“Please,” I begged again.

He obliged, pressing his lips against me.

My knees buckled, and I leaned back, bracing against the railing as I grabbed his horns.

It seemed impossibly wicked, us against the banister as the sea cracked against the cliff below. Anyone could see us, but with shadows, there would be no onlookers. He could jump us away if we fell. Every element of this thrilled me, and I would never understand how I could trust him with my body while still guarding my heart.

He repositioned, lifting my foot to his shoulder, angling me. His tongue swept across the full length of my folds, and I trembled at his touch.

More. I need more.

I ached as he paused, helping me to settle upon the banister, my legs wide and breath held as he eyed my opening, primed for his taking.

“You’re beautiful,” he rasped.

Then he was upon me, his tongue lapping against my clit. It swirled around my opening. My bliss grew, and I braced, grabbing his horns, pulling him closer.

He leaned in, sucking on my clit with renewed vigor.

My orgasm surged from my curled toes, growing into a strangled cry in my throat. I writhed against him, consumed by the way he worshiped me.

Light ebbed from my hands, and as pleasure rippled through me, wave after wave, I didn’t fear my forming magic. I embraced it.

Light flashed; my brain blurred.

Somehow, I landed back in my body, in my own mind.

Whatever had happened, it seemed to be mere light. But it left me gasping, sated, my limbs weak. I was breathless, my heart aching in a new way. All I could do was watch as he leaned back, helped me down, and set my skirts to right, his fingers lingering a little longer than necessary.

And he’d done all of that to me. For me.

My heart swelled. I might be frightened, but it was time to take a risk. I needed him to know how much he meant to me.

Zayne

Ayla held my gaze with fire in her eyes. “I’ve felt the tether ever since I called you back to the living, and I’m sorry I denied it, denied us. I need you so badly it frightens me.”

My chest throbbed as if my heart could be tugged out of it. To hear her finally acknowledge this thing between us… I lifted my chest with pride.

My Ayla was wild, and it was a delight to fulfill her wicked desires. I had listened carefully, taking in each moan as I stroked her with my tongue, feeling how her thighs tightened around me as she found her release.

She made starlight.

My kisses pleased her, and the success filled me with a heady satisfaction, leaving me flushed and hard. I took a deep breath, increasingly aware that she had stepped closer, now so close that my stiff cock pressed against her stomach.

Looking down at my pants, Ayla swayed her hips, grinding against me with a teasing grin. My clothes dulled the sensation, but they failed to stop a growl from escaping my lips.

She pounced, devouring me with hungry lips. There was no hesitation as she rushed to action, her fingers dipping below my waistband. My body tightened, my cock straining as she sought it out.

Her hand found my erection and wrapped it tight, causing another, louder, growl to rip from my throat. The shadows flickered around us as my control wavered.

She looked about and, much to my annoyance, paused. “You better keep control of the darkness if you don’t want to make a scene.”

“Oh, we’re going to make a scene, are we?”

She didn’t answer, instead lowering to her knees before me, and I almost came simply from the sight. She tugged at my pants, opening the ties with a moan as my cock burst forth.

Her lips parted at the sight of my erection. As my pants hit the floor, I seized the shadows. I braced.