I feel the tremor in his muscles, the sheer force of the restraint he’s using to keep from losing control. My mind is a blur of heat and newfound power. I reach up, my fingers digging into his sweat-slicked back, and I find my voice through the haze.
“Do it,” I whisper, my hips tilting up instinctively, seeking that friction. “I want to feel you.”
A dark, surprised laugh rumbles in his chest, vibrating through my entire body. He lifts his head, a glimmer of his old, wicked amusement returning to those storm-gray eyes. “There’s always next time, little bird,” he murmurs, his thumb tracing my lower lip. “Tonight, I’m taking my time with you. I want you to remember every second of this.”
He waits until he feels my muscles finally relax, until the initial sting fades into a heavy, throbbing warmth. Then, he begins to move.
It’s a slow, agonizingly deep rhythm. He pulls back until he’s almost gone, making me whimper and reach for him, before sliding back in with a firm, steady pressure that makes my toes curl. Each stroke is a lesson in patience and possession. He watches my face with a fierce intensity, his hands locked with mine against the pillow, grounding us both as the slow burn begins to build into a forest fire.
I’ve never known this—this frantic, desperate climbing toward something I can’t see but can feel calling to me.
Konstantin’s breath is a series of harsh, jagged growls in my ear. He’s no longer the composed man I feared; he’s a man possessed, his movements powerful and unrelenting. When he hits that perfect, deep spot one last time, the wire finally snaps.
A white-hot explosion rips through me. It’s the first orgasm of my life, and it’s more violent and beautiful than I ever imagined. My internal muscles clamp down on him in rhythmic,pulsing waves, and I scream his name, my voice breaking as my vision goes dark with pure pleasure.
The sensation of my release is what finally breaks him. Konstantin let’s out a guttural, primal roar, his body going rigid as he pours himself into me. He shudders violently, his head falling to my shoulder as he rides out the wave of his own climax, his heart hammering like a war drum against my chest.
For a long minute, the only sound in the room is our wrecked, heavy breathing.
Then, slowly, the weight of him shifts. He doesn’t pull away to the other side of the bed. Instead, he slides out of me with a low, satisfied groan and immediately gathers me into his chest. He pulls the duvet over our tangled, sweat-slicked limbs, tucking my head under his chin.
His large hand strokes my hair, his touch back to that reverent, careful gentleness. He doesn’t say a word, but the way he holds me—as if I’m the most fragile, precious thing he’s ever touched—says everything. My heart is still racing, but the fear is gone, replaced by a deep, heavy warmth I never thought I’d find in his arms.
His breath is warm at my neck, slow and even, brushing my skin with every inhale. He doesn’t speak. Not a word. And somehow, the silence feels intentional—protective, almost reverent.
I lie there, listening to his heartbeat beneath my ear.
It’s strong. Controlled. Real.
His hand rests at my side, not roaming, not claiming anything new—just holding me there, as if letting go isn’t an option he’s willing to consider. As if, for once, he’s afraid that if he loosens his grip, I’ll disappear.
I don’t move.
I don’t think.
For the first time since this nightmare began, my body isn’t braced for impact.
Sleep creeps up on me slowly, softly, like it’s afraid to scare me away. And as my eyes finally close, wrapped in his warmth, something dangerous slips into my chest.
Hope.
Just for a moment, I let myself believe—
Maybe I’m not trapped.
Maybe I’m chosen.
Wanted.
Claimed.
Chapter 8 – Konstantin
I wake before dawn.
The room is still, washed in the faint blue of early morning, and for a moment I don’t move. Raelyn is curled against me, warm and soft, her breath slow and even. Her dark hair spills over my arm, tangled there like it belongs. The weight of her—light, trusting—anchors me in a way nothing ever has.
That trust unsettles me more than any threat I’ve faced.