Page 95 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
She stood there, her long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, sapphire eyes catching the light, silver scales glinting along her arms and legs like stars against her skin. The scent of her heat lingered, but this moment was softer, deeper—overwhelming Ignis’s unique aroma of smoke and stone.
He reached out, his clawed fingers gentle as he brushed a strand of her golden hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her breath caught, aching for more.
“Your scent,” he murmured, his voice a low, velvet rumble that seemed to stroke her very soul. “Sweet moonflower, blooming just for me. It’s intoxicating—drives me wild, makes me crave you, your love, every piece of you.” His thumb traced the curve of her jaw, and his eyes softened, pleading. “Touch me, my treasure. Trust me. Let yourself feel it—the connection between us, that alpha and omega pull calling out to each other, humming in our blood. It’s alive, pulsing, begging us to savor it. Let our bond sweep away your doubts—as you can sense what I feel and me you—and set our instincts free. Let us savor each other—and this moment—until the Moon Goddess claims us.”
Her heart thudded in her chest, a frantic rhythm that matched the heat rising in her veins. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, the roughness of his scales against her cheek grounding her in a way she hadn’t expected. Her hands rose, trembling slightly, until they rested on his broad chest, feeling the steady beat of his hearts beneath the crimson scales.
“Show me how we can be together,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I want to knowallof you.”
His breath caught, a flash of relief and raw need breaking through his careful control. Then he leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss that stole the air from her lungs. His maw was warm, firm yet tender, a passionate claim that spoke of longing and promise. She melted into it, her lips parting as his tongue brushed hers, a slow, deliberate dance that sent sparks racing down her spine.
His taste was wild—smoke and spice, a hint of something ancient and untamed—and she drank him in, her hands grasping his shoulders, anchoring herself to him. Her fingers found the silky strands of his long, dark hair, threading through them, tugging gently as she pressed herself closer.
He growled softly into the kiss, a sound of pure satisfaction, and his arms encircled her waist, lifting her effortlessly. His black wings unfurled, curling around them like a protective cocoon, the leathery edges brushing her skin with a whisper of sensation. The world shrank to just them—his heat, his scent, the way his lips moved against hers with a fervor that felt like worship. Her hands tightened in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss, her tongue meeting his with equal hunger. It was a clash of need and surrender, a melding of breaths and heartbeats, until she felt dizzy with the sheer intensity of it all.
His desires mirrored her own through their shared connection.
When they finally parted, gasping, his forehead rested against hers, his wings still cradling them in their private haven. “You’re mine,” he whispered, voice rough with emotion, “and I’m yours. No more doubts—just us, now.”
She nodded, unable to form the words—allowing him tofeelher.
He swept her up and she nestled against his chest, the thrum of his heartbeat a wild drum against her ear, as he crossed the threshold to her bed—a haven of plush blankets and pillows, each one a whisper of luxury against her scales. He laid her down with a reverence that made her breath hitch, her body sinking into the softness as though it were an extension of his care.
His maw found hers first, a hungry press that softened into something deeper, something that stole the air from her lungs. Then they trailed—down the curve of her jaw, along the tender hollow of her neck—his breath hot and ragged. He paused there, inhaling her scent, a low growl rumbling from his chest, primal and approving. It vibrated through her, igniting a spark that coiled low in her belly.
“I must have you,” he rasped, his voice a jagged edge of need, yet his eyes flickered with restraint. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”
Her hand lifted to his face, fingers brushing the rough plane of his cheek. “I trust you,” she murmured, steady and sure, her gaze locking with his—a silent vow. “I know you won’t hurt me.”
The growl deepened, a sound that shook the air, and his hands moved swift and certain. Fabric tore under his grip, her robe parting like a curtain to reveal her to him. He stilled, peering down at her, his eyes molten with awe. She felt it then—the weight of his worship, as though she were a goddess carved from starlight and he a supplicant at her altar. This towering beast, this power incarnate, wanted to kneel for her, to claim her grace as his own. Her skin prickled, not from cold, but from the raw force of being seen—and adored.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, voice thick with wonder. “All silver-scaled, like moonlight made flesh. Your eyes—deep as the ocean’s heart. Your hair”—his fingers tangled in the strands, golden as a summer sun—“it burns me alive. But it’s your mind, your soul, that undoes me. I want you, not as alpha to omega, not as male to female, but mate to mate.”
