Page 87 of Saints & Sinners

I let out a shaky breath and nodded with eagerness.

Hunter’s smirk softened as he brought his hand up to my face, his fingertips brushing my cheek with a gentleness that made my heart stutter. It wasn’t until then that I noticed the faint streaks of red staining his fingers.

My blood.

His eyes flicked to it, and I watched the smirk fade. He inhaled slowly, the weight of what had just happened grounding us both back into reality.

He had taken my virginity.

An Ascendant.

I couldn’t read the thoughts flickering behind his eyes, but poignant fear coiled in my chest at the thought of losing him. Notnow. Not like this.

I didn’t know what we were now. We’d crossed a barrier that we could no longer recover from.

Without thinking, I reached up and cupped his face, guiding him to meet my gaze. His eyes searched mine with uncertainty as I held him there.

“No going back,” I whispered.

His jaw tightened, the muscles flexing as if he were holding something back. Then, slowly, he nodded before closing the space between us as his lips found mine in a firm, claiming, and irrevocable way.

Chapter Forty-Two

The days that followed blurred into a strange, intoxicating rhythm. Everything had changed since the moment I lost myself to Hunter, and training with him had taken on a whole new meaning. When he wasn’t teaching me, he would use any chance he had to steal me while no one was looking.

The first time it happened, we’d been sparring in the forests, where he’d pinned me to the ground, his hands gripping my wrists above my head. I’d expected another remark about my stance or form; instead, his eyes darkened, and before I knew it, his lips crashed on mine. It was reckless and unapologetic.

The following day, when it was Saturday, he surprised me with a packet of condoms he’d bought from a corner shop just a few miles off Celestia. From then on, it became our unspoken routine, finding corners of Celestia where no one would think to look—an empty storage room behind the training grounds and even the armory once again.

During another session, when I was with other Warriors, I caught sight of the Angelic Council watching from the sidelines. They stood there beside Azrael, their quills scratching against parchment as they jotted down whatever notes they had. Mynerves nearly got the best of me, but Hunter’s voice steadied me.

“You’re fine,” he had murmured, his hand brushing against mine under the guise of adjusting my stance.

I nodded, pushing past their stares with the bit of strength I had in me. By the time Azrael dismissed us, the Councils’ expressions were unreadable, but their glances towards me felt strange. I was glad Joe wasn’t with them during that moment, but I couldn’t help my paranoia get the best of me, thinking they somehow knew Hunter and I were doing something behind their backs.

Our stolen moments weren’t always so controlled, though, and that stood the test when Hunter came by Marnie’s dorm when her roommates weren’t there. He’d surprised me by hiding in the shower and grabbing me like I was all his and only his.

“Grace!” Marnie’s voice echoed from outside the bathroom. “Are you okay? You’ve been in there forever.”

I bit my lip, trying to suppress the moan threatening to escape as Hunter gripped my thighs tighter. His lips were on my neck, his breath hot against my skin as he moved against me.

“I-I’m fine!” I stammered, my fingers clutching the countertop behind me, desperate to hold on as he pushed me closer to the edge.

“Are you sure?” She didn’t sound so convinced, which only worsened when Hunter’s movements grew deeper. I almost yelped.

“I said I’m fine!” I practically shouted, earning a low chuckle from Hunter that vibrated against my chest. His hand slipped lower, and I clenched my teeth, my breathing ragged as Marnie’s footsteps faded.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” he teased, sounding smug.

“Shut up,” I managed to whisper before the words dissolved into a sharp gasp as he made me come undone right there.

One afternoon, though, after I stumbled during training, I feltthat familiar panic start clawing at the edges of my mind. Hunter pulled me aside, away from the sight of Warriors around us and handed me a smooth blue stone on a leather cord he had crafted for me.

“What’s this?” I asked, staring at the stone like it might come to life.

“It’s something to focus on,” he said, and my head snapped up at him. He pried it from my fingers and placed it over my head, letting it dangle from my neck. “When it gets too much, hold it and ground yourself. It’s a way of distracting your mind.”

He was called by Azrael after that, leaving me speechless over his gesture. A sudden warm feeling pricked at my heart as I watched him speak with Azrael off-field, and I struggled to control it. He’d made me something, all the while he played with my ring around his pinky.

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