My eyes sweep to Ronan’s, but the steely determination I saw in them earlier is missing. Now he looks only resigned, and maybe a little scared as Cameron lays his head on his shoulder. “I’ll go with you then,” he says, his voice soft and somber.

  “Me too,” says Elas, and my eyes fill with tears at their support.

  “Having a medic is a good idea. I’ll tag along,” August offers, but Elas turns to him with a snarl.

  “You are not running into danger again,” Elas growls, and August scoffs.

  “Like you’re about to?”

  Ronan leans forward, shaking his head at Elas. “We can’t leave the village vulnerable. You stay.”

  “I am not your dog to boss around and heel at your command. I can protect—”

  Ronan flashes his fangs even as he looks at Elas with nothing but pure adoration. “You can protect your mate, and mine, if something were to happen to me. You are the only one I trust to keep him safe.”

  The indignation fades from Elas’s expression. “Drama queen,” he mutters affectionately, but dips his chin in silent acceptance and settles back against August.

  “I’ll go.” Xeni’s words drag the attention to him, and he nods to himself as he swallows. “It makes the most sense. We’ll have a medic, and maybe being there will make me remember something I read.”

  “The four of us, then?” Reyes asks, and Ronan cocks a brow at him. Reyes pushes his chest out defiantly before anyone can speak. “If any of you expect me to let you drive off with Nyx in that van, you’re fucking insane. He doesn’t leave my side.”

  I nod, leaning against him, and any argument that might’ve been brewing dies with my decision. I might be stronger, but he gives me that strength. Anything we do, we do together.

  Reyes

  By the time we’ve worked out the details, night has fallen. Crickets chirp and bullfrogs croak, and a few fireflies dance in the darkness beyond the treeline. “They are like us,” Nyx says as he holds a hand up, and I grin as a firefly lands on his open palm. “They glow.”

  “They do,” I agree with a chuckle as I reach over, but it zooms away before I can touch it. “And they only like you, apparently.” As if to prove my point, the firefly returns to his hand, flashing its luminescence at me in a teasing blip of light.

  “Everybody likes me.” Nyx bumps me with his shoulder. “I am… what is this word? Cute. I am cute.”

  “You are, huh?” My smile spreads, bumping him back.

  “You told me this, and you don’t lie.” He’s thoughtful for a moment. “And they like me because I don’t stab them.”

  “It was once! Okay… twice.” Nyx laughs, this one light and carefree as he watches the firefly join its friends amongst the trees. “And I only stabbed Ronan because I thought he was kidnapping Cameron.”

  “And Elas?”

  I snort a laugh, remembering my and Elas’s first meeting. “Honestly? Watching that giant fucker trying to climb down into my home? That was just panic.” He chuckles, and we walk in comfortable silence until we make it back to his cottage.

  The last rays of the sunset illuminate his face as he turns to me and bats his lashes, leaning against his door. I know what he wants, and I don’t hesitate to lean down and capture his lips. He sighs happily as he melts into me. Kissing Nyx is like taking a bite of something sweet—your senses come alive and it leaves you craving more. Hungry for another taste, or one more minute, or another swipe of those soft lips on mine.

  Just one more.

  Tentative hands grip my cheeks, then feather over my jawline, and slowly trace down my chest. His fingertips are timid as they brush my nipples, and I can’t hold in my groan as my blood rushes south. Nyx explores lower, and I let him… of course, I let him.

  I’d let him do anything.

  He maps the curves of my chest and stomach, his fingers leaving a trail of warmth as they dance across my waist. Everything is tight and heady, and I try to keep my hips pulled back so he doesn’t feel the erection pushing against my shorts. My limits are tested, though, when he traces my waistband and I moan quietly into his mouth.

  “This is good?” He separates his lips from mine and watches my face as his hand drops even lower to graze my cock.

  “So good,” I whisper, and he gets bolder as he palms me through my shorts. “Gods, you’re so good.”

  Tentatively, he drags his hand up my length, and I bite at my lip to keep myself from thrusting against it. “Big,” he murmurs, and I breathe out a shaky laugh as he grips my cock.

  My perfectly average cock.

