Page 120 of Emylia

And Gods—it felt like he was claiming my soul. Not just my body, but every broken, stubborn, sacred part of me. Like he wanted who I was, not just what I offered.

The weight of that nearly suffocated me.

His grip on my wrists loosened. His fingers slid down the length of my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake, before sweeping down to the edge of my ribs. His thumb brushed the delicate skin beside my breast.

“When you say everything… do you mean this?”

His lips found the tender curve of my neck, and a string of kisses trailed along my throat, pausing only when his teeth grazed my collarbone. My moans slipped free—unapologetic. I didn’t care how loud I was. It felt that Gods-damned good.

When he finally stopped, I blinked up at him, breathless.

“What?” I asked, my voice barely air.

“You still haven’t answered me.”

“I thought the moaning was answer enough.” He smirked, shaking his head, and leaned down to nip at my exposed skin. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

He tugged my nightshirt higher, baring my stomach and ribs, and kissed a heated path over the newly revealed skin.

“Fine,” I gasped. “It was a yes.”

“A little yes?” he teased.

He had to be kidding.

This man—this weapon carved from shadow and silence—was teasing me.

Maalikai didn’t smile. He didn’t soften. He was all edge and storm. A commander forged in war and winter, a man whose hands were built for destruction and whose gaze could break bones.

And yet… here he was.

Smirking. Teasing. Speaking to me in a voice that had no business being so gentle—like honey poured over steel.

As if he hadn’t once looked at me like I was a battlefield to conquer. Now, he looked at me like I was something sacred. Something to kneel for. Something holy.

Sweetness curled in his every breath, slow and dangerous. His voice, usually cold enough to freeze fire, now licked across my skin like molten silk. Every word melted into me like heat from a flame I hadn’t known I’d lit.

He was sweet. Godsdamn sweet. And it terrified me more than any blade. Because this wasn’t a mask.

This was real.

And I didn’t know what was more dangerous: the weapon at his hip… or the way he made me feel like he’d set the world ablaze if I asked him to.

I rolled my eyes. “As in a big yes.”

Laughter rumbled through him, low and wicked. The sound vibrated through my bones, curling heat in my belly. A shiver shot through me as I pressed my thighs together, trying—failing—to contain the fire he’d lit.

“Does that mean you want more?” He nipped along the curve of my rib.

“Why are you making this so incredibly painful?” I gasped. “It’s like you want me to beg.”

“If you just told meexactlywhat you wanted,” he murmured, “I wouldn’t have to ask.”

That voice—Gods. That voice was sin.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I closed the gap and kissed him hard, silencing everything.

He stilled, surprised—just for a heartbeat—then melted into me. His lips softened, guiding mine, deepening, devouring.

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