Zara’s POV

  The gentle warmth of the morning sun crept through a crack in the curtains, painting the room in soft, golden light. I stirred, my body heavy with a warmth that had nothing to do with the sunlight. My eyes fluttered open, the familiar green glow of my irises fading slightly as the light soothed me.

  I was wrapped in Kage’s arms.

  His scent, musky and faintly smoky, surrounded me, pulling me deeper into a quiet sense of peace I hadn’t felt in a long time. His chest rose and fell steadily, the slow rhythm of his breathing a stark contrast to the erratic pounding of my own heart. For a moment, I didn’t move. I just felt him, the solid warmth of his body pressed against mine, the steady thump-thump of his heartbeat against my back, the way his skin felt beneath my fingertips, smooth yet firm, as I traced idle patterns over his bare chest.

  Kage stirred, the shadows around us shivering in response. Even at rest, his magic hummed through the air, alive, tethered to him like a second skin. His horns—black as midnight, sharp yet beautifully curved—caught the morning light, casting faint shadows on the sheets. The sight sent a thrill through me, a reminder of the raw power that coiled just beneath the surface of the man holding me.

  He nuzzled into the crook of my neck, his breath warm and teasing against my skin.

  “Mm,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep, sending a ripple of awareness through me. “You’re awake.”

  I turned in his arms, pressing closer, savoring the heat of him against me. The moment my bare skin met his, a shiver ran through me, but it had nothing to do with the chill of morning air.

  “I am,” I murmured, my voice a low purr. “And I feel… alive.”

  His arms tightened around me, pulling me flush against him, as if to remind me that I was, in fact, still here. That I had survived. His endless black eyes locked onto mine, drinking in the eerie green glow of my irises, as if absorbing every piece of me into his darkness.

  “You look it.”

  A smile played at the corners of my lips as my fingers traced their way up his chest, mapping the contours of his muscles, savoring the feel of him beneath my touch. Then, ever so lightly, I let my fingers glide up the length of one of his horns.

  Kage shivered beneath me.

  A low, rumbling sound escaped his throat—a mixture of pleasure and surprise. Around us, the shadows grew denser, stretching from the corners of the room, curling around the bed, caressing the air as if they were alive, responding to the depth of his desire.

  I bit my lip, amused, thrilled by his reaction.

  With a mischievous smirk, I leaned in and placed a soft kiss at the tip of his horn.

  Kage’s eyes snapped shut, his breath hitching sharply as his grip on me tightened.

  “Thank you,” I whispered against his skin, pressing another kiss just beneath his jaw. “For bringing me to Naja. For saving me.”

  His breath hitched slightly, but his hands on my waist didn’t tighten, didn’t pull me closer like I expected. Instead, his muscles tensed beneath my fingertips, his shadows curling at the edges of the room, restless.

  His black eyes opened, dark and unreadable, the glow of my own irises flickering in their depths. “You don’t have to thank me, Zara.”

  I frowned, leaning back just enough to look at him fully. “Of course I do.”

  His jaw clenched. “No, you don’t.”

  His hands slid from my waist, his grip gentle but purposeful as he put just enough space between us to make my chest ache.

  “Zara,” his voice was low, heavy, raw. “You almost died. And I—” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if trying to rid himself of the memory. “I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t fast enough. If I had been, you wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.”

  The shadows around us flickered, twisting like they could feel the weight of his guilt, the self-loathing buried beneath every word.

  I reached for him again, placing both hands on his face, forcing him to look at me. “Kage, stop.”

  His jaw was tight beneath my palms, his eyes still burning with something I couldn’t quite name—anger, guilt, frustration, maybe all of it at once.

  “You saved me,” I said firmly. “You carried me through the city. You got me to Naja. You sat by my bed for days. You don’t get to tell me that isn’t worth thanking you for.”

  His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

  I swallowed past the tightness in my throat, brushing my thumbs along his cheekbones. “You always blame yourself when things go wrong, don’t you?”

  A flicker of something—pain, recognition—crossed his face.

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  “Because it is my fault,” he said, barely more than a breath. “I should’ve stopped him before he ever got the chance to touch you. I should’ve—”

  I cut him off with a kiss.

  Deep. Slow. Deliberate.

  It wasn’t about passion, not entirely. It was about grounding him, about making him feel what I couldn’t put into words.

  When I finally pulled away, I rested my forehead against his, my fingers still tangled in his hair.

  “I don’t need you to be invincible, Kage,” I murmured. “I just need you.”

  His breath shuddered, and for the first time since I’d woken up, I felt him relax—just slightly.

  He let out a quiet, bitter chuckle, his hands finally settling on me again, like he was allowing himself to hold on.

  “You’re impossible,” he muttered.

  “And you’re stubborn,” I shot back, smiling softly.

  A long silence stretched between us, but this time, it wasn’t heavy. It wasn’t filled with guilt or unspoken regret.

  “Thank you,” I whispered again, my lips brushing just beneath his jaw, pressing a soft kiss against his skin. “For everything.”

  Kage exhaled, like he wanted to argue, to insist that there was nothing to thank him for—but I wouldn’t let him. Not like this.

  I was going to thank him no matter what he said.

  Not just in words. Not just with whispered gratitude.

  I needed him to feel it, to know it, in a way words could never fully convey.