  “You know how to flatter a guy,” I tease as I grip his chin and bring his lips back to mine. He kisses me until he whimpers, and then his mouth opens and his tongue dips in for more. His hands keep exploring my body, rubbing my cock with his palm while the other travels across my lower back.

  Gods, I’m so hard it hurts, just from this faint contact, but then he releases me and hooks his fingers on my waistband. His knuckles brush my naked skin, and it chisels away another chunk of my self-control. “We should go inside,” I breathe, but his hand dips lower. It slips into my shorts, and when his hot, bare palm finds my cock, I moan far too loudly. We’re outside, but he doesn’t seem to mind as his lips and tongue grow more insistent.

  I force my mouth to separate from his and kiss a path to his ear. “I want to worship you,” I whisper, before pulling his earlobe between my teeth and scraping as I suck.

  “Yes,” he whimpers, and he’s clumsy as he wraps his hand around my shaft. Long fingers circle my cock, and he doesn’t even move them before I have to clench my muscles. If I’m not careful, I’m going to come right here.

  “Inside.” I force myself to separate from his body. He’s hard, too. The front of his shorts is tented by his cock underneath, and by the way he presses his thighs together, he’s dripping wet. The thought makes me half mindless as I take his hand and practically drag him into the cottage. We stumble to the bedroom, stopping to kiss on every surface until we finally crash through the door.

  “I want to see you, sirrha. Can I look at you?” His eyes are so vulnerable as they land on mine, and I pause our frenzy to brush his hair from his face. “You are absolutely perfect to me, and I hope you never forget that. But if you aren’t comfortable—”

  “I want,” he whispers, and pushes his shorts to the ground. Even though his shirt covers everything, I know it’s an act that takes all of his bravery.

  My fingers wrap around the hem of his shirt, my knuckles grazing the bare skin of his ass. “May I?” My voice is rough, and he nods before I pull it over his head. He helps me out of my shirt, then tugs at my shorts until they hit the ground, and I’m left standing in my underwear when I lose my patience. I steer him backward until his legs hit the edge of the bed.

  I don’t throw him down or let him fall. Nyx has had enough rough touches for a lifetime. My arms wrap around his back as I gently guide him to the mattress, and his eyes never leave mine. He props himself on his elbows as I back up, letting my gaze rake over his body.

  Mossy green skin appears almost shimmering in the dim light. His limbs are long and willowy, and his stomach is flat and soft. Everything about him is soft. There’s no hair on his body, and his cock pushes up from his hips. Another pulse of need hits me as I fight the urge to dive straight in and taste him.

  I climb over his prone body, canopying him with mine until our lips meet again. This kiss is softer than before, and my fingers weave through his hair. I guide his head to the bed until he lies flat beneath me. “Tell me if you want to stop,” I whisper against his lips, but his mouth finds my ear, and his words make me shiver.

  “Don’t stop. Never stop. I want you… want you. Please,” he pleads in a whisper, and my heart fills so full of him that I think it might shatter inside my chest. “I want you to have me… want you to love me.”

  “Gods, I do, precious. You know that, don’t you? Just how much I love you?” My lips start slowly, kissing his until I move to his ear, where I lick and suck until he’s squirming underneath me. I chart a path along his jaw, then stop to draw on his Adam’s apple. A quiet whimper leaves him, and when my tongue drags along the column of his throat, it gets louder.

  I’ve barely reached his chest when he starts to beg for more. He pleads in breathy whispers as I move down his sternum, then flick my tongue across his nipples, one at a time. I kiss every rib, worshipping both the dips between them and the places that have started to fill. “Reyes,” he breathes as I chart my way down his stomach, stopping to kiss his navel. “Katsurrel… I… more.”

  “You want more?” I ask, surprised at how deep my voice comes out. I slide lower on his body to suck on his prominent hip bone, then kiss a path along the dip in his skin underneath.

  “Please?” he begs as I move to the crease of his thigh. His cock bumps my cheek as he flexes instinctively, and I hover over him, starving for more. The defined head of his pretty little cock is only inches from my lips.

  “You want this? My mouth on you?”

