“Tell me what you want, Assyria.” Izgath scooted ever so slightly closer.

My heart skipped a beat. Izgath’s magic must have been stronger than Priestess Anara warned us, because suddenly I wanted nothing more than to spill all my darkest secrets to him, to have him touch me like Dromak had touched the fallen female.

I’d been instantly attracted to Izgath, and then as we worked together over the past weeks, I’d only grown more interested. After he discovered me bathing, that had only intensified, on both our parts. And then our encounter in Osijek. Day by day, this tension had grown between us, and in this moment, I was poised on the precipice of falling into him.

But could I do it? Could I trust him?

I sucked in a breath as my gaze collided with his. “I’m not sure what I want, or how to do it,” I whispered, my own voice sounding so foreign after disuse.

“Let me guide you,” Izgath purred, closing the remaining distance between us. I jerked when his fingers brushed against the bare skin of my throat and then trailed down to the buttons on the front of my shirt.

“Okay,” I breathed, nodding. Every place his fingers brushed my skin was like fire, and so slowly, the fabric fell away, revealing the swell of my breasts. My nipples peaked against the band that bound them, drawing Izgath’s attention, as the shirt fluttered to the floor. But when he swept his gaze to mine again, my breath hitched.

“You are the most exquisite female I’ve ever seen, Assyria. I don’t give compliments like that lightly. You saw where we were in Osijek. I’ve been to many of them. But never have I felt so inexplicably drawn to someone as I am to you.” His fingers brushed the skin above my navel, trailing up the center of my chest until they worked around the back of my neck and twisted in my braid.

“Are you certain it’s not your magic?” I managed to wring out, heart working in overdrive. His face drifted closer, and my eyes were drawn to his lips.

“I’m certain,” he said, his breath ghosting over me and causing a shiver. “I know the difference between lust and divine attraction.”

Unconsciously, I’d tangled my fingers in his shirt. The heat from his body radiated into mine, and he groaned, long and low. His hand splayed across my lower back, then tugged me closer so my bound breasts brushed against the hard planes of his chest.

With his free hand, he wrapped up my braid and directed my head to the side, his nose trailing down my neck to the crook of my shoulder. “Izgath,” I panted, not quite sure what I was asking for.

He smiled against my shoulder, teeth scraping it ever so slightly. “Assyria.”

My name in his mouth was decadent.

A tendril of that sensual magic caressed the bare parts of me, and I bit down on my lip to stifle a moan. Izgath lowered his lips to my ear. “It is best that you keep as quiet as you can.”

I nodded, and Izgath withdrew. He guided me upright until we knelt in front of each other. Izgath unfastened his leather armor, tossing it to the side, and then pulled the white tunic beneath it over his head, revealing those cut abs that I couldn’t help but admire every time we ran.

“Fates,” he groaned, eyes roaming my body. “Lie on the bedroll.”

Hesitantly, I rose, glancing between Izgath and the pile of blankets on his side of the tent.

As if he sensed my hesitation, Izgath grasped my hand in his and tugged. “We stop when you want to stop. My magic senses everything sexual about a person, and I feel your nervousness.”

Swallowing, I nodded. “I am a bit nervous, yes. I want this. I just…”

“You haven’t been with anyone besides Vagach,” he stated.

I nodded again.

Blowing out a breath, he reached out for my other hand and back stepped toward the makeshift bed. “Trust me to make you feel good. Tell me to stop if it gets to be too much. I promise we won’t couple tonight.”

Confusion dipped my brows together. “But that’s what I’m for? To bear children. Why wouldn’t you want that opportunity, especially with my power?”

Izgath reclined on the blankets, resting his head on the small pillow, then tugged me on top of him so I straddled his waist. “Because I know the risks of you, of us, getting caught. And because now is not the time for children. There will be plenty of time once we’ve slaughtered the Angels and made homes in their land.”

“But why would we—if we’re not going to⁠—”

Izgath moved his hands to my waist, then rolled his hips beneath mine, digging his hardness into my center. I pressed my lips together to smother a gasp. “Coupling is about more than children. It’s about pleasure, too. Though I’m sure your priestess did not teach you that, being female.”

The tip of his finger touched the bottom of my chin, lifting it from where I had been ogling his abs. “Trust me.”

“Okay,” I whispered, chest heaving. Without warning, he flipped us so that I was flat on my back beneath him, hands pressed to his chest. For a moment, his face gave way to Vagach’s and I tensed, sucking in a sharp breath.

Izgath smoothed my hair back and crooned, “You’re safe with me, Assyria.”

Nodding, I forced myself to unwind. Izgath’s muscles rippled as he languidly lowered himself. His face hovered over mine, lips so close I could easily lift my chin and kiss him.

My eyes drifted closed as that soft sensation swept across my skin. I moaned, long and low, body arching of its own accord when it swept up my thighs. “Let my magic envelop you,” Izgath purred, his hot breath pulling goosebumps to my skin. He planted a featherlight kiss on my collarbone. Warmth bloomed from the spot, spreading through my body like a lazy river, taking all tension lingering in my muscles with it. By the time it reached my toes, I was relaxed in a way that I’d never been, well, ever in my life. I wanted nothing more than to remain in this blissful state for eternity.

Then his lips met with mine.

The kiss wasn’t earth shattering, but rather a slow, sensual build like a thunderstorm rolling in from the distance. The first few passes of his lips against mine were teasing, exploratory. The tendrils of his magic pressed against my skin, eliciting a shiver, and then something between us broke. His hands slipped beneath me, one on my lower back and the other on the back of my neck, crushing me against him. A low whimper escaped me unbidden, and then he stole it from my mouth with an insistent swipe of his tongue.

I’d never been kissed with such passion, and I lost myself to the taste of smoky herbs on his tongue, the heady scent of his musk, and the heat from his touch. My tongue twined with his in a natural dance, and with a masculine groan, he sucked my lower lip into his mouth and then released it with a pop.

“Wrap your legs around my waist, Assyria,” he instructed in my ear, the smoothness of his voice making me tremble in the most delicious way. I did as he bid, feeling his hardness against my core. A small gasp left me as he kissed the spot below my ear and ground into me.

Already, I enjoyed this moment of intimacy far more than any time with Vagach.

Tilting my head, I silently requested more of Izgath’s lips on my neck. He obliged, planting slow, languid caresses along its length. Beneath my palm, his heart pounded, increasing its pace like that of a horse breaking into a gallop. Those strong hands released me, coming to brace on either side of my head. With the newfound space, his tongue traced a path to the swell of my breasts.

I tipped my head back and savored every touch.

Fingers skimmed along my ribs, finding the knot I’d tied in the strip of fabric and giving it a tug. In moments, the band loosened, slipping away and revealing my breasts. Izgath cursed, and I lifted my head, finding him staring with rapt fascination.

Then, his eyes met mine. “May I?”

“Yes,” I breathed, moving my hands from his chest to his sculpted shoulders to give him more room.