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His rhythm never faltered as he worked, his determination growing with each sound that escaped my lips. Dark tendrils began seeping from his void burns, curling through the air like smoke. They brushed against my heated skin until they paused, sweeping across my nipple and causing me to gasp at the new sensation. The shadows felt like silk and ice all at once, trailing paths of delicious torture across my flesh.

It was different now—the way our darkness merged. No longer two separate forces colliding, but something inevitable. Like our very essences were reaching for each other, recognizing their other half.

"Look at me," he commanded between movements. When I met his gaze, I could have sworn a smile touched his lips as he paused.His shoulders shifted as his hand left my thigh. I let out a labored breath as he slid a finger inside me.

My back arched in response, my head falling against the mattress again.

"Don't hide now, Princess." His breath teased my sensitivity. "I want to watch you."

I allowed my arms to drag across the sheets, lifting myself enough so that my elbows supported me, and just as we locked eyes again, his mouth was back exactly where I wanted it—his tongue resuming that devastating dance from before.

The intensity of his stare combined with the pressure of his fingers sent waves of pleasure coursing through me. The shadows grew bolder, wrapping around my limbs, seeping into my very being.

Everything else fell away until there was nothing but the edge of that sweet oblivion once again, and I was spiraling towards that edge—his mouth working, his fingers pushing deeper as shadows flooded me, filling me with that intoxicating darkness I'd come to know so well. My vision went black for a moment as I absorbed them, the pleasure almost too much to bear. The combination was the most exquisite torment, unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

The pressure continued to build into something devastating, the assault threatening to shatter me completely. My vision started to blur at the edges, my world narrowing to just this moment, just us.

"Come for me," he murmured.

And then I was dragged off the cliff's edge.

Waves of pleasure crashed over me. The shadows around us pulsed wildly, matching the rhythm of my release as Aether worked me through it, his movements gentling as I came down from the high.

He lifted himself up, settling back on his knees. In one fluid motion, he pulled his shirt over his head, giving me a moment toadmire the way his muscles shifted beneath his void-marked skin—the way they tapered down to a perfectV. The burns traced smoke-like patterns across his chest and arms, black mist still wafting from them like vapor.

"See something you like?" That dimple appeared as he caught me staring.

"You know exactly how beautiful you are," I breathed, reaching for him.

He lowered himself over me, the heat of his skin against mine drawing a gasp from my lips. "Beautiful?" He pressed a kiss to my throat. "That's not typically how people describe me."

"Lethal, then?" I suggested, my fingers trailing down his chest. "Mysterious, brooding?"

"Much better."

"Whatever you learned in your past life is clearly paying off," I teased, though my voice was breathless. "Maybe losing your memories wasn't such a tragedy after all."

His laugh was deep and rich as his muscles flexed against my skin. "I assure you, this is all instinct where you're concerned." The heat of his body against mine drew a gasp from my lips. "Though I do enjoy watching you come undone."

"Smug isn't a good look on you," I managed, though my fingers couldn't help but trace the defined ridges of his chest.

"No?" His golden eyes sparked with amusement. "And yet you can't seem to keep your hands off me."

"I could stop," I threatened, but my hands were already finding the waistband of his leathers.

"You wouldn't dare." He caught my bottom lip between his teeth.

My heart raced as I helped him shed the remaining barrier between us. When his mouth captured mine again, the kiss was deep and hungry, full of promise. The feel of him against me hadmy legs wrapping around his waist instinctively, drawing him closer.

"Slow and steady this time?" he murmured against my lips, though I could feel him trembling with restraint.

"You've tortured me enough," I managed, reaching between us to wrap my hand around his cock.

His response was a deep groan as his hips moved towards my touch.

"Look who's eager now," I teased, increasing the pressure of my grip as I stroked my hand up his length.

"Fia," he breathed against my neck. "You're going to be the death of me."