Page 213 of Mother of Death and Dawn

I moaned his name again, asking for something, and at the sound of it he let out a ragged groan and slammed into me hard enough to push me flat against the wall, his body braced behind me, the warmth of him trapping me there.

It was too much. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. I needed release.

“Yes,” he murmured, the need in his voice sending a shiver up my spine. His hand slid between my body and the wall, wrapped around my waist, pulled me closer to him as he thrust into me at the same moment his teeth closed on the skin of my ear.

“Now, Aefe,” he murmured, and as he commanded, I fell apart.

Every muscle went taut, the world shattering into annihalation except for him and the place we were connected. He drove deep, holding there, and I felt myself fill with him—distantly, in what little coherent thought I had left, I thought of how much I liked being full of another person.

An age seemed to pass with us like that, our muscles straining together, lost in our shared ecstasy.

When it faded, the first thing I became aware of was his lips softly kissing my neck. The second thing I became aware of was our heaving, trembling breathes. I had no strength. His arm around my waist, firm, was the only thing keeping me standing.

He kissed me one last time and gently, so gently, released me. I collapsed slowly to the floor, panting. I was covered in sweat and smudged flecks of human blood.

When he withdrew from me, when the warmth of his embrace was gone, I suddenly felt so empty.

“Aefe.”

I loved how he said my name.

I looked up to see his hand outstretched. I was naked and trembling—he was standing, and still fully clothed. He took my hand and drew in a sharp breath.

“You’re shaking.”

I nodded.

I didn’t know why.

“Come to the bed.”

I obeyed. My legs barely carried me. After two steps, Caduan scooped me up and brought me there, laying me down tenderly over silken emerald-green sheets.

“Do you need anything? Water? Food?”

I shook my head.

“Are you cold?”

I shook my head again.

His brow lowered over those magnificent eyes. “Did I hurt you?”

Again, I shook my head.

His expression was indecipherable. He brushed his lips over my sweat-slicked forehead and began to stand. “I’ll go get—”

Panic spiked in my chest. I grabbed his wrist, hard.

“Don’t go.”

He looked down at me, the wrinkle on his brow deepening.

And I could not even bring myself to be self-conscious as I said—as Ibegged—“Don’t leave me. Stay.”

My body felt as if I had been turned inside out and emptied. My mind felt fuzzy and overwhelmed, as if the closeness we had just experienced together had thrown my entire brain into shock. And my heart—my heart simply felt suddenly terrified for reasons I could not understand.

Caduan’s expression softened. Still, he did not move for a moment.

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