Awake My Soul

Caedes’ breath caught at the sound of her voice—his name spilling from her lips like sin itself. She was everything—flushed, trembling, and utterly his. His emeralds mapped out her features despite the haze of lust, every defined feature engraved into his memory. And then there were his paws, roving over her, fingers grazing her waist, her inner thighs. It was enough to drive the meticulous brute mad.

“Mariah..” an invocation, a prayer, and a claim all at once. His claws tightened against her hips once again, pulling her closer, as if he feared she might slip away. He reveled in the way her body molded to his, her surrender feeding the hunger inside him irrevocably. Every breath she took, every beat of her hammering heart—all of it urged him on. He was a zealot in the face of his belief. Her.

The taste of her lips was intoxicating, and he lost himself in it—her heat, her scent, her small gasps and moans. His kisses grew deeper, more fervent, his teeth nipping at her lips and more, her jaw, her throat, leaving a trail of his devotion etched into her skin. Caedes paused for a beat before he tilted his head, pressing his forehead to hers, grounding himself before his lips laid claim to hers again, devouring her with molten intensity as his paws found her hips.

FADE TO BLACK