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My arms envelop her until she’s nestled into my chest. Lilies and honey fill my nose as she buries her face into my hoodie. Her arms circle my back, and she squeezes. The gold threads lift from the ground like flowers seeking the sun, stretching and wrapping around us.

“You fought with your sister?” I ask, and she nods. “Was it to do with me?”

She hesitates for a moment before nodding against my chest.

“So, we both had a rough day?” I press a kiss to her forehead then with a hand under each knee, I lift her up.

Her arms and legs cling to me as I walk to a bench behind us, taking a seat with her nestled in my lap. The golden bond follows our every move.

“Tell me everything,” I murmur, pressing a kiss into her hair.

The strands are loose, framing her face and stopping at her ribs.

The memory of how soft they were as they spread over my chest last night slams into me. How can anything that feels so good be bad?

“We went to this store in the next town over to follow that vision I had this morning. While we were there, I got a second vision when I touched a book about demon artifacts.”

My heart begins to thrash in my chest as I swallow. “Oh?”

“Then I saw another name on a headstone. And then I kept seeing…” She sniffles. “You. Something bad happened. I don’t know what, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

My head is dizzy as I wrestle with the truth. If Sera saw me like that, it can’t mean anything good; either I betrayed my warden, or I betrayed her.

I swipe the tears off her cheeks. “What happened with Sloane?”

Sera traces my jaw with her fingers, her eyes following as they move back and forth. “I told her I thought my visions were telling me to help you. That’s what they’ve always meant in the past. She was adamant we don’t help demons, and then… I told her about last night.”

I try to swallow my guilt. I hate that I’ve caused her pain simply because I couldn’t resist her. I know she wanted me too, but I should have been stronger so she didn’t have to betray her loyalties. I can shoulder the burden of mine, but I don’t want her to experience this. She’s everything good.

“Do you regret it?”

Sera’s chest rises as she takes a deep breath. “No,” she whispers. “Do you?”

The soft strands of her hair tangle with my fingers as I clutch the back of her neck and shake my head. A heavy breath pushes past my lips as my eyes flick from her mouth to her green eyes, and then at once, we crash together in an all-consuming kiss.

Her fingers tug at my hoodie as I cradle her head with one hand and grip her thigh with the other. The high slit on her sage green dress exposes her soft, pale skin. I push my hand higher, groaning as my fingertips glide over her.

Sera tugs on my lower lip with her teeth. Her hands grip me tighter as she hauls me into her, fierce and pleading.

“Nix,” she breathes into me as her hips rock.

My hand reaches farther under her skirt until I reach her ass. Digging my fingers into the supple flesh, I pull. Sera’s pussy settles against my rock-hard cock, and her head falls back, sending a beautiful, keening cry into the sky.

The magic that binds us is alive, swirling like fireflies. It paints Sera in golden light, and in this moment, she isn’t my witch. She’s my angel.

Her lips find mine again, more determined, as if she’s searching for answers to questions that have lingered for too long.

I stand, then lower her to the soft grass. A halo of tiny pink and purple flowers surrounds her. The tall willow trees bordering the secluded alcove allow moonlight to filter through their canopy.

It’s been too long since I was human, but I still remember the romance of making love. The way every touch feels bone deep. Every kiss a pounding beat of your heart. The way everything else in the world disappears; war could be raging around you, storms could be ravaging the earth, but all you know is the way she looks at you. All you live, breathe, and die for is her.

There’s no telling who’s more desperate for the other. We’re both eager as we tear at the other’s clothing, groaning as our mouths devour and hands explore.

My shadows run up Sera’s legs, making her shiver as I part her thighs wider. Her body is warm and relaxed as my bare chest presses against her. I hold my breath, swallowing down a feeling akin to nerves before I let my cock glide over her wet pussy.

“Nix,” she cries as I press my forehead to hers and rub through the wetness gathered between her thighs.

“Tell me you want this,” I say, dragging through her heat.