Page 120 of Bitten & Burned
Cassian didn’t move for a long moment. He stayed inside me, chest rising and falling against mine, hand still on my cheek as if that one last point of contact proved I was real.
I turned my head slightly and pressed a kiss to his wrist.
It was as if the spell was broken. Not with a sigh of disappointment, but with a shaky grin of triumph. Gods, I’d never felt so thoroughly claimed before. Claimed in the best ways.
He pulled out carefully, shifting me off him with a quiet exhale before disappearing briefly into the bathroom. I didn’t move, stayed sitting there. Couldn’t do anything else. My limbs felt too heavy, too warm, too full.
When he returned, he was holding a warm cloth. He nudged my thighs open with the gentlest touch, cleaning me with unhurried precision, never saying a word as he worked. Just that steady, grounded silence that wrapped around us like safety itself.
I winced at the sensitivity, and his gaze flicked up.
“Too much?” he asked, voice low and quiet.
I shook my head. “Just sore.”
He nodded once, like that was the answer he’d hoped for. “That’ll fade. If it doesn’t, I can give you some of my blood. That will help.”
After tossing the cloth aside, he climbed back into bed, drawing me into his arms without asking. My head settled on his chest, his fingers moving immediately to my hair, stroking slow patterns through the sweat-damp strands.
“You were perfect,” he said softly, kissing the crown of my head.
“You were…” I paused, then smiled into his skin. “Ridiculously confident.”
Cassian chuckled, a low, amused sound that rumbled in his chest. “I’m a general, little dove. Confidence comes with the territory.”
“Mmm,” I murmured. “Still. Confident and competent. Not a bad combination.”
He huffed another quiet laugh and held me tighter. “You gave me your trust. That’s not something I take lightly.”
I didn’t answer right away. Just listened to the slow, steady rhythm of his heart.
When I finally spoke, my voice was barely audible. “I needed that.”
“I know.”
“I neededyou.”
His hand stilled in my hair, then started moving again, even slower this time.
“And I’ll be here,” he said, “every time you do.”
I swallowed hard. “Will you stay? Just… stay for a little while longer?”
Cassian didn’t hesitate.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He shifted slightly, reaching for the forgotten cup on the nightstand. “Your tea’s probably lukewarm by now, but it’ll help.”
He held it out—the most patient offering in the world.
I took it with a quiet smile, fingers brushing his.
He didn’t say anything else.
He didn’t need to.
He was already holding me.
