His mouth crushed mine, his hands gripping my cheeks and hair. Our joined bodies rocked, my hand reaching down to touch myself. His tongue left mine when he realized what I was doing, and he pushed my hand away. “Me.”

I grinned when his eye widened upon the finger I placed in my mouth.

Scythe’s nostrils flared when I sucked, his hips jerking when he shivered. “That was mine, too.” I laughed, and he cursed, his shoulders shaking. “Beautiful, stars-sent creature.” He stole my mouth again, my clit rubbed and pressed as he speared into my body with careful cruelty, over and over.

Pleasure took him in a trembling onslaught of hoarse expletives.

I trapped them all against my lips, kissing him, and so close, I knew I’d soon explode once more. Then he flicked me, and I was gifted a rasping chuckle when I came apart. His hands slid down to my ass and lifted—forced my hips to his body while he emptied inside me.

“I’m far from done,” he said to the curve of my shoulder, his mouth caressing the skin. “So maybe you should quickly eat something…”

I smiled and lifted my gown over my head, revealing my bare breasts.

He blinked and took one in his hand. “You can eat later.”

TWENTY-TWO

Scythe

The dagger was a dull piece of weaponry, no jewels or fancy embellishments, but Aster still studied it with rapt attention while I sharpened it.

It wasn’t fear that kept her staring. I could sense it was something else. She confirmed as much when she asked, “How many did you lose?”

“During the battle?”

Her fingers stilled over my head, which had made a home in her lap. I looked up to find her now watching me. “It must have been terrifying—all those humans crawling ashore and through your land.”

I pondered that for a moment, noting the absent murkiness to her gaze. She was lost to thoughts of such a thing happening. “You could say it was unexpected yet wholly expected at the same time.”

She frowned, tilting her head and blinking. “Why?”

I shrugged and ran the stone over my blade again. “We had it coming, Errin and Sinshell working together to stop our attacks, but I must admit”—I skimmed my thumb over the sharpened edge of the dagger—“we most certainly never expected an army of that magnitude.”

Aster was quiet for some time. Her gaze drifted to my chest of drawers, absent yet again.

To say I was relieved she was still here, and that she still wanted anything to do with me after the way I’d behaved when I hadn’t known what to do with her, was putting it mildly. I didn’t deserve her. Not one piece of me deserved any of her.

But she seemed to want to stay regardless, so I would try to keep from losing my mind to worry.