Page 282 of House Ignis

Every thrust was a lightning strike, every touch a brand. My knees buckled, but he kept me pinned against his chest, his movement relentless.

“I can’t... I’m done,” I panted, my head lulling back against his shoulder. The intensity was stripping me bare, leaving nothing but the raw need for release.

He chuckled, a dark, wicked sound, before his thumb pressed firmly against my clit.

I doubled over, my vision whiting out as the pleasure spiked into something lethal.

“Asher! Now! Please!”

The blood bond flared one last time, blazing between us.

He gave a final, powerful lunge, his jaw clenching as he came undone.

The grunt that left him was raw and heavy, the sound of a predator finally satiated as we both collapsed into the shadows of the garden.

He kept me pinned to his chest as he emptied himself into me, his jaw tight against my neck.

When it was over, I simply gave up, melting into his arms.

We were covered in sweat and the remnants of the chase, our breaths hitching in the quiet night air.

My eyelids felt like lead.

He pulled away slowly, only to tuck me securely into the crook of his arm.

He smoothed the damp hair away from my face, his silver eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my pulse flicker. He kissed my brow, a gesture so sweet it hurt.

“Your room, princess,” he whispered, his breath ghosting over my lips. “Take me there.”

I offered a dazed smile, too exhausted to argue or point out our lack of clothing.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, letting him guide me.

We moved through the garden like ghosts, two naked, ruined souls returning to the fortress that couldn't possibly hold the darkness we’d just unleashed.

We had barely made it inside when a scurry of frantic footsteps jolted me from my daze.

We had stopped moving, and as my heavy lids blinked open, the world rushed back in—bright, sharp, and hostile.

A dozen guards stood in a semi-circle, fire licking at their palms, their eyes wide with a mix of duty and terror.

I looked up at Asher.

He was grinning, his silver eyes flashing with a wicked sort of amusement.

I glanced down, expecting the worst, but saw only a swirling, impenetrable void of shadow clinging to our skin like a silken shroud.

“You think I would let anyone see what’s mine?” His voice was a tired rasp through the bond, possessive even in his exhaustion.

“Ava?” My blood ran cold, horror washing over me in a freezing wave. I looked straight ahead.

There, standing at the center of the hall, was my father.

My father didn’t look angry; he looked amused, watching us with the patient expression of a male who had caught a child stealing sweets from the kitchen.

“Stand down,” my father ordered, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

The guards hesitated for a fraction of a second before the fire in their palms flickered out.