Her chest tightened, emotion swelling until it spilled over. “I want you too,” she breathed, the words a tether between them.
His pleasure rumbled out in a growl, and he leaned in, maw tracing a path down her neck again. The heat of his mouth seared her skin, and when he reached the valley between her breasts, his forked tongue darted out. It flicked against her nipples, twin points of fire that pulled a gasp from her throat, her back arching into him. He didn’t stop—kissing lower, across the plane of her stomach, pausing at her navel to linger there, as if mapping every inch of her.
“I want to fill you,” he said, the words rough with promise. “Over and over, every new moon, to bless my clan with new life.”
Her pulse raced, anticipation threading through her veins as he sank lower still. His broad shoulders nudged her thighs apart, and then he was there—stationed between her legs, his breath a warm tease against her core. When his mouth finally claimed her, it was a slow, deliberate worship, his tongue a deft stroke that unraveled her.
Sora’s world tilted as he shifted, his hands—those rough, capable hands—sliding down her thighs. With a gentle but firm grip, he hooked her legs over his broad shoulders, the angle pulling a soft whimper from her lips. Her silver scales glinted in the candlelight, catching the flex of his muscles as he settled between her, his presence overwhelming yet achingly tender. Then his fingers found her, slipping inside with a slow, deliberate press that made her breath catch in her throat. One, then two, stretching her in ways that sent sparks skittering up her spine. She’d never known this—pleasure so sharp it bordered on too much, coiling tighter with every deft movement.
He worked her with a rhythm that felt like a promise, his eyes locked on hers, crimson burning with something fierce and unguarded. Her hips rocked instinctively, chasing the sensation, and a low growl rumbled from his chest. “Your heat has only just started,” he said, voice gravelly, thick with certainty. “I can sense it—your scent’s shifting, more needy, pulling at me with each passing moment.” His nostrils flared as he inhaled, a shudder running through him. “I’m worried what’ll happen when it fully hits. If it does at the wrong time…” His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking beneath the rough scales. “I won’t let another alpha claim what’smine.”
The words were a vow, edged with a possessiveness that sent a shiver racing down her spine.
She shook her head, golden hair spilling across the pillows. “I won’t let them near me. I don’t want anyone else—not the other alphas, not anyone in your clan. Justyou.”
A growl tore from him, low and rough, and his hand shifted. A third finger joined the others, stretching her further, the sudden fullness wrenching a gasp from her lips. Her body arched, pleasure spiking hot and bright, and his free hand gripped her hip, anchoring her to him. “Don’t speak of it,” he snarled, though his tone softened at the edges, laced with something raw. “We found each other first. You bewitched me the moment you grabbed my mask—your fire, your fearlessness. I was yours then, and I’m yours now.”
Her chest heaved, emotion tangling with the waves of sensation crashing through her. She’d snatched that mask from his face on a dare, a reckless impulse in the chaos of their first meeting, and the memory of his stunned, unguarded expression still burned in her mind. Now, with his fingers curling inside her, coaxing pleasures she hadn’t dreamed possible, she felt that same reckless power surging back.
Her thighs trembled against his shoulders, her breath coming in ragged bursts as he pushed her higher, unraveling her thread by thread. She was his, yes—but he was hers too, bound by that first defiant spark, and she’d fight the world to keep him.
Sora’s body hummed, a live wire strung tight with need. The pleasure he’d wrung from her still pulsed in her veins, but it wasn’t enough—not nearly enough. She needed more, needed him closer, inside her, filling the hollow ache that gnawed at her core.
Trembling, she felt his breath ghost over her skin—and couldn’t hold back any longer. “Please,” she whispered, voice cracking into a soft, needy whimper—an omega’s plea she hadn’t known she could make until now. “I need you… I need to feel you.”
