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“Come for me. Let me see your first real orgasm,” she coos, and her voice makes me shiver as something takes over. I rut into my hand before pleasure explodes into a dazzling display of light and ecstasy that consumes me. I shatter, spilling over my hand and lap. I can’t see or feel anything else, but then I hear her cry out.

Forcing my eyes open, I focus on her as she slumps into the wall, rolling her hips slowly before stilling as she tugs her fingers free.

Beautiful, so beautiful.

When the ecstasy finally releases me, I drop to the floor, my eyes wide in shock as she runs her gaze over me, arching one eyebrow in triumph.

“Show’s over.” She looks down at me, crumpled in the corner, then washes herself quickly. When she turns the shower off, she looks at me once more. The sneer on her lips is beautiful and infuriating as she steps over me and opens the door. Kitt leans against the opposite wall, swaying and glaring at us. She simply blows him a kiss and walks to her room.

“What did you do?” he roars as he staggers to the door and looks at me.

Swallowing her taste, I close my eyes, feeling like I’m flying and will never come down.

“What we all wish we could.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY

The sun warms my skin and stings my watering eyes, but I refuse to close them. I thought I would miss creature comforts the most, and I did. I missed a warm bed, clothes, and showers, but this was what I craved—feeling the sun baking my skin and the breeze washing across me. I’ll make the most of it while I can, especially while they argue loudly in their quarters. After this morning, I’m betting a few of them are furious, but it just happened. I never intended to cross any lines with Raiden, and it’s clear he didn’t either. This stupid, pesky mate bond keeps dragging us together. I’m just glad we didn’t give in and fuck. It would have been great, but not worth the consequences, like a slimy one-night stand.

Blocking out their voices, I stretch on the metal compartment that covers the stairs to my quarters. It’s not huge, and the scarred blue metal is sun warped, but right now, it feels like a five-star resort.

That is, until the sun disappears, blocked by Kitt’s huge frame as he appears above me, shielding me from warmth and freedom. I open my mouth to instruct him to move when he yanks me up by the neck and leaps down. Before I can fight him, he holds me over the edge of the railing above the ocean. His expression is furious and hard, and his skin changes before my eyes as he growls.

This isn’t Kitt. This is the golem.

Fury washes through me as I stare into those dead, hateful eyes. I grab his hand on my neck, but if I break the hold, I will fall. I dig my nails in anyway, but they break against his clay. My legs kick softly in the breeze, my hair blowing back as I stare at him.

“Do not ever touch one of us again.” His voice sounds like crashing boulders, and my eyes begin to bleed from the grating strength. I knew he was mad from the dent in the bathroom door, but this? This is a whole new level. Their arguments only infuriated him further, and now he’s taking it out on me, like I was the only one involved and wanted to cross a line with someone I hate. I promised myself I would never get close to someone again, yet I can’t fight this bond no matter how much I wish I could.

I start to get angry, and when I get angry, I get bitchy. My smirk grows as I tighten my hold on his hand before letting go, dangling from his grip. “Do you wish it were you?”

His eyes narrow, the skin hardening across his face and cracking as he grinds his teeth. I arch an eyebrow, waiting for his response. His hand uncurls from my neck, leaving me to plummet to the water below—cold water that extinguishes fire. I don’t know how a phoenix would react, but I’m not about to find out. He wants a fight? Fine, let’s finally have this out once and for all. It’s been a long time coming.

Before I can hit the water, the change flows over me easily. The first time I died was hard. It took months for me to complete one change, where I was stuck and in agony. Now, it’s second nature, and just as my wings brush the water, I push up and soar above the deck, my eyes narrowing as I scream. My flaming wings flap as I dive, my talons scoring the deck as he rolls out of the way, but in my next swoop, I capture him with one talon across his neck, the other on his chest. I lower my beak and scream in his face.

Despite my anger, he smiles. This is what he wanted. He wanted an excuse to kill me. He wants to find an outlet for all his frustration. The careful control he always carries is gone as he slams his rocky fist into my side, sending me flying through the air towards their shipping containers. I hit the side hard, denting it before pulling myself free.

Slamming his fists together, he gives me a challenging look, so I soar towards him. He meets me head-on, and we clash, tumbling across the deck. Both of us try to kill the other despite the pain it’s ripping through the bond. My talons almost break against his body, but I use them anyway, trying to crack his exterior, rip his chest open, and feast on his black heart. He wraps his arms around me, trying to squeeze the life out of me, but every time one of us would manage a killing blow, the fucking mate bond stops us, making us hesitate so the other gets the upper hand. His blood coats my changed form, his rock cracked and pierced in places, and we fight until neither of us can anymore.

I slump to the deck at his side, my chest heaving as my form slips away, leaving me human again. I’m exhausted and bleeding but alive. Turning my head hurts, no doubt from his arms wrapping around my neck, but he is very much in the same condition. His rock recedes to reveal a sliced face that begins to heal as I watch. His husky frame shakes from his breathing, and his arms and legs are spread like he doesn’t have energy anymore. He turns and meets my gaze.

“Feel better?” I grit out.

“Fucking mate bond,” he grumbles, and I nod. We lie side by side for a moment.

“Fucking mate bond,” I agree, staring up at the sky.

“Ferol?” I turn my head again to meet his turbulent eyes. “We shared a great kiss, but you are not worth risking everything for.”

“I wasn’t asking you to,” I grumble.

“Then let’s stay apart until we reach land. We have set course towards your mother’s and our employer’s home. When we get there, we will break the bond then finish this fight.”

Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I nod. We both know where we stand. Even if we wanted this mate bond, he wouldn’t accept it. Their job comes before everything else—the very same job for the person I want dead. We are enemies through and through, but a part of me aches at the thought.

Climbing to my feet, I leave him behind, swaying slightly on my legs, but I find the others watching intently. I ignore their gazes and head down to my room, needing to be alone.