Page 45 of A Sunwoven Ascent

He was silent for a beat before drawing her in, one arm circling her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Your perception continues to humble me,” he murmured. “And unsettle me.”

She rested her palm against his bare, inked chest, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers. The steady rise and fall she had come to know so well was off now. His heart no longer beat with its usual calm rhythm. It stumbled, surged, hesitated.

“Kaldrek,” she said quietly. “You promised me no more secrets.” Her voice lowered. “I can feel your fear.”

He breathed out sharply and rolled onto his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling of their shelter in Cindermoor as if it might offer him a kinder answer. “You’re right. I did promise.” His jaw hardened. “I only wanted to spare you more worry while your brother and your friend are both suffering.”

Evelyne leaned over, bracing her hands on either side of his shoulders. “You are what matters most to me.” A dangerous smile curved her lips. “So speak now, or I bite.”

That earned a low laugh. “Perhaps I’ll endure the punishment first.”

She swatted his shoulder. “Try me.”

“Come with me to Selene’s today,” he said after a moment. “I think it may help answer what you’re sensing.”

Her smile dimmed, just slightly. “You meant to see her again?”

“Yes.” He paused. “Why does that trouble you?”

“What?” Evelyne scoffed, far too quickly.

Kaldrek pushed himself upright and looked at her, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Ask it,” he said softly. “I can feel it turning in your mind.”

She groaned inwardly. This bond was intolerable.

“Fine.” Her eyes dropped to her hands. “Have you ever… been with her?”

His laughter came at once, warm and unrestrained. Evelyne buried her face in the pillow, mortified.

“No,” he said firmly. “Never.” He tipped her chin up. “Witches were never my preference.”

Relief swept through her before she could hide it.

“But southern-born noblewomen…” He leaned in, his voice turning into a low, dangerous murmur. “I never imagined one would undo me so thoroughly.”

Evelyne’s breath caught as his mouth brushed the sensitive skin beneath her ear. He kissed her slowly, as though savoring every reaction. When she tilted her head to give him better access, he rewarded her with a trail of heated kisses down her neck.

“Kaldrek…” she breathed.

His hand slid possessively over her side, and his teeth grazed her shoulder just enough to pull a gasp from her.

“Mine,” he murmured against her skin. “My defiant, beautiful mate.”

She turned quickly, cupped his face, and drew him into a kiss that shattered what little restraint remained. This moment was hers. The locked door. The quiet. The certainty that no one would interrupt what she had wanted for far too long.

He let her take the lead, meeting her with a hunger that sent her pulse racing. His hand tangled in her hair, drawing her closer as the bond between them thrummed. The world narrowed to heat, breath, and the way he looked at her, as though she were the only truth worth knowing. If this was temptation, Evelyne had no wish to resist it.

“Yes,” she breathed against his mouth. “I am yours.”

Something in him gave way.

Kaldrek answered with a low, broken sound as her touch grew bolder, sure and unafraid. He pressed closer, as though even that nearness no longer satisfied him. His kiss turned rougher, more demanding, and whatever control he had clung to began to fray beneath her hands.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he rasped.

Then he moved, rolling her beneath him and caging her there as though the world might steal her away if he loosened his hold. His hands roamed with intent, his mouth following wherever her breath caught, wherever she yielded beneath his touch. Evelyne arched into him, helpless to stop the sounds that slipped free. His scent, his warmth, the unbearable certainty of him surrounded her until the rest of the world fell away.