  “Please,” he repeats in a desperate exhale. “Please, please…”

  “You’re so pretty when you’re needy,” I murmur as I lick across his tip, tasting the unique, almost sweet flavor of the liquid that beads there. “Love you this way… so good.”

  He pushes up on his elbows once more, his skin marked with the shining pathways left behind by my tongue’s exploration. Our eyes lock, and his are pleading and beautifully desperate as I open my mouth and draw him in. We both moan, my hips jutting against the mattress as he presses up into me. I take all of him, closing my lips around his shaft as I give a soft suck. His cock is the perfect length to just brush the back of my mouth.

  The quiet, pleasure-filled noises that he makes are enough to have me thrusting faster. My hips grind for some relief to this unbearable tightness as I start to move on him. Up and down, swirling my tongue around his shaft and flickering it along the ridge of his cockhead. He’s fallen flat on his back again, one hand fisting the blankets while the other pushes on my head.

  I chuckle as I just hold him there, letting his cock rest against my tongue. He presses his palm against the back of my head, and I love the pressure. Love that he’s telling me what he wants, and that he’s losing his inhibitions. Little grunts and groans form a chorus that drives me insane, and he whines in protest when I slide off him. I’m dying to explore further, and I push his legs up as he cranes his head to watch.

  “Is this okay?” I ask. He nods, but it’s obvious he’s nervous. My hands glide along his calves, soothing the tremble as I spread his knees. “You’re perfect,” I whisper, and place a kiss on the inside of his knee. He nods again, this time with more surety, and I lower my eyes.

  There’s an opening at the base of his cock instead of balls, and it’s surrounded by silky, pink-tinged skin. Further down is his smooth, tight hole, and everything is glistening and wet, all the way down his thighs. “Can I taste you here?” I edge closer, the scent of his arousal almost overwhelming this close.

  “Please,” he begs again, and I drag my tongue up his inner thigh, edging myself on him. I take my time, kissing and nipping at his skin, and he’s nearly crying when I press my lips over his slit. It’s nothing more than a brush of my mouth, more of a kiss than anything, but his moan is so needy it gives me goosebumps.

  I scoot closer, pressing a second kiss there, one with more pressure, and then lick up his center. He moans again, arching his spine and spreading himself further for me as a rush of fluid wets my tongue. The sound is so untamed, so callously desperate, that I grind against the mattress in response.

  We build a rhythm, slowly at first as I savor every heady moment. Nyx lifts his hips like he can’t help it, rocking them against my mouth. Just inside his opening is a raised spot, and I give it my attention. He draws in a loud gasp before releasing it as another of those delicious moans, and his thighs quake beside my head.

  Okay, so he really likes that, then.

  Everything is hot and wet, and so fucking slippery. His legs quiver and shake, jolting when I lick that spot. Feet flat on the mattress, he flexes up and rubs himself against me. He’s so lost in his pleasure that his inhibitions are gone, and I love it. Every sense is devoured by him.

  His needy whimpers and louder moans.

  The sweet flavor of him that covers my lips and chin.

  The tremble of his thighs under my palms as I drag them along his skin.

  My hips jerk against the bed, and I need more friction. I shove my underwear down and give myself a few strokes that make my eyes roll into my skull. My tongue slides lower, and I swirl it over his hole. He gasps again and spreads his legs wider, and I take it as an invitation to eat him out there, too. He starts to squirm, and I pull back, needing to catch my breath.

  “Do you like that?” I ask, teasing his hole with my fingertip.

  “Y-yes. It’s different… but good.”

  “Tell me if you don’t.” I press another kiss to his inner thigh. “Not everyone does, and that’s okay. I always want you to be honest with me.”

  “I… like it, but I like the others… better.”

  “Thank you for telling me,” I say as I climb up his body to press a kiss on his lips. My tongue dips into his mouth and passes his taste between us, and he shudders as he clutches at my back. He lifts his hips impatiently, and I smile against our kiss.

  “Impatient,” I tease as I drop between his legs again. My tongue drags through his slit at the same time I wrap my fingers around his cock, and his breathy moan is loud and drawn out. I explore every part of him, finding the places that make him shake and the spots that have him calling out. Thorough, not leaving anything unchecked.

