She gave in to the experience, allowing him to consume her every thought and breath.
His name left her mouth on a prayer, just as he echoed hers in kind.
They were utterly absorbed in one another, falling into the bliss of their temporary tranquility. Their lives had constantly been in flux, spent running and hiding and preparing. They knew how to use a down moment to their advantage, which was exactly what they did now.
She indulged him, just as he indulged her.
Until they were a panting mess of tangled limbs, their sweat enough to warrant another shower, but neither of them was fit to move.
Caro nearly laughed.
Except she couldn’t. That required too much energy.
“I think you’ve killed me.”
“It’s a beautiful way to die,” he said, just as breathless as her.
She giggled in reply, the sound oddly liberating.
He rolled onto his side to face her, the two of them sharing a pillow. They’d just ridden each other to oblivion for what felt like hours and yet was still nowhere near long enough.
His palm found her hip. “Are you laughing at me again? Because I had no idea I was so hilarious,” he deadpanned.
She kissed him, and he responded by rolling her onto her back and going to his elbows on either side of her head. Energy danced off his skin, the full weight of seraphic abilities seeming to ripple over him.
“Do you feel that?” he asked her.
“Yes. I think our intensified bond is what has strengthened your Seraphim genetics. That’s probably why you can mist now.” Which she loved. He had the most-gorgeous blue-tipped black wings. “Show me your feathers.”
He did, igniting his ethereal state with a stray thought. “This took our daughter a week to learn, but it feels natural to me.”
“Likely because your wings were suppressed, but always there. You just didn’t know how to access them until recently. While Astasiya’s needed to grow.”
“I assumed mine were growing like hers over the last twenty-five years.”
“Maybe,” she replied, thinking it through. “I’m not really sure how it works. You’re an abomination, after all.”
He snorted. “I’m your abomination.”
“You are,” she agreed, smiling. “Hmm, but I wonder if my reformation impacted your Seraphim ascension.”
“Or my father did,” he replied. “He claimed it wouldn’t have been useful to keep me grounded and unable to fly, but he’s not exactly a trustworthy source.”
“Yes.” She considered it more, then added, “However, our bond feels fuller now. Like we completed something by reuniting.”
“I sense that, too,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers. “I feel alive.”
“Me, too.” She kissed him back, reveling in all the sensations of his touch. “I love you, Sethios.”
“I love you, too, angel.” His tongue slid into her mouth, hypnotizing her all over again with his potent touch. She sighed beneath him, content to remain there forever. But she knew they had a future to face. A dark fate. One underlined in war and violence and blood.
Her daughter was the key to it all.
She just didn’t fully understand what that meant yet.
They would figure it out together as a family. As a powerful unit. As Seraphim reborn beneath a renewed purpose.
“I think that was what the Fates had in mind,” Caro whispered, voicing her thoughts. “They wanted Astasiya to grasp humanity because they knew it would impact her decision-making. And rather than kill indiscriminately, she’ll think through each and every resolve with compassion—something the council lacks. They’re all about practical decisions, but she follows her heart.”
