A fiery sensation creeps through my chest, each tug of his teeth against my nipple pricking sparks through my body.
My legs hook tighter around his hips, guiding him closer, and he moves his mouth back to mine, consuming me with a kiss.
Our mouths separate as I press a hand against his chest. My lips part when I look at him with hooded eyes, a carnal need sharpening his features. My thighs clench as desire continues to burn me alive. I need him inside of me now.
I glance down at the gap between us as he thrusts his hips back, and I gasp upon seeing the pre-cum coating the head of his thick cock, long, blue veins throbbing around the shaft.
I drag my tongue over my lips, and my eyes widen as his taut length twitches, so engorged I wonder how I will be able to take all of him.
Pre-cum drips from the head as he eases inside of me, pushing himself deeper inch by inch, and my eyes flutter close as he emits a guttural groan, filling me entirely.
His gaze locks onto mine, the restraint in his eyes snapping as he pounds me against the tree trunk.
My toes curl as he holds me up by the curve of my ass with one hand while the other is tangled in my hair. A shuddering breath escapes him as icy gusts of winds whip between us.
His fingers dig into my flesh hard enough to leave bruises as he takes me harder and deeper, holding my gaze. A low moan slides from my throat, and he groans in response. Every movement is greedy, enveloping me tighter with shadows as if he wants to consume every elicit of pleasure in my bones until I’m left aching.
“You feel so good around me,” he moans as he thrusts his hips rhythmically, and I slide an inch up the tree. His groans send me higher than I’ve ever been. I bite down on his shoulder, the bitter taste of copper flooding my tastebuds, as he lifts me away from the tree, both of his large hands grasping my ass. My breasts rub again against Azkiel’s chest as he holds me tightly against him, then lowers me onto the vine-stricken ground.
I tilt my hips once we’re lying flat, tilting my legs to give him better access. His fingers cup my thighs, then lift my ass, sinking deeper until the flesh of his groin is hard pressed against mine.
I moan in tune with his powerful strokes. Flames lick through me as my orgasm builds swiftly to a pinnacle.
“Calista.” He grunts my name between thrusts as the pleasure threatens to drown me, dragging me deeper and drenching me in sweet darkness.
He buries his face in the hair tangled around my neck as a vibration ripples from the head of his cock, shooting shockwaves into me. My body jolts violently when the vibrations travel to my clit. His primal roar rocks through us as he comes undone, spilling into my tight heat until my quivering thighs are dripping with his release.
The sounds of our bodies slapping together fill the air as he groans, then holds still, his muscles tightening. My release shreds through my mind as the ground beneath us shakes. He rocks the final pulses from me as I chase the last dregs of my earth-shattering orgasm. Short, husky grunts leave his half open mouth and his eyes close to slits.
Slowly, he pulls out of me, leaving a trail of glistening cum on the ground. My heart stutters as the emptiness in his place leaves me hollow.
THIRTY-EIGHTCalista
Every muscle in my body relaxes as I lie over him under the canopy. He catches his breath, the sweat glistening over his toned body, then reaches across and grabs a cloak, so dark it could have been cut from the night sky. The fabric glides over my body as he pulls it over me.
Our heavy breaths exchange as I look up at him, the curve of my chin gliding against his chest. He presses his lips to my forehead, a kiss so gentle it startles me. “How do you exist?”
“Bad luck?” I tease, recalling our first meeting.
“Terrible,” he says, with a lazy, satisfied smile. I roll onto my side, lifting my chin to look into my eyes. “How will I let you go, Poison?” he asks, drawing close until our lips meet again.
Our lips move in sync, and I refuse to think about what happens after this. “Don’t,” I whisper against our kiss.
He breaks away, his lips curving as he drags his thumb over my lips. “I don’t want to.” His fingers pinch my chin, as if he’s examining my expression. After a few seconds under his penetrating gaze, he groans, his lids closing briefly. “You ruin me, Calista.”
He drinks me in with those ethereal, star-swept eyes, and I feel as if I cannot breathe. His grip tightens around me, and I am not afraid of anything, except his heart. I find my voice, unexpectedly small at the back of my throat. “I know this can’t last.”
“Everything must end, my love, especially when we don’t want it to.”
My heart almost fucking stops, and I try to catch my breath.
My love.
That’s when I see it for the first time, the true essence of him—those silver and black eyes filled with endings, his heart thumping as if it is a clock, ticking away the hours of all lives.
His eyes devour my body, spills of darkness leaking from his fingers until they cover my body, until the shadows settle into a soft fabric of blue. Diamonds glitter in a line down both sleeves, and across my waist, as if he plucked the stars for my dress.
Death’s shadows spin into a flurry, forming a matching cloak with silver lining and a hood before settling. I lift my fingers to my neck, grazing them against my collarbone as Azkiel stands, then walks, stopping inches in front of me.
“I need to learn how to do that,” I say, breaking the tension. “We should wake Ari.”
I tilt my head up to glance at him, and he leans down, his knuckles gliding down my arm. His mouth opens in argument, but he pauses, heaving a sigh. “We will take a boat back to Ennismore.”
“What about Drake?”
He doesn’t look at me. “Take him.”
I don’t respond, in case he changes his mind. Instead, I watch as the sky paints in shades of indigo behind him, the last dregs of the moon highlighting the toned curves of his bulging muscles.
Shadows ribbon from his fingers, then seep into his legs and torso, his magic creating a tunic, pants, and boots.
His words echo in my mind as we walk back to the temple, and I hold on to them like a dark, dangerous jewel I should not covet. Before we arrive, a thought crosses my mind. “You still call me Poison.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He turns and faces me, halting me in my tracks. “Because,” he says throatily, stealing my next breath, “Your words are like venom to my soul. I am completely captivated and devastated with every sentence you throw my way. So, yes, you are my poison, and I can think of no better way to die.”