  His hips move quicker, thrusting through my fist as I devour him. Wild, panting breaths leave him faster, and his grip squeezes in my hair as he tries to drag me even closer. “Ka-katsurrel,” he gasps, and I moan against him as I pull off and suck his cock back into my mouth. He wails as I slip two fingers inside him, almost sobbing as he holds my head down, and I let him. My nose pushes into his skin as he jerks up into the wet suction, and his body tenses.

  He sobs my name, and I thrust against the bed with the same rhythm he uses on my mouth. “Reyes,” he moans as his channel tightens against my fingers. Hot, sweet cum shoots into my throat as his cock thuds against my tongue. Another rush of slick seeps over my hand, and he whimpers helplessly as his body pulses around me. It’s almost more than I can take, and I grind against the bed, still sucking gently on his cock as he empties himself into my mouth. When he finally slumps in relief, my skin feels like it’s three sizes too small.

  I slide my fingers out of him and release his cock, and he whines in pleasure as I crawl up his body. He’s adorably wrecked. His hair is a wild mess, and his cheeks are flushed while he lies in a minefield of rumpled sheets. “You are so beautiful,” I whisper, and his eyes are heavy and sated as they open.

  Fingers dig into my neck and drag me closer. His pupils are pools of black atop those bright irises, and they say so much. “I want.” He feathers his lips over mine. “More… you. All of you.”

  His name leaves me quiet, so very quiet. The sound is so reverent it has to be a prayer, and the gods must be listening because it’s granted and he’s mine. He’s all mine. “You have me.” My body settles over his as I prop my weight on my forearms. “All of me, Nyx. It’s yours. I’m yours.”

  Needy lips find mine, and his legs spread further to cradle my body between them. My cock slides against his skin and drags through his slick heat, and his hips tilt. My cockhead presses against his entrance, and he wiggles as though he’s guiding me there.

  I pull back and stare into his eyes, and the flames there tell me he’s burning alive just like me. “All of you,” he repeats, and I search his face for a moment, looking for hesitation and finding none. My hips rock until my head catches on his opening, and he pleads under his breath, begging me in those sweet, hushed tones to take him.

  Silky smooth skin parts to let me slip inside him. Slick coats us both, easing the stretch as I give him a moment to settle. “I love you,” I whisper as I rock again, taking him deeper. “Love you, love you. Always love you.” He nods as his nails dig into my shoulders, my back, and he doesn’t have to say the words for me to know.

  Intoxicating.

  Blazing heat and squeezing pressure, and so very wet.

  Soft gasps and body spasms, and eyes rolling into his head.

  Deep breaths and ragged exhales and mine.

  Slowly, so fucking slowly, I move, savoring every second of this. I pull out and push in again, cataloging the way his lips part and his spine arches off the mattress. His cock digs into my stomach, unsated even after spilling into my mouth only minutes ago.

  My head drops onto his shoulder, sucking at his skin as I thrust forward and bottom out inside him. His noises are soft like him, unrushed and sweet and everything I ever wanted to hear in life. The sounds of answered prayers and soulmates, and forever, and never being alone.

  Tears spring to my eyes as I kiss his shoulder, his neck, his chin… anywhere my lips can reach. I fuck him slowly, never rushing, but my body is on fire, pulsing and demanding with its heat. “Nyx,” I whimper as my rhythm climbs, moving faster as his hands clutch my back and pull me even closer.

  His moans grow louder, and we move as one. Everything is this… us. The entire world is reduced to the two of us in this bed. When he arches his back and pulls in a loud, pleasure-ridden breath, his body clamps around me. Squeezing contractions and rushes of wet heat, and his cock jerks between us as fresh cum makes our bodies even more slippery.

  My cries are muffled by his skin as I follow him over the edge. Muscles pulse all the way in the deepest parts of me, and my cock throbs almost painfully as I release inside him. Stars speckle my vision and my ears ring, and I hold him so very close as I thrust into him, riding the highs of this connection. By the time I’m floating back to Earth, my orgasm has settled into tiny shocks of pleasure, and I give a few lazy rolls of my hips to chase the last sparks.