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"Then I'll stop you. But you will triumph, because your spirit is far stronger than whatever is reaching for you."

Something breaks open in my chest at the quiet conviction in his voice. This man, who treasures his inner world, is extending a profound level of trust and an incredible amount of faith in me.

"Darius—"

He kisses me—or maybe I kiss him. The air separating us collapses so fast that who started it becomes irrelevant the moment our mouths connect. All this time full of tension and unspoken need detonates, hurling us together in an overwhelming force. His mouth devours mine in desperate hunger, and I match him, fingers tangling in his hair while he winds me closer.

His mouth ferociously claims mine, stealing my breath—a fresh counterpoint to the terrifying visions clawing at the edges of my mind. Weeks of tension, sharp words, and stolen glances detonate. My hands fist in the short, dark hair at his nape, coaxing him closer, needing to erase every inch of distance, every shred of fear, with the heat of him. His kiss is a powerful conquest—a gravitational force that tethers me firmly against the cosmic echoes vibrating in my bones.

"More," I gasp against his lips when he breaks for air, my response ragged. "Darius, please."

He acts on instant instinct. His mouth trails fire down the column of my throat, rough stubble delicious against my sensitive skin. He finds the hollow at the base and sucks hard enough to make stars burst behind my eyelids. A low groan rumbles from his chest, thrumming against me. His teeth graze the curve of my collarbone, a possessive nip that sends a jolt straight through my core. My head falls back instinctively, offering more, a silent plea.

"Gods, Rene," he murmurs, the words hot against my skin. His hands slide down and cup my breasts through the worn cotton of my t-shirt and bra. The touch is a maddening, delicious friction, intensifying my hunger for more.

I arch into his touch, my own hands scrambling for the hem of my shirt. "Take it off. All of it."

Leaning back slightly, those fierce eyes hold mine to reveal a hunger both raw and terrifyingly real. A predacious smoothness dictates his movements as he shifts into action. My shirt disappears over my head in one swift motion before his fingers deftly unhook my bra to let the refreshing dark air hit my skin. Tossing the garment aside, his gaze sweeps down my body, illuminated by the stark moonlight filtering through the trees. His expression is pure, awestruck intensity, a look that makes heat pool low in my belly.

"Beautiful," he breathes, the single word a rough caress.

Then he’s moving again, his mouth following the path his eyes took. He traces the swell of one breast with his tongue, circling my nipple before sucking it into the heat of his mouth. A sharp cry escapes me, my fingers tangling back in his hair, holding him there. He lavishes the same attention on the other breast, his hands sliding down my sides, mapping my narrow waist, the dip of my navel. He kisses his way lower, over the plane of my stomach, his hot breath sending shivers over my skin. My jeans and underwear become his next target, agonizingly peeled down my legs until I’m bare before him under the moon.

Pausing between my thighs, he studies the length of my body with that same devouring look. The moons on my forearms flare faintly in reaction to the ambient energy and the sheer intensity of his proximity. Broad hands fall on my knees to gently urge them wider apart. The anticipation is a live wire, singing through every nerve as his head dips lower, sending his warm breath ghosting over the apex of my thighs.

"Don't stop, please," I whisper, the plea raw. His answer is the first, devastating stroke of his tongue against my core.

His mouth is hot and demanding against my core. He swipes his tongue over my clit in a slow, punishing drag that steals my breath. Stars explode behind my eyelids, brighter than any lunar flare.

"Fuck, Serenity." His voice is a vibrating rumble against my skin, muffled but intense. "You taste like moonlight and sin. It’s so perfect." The praise sends a fresh, electric jolt through me.

Every nerve ending ignites. Liquid heat pools, slick and urgent, a direct response to the relentless, circling rhythm of his tongue. He knows exactly how to build the friction, how to make my hips buck off the damp grass, seeking more. My fingers knot through his short, dark hair, holding him exactly where I need him. A high, keening sound escapes me, lost somewhere between a gasp and a sob, as the tension coils impossibly tight beneath his skilled mouth. Then it shatters. My back arches violently off the ground, a silent scream tearing through my chest as pure, blinding release floods me, wave after wave crashing against the lingering terror of the vision. I tremble uncontrollably beneath him, stars dancing in my vision.

He gentles his touch, placing soft kisses against my inner thigh as the aftershocks ripple through me. His eyes, dark with hunger and a terrifying honesty, meet mine. "Your turn," I rasp. The possessive need to see him undone is suddenly overwhelming.

I push myself up onto shaky elbows. My hands find the hem of his worn t-shirt and tug it upwards. He helps by lifting his arms, the muscles in his torso flexing powerfully. The dark pants and boxer briefs follow swiftly, discarded beside my own clothes on the moonlit grass.

Then I see him. Really see him. Fully erect and impressively thick, standing proud against the hard planes of his abdomen. My gaze travels the length of him, momentarily stunned. Seeing him completely bare, knowing this raw vulnerability is just for me… a liquid heat pools low in my belly.

Heavy, ragged breaths heave through his chest. There's no smugness in his expression, purely a palpable, undeniable need that mirrors my own. "You're staring," he murmurs, thick with restraint.

I reach out, my fingertips grazing his hipbone, feeling the involuntary shudder that runs through him. "I'm admiring," I correct softly. Eager to close the distance, I rise onto my knees and adjust myself between his powerful thighs. The head of his cock brushes my lower lip, hot and velvety. I lick a slow stripe from base to tip, tasting the salty musk of pure Darius. A sharp hiss escapes him, his hand coming to rest possessively on my head, fingers tangling in my hair to keep me perfectly stable and secure.

I take him into my mouth, slowly at first, savoring the weight and the feel of him widening my lips. My tongue swirls around the head and dips along the thick vein underneath. His groan is chest-rattling, guttural, reverberating against my lips. I sink lower to take more of him, finding a momentum that makes his thighs tense and his fingers curl ever so slightly in my hair. His breath comes in ragged gasps, his hips giving tiny, involuntary thrusts. I can feel the tension coiling in him, the impending release building.

Right as his control seems about to fray, his fingers tangle deep in my hair, gently shifting me off him. I look up, confused, lips swollen, a thin sheen of saliva glistening on his length.

"Not like this." The rasp emerges out of him like it costs something. His eyes burn into mine, fierce and possessive. "I want more. I want all of you." His hands slide down my arms, strong and sure, guiding me backwards onto the cool grass. He follows me down, his body a solid weight settling between my thighs. One hand braces beside my head, the other resting near my hip. He pauses, his features locking in sudden restraint, his breathing ragged. "Rene, wait. Protection⁠—"

"Warded," I whisper, a quick flash of my magic activating the localized contraceptive charm I always keep layered on my skin. "We're safe."

He lets out a harsh exhale of relief. "Good." His hand slides to guide himself, the blunt head nudging insistently against my entrance, slick with my own arousal. "Look at me, Rene."

I meet those burning eyes and see the vulnerable hunger of the man who just faced down an ancient terror with me. There’s no room for fear now, only this.

The slow forward push of his hips creates a delicious, spreading burn. A gasp escapes me as the relentless friction fills me completely. My body yields to accommodate his overwhelming size, wrapping securely around his claiming presence. Once fully sheathed and buried to the hilt, he rests his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingle, hot and frantic.

A ragged sigh tears from his chest as he buries his face in the crook of my neck. "You feel incredible."