Page 114 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

My chest tightened. Gratitude swelled, not just for Sephy, not just for the gods who’d intervened, but for the family I’d found here—Hades and Sephy, Bronte, and above all, the man in front of me.

‘Then I’ll thank her every day,’ I murmured, curling my fingers into his.

‘As will I,’ he said solemnly.

‘All I want is a life with you. With Guinn. Together.’ I raised a hand to his cheek.

Si’s cheek pressed into my hand, his breath shuddering. ‘Kardia mou,’ he whispered, raw and possessive. ‘You’re mine. Always.’

‘Kiss me,’ I panted. Holy hell, this man made me a complete sap.

‘I won’t only kiss you, kardia mou—I’ll carve stories into your skin with my lips, every one ending in you moaning my name.’ Gods, his voice was dangerous—rich and deep—and hella sexy.

Bingo. I raised my brows. ‘Prove it, sea god.’

His large palms framed my face, then his mouth crashed into mine, his tongue ravishing my mouth with a long, deep kiss—the kind that steals your soul and hurls it toward some higher plane. A wildfire raced through me, searing along every nerve, gathering molten and desperate between my thighs.

‘Mark me again… claim me,’ I begged.

‘Every part of you will carry my claim, Little Red.’ His eyes were smouldering as he pushed the robe from my shoulders, letting it fall into a silken pool at my feet. His gaze roved over me, hungry and humble all at once. Then he caught my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.

‘But first, we will start the blood oath. We will seal our fates together.’

Before I could speak, his fangs sank into his own wrist. Blood welled rich and dark, flecked with gold, glistening against his bronzed skin. He brought it to my lips, his voice deep, commanding, and achingly seductive. ‘Drink.’

I did.

His blood flooded my tongue—salty, electric, more intoxicating than any wine. It slid down my throat like liquid fire, setting my veins ablaze. The taste was freedom and tempestas—wild storm winds and crashing waves—something exotic and untameable—a hurricane colliding with the seashore.

I moaned as the power rampaged through me, my body shuddering violently under the onslaught. Heat slammed into me, so sharp and sudden it was almost pain. My thighs pressed together instinctively, but it was useless—the ache between them flared into desperation, raw and consuming.

‘Si!’ My voice broke, pleading. My nails raked his shoulders as the burn spread, fierce and relentless, leaving me writhing. ‘I can’t—I need⁠—’

His grin was wicked. He licked the wound on his wrist, sealing it, then cupped my face with blood-warmed hands. ‘Yes, kardia mou. You need me. You are mine now—in blood, in soul, in body. As I am yours.’

He kissed me, his tongue invading my mouth, letting me taste myself mingled with him. My body convulsed, every nerve alive, ravenous. His blood had bound me, claimed me, and left me desperate for him to finish what he had started.

‘Please,’ I gasped, the word torn raw from my throat. ‘Claim me, Si—mark me everywhere.’

In an instant, he was naked, his glorious cock jutted hard and heavy, desperate for my pussy, but he made me wait, as he pushed me to the bed, and knelt over me. ‘I will mark every inch of you, my queen. Tonight, tomorrow, forever. Your body, your soul are mine.’

His lips trailed down my throat, hot and urgent, leaving a map of wet kisses and sharp nips that made me arch beneath him. My skin felt hypersensitive, every nerve tuned only to him, the heat of his mouth and the steel of his grip. He flicked his tongue across my nipple, then sucked deep, a rough pull that tore a broken moan from my lips. My fingers fisted in his hair, tugging, helpless.

‘Si… please…’

He growled against my skin, the sound vibrating straight through me. Then his fangs grazed my flesh—sharp, teasing, until they pressed deeper and bit.

The world shattered.

Pleasure slammed into me so violently it felt like pain, molten and all-consuming. His venom seared through me, hotter than his blood, racing flames through my veins until I screamed his name. My back arched off the bed, every muscle taut, my thighs clenching around nothing, desperate for relief.

‘Oh, gods… Si!’ That pulsing throb of pleasure beat between my thighs intensified.

He licked the sting, soothing it, his mouth wet and possessive as he marked me, again and again, each kiss a brand. Bliss, unlike anything I’d ever known crashed through me, flooding my senses until I felt drunk on it—high, weightless, trembling. Pleasure built and built until it crested, a wave so fierce it threatened to drown me.

His hand slid between my thighs, finding me slick, ready. The venom throbbed inside me, an intoxicating aphrodisiac that turned need into agony. My body burned, pulsed, begged to be filled.

‘You feel it, don’t you?’ he rasped, lifting his head to look at me. His lips glistened, his eyes molten and wild. ‘My blood. My venom. My mark inside you. You’re mine, kardia mou… and I’ll drive you to madness with it.’