Page 152 of Burning Heir

The mark on my back worsened with each passing day, bloodied flakes of skin drifting to the surface of the sudsy water.

What Archer made me feel was something I’d only read about. The way his fingers grazed my skin was reserved for the pages of stories where a prince saves a damsel, but we weren’t in those kinds of tales. We had saved each other in ways I couldn’t even begin to explain. And I realized, deep in the ache of my bones, that I trusted him with everything—my life, my heart, even the parts of me I barely understood.

I searched for a savior in myself, but I never considered the shadow.

I leaned back against the stone bath, the flickering glow of a chandelier casting soft shadows across the room. Ravensla had become my second skin. I’d always wanted the sun’s warmth, but I never imagined how beautiful the stars could be. The moon was softer, more comforting than the sun’s harsh heat—and maybe that’s why Archer kept this realm hidden from me. He knew that, once I saw it, once I breathed in the lavender-tinged air beneath this sky, I’d fall in love with the Night.

As we rode horseback through the crowded streets, I saw her—the woman I could have been. Veravine’s portrait hung in the corner of my mind, a reminder of a title I could never truly claim. The thought of it made my stomach twist. Deep down, I knew it belonged to Damien, not me.

We walked through the Valley of Night, the stars above us shimmering like soft whispers. The distant hum of music felt likeit belonged to this world, slow and seductive, guiding us along. I’d seen this image in Archer’s eyes before, but he’d hidden it from me, masked its beauty until it seemed more like a distant dream than a reality.

I wore a backless gown, the night air cool against my mark, as Archer’s hand slid into mine, fingers entwining. The broken remnants of the Malvoria army’s destruction had faded, though I had seen his guards hauling away the last of the debris.

He grinned, nodding toward the crystalline peaks in the distance. “I wanted you to see this during the Winter Solstice. The snow-capped mountains—they’re brilliant. Perhaps it will make it feel like home.”

Winter was closer than I realized.

I turned to face him, my fingers brushing his jaw before I pulled him close, needing to feel the heat of him against me. Our breaths synced, his hand slipping around my waist, pulling me into him. A thunderstorm rumbled in the distance, and when our lips finally met, I moved onto his lap, my hands running down his arms, memorizing every muscle, every curve of him beneath the fabric.

“The shield... it’s really gone?” I whispered against his lips.

“It’s gone,” he murmured, his voice low, almost dangerous. “I can touch you however I please.”

I clawed at his jacket, tugging it off, my hands skimming his shirt, tracing the hard planes of his chest. His lips traveled to my jaw, and I spread my legs wider across his thighs, grounding myself in the heat of him. His hand slid down the fabric of my gown—stars and moons—his fingers tracing the shapes, sending shivers up my spine as he slid under the dress, his touch teasing higher.

“Where do you wish to be touched, heir?” His voice was a dark whisper, fingers creeping higher. “No panties, Severyn? Ididn’t expect this indecency from you,” he said. “I expect the heir to my throne to be modest.”

“Not like you haven’t stared at my breasts straight for two weeks.”

He placed his lips on my skin, trailing them down my neck as he slowly pulled the thin straps of my dress down, his hands never wavering in their sure, hungry touch. His fingers cupped my breasts, and I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped my trembling lips as my spine arched involuntarily.

“Oh, Severyn,” he murmured against my skin, his breath warm. “I’ve dreamed of this… of you. Since the night I saw you, drenched in the water, so beautiful, so vulnerable.”

I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him closer as he stood, lifting me effortlessly, and we traveled through the shadows.

He laid me gently on my back, the soft click of the door lock turning behind us. Shadows curled lazily around the canopy bed, wrapping us in their embrace. I needed him—his body, his lips, his touch. His lips traveled over every inch of my skin, even the palm where the lindworm had once attacked, and I needed him to feel it. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, tugging him closer as his teeth grazed my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.

With a breathless sigh, his hand moved to his shirt, undoing the buttons one by one, revealing the inky swirls of the serpent tattoo that marked his neck. I reached for it, my fingers tracing the shape of the snake.

He pulled my hand away, pinning my arms behind my head as he fell between my legs. “What do you enjoy when it comes to pleasure?” he asked.

“I don’t… I never really thought about it.”

He raised a brow. “Was that your first time at the estate?”

“No, it wasn’t, but—” I felt embarrassed for some reason talking about past sexual experiences with Archer.

He yanked my hips closer. His fingers went under my dress, tracing shapes along my inner thigh. “I can figure it out pretty quickly, seeing as you are already dripping wet.” His mouth found the nape of my neck, brushing his lips down my breasts. “I want you to be loud, Severyn. I want your moans to fill the sky.”

Two fingers dipped inside me, slowing in rhythm. His thumb teased my clit. I moaned through the pleasure, and he lifted my hips with his other hand, plunging his fingers deeper.

Stars swirled my vision, and ash coated the back of my hoarse throat. “I don’t know how,” I said. “How to be loud.”

“Give all of yourself over,” he said. “Allow yourself to relax.”

I moaned, and he pulled his fingers out slightly. I went to reach, to claim back that pleasure as he teased my opening with a devilish grin.

“Keep going,” I said, wriggling my hips closer to him, nearly grinding against his forearm.

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