Page 95 of A Kingdom of Sand and Ice (Kingdom of Gods #2)

‘I want to forget,’ she breathed, her hands pulling him closer, desperate to lose herself in him. ‘Make me forget.’

But Arden shook his head, his voice low and resolute.

‘I don’t want you to forget, little wolf. And I don’t want to forget either.’

‘Why?’ she asked, her voice trembling.

‘Because it brought me to you,’ he said. ‘This war… all of it… it led me to you.’

And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, the emptiness in Wren’s chest cracked open, not to swallow her whole, but to release the darkness she’d carried for so long.

The fear, the doubt, the persistent ache of not being enough began to slip away, scattered like ash on the wind.

In their place, something gentler took root.

The cruel voice that had once called her a failure fell silent, replaced by another, one that whispered she was beautiful. Brave. Worthy.

‘So strong,’ Arden murmured, pressing a tender kiss to the inside of her thigh.

‘Remarkable,’ he breathed, his lips grazing her stomach like a benediction.

‘Unforgettable,’ he said, and then his mouth was on her, his tongue parting her with reverent hunger.

Wren gasped, a smile breaking across her lips, born not just of pleasure, but of the desire reflected so clearly in Arden’s every touch. He wasn’t just taking; he was giving. Seeing her. Worshipping her.

‘Promise me you’ll never forget me,’ he said, his tongue trailing upwards slowly, deliberately until it reached the soft swell of her breast. His hands cradled her face as though it were something fragile and precious, his thumbs tracing the curve of her jaw, memorising her. ‘No matter what happens to us.’

Wren pressed her lips to his, breath catching as she felt him lift her legs, her body curving instinctively into his.

The heat of him brushed against her inner thighs, and the wetness between her legs spoke louder than words.

Telling him, without doubt or hesitation, that she was ready. That she couldn’t wait any longer.

Wren gasped as he entered her slowly, carefully.

His every movement deliberate, as though he were memorising the feel of her.

Her body tensed in response, a moan caught behind the sharp bite of her lip as her back arched beneath the wave of pleasure.

She refused to let her mind wander to tomorrow, to the plan she had crafted to reach Hagan, to the war that waited just beyond the walls.

No. There was only this moment. Only Arden.

‘I promise,’ she whispered.

With each measured thrust, Wren felt something within her bloom, strength unfurling in her chest, beauty awakening beneath her skin.

She never wanted it to end, never wished to lose the feeling of him moving inside her, his body fitting against hers as though they had been carved from the same breath of fate.

He stirred emotions in her she had never known, never dared to name, each one crashing over her like a tide too powerful to resist.

Arden pulled her upright, slipping out of her for a brief, breathless moment. Wren moaned at the sudden emptiness, her body aching in its absence, and the sound drew a low chuckle from him.

‘Oh, how I love the way you moan when I’m not inside you,’ he murmured.

He guided her back down onto the table, this time turning her to face it, positioning her on her stomach. With careful, deliberate hands, he lifted her hips, ensuring she was exactly as he wanted her. His grip tightened on her waist as he pressed forward again filling her inch by inch.

Wren bit down on her hand to stifle the cry that threatened to escape, pleasure rippling through her in waves too fierce to contain.

‘Don’t come yet,’ he commanded, voice low and rough with restraint. He slipped two fingers between her lips. ‘Bite me.’

She obeyed without hesitation, sinking her teeth into him as he began to thrust again, the rhythm quickening, relentless and deep. He drove into her harder, with such fierce purpose that Wren felt warmth spill down her thighs, her body trembling from the intensity.

Arden gave a low, satisfied chuckle and withdrew.

Before she could ask why, before the question could even form, he dropped to his knees, spreading her legs wider still. His tongue was suddenly on her, tasting her, savouring the wetness that trickled down her skin, licking it away with the reverence of a man starved and worshipping.

‘Arden…’ she moaned, a breathless plea. ‘Don’t stop.’

‘Come for me. Now,’ he growled, his fingers replacing his tongue as he leaned over her, teeth grazing her neck before his lips traced a trail of kisses down the line of her spine. And then he was inside her again, filling her with a slow, powerful thrust that stole the air from her lungs.

Wren gasped, her entire body tightening as the pleasure coiled, building higher, higher still.

But just before it could consume her, Arden turned her once more, lifting her and laying her back against the table, never letting her slip from the edge of bliss.

He entered her again without pause, his pace urgent, unrelenting, determined to carry her over the peak.

She wrapped her legs around him just as the wave crashed, her body trembling violently as release tore through her.

He kissed her hard, claiming her moan as she shattered beneath him.

‘Fuck…’ he groaned, the word torn from him as he climaxed, spilling into her, their shared release trailing down Wren’s thighs in warm, languid rivulets. ‘Oh, fuck…’

And though Wren could not see Arden’s face, nor he hers, they both smiled in the quiet darkness of the kitchen. Two shadows entwined, finding a fleeting peace in the hush between heartbeats.