the sensation overwhelming as his teeth grazed my shoulder—a delicate touch that sent a thrillracing through me. Our bodies moved as one, a tango of passion and power. The room was filled with the sound of our heavy breaths and the slick slide of skin on skin, an erotic crescendo that grew louder with every beat of our hearts.

“Tess,” he growled, his forehead dropping to rest between my shoulder blades.

My knees trembled as the tension coiled tighter, Maverick's words wrapping around me as surely as his body. His hands squeezed my hips almost desperately as his pace increased and he lifted his head. Our eyes locked in the mirror's reflection. His voice was dark whiskey poured over cracked leather, and when he commanded me to come for him, my body obeyed without hesitation.

The world around us shattered into a million shards of pleasure, each one piercing deeper than the last. Our cries of ecstasy echoed off the walls, a duet of passion that seemed to shake the very foundations of the room. My legs gave out, but Maverick's arms held me firm, never letting me fall, even as he found his own release. We clung to each other through those waves, and never wanted to let go.

As the tremors of pleasure subsided, I met his gaze with a fierce grin, nodding ever so slightly. The way he moved in me was pure sin, and as he kissed the side of my neck, the tender pressure of his teeth a whisper away from breaking the skin, I knew that I'd gladly burn in hell if it meant touching him one more time.

Chapter 28: Hidden Paths

Tess

Claritycreptbackslowly,like dawn breaking through fog, and with it came waves of sickening mortification. I sat up in Maverick's bed, clutching the sheet to my chest like armor, as memories of my earlier behavior flooded back mercilessly. Each recollection felt like acid in my mind, burning away the comfortable haze of madness.

“Oh god,” I groaned, covering my face with my hands, wanting to crawl out of my own skin. “I can't believe I said all that to Lux. About ravens and betrayal and—” I broke off, the embarrassment mixing with a deeper horror at how easily I'd slipped into that other state, how natural it had been to spew prophecies of madness.

Maverick sat up beside me, running a gentle hand down my back. His touch anchored me, though the strands still whispered at my consciousness, waiting for another chance to pull me under. “They'll understand. Don't worry about that, monstre.”

Maverick crossed to the window, his movements still carrying that seraph grace despite the poison's lingering effects. The moonlight spilled through as he drew back the blinds, shooting silver paths across the floor.

“Your skin's getting cold again,” I said, noting the slight blue tinge to his fingertips as he slid into bed beside me.

“Not as bad as before.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I couldn't suppress a small gasp at the chill of his flesh. “Sorry.”

“Don't be.” I inched closer, tangling my legs with his, seeking every point of contact I could find. The moonlight bathed us both, and that familiar thrum of energy built through us as our skin touched. “Ready?”

His chest rose and fell against mine. “Always ready for you to work your enchantments, babe.”

I closed my eyes and began the incantation, the ancient words falling from my lips with practiced ease now. The syllables hung in the air, crystalline and delicate, then just… dissolve into the moonlight. Maverick's grip tightened slightly as the spell took hold, and the last traces of poison dissipated from his body, water into clouds.

His skin slowly warmed as the ritual progressed, the natural heat of his body returning one degree at a time. The moonlight pulsed in time with our heartbeats, wrapping us in its silver embrace as the alchemy worked through us.

I traced my fingers along Maverick's arm, following the path where the poison had spread. His skin felt warmer now, almost back to normal. This would be the last night we'd need the ritual—by morning, the celestial poison would be gone completely.

“You're thinking too loud,” Maverick murmured into my hair.

“I’m relieved to still have you with me.” Though a smaller voice whispered that I was grateful for more than just the ritual's success, grateful that after tonight, Maverick would be strong enough to survive without me if he had to.

I inched closer, savoring the solid weight of him. The incantation flowed easier now, the words familiar on my tongue. Each syllable smoldered with power, drawing out the last traces of poison.

My mind drifted to Addie, to Ivan's dark carnival. The threads that had seemed so tangled now stretched clear and bright before me. I knew exactly what I needed to do. This was the last night he needed me. By morning, the toxin would be completely gone. One week since that first moonlit healing, and finished at last.

Tomorrow, I would face Ivan. The thought settled in my belly with a strange finality.

Not we. I.

The threads had shown me with perfect clarity. This was my battle to fight, no matter how much it would hurt to leave him.

But tonight... Tonight belonged to this moment, to the press of skin against skin, to the steady rhythm of Maverick's heartbeat beneath my palm.

“Last time,” I whispered between verses of the incantation.

Maverick's arms tightened around me. “Not a chance.”

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