Page 57 of Scorched By Fate

Her eyelids fluttered, a soft sound escaping her lips. "So … fucking … big?—"

"You take it. All of it. You're mine,Zhyvarin. Made for this. Made for me."

Her answering grin was pure rebellion, a flash of the fierce, resilient spirit that had drawn me to her. She rolled her hips, taking me deeper, accepting me fully.

The world went red with untamed need.

I pistoned into her without mercy, each powerful snap of my hips slamming her into the volcanic rock. That serpentine ridge along my cock's underside stroked against her internal walls with every slow, sure withdrawal.

"Zhyvarin," I said, my breath hot against her sweat-slick throat, the word a prayer. "Mine. Mine. Always mine."

Her teeth sank into my shoulder as her climax took her. And I responded, a deep sound of release, slamming home one final, earth-shattering time. My release surged into her, claiming her from the inside out.

We hung there, suspended—her trembling legs locked around my waist, my hands embedded in the stone above her head, holding her, claiming her, possessing her. The musky, potent scent of our joining, of our mingled scents, clung to the air.

Somewhere beyond our ragged, uneven breaths, I heard Khorlar make a sound—a warning, a reminder of the world outside, of the dangers that still lurked.

Reality crashed back, unwelcome, intrusive.

But for now, none of it mattered.

My forehead pressed to hers. Selene’s grip on my shoulders loosened, her fingers tracing lazy, aimless patterns across my scales, each touch a spark against my cooling skin.

I shifted, easing my weight, but not breaking the connection. Not yet. My tail unwound from her, the tip lingering to brush a slow, sure path down her spine, a silent promise. Her answering shiver was involuntary.

“You …” she began, her voice hoarse, uneven, the word trailing off as her eyes fluttered closed.

Exhaustion finally claimed her, a heavy weight settling over her features, softening the hard edges of her spirit. Watching her sleep, vulnerable and utterly spent in my arms, something shifted. The possessive fire still burned, but it was tempered, edged with a tenderness I hadn’t known I was capable of.

"You're my mate,Zhyvarin," I whispered.

My confession was lost to the stillness, unheard by the one person who needed to hear it. She was oblivious to the weight of the truth I’d finally acknowledged.

The irony stung. I’d spent weeks, months even, fighting this connection, fearing the consequences, the chaos it could unleash. And now, when I’d finally surrendered, when I’d finally embraced the undeniable truth … she couldn’t even hear me.

It didn’t matter. We’d be home in Scalvaris soon. She’d be safe in my quarters, in my bed, soon enough. It took almost no effort for me to imagine her on my sleeping slab, hair spread out around her, the space somehow bending to her will.

Carefully, I eased us down, settling her against the curved outcropping of volcanic rock where I’d sat earlier. Her head lolled against my shoulder, her dark hair spilling across my chest. She murmured something unintelligible, a soft, sleepy sound that tugged at something deep within.

I wrapped my arms around her in a protective embrace, my wings shielding her from any threat. I would protect her. I wouldfight for her. I would do whatever it took to keep her safe, to keep her by my side.

She was my mate.

And I wasn't letting her go.

TWENTY-TWO

SELENE

Everything on Volcaryth was designed to kill. Knowing that didn't make breathing any easier.

Worse was the rhythm around me. Vyne’s wingbeats. Steady. Unyielding. With every stroke, the pressure of his body shifted. I was cradled against his chest, his scaled arms locked around me. My brain told me I was safe. My stupid human, survival-instinct brain disagreed.

And I was trying—desperately—to survive my own mind.

His warmth clung to me. I swore I could still smell him on me. And my body ached in all the places that reminded me just what we'd done together. Vyne was life and danger wrapped in one unbearable pull, and after last night …

Fuck.

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