The second our lips touched, his entire body erupted with fire, fire,fire.
I screamed as liquid flame poured down my throat. His heat was excruciating and glorious and healing.
It scorched away death, thawed my frozen heart, and forced my translucent body to return to flesh and blood. For a few blinding moments, I felt strong again—devouring every droplet of energy he gave me, brimming with life and power.
Hope grew wings.
We could do this.
We can fight—
With a groan, Lucien pulled out of me and flipped me onto my hands and knees. Yanking my hips back, he slammed into me with a brutal thrust, cocooning us in a raging fireball.
The ground caught fire around us. The tree caught ablaze.
Wrapping one blazing arm around my waist, he held me in place as he planted his fist into the burning ground and took me like a beast. “You don’t get to die. You don’t get to leave. I won’t letyou.”
Tears ran down my cheeks as I pushed back against him, meeting every thrust. His teeth sank into my shoulder, breaking the skin and feeding me flames that burned as hot as venom.
Dragging me upward, he held me on my knees as my back plastered to his scorching chest. Kneading my breast with one hand, he grabbed me around the chin and angled my jaw to kiss me.
I cried out as his lips devoured me.
The sky caught fire as his power spiralled out of control. The auroras fell like raining ash. The entire dreamscape trembled.
Horror filled me as he fed me every drop he had left.
“Lucien...stop.”
Every rock pushed more of his energy into me, tearing his soul apart.
“Lucien.” I tried to fight. To get him off me. “Please—”
He merely took me harder, flinging open his heart to save me.
I felt it.
Felt him burning himself up for me. Giving me everything in the hope that it incinerated the ice inside me forever.
“Lucien!” I squirmed and wriggled, but he just held me tighter.
“Pleasedon’t do this!”
His fingers found my clit, drowning me under pleasure.
I moaned as my core clenched around him, driven into bliss beneath his relentless rhythm. “I can feel you fading.Stop it.”
He only fucked me harder, hips snapping with brutal need. “I don’t care if I burn out. If you die, I die. So take what I give you. Take everything.”
My orgasm shattered like a firework, ice exploding outward in jagged constellations. Lucien followed with a guttural roar, pouring everything into me—every last drop of fire, every scrap of life, every piece of his soul.
He collapsed, falling to his side, taking me with him. He stayed buried deep inside me, his chest heaving as he embraced me like he couldn’t bear the thought of losing me.
A sob caught in my throat as I hugged his arms wrapped tight around me. Our hearts connected with agony.
“I love you,” he whispered, pressing the sweetest kiss to the back of my head. “I love you so much.” His words slurred a little, his heart pounding against my back.
“I love you too.” I couldn’t fight the sobs anymore and burst into tears. Switching to the silent intimacy of speaking through our bond, I begged,Never do that again, do you hear me? You can’tdestroy yourself for me. I can’t live without you either, don’t you get that? We’ll find a way. We just need a little more time.I bowed my head and kissed his forearm locked tight over my breasts.Just don’t be reckless. Don’t give up. Youcan’tgive up.
