Page 326 of House Ignis

I wanted to climb him, take him right there against the nearest tree.

He pulled back, grinning, and I couldn’t stop the pout that slipped out.

"Firecracker," he murmured, his eyes gone black with hunger.

I could feel his restraint fraying, the thin thread holding him back. "Gods, I want to fuck you against this tree."

My thighs clenched, a helpless whimper catching in my throat.

"Fuck," he groaned, tilting his head back to the sky—like the gods could save him from what he wanted to do to me.

Then he stood, hauling me up with him, his hand firm at my waist. His voice dropped, low and rough enough to burn.

"After this damn trial… darling, I will devour you."

I looked down at the ring, starlight shimmering across the etched metal.

"Gods, it's beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"Umbra," he murmured, kissing my knuckles. "I went to great lengths to get it when I went back.” It was my mother's. Queen Selene gave it to me."

I remembered seeing her at the festival, regal and distant.

“Gods, you were there before you came to find me?” My eyes widened.

"Yeah." He scratched his neck, looking almost sheepish. "I had to be there to ask your father properly."

My jaw dropped.

He'd asked my father. The fucking king.

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

And then—our wristbands flared.

A sharp, piercing chime echoed through the trees. Nineteen left.

"We need to move," he gritted out, his eyes flashing back to silver—full predator mode.

I nodded as the gravity of the trial settled back over us.

He slipped the ring into the inner pocket of my jacket, then pressed a firm kiss to my forehead.

The smallest touch, but gods, it grounded me. He smiled, that rare, unguarded one that hit harder than any kiss.

"You ready?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Yes," I said, baring my teeth in a grin. "Let’s fucking win."

His answering smile was wicked—pure Asher. "That’s my firecracker."

The forest swallowed us whole.

We reached the edge of the protected starting zone minutes later. Crossing the containment ring was like stepping out of one nightmare and into another. The shimmering barrier rippled over us, a cold reminder that while the Woods were wild, they were still a cage.

We were beyond the protected zone now, deep in the hunting grounds controlled by the Academy’s shrinking radius, where the only company was other desperate teammates, the ancient creatures of the forest, and the invisible, unblinking eyes of the Astral Guard.

Asher fell into step beside me, every movement deliberate and controlled.