Page 38 of Savage Bond

“Right.” Skepticism drips from her tone like rain off leaves after a storm.

I ignore the jab and focus on adjusting branches around the fire instead—a feeble distraction from what lingers between us like a charge in the air.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” She pushes again, a hint of defiance creeping back into her voice.

“Not hungry,” I lie flatly, but even to myself it sounds hollow. Hunger gnaws at me—but not for food alone; for something else entirely that hangs between us like fog on an early morning.

CHAPTER 24

AVA

My skin feels tight and sticky, drenched in sweat and jungle humidity. The heat pulses through me, but it’s not just the climate; it’s Kairon’s presence lingering like a storm cloud overhead. He keeps his distance, eyes flickering over me like I’m some kind of puzzle he can’t quite solve. I can feel him watching, assessing. The air between us thickens with tension, each breath a challenge.

Finally, I snap. “What’s your deal? You’re acting like nothing happened between us.”

He meets my gaze with an icy glare. “Because nothing did.”

I laugh bitterly, disbelief flooding my voice. “Right. You just fucked me for no reason.”

The words hang heavy in the humid air, charged and electric. He stands there, fists clenched at his sides, every muscle in his body taut with anger. My heart races—this is dangerous ground we’re treading.

“Do you really think I’d let that happen if it meant something?” His tone is low and dangerous, cutting through the space between us.

I step closer, feeling reckless and defiant. “It clearly meant something to you,” I retort, letting the anger simmer beneath my skin.

He takes a breath, frustration radiating off him in waves. “You think I wanted this? That I wanted you?”

Every word is a spark igniting the kindling of our argument; the air crackles around us with unspoken words and unresolved desires.

“I didn’t ask for this either!” I shoot back. My voice rises, fierce despite the fatigue dragging at my limbs.

He closes the distance between us in two long strides, towering over me with heat radiating off his body like an inferno. “You want honesty?” he growls, breaths heavy with frustration mingling with something else entirely. “I think about it every damn minute.”

My heart stutters in my chest as those words sink in—raw and unfiltered truth igniting a fire inside me.

“Prove it.”

I throw the challenge at him like a weapon—a last-ditch attempt to tear down whatever walls he has built around himself.

His expression freezes for just a heartbeat before he lunges forward. Kairon grips my face with rough hands and kisses me hard—fierce and demanding as if he’s furious at himself for wanting this as much as I do.

I kiss him back without hesitation; the world falls away around us—just heat and hunger entwining as everything else fades into darkness.

The moss squelches under his back as I shove him down, hands seizing his wrists hard enough to bruise. His pupils flare—that snake-like crimson darkening with arousal and irritation.

“Watch yourself, human.” The rumble in his throat vibrates against my shin where I’m straddling him.

I yank at his belt, fingers slipping on the leather. Sweat drips from my temple onto his abdomen. “Don’t worry—”click“—this isn’t a rebellion.” His cock springs free, thick and flushed against his gray-ridged stomach. My tongue darts out, tasting salt and musk. “It’sreckoning.”

He hisses through jagged teeth when I take him deep, nails biting into my shoulder. “Untamed brat,” but the insult cracks as I hollow my cheeks. I pull back, spit glistening on my lips.

“Says the feral beasttremblingunder a lieutenant’s mouth.”

His growl is pure possession, fingers knotting in my sweat-soaked hair. “You want to play alpha?” He thrusts upward, forcing my throat open. “Then swallow.”

I gag, tear tracks smearing mud from my cheeks as he fucks my mouth with sharp, shallow pumps. His free hand palms my breast, thumb grinding my nipple through the threadbare tank. Lightning arcs through me—rage and pleasure twisting into something vicious.

He releases my hair, voice raw. “That’s it. Take what you’re worth.”

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