“You could never hurt me.”

“My weight on your leg—”

“This is the only position I can have you.”

“You’re in pain from the helicopter—”

“I don’t care.”

“I care.” I tried to push him away, my hands colliding with the brick wall of his very male chest. “I refuse to hurt you when—”

“You’re hurting me more than I can stand by saying no.”

“I’m not saying no. I’m saying you can have me in a few days...when you’re feeling—”

“I need you now. I can’t wait.”

“Why? Why can’t you wait?” I ran my hands through his damp hair. “You need to rest.”

“Rest?” He snorted. “I can rest later.” He shoved my hands away. His temper appeared, fierce and flashing over his gorgeous face. “And I’ll tell you why I can’t wait. I watched my brother fly away with you. I arrived to you fighting him off. I came face to face with almost losing you, and it made me realise so many fucking things.” His nostrils flared. “I love you more than anything, and I’ve caused you the worst kind of pain. Multiple times over. I look at you, and I can’t stop seeing everything that I’ve done. Every hurt I’ve caused. Every drop of blood I’ve spilled. And I—”

I kissed him.

I shut him up as his chest seized and the thunder of his heart stuttered strangely.

I kissed him because I didn’t want to hear the aggressive torture in his tone, but his heart once again thrashed behind his ribcage and jolted his whole body.

I went to pull away, pressing my fingertips to the out-of-sync drumming of his pulse, but he dragged me close. So close. Too close.

He inhaled me, devoured me.

He dropped his hand between my legs and rubbed my clit with every electrical fire we shared. “Is elixir still in your blood?”

I moaned as he pinched my clit, activating a million sparks. Didn’t he know he was my elixir? I didn’t need a vial of lust when he was the creator. “Faint...if any.”

“The sedative kept your heart from giving out.” He tested my wetness, dipping the tip of his finger inside me, making me clench and shudder. “I’m glad it worked.”

“You knocked me out?”

“I wasn’t in the position to fuck you at the time.” One long finger dipped inside me, frustrating and provoking. “I couldn’t allow you to be in such pain. After last time...Christ, Eleanor, I would’ve done whatever it took to protect you.”

His heart continued to thrum oddly, distracting me. “Sully...please talk to me. What’s going on—”

“Stop.” His forehead pressed to mine. His glowing gaze so close, his face twisted with ardent need. “Don’t question me. Don’t stop me. Just...let me have you before...”

I frowned, hearing a phantom sentence that wasn’t verbalized.

Let me have you before ...before we go home? ...while it’s still dark?

Horror made me shiver.

Let me have you before ...I can’t.

My eyes flared.

Pain cracked my ribs.

Fear made me snappish. “Sully, stop this. Right now. Whatever you’re not telling me—”

“Hush.” He ducked his head again, breaking eye contact to deliberately keep his secrets. His mouth found my nipple, sucking my breast deep into his mouth. “Be mine...just for a little longer.”

His voice vibrated along my sensitive skin. His plea doused the terror in my blood. All while his heart continued to pound, strong if not regular, possessive if not normal.

He came for you.

He’s asking for one thing.

Give it to him.

His teeth teased my nipple. His nose pressed against my soft flesh. His fingers found my pussy again, driving two deep inside me.

I wasn’t immune to him, no matter my worries. He’d always had the power to command my body without elixir deleting my proprieties. We had undying magic, a potion and alchemy that switched rationality into insanity.

“Eleanor...give in.” He licked and nipped at my cleavage, inhaling hard before capturing my other nipple.

I gave up.

I gave in.

I crumpled in his arms, totally at his mercy.

He felt my acquiescence straight away, gathering me tight and suckling hard on my breast. He laved and bit, tugging on invisible strings connected to my heart and core.

He’d been given my permission.

But he remembered he wasn’t a gentleman who needed submission but a monster who took what he wanted, and he switched from sensual to primal, pulling deeper on my nipple, sucking blood to the tip, making my pussy clench with hunger.

I bowed in his arms.

He was killing me.

Killing us.

“I love you so much, Eleanor, so fucking much. I need you to remember that. Remember me.”

I stayed quiet.

I choked on my tears.

I allowed my awful suspicions to sweep me into pain all while he granted me pleasure.

He didn’t have the strength for this.

I wouldn’t survive whatever waited for us at the end.

But I wouldn’t stop him.

He wanted me.

He would have me.

Always.

Three of his fingers speared inside me.

“Oh, God.” I clung to his head, all while his teeth sank into my shoulder and his chest thudded with peculiar beats. He held me as if he used up every remaining bit of strength to stay with me. His fingers bruised me. His lust scorched me. He drove his fingers deeper, stretching me, corrupting me, making me ready to fuck.

His thumb pressed against my clit, conjuring an unwilling release, proving once again he was the maestro and I was his silly conquest, a sheep bowing to the wolf.

I didn’t let the orgasm shatter me. Not yet. I was afraid of it. Afraid of what it represented and the end it promised to deliver.

“Sit on me.” His fingers withdrew, and his cock replaced them. His hands clamped onto my hips, pushing me down, down, down his impressive girth.

My lips parted on a silent scream.

His groan echoed in the silent room.

Our bodies rejected the pressure, overwhelmed with the suddenness, the sweetness, the savageness.

I shuddered as he plunged inside me, filling every space, spreading me to take more. No one else had ever made me feel this consumed, this taken, this owned.

He owned me.

And it hurt because I didn’t think I had that same right. Whatever ownership I’d had over him was fading, and I couldn’t stop it.

Couldn’t stop missing him even as he filled me. Couldn’t stop worrying that this was all I’d ever have.

I clung to him as we sank into each other. Only once we were sheathed tight and together did he look up.

And my heart fucking shattered.

His blue eyes sparkled with wetness.

A wetness that glittered with diamonds as he pushed me up and pulled me back down. Smearing my lubrication over him, reacquainting my body with his hard possession.

His jaw clenched as he felt my every ridge and ripple.

His hips drove upward, followed by a full-body spasm and heavy groan. His heart went haywire, shaking his body with peculiar pulses.

“Sully!” I tried to climb off him.

His lips pulled back in a snarl. “Don’t. You’re mine. I’m having you.” He shook his head as if struggling to stay coherent. Pain chiselled his face until each stark angle looked like blades. He coughed, his voice less violent than before. “Move for me...please.”