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We were bound for life. There would be time.

After our first kiss in her room, she’d looked regretful, and I’d decided then that I’d let her come to it on her own. Things returned to how they had been before, and I knew it was what she’d needed. But things had changed between us again now, and I couldn’t fight this.

I didn’t want to.

Her hands slipped into my hair, deepening the kiss, and pulling me flush against her. I groaned in surprise at the contact of my hardening length against her heat, and she whimpered, rubbing herself against me. For a maiden raised by zealots, she was unafraid to take what she wanted, and I was not complaining. But even as I thrust against her, eliciting a moan, I worried that she was too vulnerable and inexperienced to risk our bond by rushing things.

She clearly had no such concern. Her hips rolled in a rhythm matching mine. Our kisses were only broken to afford panting breaths, and we drove each other closer and closer to the peak with each grind.

And then I heard it. Footsteps coming this way.

“Fuck,” I growled, lifting off her and rolling to a seat beside her before she could comprehend what had happened.

“Nyx?” she said in a daze, raising herself up so she was sitting beside me.

Before she could even ask what happened, there was a knock, and then the door opened. “A little healer bird just flew by and told me that someone found their power!” My brother came strolling in without a care, hardly noticing the scene until he was fully inside. “Oh, shit. Sorry.” He stopped abruptly and started to backtrack.

Zaria was flushed, panting, and her kiss-swollen lips and messy hair were dead giveaways. But I was no better. We were so obvious, it was painful.

Kol’s grin said everything, but I subtly shook my head. I could take his shit, but Zaria didn’t need to be feeling embarrassed by this. It was all new for her, and I would not have shame be a part of how she was feeling.

He said nothing, thank the Goddess, but he did give me a knowing look that was none too subtle.

“Are you two talking about me right now?” Zaria hissed.

“No, little sunshine. He has me blocked. Probably so I don’t puke from all the sweet nothings he was whispering in your ear.”

“We hadn’t got to the sweet nothings,” she countered, surprising me again. She was not embarrassed or ashamed. If anything, she seemed annoyed we’d had to stop.

“My fault, sorry. I’ll leave you to…whatever this was. Just came to let you know that it’s drinks on me at the Flaming Pegasus tonight. No arguments! We’re celebrating this.”

Zaria lit up at the idea and looked over. I usually said no, but her face held hope, and I didn’t want to be the one to disappoint her.

“Sure,” I confirmed. “We’ll meet you there.”

Zaria let out a little happy noise, and Kol grinned before he turned and left us alone.

She turned, too, unsure. I didn’t want her to question what we’d done, so I got to my feet, pulling her up with me. “I think we’ve done enough for your first day. I’ll walk you back so you can get ready.”

She nodded, and we silently collected the cans, returning them to the shelf.

We walked back to her rooms while she chatted about how the power felt and what she wanted to work on, all while I nursed my blue balls. They needed to lower their expectations. I was not pushing her and risking our entire future.

At her door, I kissed her forehead to let her know I had no regrets without starting more.

“I’ll come get you in an hour,” I told her, then left her to bathe and change while I went back to my quarters to take care of my situation.

“You two need to fuck,” Kol said into my mind out of nowhere. He was sat across the collection of tables we’d shifted together to accommodate the whole group, and he was watching me watching Zaria chat to Kiera.

I cut him a glare and went back to watching. “Originally, you said she needed a friend, not a turn around my bedroom. Then you said I should charm her. Now you’re saying…”

“Now I’m saying just fuck her. I’m her friend. You need to be something else. And you need to do it soon because I can smell it on both of you. The smell of need is going to attract horny flyers like honey, and trust me, brother, you don’t want that.”

I grit my teeth at the very idea. “I’m giving her space. She’s been through enough.”

“Space to what? Take a turn around Maxen’s bedroom instead while she waits for you to get your head out of your arse?”

I growled, noticing that Maxen had joined them and was speaking closely into Zaria’s ear to be heard above the noisy tavern. “Maxen is too besotted with Katara, but nice try.”