Page 19 of A Spark in the Ash

Three.

Two feet and I can feel the warmth of his body. It isn’t burning. It’s soothing and comforting.

One foot. I smell the scent of him, and he should stink considering he hasn’t showered in weeks. But he’s spent almost the entirety of that time in ultralight form, burning everything away.

And finally, finally, he stands right in front of me, his green eyes staring into mine intensely.

I have so many things I want to say right now, but they’re racing around in my brain so fast I can’t catch onto a single one of them. And I’m also afraid that if I say anything, it will break the spell of concentration he’s manifested.

So, I stand here, silent and unmoving.

Desire and longing and hope and anticipation are turning the look in Jaxon’s eyes complex.

But he doesn’t say anything either. He simply raises one hand. And slowly, so, so slowly, he touches the back of his knuckles to my cheek, slowly brushing them over my skin.

My eyes slide closed. They shouldn’t. I should never turn a blind eye to an ultralight. Even now, I feel the darkling in me stirring, gaining awareness that the enemy is too close.

But I have complete control of it. It will obey my will. And I will it to stay a prisoner inside of me.

I open my eyes just as Jaxon brushes his thumb over my lips.

“Serena,” he breathes out. There’s…struggle in it. But also…emotion.

I reach up and gently wrap my hand around his wrist.

Instantly, his nostrils flare. Suddenly, his skin isn’t warm, it’s hot.

“You’ve got this,” I encourage. Adrenaline spikes in my blood and my darkling rustles in my chest, ready to burst out. But I force myself to stay calm. Jaxon stares at me with slightly widened, worried eyes. “It’s okay. I trust you. You’ve got this.”

But heat begins to rise from his shoulders. I can barely touch him, his skin is so hot now.

His entire body is shaking slightly. His gaze is so intense, it’s almost scary looking right now.

He’s a breath away from losing control, but I cannot let that happen.

He is mine, and I need him back.

“You can do this,” I say, my tone firm. “Remember those nights at the club? Two of them wasn’t near enough for me, Jaxon. I need more. I need you at my side, doing sketchy shit with me. And I need more of what happened in that parking garage.”

The look in his eyes shifts. He seems more focused now. Instead of the look of a predator, it’s a look of possession in his eyes.

“I need you back. And I know you can do this.” My words come out with determined conviction. “Take me back to that club, Jaxon.”

I wasn’t prepared for it. He takes me entirely by surprise.

Jaxon presses forward and crushes his lips to mine. His hands wrap around my waist, settling low on my back. He walks me back until my spine hits the wall behind me.

A desperate gasp pulls into my lungs as Jaxon kisses me like it’s his last breath before death. Sparks flare in every corner of my body, and in an instant, it’s a blazing inferno.

A moan escapes my lips into Jaxon’s mouth. His lips part and I don’t wait for him to come to me. My entire body is desperate for him, absolutely starved for him.

His hands grip my hips so hard I’ll likely be bruised later, but I relish it as he hoists me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. The pressure of his body pressing into the center of me is enough to make me lose my mind. My back grinds into the wall behind me, but blissfully, it helps to eliminate every inch of space between the two of us.

Jaxon’s fingers dig possessively into my hips. His mouth never slows on mine, even for a second. His teeth graze my lower lip, his breath hot as he breathes into me.

The miracle of it all fills me.

A darkling and an ultralight sharing the same air.

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