Page 86 of Echoes of War

“No,” I said simply, leaning up, sliding her off me.

She shoved me again. I didn’t move an inch.

“I never asked for you to care, I never asked?—”

“You’re scared.” I suddenly realized.

It all made so much fucking sense now. She constantly pushed me away, let me in with conditions because she was scared of losing someone else. And while I sympathized with her, I would be relentless in my attempt to get as close to her as possible. Therewas no leaving her side for me. I knew she was scared of the inevitable, of death. But the only way my death would ever be a factor was if we were taking that last breath together, and I would be damned to let her take hers a moment too early.

“Fuck you,” she growled, backing away from me slowly.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart a frantic rhythm charging the space between us. The rise and fall of her chest caught my attention and my eyes lingered on the exposed skin, trailing down the length of her body. I closed the gap between us. With the lightest touch, I urged her chin up, begging her to meet my gaze.

“It’s okay to be scared, Amaia, fear is what keeps us alive. We both know that, live by it, and will probably die by it. You—You care so fucking much, but you’re way too over protective.” I confessed, “You’re fearless and beautifully confident, but you’re also arrogant and cocky. You expect nothing short of perfection, which leaves you insatiably unsatisfied. You’re?—”

“I can’t tell if this is a hate speech or a confession,” she interrupted.

God, sometimes she just needed to shut the fuck up. Let someone else do the talking.

“It’s me telling you that I think I’m falling in love with you, you idiot. And I need you to trust me. I … I don’t even know what love feels like, but fuck, Amaia, I think I’m falling in love with you in a way that makes me love living. I’ve never … I never thought I would make it this far in life, but you, you calculating little demon, make me love breathing. God dammit, Amaia.” I broke our connection, pacing across the room, the emotions of it all overwhelming. “From the moment we were captured in St. Cloud, I realized how important you are to me, how much you make me care. But you won’t let me help you. You do everything on your own. So yes, I push and I pry. And?—”

When I turned around, she was there. Her lips were on mine, answering my plea. The kiss deepened, and I forgot the world around me. Forgot it all.

Every bad thing that ever happened to me didn’t matter as long as I was here with her. With each press of her lips, every brush of her fingers gently down my face, raw emotion reverberated through every tendril of my existence.

The touch of her, the taste of her, it all felt so fucking right. Her tongue raised every goosebump on my body. I understood instantly that this woman, right here, was the beginning to my end. We were not brought together by a higher being or the universe. We were two broken souls clutching at each other in a world that had dealt us nothing but brutal blows.

It was messy, untamed, a brutal spark that defied the odds, but both of us had decided long ago that our fate would be our own in The After. Fuck everything else.And for once, in the midst of the wreckage of my life, I wholeheartedly believed I had a fighting chance to claw my way out of the darkness. The anger. The misery. With Amaia, there was a faint glimmer of hope and redemption in a life that had only shown me suffering.

“Take your clothes off,” I ordered.

Her eyes lit up the fucking room, and she grinned, stripping clean of her layers. When the last piece of clothing hit the floor, I showered her with my water magic. Letting it cascade down every inch of her, removing all the dirt and grim, preparing my feast.

She was fucking otherworldly. I would worship her for the rest of what life I had left in me. I watched as she shivered, her full breasts peaking at the coolness of my water. I channeled my flames beneath her, fighting for control to make sure they recognized her as an extension of me, willing them not to harm a hair on her beautiful head.

Amaia’s eyes never left mine. She smirked in recognition of the control I now possessed. “Alexiares, look at you.”

“No, princess, look at you,” I said. If only she could see herself through my eyes.

The water formed a small pool on the floor, not having a route to escape. I didn’t give a shit as I splashed through, wanting to join her. She pulled my shirt over my head, fingers running over every hard line and ridge of my torso.

Amaia’s mouth found mine again, cool drops of water finding their way through the thin space between us as her teeth caught on my bottom lip. Gently, she pulled back, nibbling in a way that she knew drove me wild.

Her hands toyed with the buckle of my pants, wildly searching for a way to relieve me from them. I groaned, ready to be inside of her but not wanting to rush her pleasure.

“I’m convinced I’ll never be able to get enough of you,” I said as I grabbed her throat, my mouth against the skin of her cheek.

She nuzzled against me, a small laugh sounded between her words, “Then don’t.”

It dawned on me then. That meant everything to her. That was as far as she would ever say, and it didn’t matter to me. It would be an honor to be loved by her in any way she was willing to give.

I shifted my focus to her nipples, kissing down the center of her body then back up, my mouth toying over each one. Her curls tickled the top of my head as she glanced down to watch, a moan escaping her.

Leading her to the wall, I pressed her back against it, locking her hands down at her side with the vines of my magic. She arched with pleasure as I dropped to my knees. I teased my tongue closer to my end goal.

Amaia ripped her hands free. Inhaling sharply, she tipped her head back as I placed handcuffs made of fire around her wrists, my hands now occupied by the plumpness of her ass. I squeezed, nails digging into them, cradling the heaviness that greeted me. Herbody was quickly becoming my favorite thing. Just the thought of being in her made me want to succumb to her every desire. Whatever she wanted, I’d be damn sure to provide.

I bit up the side of her left leg, leaving my mark as a guiding trail to her core. Stopping briefly to torture her with her lust before realizing I was stupidly torturing myself instead. Then, I feasted.

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