Page 129 of Of Masks and Fury

He pressed harder against my clit, and his other hand gripped my hip, helping me move faster. “Show me, love. Let go.”

“Not without you,” I panted, fighting to keep my eyes open, to maintain the connection between us. “I want to feel you lose control. Want to watch you surrender to this.”

“Fuck, Isi.” His control was fracturing, I could see it in the tight line of his jaw and in the way his breathing turned ragged. “The things you do to me?—”

“Tell me.” I clenched around him deliberately, savoring his sharp intake of breath. “Tell me what I do to you.”

“You make me feral,” he ground out, his movements becoming more desperate. “You make me forget I’m supposed to be civilized. When you look at me like that, like you want to devour me, I want to pin you down and slam myself into you, over and over.”

“Do it.” The words tore from my throat. “Take what you need. Take it all.”

Something snapped in him then. His grip on my hips tightened as he took control. I surrendered to it gladly, giving him everything he demanded and more.

The orgasm built like a storm gathering strength, every thrust pushing me higher until I was balanced on the knife’s edge of sensation.

I forced my eyes to stay open despite the overwhelming pleasure, letting him witness every expression that crossed my face as I shattered. The raw intimacy of it, being so completely seen and claimed, sent me over the edge with a cry that echoed off the canyon walls.

“That’s it,” he said, never stopping his movements. “My beautiful, fierce queen.”

The words triggered something deeper, an orgasm that tore through my body. I felt our magic flare and intertwine, creating loops of pleasure that left me sobbing his name.

His own release followed seconds later, my name on his lips as he buried himself deep and held me like he’d never let go.

Even as the tremors faded, I ground against him slowly, drawing out the aftershocks that made him hiss through clenched teeth.

“Fates, woman, you’re insatiable,” he murmured, nipping at my earlobe with a wicked grin. “I love it.” His fingers traced lazy, possessive circles over my ass, reigniting the spark low in my belly.

I collapsed against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close as our hearts thundered.

“That was beyond anything I imagined,” he whispered by my ear.

I laughed, the sound breathless. “You imagined it?”

“Constantly. Obsessively. In every shadowed corner of my mind, you were there, my forbidden dream. Now that I have you, I’ll never let the world steal a single moment from us.” He stroked lazy patterns on my back with his fingertips. “Every moment we were inside Caldrith, I thought about having you like this. I spent too long wanting you and holding back. I’m done with restraint.”

I shifted on his lap, earning a groan from both of us. “We should probably get out of the water and sleep.”

“That’s practical.”

“One of us has to be.”

But neither of us moved. We sat in the steaming water, wrapped around each other, as if the world beyond this spring didn’t exist.

“I keep waiting for the next horrible thing to happen,” I said quietly.

“I can’t promise this will be smooth, but no matter what, we’re going to face each part standing beside each other.”

The conviction in his voice eased the pang in my chest. I kissed the hollow of his throat, right over his pulse.

“We should still get out,” I said. “Before we’re too relaxed to move.”

“Fine.” He lifted me carefully off him. “But only because I want to dry you off properly.”

He helped me out of the water, then climbed out himself. I stood dripping on the ground, the cool night air nipping at my wet skin.

Trew walked over to the heap of pearl-encrusted fabric that was my wedding gown. He picked it up, examining it with obvious distaste.

“No,” I said, catching his intent.