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I moved back up her body, gathering her trembling form against me as she came down from her high. Her eyes were closed, her breathing still uneven, but there was a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. My hand stroked up and down her bare back, soothing her, while I pressed gentle kisses to her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth.

"Better?" I asked, though I knew this was merely a temporary respite.

Her response was a contented hum as she nuzzled into my neck, her lips brushing against my skin in a way that sent shivers down my spine. "For now," she murmured, her voice dreamy and distant.

But the heat of her skin against mine was still concerning, and the colors of her aura continued to shift and pulse wildly, never settling into a stable pattern. This was more than a typical heat—this was power, raw and unstable, seeking release.

Closing my eyes, I reached out mentally, sending a call to Rowen and Archer through the bond we shared. The connection between us had strengthened since Sierra came into our lives, allowing for this kind of non-verbal communication when necessary.

It's starting. We need to prepare. Now.

I felt their immediate acknowledgment, a dual pulse of understanding and urgency flowing back through the bond. They would gather what we needed—cool cloths, water, energy-rich foods, and other supplies to help Sierra through what was coming. We had discussed this, planned for it, but the reality of her imminent heat brought a mix of anticipation and concern that tightened my chest.

Sierra stirred in my arms, her hand coming up to trace patterns on my chest, her touch leaving trails of fire on my skin.Her eyes remained closed, but the smile on her lips told me she was conscious of her actions. She shifted closer, pressing the length of her body against mine, seeking maximum contact.

"You feel so good," she whispered, her voice taking on that husky quality that never failed to stir my desire. "So cool against my skin."

My hand continued its soothing path up and down her back, feeling the fine tremors that ran through her body. "You're burning up, little one," I murmured into her hair. "Your heat is coming on strong."

She hummed in agreement, her fingers still tracing idle patterns on my chest, occasionally dipping lower to tease along the waistband of my pants. "I know," she said, her voice surprisingly lucid despite the fever clearly building in her system. "I can feel it. Like a storm gathering inside me."

Her description was apt. There was a charged quality to the air around us, like the electric anticipation before lightning strikes. Her aura continued its wild dance, colors bleeding into one another in a hypnotic display of power seeking expression.

The door to our chambers opened quietly, and I felt Sierra stir against me, though she didn't open her eyes or cease her explorations of my chest. Rowen entered first, his obsidian eyes immediately fixing on Sierra's form, followed closely by Archer, whose ice-blue gaze held equal parts concern and heat.

"It's hit her," I said unnecessarily, my hand still stroking Sierra's back. "Her temperature's rising, and her aura's going wild."

Rowen approached the bed, setting down a tray laden with supplies on the bedside table. "How long?" he asked, his deep voice controlled despite the tension evident in the set of his shoulders.

"Not long," I replied, watching as Sierra's fingers continued their idle exploration, now tracing the ridges of my abdominalmuscles with clear appreciation. "I managed to take the edge off for now, but it's building fast. Faster than I expected."

We were going to be fucked for the next few days.

Quite literally fucked.

48

Sierra

The water struck my skin in icy needles, but it felt like nothing - less than nothing. I'd turned the shower to its coldest setting ten minutes ago, hoping it might ease the inferno raging beneath my skin. It hadn't made a dent. If anything, the heat was spreading, pooling low in my belly, building steadily like pressure in a sealed container.

"Fuck," I groaned, dropping my head back against the cold tile wall.

My silver hair hung heavy and wet around my shoulders, plastered to my overheated skin. Steam rose from my body despite the freezing water, as if I were burning from the inside out. Which wasn't far from the truth. My legs trembled with the effort of standing, muscles weak and strangely liquid.

This was supposed to be my reprieve - a moment alone, away from the hungry gazes of my mates. I'd needed the space, needed to breathe without their scents overwhelming me, driving me further into the madness that was clawing at my insides. I'd practically begged them for this small mercy, had seen the reluctance in their eyes before they'd finally relented.

"Just fifteen minutes," I'd promised. "Fifteen minutes alone to clear my head before... before..."

Before I lost myself completely to the heat that was building inside me.

My skin felt too tight, like it didn't fit my body anymore. Every nerve ending was hypersensitive, the simple act of water hitting my skin almost too much to bear. Another wave of heat rolled through me, and my knees finally gave out. I slid down the tile wall, landing in an ungraceful heap on the shower floor as the water continued to pour down on me.

I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them as I tried to steady my breathing. The cold water pooled around me, but I barely felt it. My body was a furnace, burning hotter with each passing second.

"Get it together," I muttered to myself, pressing my forehead against my knees. "Just a few more minutes, then you can go back to them."

But did I want to? The thought of what was coming terrified me as much as it excited me. I'd experienced my "preview" heat with them before, but according to everyone, that was nothing compared to what was about to happen. A quarter-angel's first true heat. The words echoed in my head, taunting me.