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Her throat tightened, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. “You think I don’t feel it, too?” she asked, her voice trembling. “You think it’s easy for me to keep…thisunder control?”

He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. “It is not about control anymore,” he said, his voice low and rough. “It is about survival. And right now, Iam barely holding on.”

Elara’s heart pounded, her pulse roaring in her ears. She could feel the bond between them sizzling like a live wire, every emotion amplified to an unbearable degree. She wanted to say something, anything to ease the tension, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she took an involuntary step toward him, her body moving of its own accord.

“Elara,” Zar’Ryn warned, his voice strained. “Do not.”

But she couldn’t stop. The bond pulled her closer, her desire and his blending into a single, inescapable force. When she reached him, she placed a trembling hand on his chest, her fingers splaying against the hard planes of muscle beneath the thin material of his shirt. His skin burned like fire, captured within her palm, and she felt him shudder in response.

“Tell me to stop,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He didn’t answer. Instead, his hand came up to cover hers, his larger fingers curling around her own. The intensity in his gaze deepened, his resolve crumbling before her eyes. “I cannot,” he admitted, his voice rough with longing. “I cannot tell you to stop.”

The admission sent a surge of heat through her, and before she could think better of it, she rose up on her toes, leaning into him. Their lips met in a searing kiss that stole the air from her lungs and sent her heart racing. The bond flared to life, flooding her senses with his emotions—desire, hunger, and a fierce protectiveness that left her breathless.

Zar’Ryn’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against him as the kiss deepened. His touch became both possessive and demanding, as though he were afraid she might vanish if he let go. Elara clung to him, her fingers tangling in his hair as she surrendered to the overwhelming heat coursing throughher.

They stumbled backward, their movements frantic and uncoordinated as they sought the bed. Elara’s back hit the mattress, and Zar’Ryn followed her down, his weight a welcome pressure against her. His lips trailed down her jaw and to the curve of her neck, leaving a trail of fire in theirwake.

“Elara,” he murmured against her skin, his voice thick with need. “I… I do not know how to stop.”

“Then don’t,” she whispered, her hands roaming over his back, tracing the hard lines of muscle beneath his tunic. “Don’t stop.”

The bond surged between them, intensifying with every touch, every kiss. It was unlike anything Elara had ever experienced, aconnection so profound and all-consuming that it left her trembling. She could feel everything he felt—his desire,his hesitation, and the depth of his longing for her. It was intoxicating, and she never wanted it toend.

“You undo me, female,” Zar’Ryn said, his voice a rough whisper. “Every moment I am near you, Ilose a part of myself.”

Elara cupped his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Then let me put you back together,” she said softly. “Let me be what you need.”

Chapter 10

ZAR’RYN’S EYESsoftened, aflicker of vulnerability breaking through the storm. He kissed her again, slower this time, as though savoring every moment. Their bond pulsed in rhythm with their hearts, weaving them together in a way that felt both terrifying and beautiful.

Time seemed to blur as they gave in to the pull of the bond, their connection deepening with every touch, every whispered word. The outside world faded away, leaving only the two of them, bound together by something far greater than themselves.

The tension in the air between them was electric, pulling them together like the inevitable collision of two stars. Zar’Ryn’s breath came in uneven, shallow inhalations as he gazed down at Elara, her hair fanned across the bed like ebony rivers catching the warm glow of the room’s lighting. Her eyes, wide and shimmering with both vulnerability and desire, held his with an intensity that rooted him in place. They were lovely eyes, ahazel color that blended rays of gold and green and brown, that seemed to change with her emotions. The bondbetween them pulsed, growing stronger with every second, every unspokenword.

Her hands framed his face, her fingers trembling slightly as they caressed his jawline. Her touch, so delicate and certain, was enough to unravel the tight control he held over himself. Alow growl rumbled in his chest as he leaned down, his lips brushing hers with a restrained hunger that threatened to snap free. The kiss deepened, raw and demanding, his hands gripping her as though she might disappear if he letgo.

The restraint that had defined his existence for centuries crumbled as her hands slid into his hair, tugging him closer. Zar’Ryn wasn’t used to yielding, wasn’t accustomed to allowing himself to feel this much, but with her, the bond’s pull was unstoppable.

And he didn’t want tostop.

He broke the kiss just long enough to rasp, “Tell me now if you want me to let you go. Because once I start…” His words trailed off, the warning clear in his tone, sharp and edged with rawneed.

“I don’t want you to stop,” Elara whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. Her hands slid down his shoulders, tracing the muscles beneath his skin, and it was all the answer he needed.

With a sharp exhale, Zar’Ryn claimed her lips again, this time with a fierceness that left no room for hesitation. His hands roamed her body, exploring every curve, every soft plane of skin, as he peeled away the barriers of clothing between them. His movements were deliberate, precise, but there was an urgency to him that betrayed how tightly wound hewas.

Her responses only drove him further. Every gasp, every soft sound she made under his touch, ignited something deeper, something primal. He lifted her easily, positioning her beneath him as his lips trailed from her jaw to the curve of her neck. Her scent—uniquely hers—wrapped around him, grounding him even as his control frayed at the edges.

“You are mine,” he murmured against her skin, the words slipping free before he could stopthem.

They weren’t a declaration, but a truth spoken aloud, something he couldn’t deny no matter how hard he tried. The code he lived by vanished when he held her in his arms. Their bond flared in response, flooding his senses with her emotions—desire, trust, and an answering need that matched hisown.

Elara arched beneath him, her hands sliding over his back, her nails grazing his skin just enough to make him shudder. Her touch grew bolder now, her movements driven by the same urgency that coursed through him. He didn’t miss the way she responded to him, the way her body pressed against his, as though she couldn’t get close enough.

When he finally took her, it was with a fierce intensity that left no room for hesitation. The unique ridges and mounds along his length heightened the connection between them, eliciting gasps and cries that fueled his every movement.

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