I tugged on his hair, forcing his gaze to mine. “What does that mean?”

“It means the King is about to fuck his Queen.”

That wasn’t where I had been going with that question, but in a heartbeat, I was there completely.

Eyeing his erection, I dragged in a reedy breath. A pulse of desire echoed, surprising me. I didn’t think it would be possible after the pleasure he’d already given me, but here I was.

Ash had gone still again as he stared down at me. His skin thinned. Shadows appeared across his cheeks and down his chest. Faint tendrils of mist rose behind him, seeping out from his upper shoulders to form the hazy outline of wings. I slipped my hand from his hair, letting it fall to the bed.

His eyes slammed shut as he twisted his neck to the side. Instinctively, I could sense that his Primal form was close to the surface, and he was struggling to rein it back in. I could actually…sense it.

Which was really weird because I had no idea how. But I could.

“I…I just need a moment to get myself under control,” he said gruffly.

My fingers curled into the blanket. It would be wise for me to stay quiet and let him regain that control. Plus, there was a lot we needed to talk about. I had no idea how long I’d been asleep or what was going on with Kolis and the other Primals—or even Iliseeum and the mortal realm.

But I was reckless and unwise, even now. And all that important stuff could wait.

I rose onto my elbows, and he didn’t stop me. Reaching between us, I wrapped my hand around his cock.

A low hiss of air parted his lips as his eyes flew open.

I couldn’t look away from the vivid, icy burn of his stare as I drew my fingers along the length of his cock to the tip before lowering my hand to my belly. I let my knee fall to the side. “Fuck your Queen then.”

There was no hesitation.

Not even a second.

Ash thrust into me, seating himself all the way. His ragged moan joined mine. The muscles of his arms tightened as he braced himself, his hips beginning to move. The rhythm he set wasn’t slow or gentle. It was a torrid pace, fast and hard. Wrapping my legs around his hips, all I could do was cling to him. My fingers dug into the hard muscles of his shoulders as each plunge hit a spot deep inside me, unleashing tight waves of pleasure. His chest flattened against mine, his hips pounding into me over and over as he kissed me, lips devouring mine.

Ash did as he’d said, as I demanded.

He fucked his Queen.

Sometime later, we lay in Ash’s bed—our bed—facing each other, my cheek resting on his arm, and our legs tangled. In the sated silence, he toyed with a strand of my hair and kept looking at me as if I were some sort of a mirage. He barely looked away, almost as if he feared I’d disappear.

And I knew I looked at him the same way. That was why I kept my hands on his chest. As my thoughts spun from one thing to the next, I had to touch him, remind myself that we were both here.

There was so much going on in my head. I had all this knowledge in the back of my mind now. As if the essence inside me had contained it all, waiting for it to be unlocked. It was a lot, and I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that I was here, had Ascended, and was now a Primal. Actually, I was the Primal.

Of Life.

The fangs.

Which I kept pricking my tongue on.

And I couldn’t even think about how all that was possible—what it required to work. If I did, I wasn’t sure if I would start sobbing hysterically or climb all over Ash.

Our bodies needed a break.

And there were so many things I needed to know—had to understand. I wasn’t even sure where to start.

So, I chose one of the easier things. “Will I ever stop catching my tongue or lips on these things?”

“These things?” He laughed as I prodded a fang with my tongue. “You’ll get used to them.”

Nicking myself once more, I frowned. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“You will,” he assured me. “Especially since they’re rather small.”

My frown increased. They didn’t feel small in my mouth. “Are they supposed to be larger?” I eyed his mouth, able to see the tips of his. “Did something go wrong?”

“I don’t think anything went wrong, liessa.” He smiled, clearly amused. “I imagine they’re smaller simply due to your mortal birth.”

“Oh.” My gaze lowered. “Ash?”

“Yeah?” He dipped his head, brushing his lips across my forehead.

I smiled. “Was there a chance I wouldn’t have regained my memories upon waking?”

“There was,” he said, twisting a curl around his finger. “An Ascension is a powerful transition for a god. But a Primal? It’s even more so. As the eather grows, changing the body while in stasis, it can affect the mind.”

My stomach dipped. “Have any Primals Ascended without remembering who they were?”

“A few. Some regained many of their memories. I heard that Maia spent some time without much recollection of the years leading up to her Ascension. The same with Phanos. Attes and Kyn Ascended at the same time, but Kyn never regained his memories.”

My brows shot up. “Of all the people I expected not to regain their memories, Kyn was not even on the list.”

He unwound the curl of hair. “Why is that?”

“I guess because he has a twin. That it would’ve, I don’t know, grounded him?”

“I would think the same, but Ascensions are unpredictable, especially if you go through one alone,” he said, and I watched his lips move. Something about his voice was different. “If Nektas hadn’t been there, talking to me, who knows if I would have remembered my years prior.”

“I’m glad you did,” I said, thinking it would’ve been terrible if he’d had no memories of his father. I dragged my finger across his chest, just below his collarbone. “So, that was why I dreamed of your voice? You were talking to me?”

“I was.” He paused. “How much do you remember?”

“Bits and pieces.” One of them came to the forefront. “You spoke about seeing me as a child by the lake, right? In your wolf form?”

“I did.” A grin appeared, and it stole a little of my breath. “You were carrying an armful of rocks.”

“I was. I don’t remember why. I was a strange child.” A shaky laugh left me. “I forgot to tell you this when we were in the cavern, but when I saw you in your wolf form, when you first came for me at Cor Palace, I knew it was you. I knew you were the wolf I saw as a child.” I took in a shallow breath. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

I almost laughed again. For what? “Besides the fact that you made sure I remembered who I was?”

“That’s not worthy of gratitude, liessa.”

He was…

A knot of emotion swelled in my throat. Gods, I loved him so much I felt like I would burst.

Lifting my head, I brought my mouth to his and gave him my gratitude. I poured it into the kiss.

And Ash didn’t just drink it in, he gave it all back. The arm I’d been resting on curled around my waist, tugging my chest against his. He kissed me as if he wished to stake a claim to my very being. No one could kiss like that—evoke such a sensation.

Things spun from there, turning from gratitude to a near-desperate need for each other that somehow hadn’t been quenched. Darts of pleasure raced through me. Every part of me became incredibly taut. His kisses could do that in mere seconds, taking me from calm to frantic with need.

Ash’s hand slid down my side, over my leg. He lifted my thigh, hooking it over his hip. I gasped into his kiss as he cupped my rear, pressing me against his already-hard length.

“Yes,” I whispered—begged, really. My fingers dug into his skin.

Ash groaned and then punched his hips up, sinking into me. I cried out, quickly swept up in a riot of sensations. He moved deeply inside me, slowly at first, driving me to my wit’s end. And when I thought I would surely die, he rolled me onto my back. Our eyes locked. We met each other thrust for thrust, the rhythm increasing as I wrapped my legs around his waist. His mouth was everywhere, capturing a nipple as he sucked in time with his hips, then moving up to lick and nip my throat—