Page 116 of Sticks & Serpents

But even as these thoughts solidified into clarity, another part of me screamed at how reckless this all was. How could I let her dive deeper into my world? The world where darkness lurked behind every corner?

Yet as she took another step forward—her gaze unwavering—I knew there was no turning back.

His voice was raw, hushed. “What did you do?”

Holly exhaled, her eyes steady, unwavering. “She’s gone.”

The weight of her words settled over me like a blanket, heavy and suffocating. My blood thrummed in my ears, something dangerous, something primal twisting inside me. I should’ve felt fear or regret for what had just happened, but I didn’t.

I only felt her.

The fire behind us roared with an insatiable hunger, but it was nothing compared to the heat building in my chest. It ignited a dark sense of pride within me I couldn’t ignore. Holly had stepped into that chaos, faced down the monster that had haunted my life for years—and she hadn’t flinched.

She didn’t back down.

She fought back.

The realization struck me harder than any punch I’d ever taken on the ice. She had become the warrior I never knew she could be—a force of nature willing to risk everything for us, for me. The lines between right and wrong blurred as the adrenaline coursed through my veins, amplifying every sensation. The fire illuminated her face, casting flickering shadows across her features that made her look fierce and wild—an untamed spirit refusing to be caged.

I moved closer to her, my breath coming out in ragged bursts as I took in the sight of her—the blood on her hands from defending herself against my mother’s wrath. There were no barriers left between us now; no distance we needed to traverse.

There was no going back now; we were bound by this moment, sealed in a way I hadn’t anticipated but desperately craved. In that instant of chaos and destruction, everything felt possible; our pasts shattered around us like broken glass scattered across a darkened street.

I didn’t think. I just moved.

In an instant, I was on her, grabbing the back of her neck and crashing my mouth to hers. The kiss was brutal, wild, almost violent. It was a claim—one that echoed through the chaos surrounding us, drowning out the crackle of flames and the fading screams of a world that had tried to tear us apart.

Holly gasped against my lips, her body tensing for just a heartbeat before she melted into me. She didn’t resist; instead, she pressed closer, fingers tangling in my hair like she wanted to pull me even deeper into this moment. It felt primal—an unspoken understanding passing between us as we lost ourselves in each other.

I had been afraid of what I might do if I let her in completely, but right now? I didn’t care about the consequences. The taste of smoke still lingered in the air, but all I could focus on was her—the warmth of her body against mine, the way she fit perfectly like we were two pieces of a puzzle that had finally found their place.

Every worry faded as she pulled me closer, demanding more with each fierce movement of her lips. It was like she was trying to siphon off the chaos and pain that had consumed my life for so long. She needed me as much as I needed her, and it was intoxicating.

The world blurred into insignificance; there was no one else but us in this moment. I felt alive—more than I had in years—and it terrified me how much power she held over me.

When I pulled back slightly to catch my breath, Holly’s eyes locked onto mine, and for a brief second, everything else disappeared. The fire behind us raged on, but it couldn’t touch what we had ignited here—an inferno far more potent than anything raging around us.

I leaned back in for another kiss, pushing aside every thought except for the taste of her on my tongue and the way her body responded to mine. She needed this just as much as I did—this recklessness that felt so damn right amidst all the wrongs we’d faced together.

We stumbled back against the hood of my car, the metal cold beneath us, but I barely registered it. My hands found her thighs, gripping hard as I lifted her onto the hood. She gasped, eyes wide with surprise and something else—something that ignited a fire in my chest.

I spread her open for me, not gently. I couldn’t afford to be gentle now, not after everything that had happened. Not after the way she’d faced down my mother and stood beside me when I’d felt like I was losing control. The anger still coursed through my veins, mixed with an insatiable need.

I tore at her clothes, fingers fumbling but desperate to expose every inch of her skin. My mouth found hers again—biting, marking, claiming. This wasn’t just about desire; it was about possession. It was a primal need to remind both of us who we were to each other.

Every kiss was rougher than the last, each bite more demanding as I marked her neck with bruises that would linger long after this night ended. My hands roamed over her body like I was trying to memorize every curve and contour—the warmth of her skin against mine sending jolts of electricity through me.

This moment felt monumental—a collision of pain and passion that could only exist in the wake of chaos. I pressed my weight against her, feeling the way she bucked beneath me, how her body responded with a fierce heat that matched my own hunger. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer as if she could anchor me here in this moment.

This wasn’t just sex; this was something more—something permanent that defied all logic and reason. I wanted to etch myself into her memory just as deeply as she had carved herself into mine.

I pulled away for a brief second to catch my breath, our gazes locking as the world faded into insignificance. In this chaos we created together, nothing else mattered except for us—this wild recklessness fueled by everything we had fought against and everything we had yet to conquer.

I took her breast in my mouth, the taste of sweat and smoke mingling with the sweetness of her skin. I moved hard and fast, my teeth scraping against her skin as I bit down, marking her as mine.

Her moans drowned out the cackling fire, the sound of her pleasure sending a jolt of electricity through me. She wrapped her legs around me, dragging me closer, urging me to go deeper.

"Damien," she whispered, her voice sending me over the edge. It wasn't just my name on her lips—it was a promise, a surrender. She was giving herself to me completely, and it was more than I ever dared to hope for.

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