Page 74 of Forged in Flame and Shadow

He pushes the backs of my thighs up, locking my knees by his sides, and meets my gaze. His eyes reach inside me, tugging on something deep in my soul.

“I see you too, Ana,” he says. He’s been using that name for me for days now, and I haven’t argued—but now, today, hearing it feels overpoweringly right, like something essential has slotted back into place.

But what feels even better is him entering me at just the right angle, my body stretching around his cock as it presses deeper inside me. I throw my head back, gasping when he withdrawsand then slowly pushes into me again, the rush of sensation setting my nerve endings on fire.

That’s how it continues. He takes me in long, deep thrusts, my moans growing more intense as his pelvic bone hits my clit, creating delicious friction. My vision starts to darken as I’m pulled toward my climax, and I wrap my arms around Leon to ground myself, feeling like I’m riding out a storm I don’t want to end.

When that end comes, everything vanishes except for the pleasure burning through me. I dig my nails into Leon’s back, needing something to cling onto, feeling his muscles ripple beneath my fingers as he finishes me with a few strong, firm thrusts. It’s almost a relief when the intense ecstasy ebbs and I settle back against the bed. I’m utterly spent, and my limbs feel like liquid.

Buthe’snot finished. Though I’m panting, coming down from my high, Leon is still rock hard. With a dangerous smile, he pulls out and flips me over, lifting my hips up so my hands drop to support myself, and I’m left displayed in front of him on my hands and knees.

“Leon,” I say, breathless and still hazy. “I don’t know if I can go again.”

“Nonsense,” he says, dragging the head of his cock across my clit. I instinctively lean into it, feeling a renewed tension blossom. My treacherous body bucks to satisfy it. “I didn’t wait this long for you to quit on me now, Ana.”

He pulls back anyway, and I make a shameless whimper of disappointment.

“But I won’t go on unless you say so,” he says. “In fact, I won’t touch you again until you sayplease.”

“Pretty please,” I say instantly, so fast that he chuckles, but the laughter gives way to a deep groan as he sinks into me. I know this time neither of us will last long. The pace grows more frantic the closer he gets to climax. His hands grab my waist, pulling me into him as he takes fast, even thrusts.

I let myself get lost in the motion of our bodies. Nothing compares to this. I wonder how I could have ever denied myself this for so long. But I can’t dwell on that. Instead, I’m just grateful we were able to get here again, joined in this bliss.

Leon’s hand drops between my legs to bring me over the edge with him. My cry is drowned out by the roar he releases as he spills inside me, holding me tightly against him so I can feel every shudder of his body as we collapse onto the bed together.

Sweat cools on my skin. I’m exhausted, and yet at the same time, I’m completely content. I find Leon’s arms, pulling them around me until they squeeze me tight. I wanted it to be perfect, and it was. But this is the last, essential part of it—Leon wrapped around me, holding me in a way that makes me believe he’ll never let go.

It’s here that I find the tantalizing pocket of peace I can’t find anywhere else, and I soak it up as the most wonderful, gentle sleep comes for me.

Leon

I wake with Ana still nestled in my arms. I never want to move again. I want this forever—her beside me, looking perfectlyethereal even with her chestnut hair tangled about her face. I lower my head to breathe her in, the scent of jasmine mingled with something more primal.

That, even without everything else, would’ve been enough to undo me. All she had to do was walk out in that red dress and let me catch a whiff of her—smell the way she wanted me—and I was hers.

But then, Ana usually gets what she wants when it comes to me.

I hadn’t meant to tell her about how I became the King’s Sword, for example. After all these years, it’s not something I spend much time thinking about. Yet her simple questions pulled it out of me, and I found myself talking about things I haven’t discussed for half a century.

I’m still not sure what she took from it—I’m just grateful it was enough to forgive me. I’ll never forget what it was like to come together again. I watch her eyelids flutter against her cheeks, soaking in the feel of her soft, warm body still curved against mine.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman before like I want Ana, but I’ve also never known a woman so capable of unraveling me outside the bedroom too. What does it mean, that she’s the miracle that could save my brother, and yet also seems to be my own, unique kind of weakness? It must be the gods playing games with me.

Let them. I don’t care—not when those games keep me in her orbit.

I pull my clothes on when I hear someone approaching the door. A servant answers when I ask who it is. I make sure my shirtis done up fully before opening the door. There may be rumors about Ana and me, but we can at least keep the palace guessing.

“What is it?” I ask the servant, keeping the door angled for Ana’s privacy.

“It’s a message from His Majesty, Your Highness,” the servant says. “For Princess Morgana.”

My stomach sinks, but it’s too late to send the servant away and ignore the whole thing. I can already see Ana stirring out of the corner of my eye at the sound of our voices.

“Give it to me, I’ll pass it on,” I say, snatching the piece of parchment out of the servant’s reluctant hand before I dismiss him.

I glance at the message after I’ve closed the door. It confirms my worst suspicions. Morgana is sitting up now, and I toss the parchment aside as I return to the bed, grabbing her legs to pull her toward me. Her squeals of playful protest are silenced when I pull her into a kiss, letting my hands roam across the bare skin of her shoulders, drifting down to the base of her spine.

I wish again that we could just stay in this room forever, enjoying each other’s bodies and forgetting about the outside world with all its treacherous distractions.

---