Page 32 of Ashfall

My palms drag over her hips, lifting, claiming. Her thighs lock around my waist as I carry her to the stone wall, pressing her into it with a growl that vibrates in my chest. She gasps and arches, her nipples pebbling against my skin, and I feast on her—neck, shoulders, breasts. My teeth leave trails of bruised heat. Her hands are everywhere, greedy and relentless, pulling me deeper, closer.

But it’s not enough... not yet.

With one arm braced around her waist, I pull back slightly, just enough to meet her eyes—wild, gleaming, utterly unafraid. I tilt my head, letting the fire stir deep in my chest. Her pupils dilate as she realizes what’s coming.

I lower my mouth to where her neck meets her shoulder—the place where dragon and destiny meet. My breath stills. Then I exhale—not flame, but the soulfire that lives inside me.

It’s warm at first. Then hot. A golden glow flares where my lips touch her skin, the flame whispering her name in ancient heat. She gasps—arches—trembles in my grip. But it’s more than that. Her breath hitches, caught between wonder and fear, and her eyes flutter closed as if something within her knows this moment—has been waiting for it. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, anchoring herself in the shock of what’s just passed between us. A glowing spiral etches itself into her skin, ember-bright and pulsing with power. Not the full bond. But the beginning. The mark of mine.

She stares at me, breathless. “What was that?”

“A taste,” I rasp, voice wrecked with restraint. “The rest comes later. When you say yes.”

Her eyes flash—daring, defiant. “I already did.”

My breath catches—sharp, primal. The dragon inside me lunges toward her like a spark to dry timber. Every part of me responds, drawn to the certainty in her voice like metal to flame.

And then we’re moving again—desperate, raw, colliding in rhythm born from fire and instinct. I pin her to the wall, then lower us to the stone floor where our heat meets the earth. Every thrust is a possession. Every cry, a claim. Her body tightens around me like she was made to fit, and I lose myself in the blinding brilliance of her.

She writhes beneath me, sweat-slick and glorious, hair tangled, lips swollen from my kisses. Her laughter breaks through—breathless, wicked.

“You’re not half as scary when you’re naked,” she pants, fingers dragging down my chest. “Still intimidating. Just... sexier.”

I growl and nip her shoulder in retaliation, careful but firm. She gasps and arches, her nails scoring my skin again.

“Careful,” I whisper against her ear. “Flatter me too much and I might make a habit of this cave.”

She rolls her hips and smiles like sin. “You say that like it’s a threat. But if you start monologuing again about destiny, I swear I’ll hide your pants.”

The air crackles with our magic, our fire, our need. The flickering light dances over us as we move—savage harmony, sweat-slick skin, whispered curses and bitten lips. The low rumble of embers and the echo of her name from my mouth match the sound of our bodies.

This isn’t just sex.

It’s ignition. The spark struck, the match lit—every thrust, every breath, a firestorm set to consume everything we were before this moment.

Something ancient stirs and settles beneath my skin. The dragon stirs, satisfied. Her presence grounds me, binds me, fuels me.

We burn. Gods, we burn.

And when she finally cries out, her body clenching around mine, pulling me into her release, I let go too—roaring her name, pouring every part of me into her until I have nothing left but flame and bone and soul.

We collapse, tangled and spent, breathing each other in. Her heartbeat flutters against my chest, a quiet, steady rhythm that calms the dragon inside me. In the distance, the soft drip of water echoes through the cavern, grounding us in the stillness that follows the storm we unleashed.

It’s not the bond.

Not yet.

But the mark on her shoulder glows softly in the dark, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. A promise forged in fire.

She goes still when she spots it—low on her left shoulder, right where neck meets muscle. A mark. Faint, but unmistakable. Glowing. A spiral, like fire had left a message on her skin.

I can see it pulse. She runs her fingers over it, reverent and curious.

Her breath sticks. The air thickens, heavy and close, like we’ve crossed into someplace we shouldn’t be. Like her world has been altered forever.

“So… does this come with a return policy?”

I laugh, low and wrecked. “No. You’re mine now.”

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