Page 69 of Thorn & Ash

She tugged at his shirt, struggling to lift it over his head and his wings. Frustrated, she ripped at the fabric until it fell in tatters around him, exposing his bare, muscled chest. He was beautiful. Every inch of him was a masterpiece.

“I’m yours, Mona,” Evander whispered, brushing loose strands of hair away from her face. “From here to eternity, my soul will always find yours. No matter where you are.”

Heat and desire burned in her chest, and tears stung her eyes. How could she convey to him what he meant to her? How could she help him understand the gravity of what she felt for him? She pressed a hand to his chest and leaned into him.

“My soul has always been bound to yours,” she murmured, her nose brushing his. “And it always will be. No force in all the realms can come between that bond. I love you, Evander. With my whole heart and soul.”

His mouth crashed into hers with such violence that her bones quivered. He feasted on her just as she had feasted on him. His hands wound around her, ripping the dress and shift from her body until it left her naked atop him. Mona stepped off him only to tug his trousers free before she straddled him once more, gasping from the hardness pressing against her.

She had never felt such clarity and vibrancy, not even in that brief moment when she and Evander had almost taken each other before. Now, with her memories, with her magic, she felt more alive than ever.

She felt like a goddess.

Her hips ground against his, and he growled, his eyes flashing. His hands snaked up her back, tangling in her hair. He tugged, angling her face so he could kiss her more fervently. She thrust, rubbing against his cock mercilessly as he moaned into her mouth. His lips lowered, trailing down her neck, his tongue flicking against her skin and making her tremble with need.

Then, his mouth captured her breast, his tongue circling her nipple. She groaned, shaking against him, pushing and demanding more of him, more…

“Please,” she begged.

“Please what?” His tone was teasing as he licked her breast again.

“Please, Evander. Take me.”

His hand cupped her rear as he shifted underneath her, his hard arousal rubbing against the moisture in her center.

Oh Goddess, she would die right here and now if he didn’t take her.

Her fingers grasped his cock and squeezed. His hands clenched tightly around her as he roared, his voice echoing in the forest.

“Now,” she commanded.

He looked at her with ragged desire in his gaze, and she knew in that moment he would do anything for her.

She shifted, widening her legs around him, her core throbbing with anticipation. His cock nudged at her entrance before entering her fully. She cried out, her sex burning, her eyes pricking with tears from the intensity of him filling her. Pain coursed through her, but it was almost as intoxicating as her arousal. She clung to it, fingernails digging into the muscles of his back as he plunged into her, deeper, more firmly. She threw her head back from the sheer pleasure of it, of him wholly inside her.

His mouth found her neck, his tongue gliding along her skin. She rocked against him, relishing how she could clearly feel his cock moving inside her. Mona’s insides melted, cascading into waves of arousal and desire, leaving no coherent thoughts behind. Evander thrust again, his hands pressing into her sweat-slicked back, bringing her more firmly against him.

“Harder,” she commanded, her voice a low rasp.

Evander obeyed. He withdrew, then drove into her, the movement violent and eliciting a scream from her. He pulled out, then slammed in again. And again. Each movement had her moaning and crying out his name, her body on fire, the tension inside her coiling and mounting, soaring higher and higher. Her body jolted with each thrust, his hips moving in time with hers like a blissful rhythm that united them both.

Just like their shared song. The melody had them moving as one, like dancers. He pushed, she followed. He gasped, she moaned. Back and forth, they continued their routine until it felt as if their souls had joined together as one.

After one final thrust, Mona closed her eyes, crying out one last time, her throat raw from screaming as pure release flooded her, an explosion of pleasure and intensity so violent that her fingernails cut into Evander’s skin. He buried his face in her neck, whispering her name again and again as he came, his body shuddering from his climax.

They clung to one another, both covered in sweat, both refusing to extract themselves. Mona’s head was a muddled mess, her insides nothing more than a puddle. She could barely move. Barely think. All she knew was Evander, the feel of him inside her, the way their bodies aligned perfectly.

She didn’t want to move. She wanted to preserve this moment forever. But already, they had wasted too much time. Mona still needed to find Prue.

Reluctantly, Mona shifted atop him, but Evander stopped her, his hands tightening around her waist. Exhaustion and satisfaction filled his face as he gazed at her, his eyes shining with delight. She had never seen him look so at peace. So at ease. He always carried this tension, this weight about him, as if the secrets he carried were a heavy burden.

But now, he looked… free.

Mona’s hands found his face, her palms framing his cheeks. Her fingers traced the line of his jaw, down to his chin, then stopped at his collarbone. Only then did she realize his moonstone necklace was missing.

A slow smile spread across her face as she took in the wings behind him. “You merged with Typhon, didn’t you?”

Pride glinted in his eyes. “I did. Because of you.” He brushed his lips against hers, the motion so chaste compared to what they’d just done that Mona found herself grinning wider.

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