Page 72 of When Ashes Fall

I couldn’t lie when we both knew the truth.

That cruel smile curved his mouth again as his eyes gleamed. With a small tug, he pulled the button free; it clattered as it bounced across the floor.

“I remember how good you felt and how deep you took me. And now here I am, bathed in the musky aroma of your arousal, the rapid beat of your heart, and your eyes as you watch me.”

When he retracted his claws to slip his hand inside my pants, I gasped as his finger slid through my wetness before circling my clit. The ache within me became a physical pain; I didn’t know if I wanted him to stop or continue.

If he stopped, I might die. If he continued, I might lose myself completely.

“I thought you were never going to claim me as your mate again,” I managed to bite out.

He chuckled. “I don’t have to claim you to fuck you. I did that countless times before I marked you.”

Sadness swelled within me. He was right about that, but at least I’d known there was love between us all those other times.

When we first started sleeping together, he was too young to mark me. Somehow, the animal he was meant to be broke free during our last time together and claimed me as his. That animal ceased to exist when the beast took its place.

Although I wanted to cry from the sheer ecstasy of what he was doing to me, I somehow found the strength to grasp his wrist. His eyes narrowed on me.

“Stop,” I whispered.

“You want me.”

“I do, but you’ll hate yourself and me afterward.”

He released a harsh bark of laughter. “I stopped hating myself years ago, my prickly little thorn. Fucking you again is the least of my many evils.”

“Knox—”

Whatever I was about to say ended abruptly when his mouth crashed down on mine.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Briar

At first, I was too stunned by the brutality and suddenness of his fierce kiss to react, but then I tasted blood.

Whether it was him or me who was bleeding, I didn’t know, but it slid down my throat as his tongue invaded my mouth. The coppery taste wasn’t unpleasant as I swallowed more.

His hand briefly tightened on my neck before easing; his claws remained a sharp reminder of how easily he could kill me. When his tongue found mine, I tried to resist, but found it impossible to do so.

He wasn’t the man I’d loved, but I’d missed him. While his kiss was far more punishing than ever before, it was also familiar and right in some strange way.

He was all around me, filling every space. I could no more deny him than the tides could deny the moon… or maybe it was me I couldn’t deny.

I wanted to hate him. He was such an arrogant prick, but even with as much as he pissed me off, I also missed him when he wasn’t around.

When his finger found my clit again, the bones went limp in my legs. I leaned into him to keep from falling over as the spiraling pleasure building within me climbed ever higher.

He’d said he’d never claim me again, but his kiss and touch burned deep into my soul. They branded the most intimate parts of me almost as much as his bite.

Whether he was Knox or Seth, my body was his and always would be. I wasn’t so sure about my heart, as there were plenty of times when I didn’t like him. I also wasn’t sure he was capable of love anymore, but I knew no one else could bring my body to life the way he did.

My arms slid around his neck, and my fingers bit into his nape as his body eased against me. His rigid muscles softened, and the bruising intensity of his kiss eased as his tongue leisurely traced the contours of my lips.

Blood no longer spilled into my mouth. He tasted like fresh air, freedom, and familiarity. He tasted of love, or the memory of it at least, as his hand slid out of my pants and he plucked me off the ground.

His other hand left my throat as he swept me up in his arms and carried me across the room. I didn’t know where we were going until he settled into a chair and broke the kiss.