  A slow, deliberate movement. I straddled him, my legs settling on either side of his hips, pinning him beneath me.

  His breath caught, his hands immediately gripping my waist, steadying me, grounding himself.

  His black eyes darkened, the glow of my irises flickering across them like embers catching in obsidian.

  The shadows in the room tightened, curling around us, responding to the charge in the air.

  I leaned in, my lips hovering just above his. “Let me show you how grateful I am.”

  His fingers dug into my hips, his jaw clenched like he was fighting for control.

  I didn’t want him to fight it.

  I wanted him to feel.

  The shadows responded, growing bolder, wrapping around our legs, our hips, as if they were eager to be part of this moment, as if they knew the gravity of what we were about to share.

  I leaned down, letting my lips graze his, a teasing ghost of a kiss before I fully claimed his mouth, deep and hungry, stealing the breath from his lips.

  Kage groaned into me, his hands tightening on my waist, pulling me impossibly closer. I could feel his heartbeat pounding against my chest, matching my own.

  My fingers trailed down his torso, slow, deliberate, exploring every inch of him, until I found exactly what I was looking for.

  His hips bucked instinctively, a guttural sound breaking from him as the shadows around us thickened, darkening the room despite the morning light streaming in.

  I gasped as the shadows caressed my skin, cool and silken, like an extension of him, wrapping around me, keeping me close.

  We broke apart, panting, our foreheads pressed together, his hands still firm on my waist, holding me like I was the only thing tethering him to this world.

  I slid off him, my hand still locked in his, grounding us both.

  “Come,” I whispered, my voice husky, filled with unspoken promises.

  Kage’s chest rose and fell heavily, his gaze hungry, molten, but he didn’t protest as I tugged him toward the bathroom.

  “We need to clean up before the day starts.”

  His grin was slow, lazy, satisfied.

  Kage’s POV

  I followed Zara into the bathroom, the shadows twisting and swirling around us, alive, responsive to the charged energy between us. They clung to her skin like ink, moving in tandem with the steam rising from the hot water.

  She stepped into the shower first, tilting her head back as the water cascaded over her bare skin, and I couldn’t look away. The dim lighting softened the sharp edges of her form, but the way she glowed—her green eyes flickering with hunger, her lips parted just slightly—there was nothing soft about the way she looked at me.

  I stepped in behind her, my hands sliding along her waist as I pulled her flush against me. The shadows danced along the tiles, shifting like living smoke, an extension of my own need.

  Her hands moved over me, slick and teasing, mapping my skin like she wanted to memorize every inch of me. My own hands did the same, exploring the familiar curves of her body, learning her all over again.

  She brushed her fingers over my horns, and a shudder tore through me. The shadows thickened, swirling around us in reaction, their tendrils grazing along her bare shoulders, trailing down her spine like invisible hands.

  I groaned, pressing my forehead against hers, breathing her in.

  “Zara…”

  Her kiss was a demand, one I had no intention of denying.

  Our kisses grew more urgent, our movements more frantic. The shadows grew more intense, our lovemaking casting an erotic shadow play on the shower walls. Water droplets clung to our skin, glistening like diamonds in the dim light.

  When she could stand it no longer, Zara pushed me against the cold tiles, her body sliding down mine until she was kneeling before me. I gasped as she took me into her mouth, the shadows swirling around her head like a living halo. I tangled my hand in her hair, guiding her as she took me deeper, her eyes never leaving mine.

  The pleasure was almost too much for me to handle. The shadows grew thicker, reaching out to caress us both, to enhance every sensation. I could feel the power of my own magic pulsing through my body, a living, breathing part of our union.

  With a growl, I lifted Zara, pinning her against the wall and wrapping her legs around my waist. My eyes never left hers as I entered her, the shadows wrapping around them like a second skin. They moved together, the shadows pulsing in time with our passion, creating an illusion of us being one being, joined in a dance of love and lust.

  When we reached our peak, the shadows exploded in a burst of darkness that filled the shower, the intensity of our shared climax echoing through the room. For a moment, we were lost in the darkness, in each other, before the light returned.

  While I was still inside her, I whispered into her ear “We could spend the whole day here”, my voice filled with longing.

  She sighed, regret lacing her tone. “I wish we could, but I have to go back to the university. And you have to go to the precinct.”

  I exhaled sharply, disappointed but unsurprised.

  “Still time for another round,” I suggested, smirking as my hands found her waist again and I slid out of her.

  She looked up at me, eyes sparkling with mischief. “If we hurry.”

  I grinned, pulling her closer. “I could always shadow travel us to the university. We could be there within a minute. That leaves time for at least two more rounds.”

  She giggled, dragging me into a deep kiss, and we didn’t waste a second.

  I wasted no time, our bodies moving together in perfect harmony. My shadows grew wild with every stroke, every kiss, every gasp of pleasure. Each round was quicker, more intense, than the last. We pushed each other to the brink, then over, until we were both trembling with the aftershocks of our release.

  Finally, we stepped out of the shower, the shadows retreating to their usual corners. We dressed in a flurry, sharing a knowing smile, the aftermath of our passion lingering in the air. As we left the bedroom, Zara reached out, her hand brushing over one of my horns. I shivered, my eyes darkening with desire.

  “We’ll do this again tonight,” she said, her voice a seductive promise.

  “I’ll be counting the hours,” I replied, my own voice thick with want.