His hands come up to cradle my face. The warmth of his palms seeps into my skin, and I almost release a moan.

I freeze, my breath hitching.

“Rok…” I whisper.

His thumbs brush along my jaw, and for a moment, I forget everything—the fear, the uncertainty. There’s only him, his touch, his eyes burning into mine with a desperation I don’t understand.

And yet…

I can see that this is costing him.

His glow flickers, dimming and brightening, dimming and brightening, as if the effort of touching me is too much. His claws twitch against my skin, as if he’s struggling to hold himself back.

“Why are you doing this?” I murmur, my voice barely audible. “If it hurts you, why⁠—”

He leans forward then, slowly, pressing his forehead to mine.

I gasp softly at the contact, my heart pounding in my chest as his warmth surrounds me. His breath fans against my lips, ragged and strained, as his body trembles against mine.

For a moment, neither of us moves.

We just stay like that, forehead to forehead, his hands cradling my face, my fingers clutching at his wrists.

His eyes flutter closed, and I can’t help but stare at him, at the way his features soften even as his body remains tense.

“This is almost more intense than French kissing,” I whisper, but the joke falls flat even to my ears.

I close my eyes as Rok’s fingers tighten slightly against my jaw, and then⁠—

His voice fills my mind.

Urgent. Strained.

“Leave. We must hurry.”

A lump forms in my throat as I open my eyes. He’s already staring at me, his molten gold gaze piercing through the darkening shadows of the cave. His eyes are wild, desperate, and for a moment, I can’t breathe.

“Yes,” I whisper, the sound barely audible. “We should.”

His gaze flickers down to my lips, lingering there, and my heart stutters in my chest. Without thinking, my tongue runs over them like an invitation.

Kiss him.

“We can’t.” The words leave my lips, but they lack conviction.

I know what he wants.

I know it in the way his glow pulses erratically beneath his skin, the way his hands tremble as they cradle my face.

The air between us crackles like a live wire, coiling tighter, brighter, until it feels like the cave itself might ignite.

And then I think: Why not?

Before I can second-guess myself, I close the small distance between us, pressing my lips to his.

It’s soft at first, tentative. His lips are warm, and they mold to mine perfectly.

But then something shifts.

A low growl rumbles from his chest, and his hands tighten against my jaw, pulling me closer. The kiss deepens, his mouth claiming mine with a hunger that steals the breath from my lungs.

I gasp into him, my fingers tangling in his hair—soft, surprisingly soft—and he groans, the sound vibrating through me.

His lips part mine, his tongue sweeping inside, and I’m lost.

Completely and utterly lost.

Rok kisses me as if he’s starving. As if he wants every part of me.

It’s overwhelming, intense, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. His kiss is wild and consuming, a force of nature that sets every nerve in my body ablaze.

I don’t even realize I’ve wrapped my legs around his waist until he lifts me, his strong arms cradling me as if I weigh nothing.

My thighs tighten around him instinctively, and he staggers forward, pressing me against the cool stone wall.

The contrast between the cold rock and his fiery warmth sends a shiver racing down my spine.

“Oh fuck,” I gasp and he growls again, his lips trailing down my jaw to my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. My head tilts back, a moan escaping me as his mouth finds the hollow of my throat.

I’ve never been this turned on in my life.

Wait—didn’t I say that before? Well, I mean it even more now. FUCK.

Every touch, every kiss, every possessive growl makes me burn hotter, my body arching into his as if begging for more.

In the back of my mind, I notice how quickly he’s learned to kiss—how perfectly he’s attuned to my reactions, how he seems to know exactly what I need, what I want.

But then something changes.

He freezes.

At first, I think he’s just catching his breath, but it’s just like before. When he had me quivering after giving me the best orgasm of my life. His entire body stiffens, his hands twitching against my skin.

“Rok?” I whisper, my eyes flying open.

He pulls back slightly, his head tilting as he inhales deeply. His nostrils flare, his glow pulsing brighter for a moment before dimming again.

And then he releases me.

Just like that.

I barely have time to catch myself before he staggers back, his hands flying to his head as he lets out a guttural snarl.

“Rok!” I cry, stumbling forward, but he holds up a hand, stopping me in my tracks.

His glow goes haywire, flickering and pulsing erratically beneath his skin. It doesn’t look natural—it’s chaotic, unstable, like a storm raging beneath the surface.

He falls to his knees, his body shaking violently. His claws rake against the stone floor, leaving deep gouges as his breaths come in harsh, ragged gasps.

“Rok, what’s happening?” I whisper, dropping to the floor beside him.

I reach out, my hand trembling, but the moment my fingers brush his arm, he flinches like he’s been hit by a truck, a sharp hiss escaping him.

My touch makes it worse.

I pull back, my heart pounding as I watch him, helpless and terrified.

And then…his glow changes.

It happens so suddenly, so drastically, that I fall back in shock.

The soft amber light beneath his skin darkens, shifting to something deeper, something…different. It looks like smoke, like shadows writhing under the surface, swirling and coiling in unnatural patterns until they consume him from within.

His skin has gone pitch black.

“Oh, shit,” I whisper, chest heaving.

His body convulses, his head tilting back as a guttural, animalistic growl tears from his throat. The darkness beneath his skin grows thicker, consuming him, and for a moment, I think he might explode.

And then⁠—

Stars.

The darkness is suddenly filled with stars.

Tiny, glimmering points of light swirl beneath his skin, like entire galaxies trapped within the confines of his body.

It’s beautiful and terrifying all at once, like staring into the heart of the universe.

He collapses forward, catching himself on his hands, his head hanging low as his body trembles.

I scramble toward him, my fear overridden by the need to help him, to do something.

“Rok, talk to me.” I plead, intent on pressing my forehead to his so he can tell me what’s going on. Is he dying? He can’t be dying. My heart lurches at the thought, tears filling my eyes. I push them back.

He can’t be dying. Because I refuse it.

When my fingers brush his shoulder, he flinches again, but this time he doesn’t pull away.

Instead, he lifts his head, his glowing, star-filled eyes locking onto mine.

The look in his eyes…

I cannot explain it.

I see myself. All my dreams. All I’ve ever wanted.

And in that moment, I know.

Whatever’s happening to him, it’s because of me.

And there’s no going back.

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Chapter 26

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THIS SOFT CREATURE IS MINE

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ROK

I am burning from the inside out.

The fire that began when she touched me, when I tasted her essence, has spread through every part of me until I am nothing but flame. My body has become alien to me—shifting, changing, reforming itself according to some ancient pattern I can’t begin to comprehend.