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Her eyes flick to the swirling black runes peeking from beneath the bandages. “Mostly. The demon side is speeding my recovery. A bit sore, but I can handle it if you can.”

Heat radiates between us, a new tension that’s no longer about survival or escape—it’s about claiming what we want in a world that once denied us choice. I take her face between my hands, illusions flickering in a muted glow around my horns. “Then I’m yours.”

Her cheeks flush, silver eyes bright. “You and me. No vow, no prophecy, no monarchy.” She stands on her toes, pressing her lips to mine. The contact sparks a wave of warmth in my chest, illusions swirling in lazy arcs as I return the kiss, deepening it. She grips my armor’s collar, pulling me closer.This is it. a moment of true equality and acceptance.

The gentle hush of the tower cradles us. My illusions shift to mimic the glimmer of starlight, dancing across her skin. Shelifts a hand to my horns, tracing the ridges that crown my head, and I shiver under her touch. Each caress reaffirms that we’ve left behind the roles of captor and slave. My heart hammers with each soft stroke, each parted breath.

I let my hands explore her, mindful of bruises, sliding over the curve of her new horns, trailing down her spine. The hush of the outside world recedes until only her heartbeat remains. She unclasps my battered chest plate, illusions dimming as I help her peel away layers of worn clothing. The runes on her arms glow faintly with the excitement thrumming beneath her skin, melding demon and mortal in a mesmerizing tapestry of shapes.

Her lips taste of adrenaline and fresh air, a reminder that we stand at the beginning of a new life. My claws skim her waist, coaxing a gasp. The flicker in her eyes—confidence, desire, and a bit of awe—sends a spark of pride through me. We’re free to indulge in slow discovery, not frantic couplings forced by circumstances. She tugs at my belt, her horns brushing the underside of my jaw in a sensation that borders on electric.

A low growl rumbles in my throat as I claim her mouth again, illusions shifting from starlight to something warmer, reminiscent of flickering candlelight. The battered tapestry overhead rustles in the breeze, but I barely notice. My entire world narrows to the soft press of her body, the gentle shift of her hips as we find a new harmony. Her nails graze my shoulders—short but sharp, half-demonic—drawing a hiss of pleasure from me.

We sink onto the blankets, each motion measured so we don’t jolt bruises or reopen wounds. But the hunger in our eyes burns hotter than caution. Our breath tangles in a rhythm that’s half-laughter, half-moan, as we shed the last barriers. Her coat slips from her shoulders first, revealing skin marbled with faint, pulsing runes. Her nipples are already peaked, the cool air kissing them before I do.

She arches beneath me, her eyes lit with raw need and something deeper—trust. My magic dance in shimmering arcs, a silent testament to the power we wield for ourselves, not by decree. One glides along her thigh, light as silk. She laughs softly when it brushes the tender crease near her hip.

"That tickles," she whispers, voice husky.

"Good," I growl, letting it slither higher. "You’ll feel everything tonight. Every flicker of me."

I bury my face in the curve of her neck, inhaling her—storm wind, sweet sweat, and wild forest. Her pulse stutters as I drag my tongue up the slope of her throat to the spot just under her jaw that always makes her gasp. She does, arching into me with a breathless sound.

“No vow,” she whispers between kisses, voice thick with emotion. “Just me. Just you.”

"Just us," I echo, kissing her again—deeper, more demanding this time. I let her taste the storm building inside me.

My claws ghost down her sides, careful, reverent, but claiming. She grips my shoulders, nails biting into muscle, but I welcome it. She wants to mark me? Let her. I want to wear her across my skin.

I cradle her cheek, magic flickering in shifting hues—rose gold, deep crimson, phantom blue. Her sigh is a moan now, breath hitching as I slide lower, tracing the line of her collarbone with the edge of my tongue, savoring the salt and heat of her.

There’s no fear, no compulsion. Only want.

Each touch is a vow in its own right—to stand together, to share each other’s burdens and joys. Our bodies find a languid rhythm, savoring the shape of new scars and old bruises, letting the friction of demonic strength meet the tenderness we’ve never been allowed. She trembles as I kiss down her sternum, my lipsbrushing the underside of one breast. I suck her nipple into my mouth, and her hips rise off the ground, desperate for more.

"Malphas," she breathes, fingers threading through my hair.

"Say it again," I murmur against her skin, biting down just enough to make her gasp.

"Malphas," she moans, voice cracking with pleasure. "I want you."

I move lower, pausing to press kisses to the lines of glowing runes on her stomach. She watches me, lips parted, panting as I nudge her thighs apart with slow insistence. The scent of her arousal hits me like a blade to the chest—earthy, lush, addictive.

"Let me taste you," I growl.

"Yes," she whispers. “Please.”

I dip between her thighs, my tongue sliding over her slick folds. She cries out, hips bucking, and I pin them down gently with clawed hands. My magic swirl in rhythm with her moans—firelight shapes moving like breath over water. I suck her clit between my lips, flicking it with my tongue as I slide one finger inside her tight heat.

"Fuck—Malphas—" she gasps, shuddering, hands fisting in the blankets.

“You’re dripping for me, horns,” I rasp. “So sweet. So fucking wet.”

A second finger joins the first, curling inside her. She keens, heels digging into the floor. Her thighs tremble around my head, and when she comes, it’s with a cry that echoes around us. Her pussy clenches around my fingers, pulsing like she’s trying to drag me inside her.

I press soft kisses to the inside of her thigh, licking her through the aftershocks until she tugs at my shoulders.

"Get up here," she pants. "Now. I need to feel your cock—need it inside me."