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His eyes lock on mine as if he’s awaiting his fate. And I have all the power in the world to end him right here. But I don’t want that.

I return the knife to his chest, placing it over his heart where the tattoos leave a small patch of skin untouched.

“You’re mine too,” I say.

His face softens with awe. Maybe he’s surprised that I’ve fallen for him after all.

I press the blade into his skin. A thin line of blood rises. Then two more.

Z.

My claim on him.

“You wanted me. Now you’re stuck with me.” My fingers brush the mark and lift away, stained red.

I bring them to my lips and taste him. Metallic proof that he’s real.

His eyes darken. “Stuck with you?”

In a heartbeat he flips us, getting me on my stomach and pulling the robe off of me. Cool air washes over my skin before his body presses onto mine, his nose finding my neck, breathing in my scent.

“Zaiya, I’m bound to you. You’re mine forever.”

My eyes close against the tears that spring out of nowhere. I couldn’t have imagined how strong it would feel to know someone wants me that deeply. I spent too many years believing no one ever truly would.

Every part of me is possessed by him as his hands roam. He kisses my neck, slower this time, sending a chill straight through me.

I’m not sure how to hold both versions of him. Whether it’s ruthless punishment or a gentle touch, each makes me fall apart.

His hair tickles my back as his mouth moves down, stopping at the curve of my backside. I let out a yelp when his teeth sink into my flesh only to pull away and leave a kiss.

My need for him spikes when his pants come off. I look over my shoulder to see him hovering above me, his cock pressing against my ass. I’m still sore, but I can only believe this is my remedy.

My thighs open, letting him get between them. The tip of his cock pushes inside my pussy and he sighs as if the tension of the day finally leaves him.

His movements quicken. Raw. Animalistic. I’m not afraid to moan, to show him how much I love it. I don’t care if it makes me look needy or less graceful.

A big hand grabs my ass and digs in, spreading my cheeks to let his cock push deeper into my pussy. I rub against the bed, but the ache remains. Desperation builds, and he knows it.

Edwin reaches under to work my clit in the exact way I need. Enough to make my whole body tighten and lift into him.

My pussy clenches around him. Tighter. Tighter. Until it pulsates with my orgasm. I cry out into the pillow as he continues to hump against my ass.

No matter how wrong it is, how unsafe, I want his cum inside me. I want to know what it feels like. I want more of him.

He thrusts faster until he suddenly pulls out and hot cum stripes my ass.

Then he collapses beside me on his stomach, breathing hard. The cloth I used on his back lies near him, and he reaches for it to clean me off in a way that feels strangely domestic. It reminds me less of lovers after one hot night and more of a real life together. A future.

We lie on our stomachs, side by side, staring until matching smiles pull at our lips. He winces when he rolls onto his back. Then he takes my hand and brings it to his mouth, pressing a kiss first to my knuckles and then to my palm.

His kisses trail up my arm as he pulls my body to drape over him.

My eyelids droop, heavy with exhaustion, and I fall asleep with a faint smile I don’t try to hide, my fingers still tangled with his, believing him when he says I’m not alone.

Ophidia swallows people as they arrive, drawing them in from cities far away. They disappear into the crowd that breathes and shifts under the green and purple lights.

Tonight is for forgetting. For becoming someone new beneath the cover of shadows and loud music.