“Stick out your tongue,” I commanded her.

She did immediately, curiosity and anguish tumbling down our bond as I slowed my pace. A smirk curved my lips. I had her right where I wanted her.

So I spit.

Her core gripped me like a vise, making stars dot my vision. Our mouths battled as I crashed my lips against hers, desperate to taste her. I fucked hard into her again, tearing a whimper from her throat.

“Rokath,” she panted, breaking our kiss. Her nails clawed my back, leaving stinging gouges as sweat spilled across them. “Fuck, do that again.”

I hit that deep spot and stilled, circling my hips. “Did you like that, Assyria?” I murmured darkly in her ear. She shivered beneath me.

“Yes,” she admitted, rolling her lower back so her clit brushed against my stomach.

I hiked her legs to my shoulders, pinning her firmly against the ground. The angle gave me the perfect opportunity to do exactly as she asked. “Open for me.”

She did, and I grabbed her jaw and spit again. I didn’t let go as I picked up a relentless pace, ecstasy crashing down our bond like the waves did against the shores of the island.

Her eyes fluttered again, those dark lashes fanning against her cheekbones. “Oh, I think I’m–” she started, but a raw scream cut her off. Pleasure shattered through her, and her walls clenched my cock so tight she yanked me right into ecstasy with her.

My balls tightened, and I was done, coming inside her for the first time. I couldn’t have pulled out if I wanted to from the force of our combined orgasm. We floated together, higher than the birds over the seas. Still moving. Still panting. Still one.

We remained locked as we floated down. I curved down and kissed her again, first on the lips, then on the forehead. Her racing heart beat against mine. I brushed sweaty strands of hair out of her face, drinking in the rosy flush of her skin. Leaning back, I eased her legs off my chest, massaging them gently after straining her into the difficult position. “Thank you.”

“For what?” she murmured back, her expression serene.

“For trusting me to take care of you.”

“You always will,” she said, her tone soft and filled with adoration. She reached for my forearm and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Dragging in a breath, I dove into my magic and called my wings back. Then I hooked my arms under her waist and hoisted her off the ground. With a groan, I slid out of her at last, wetness gushing from between us and dripping onto the blanket. She laughed and shook her head. “Guess you’ll be needing a new one of those.”

“Fuck it,” I said, and in a few wingbeats, we were airborne and headed to the spot on the beach that was safe enough to swim.

The plush sand sank between my toes as we landed. Assyria wiggled hers in it when I set her down. Hand in hand, we made our way to the water. “This might be a little cold.”

A small, shocked laugh escaped her as the tide lapped at our legs. She offered me a sheepish grin. “It’s pretty cold.”

“Then I’ll hold you close,” I murmured, tugging her against my chest. She hissed again, but soon she relaxed into me as we waded deeper.

We didn’t have to go far for the water to be up to Assyria’s waist. Gently, I reached between her thighs, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “What are you doing?”

“Washing you?” I questioned, like it wasn’t obvious.

“Oh, I thought you were doing something else,” she giggled, looking up at me.

“Well, I will be touching you there,” I grumbled, beginning to wipe away what clung to her thighs. “But not for that reason. I came inside you, and I don’t want you to fear falling pregnant when I know that’s not something you want.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to clear them. “You remembered that?”

“Of course I did,” I told her, opening her so I could wash the remnants of me away. “That’s why I’ve never come inside you before. I wanted to respect your wishes, not to force something else on you that you didn’t want.”

“I thought it was because you also didn’t want them,” she said, her voice raspy. Her throat worked, drawing my attention.

“That was part of it. But that was not the main reason.” I spun her, then dropped lower in the water to ensure that I cleaned her out as much as I could for the time being. “When we return, I have something else I can give you too.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, cupping my face and running her thumbs over my beard.

A wave came in, crashing against us, and she fell into my arms. I kissed her again, long, languid, like we had all the time in the world. When we finally broke apart, I asked her, “Do you want to eat or swim?”

“Swim,” she pronounced immediately, ducking out of my grip. In a flash, she disappeared beneath the water, coming up soaked. Pebbles dotted her skin as she surfaced again, but she sported a wide, unguarded smile. “Now that that’s over with, let’s go.”

Before I could say anything, she dove, splashing as she broke through an oncoming wave. I shook my head and followed.

Our bond would always lead me straight to her, but I never wanted her to be more than a dozen paces from my side again.

As our time on the island drew to a close, I packed up our belongings, ruined blanket and all, and we flew back to the military academy close enough that the edges of our wings brushed. We landed with ease on the roof of my tower, descending the stairs in a post bliss haze. But when I opened the secret door, I stopped dead in my tracks, dread filling my chest.

Because Kiira sat on one of the leather couches, head in her hands.

Sobbing.

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31

“Kiira, what’s wrong?” Assyria asked, squeezing by me and racing to my cousin’s side. I dropped the basket and blanket on a nearby table, studying the females with sharp, coiled focus.

She sniffed and dried her eyes on her sleeves, looking between us both. “I came as soon as I could.”

“Is it Rapp?” I asked, immediately thinking the worst. He’d been doing so much better…

“Fates, no,” she shook her head forcefully. The vise around my chest loosened immediately. “Actually, he would have come with me had he been able to make the climb.”

I approached slowly, easing my weight onto the seat opposite hers. “Then what is this about? The assassination attempt? Has Xannirin done something?” Those were the only other logical explanations for her level of distress.

Her lower lip trembled, and Assyria threw her arms around Kiira, holding her close. My cousin leaned her head on Assyria’s shoulder, soaking in the comfort my mate offered her. “The Fates offered me another prophecy.”

My blood turned to ice. Assyria went utterly still, save for her attention snapping to me like she was searching for some sort of reassurance. “What happened?” My tone was flat, emotionless, as I braced for the inevitable bad news.

Kiira swallowed hard, straightening. “It’s nothing to worry about. Well, unless…”

“Unless what?” I prodded, heart hammering against my ribs. Kiira needed to speak, right fucking then.

“Unless they are unreliable now,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Assyria tried to soothe her, but Kiira shook her head.

“I saw you,” she said to my mate. “For the first time, so clearly. I wanted to be sure before I told anyone…”

“When did you have this vision, Kiira?” I asked, neck growing hot. Before, Kiira had only had glimpses of my mate. The images she’d drawn of Assyria’s eyes flashed through my mind, seared there as they had been from the moment I’d gripped one in my hand.

“Before we left Uzhhorod,” she admitted quietly, looking down at her ringed hands.

“It’s been over a week since you arrived. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I growled.