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I gasped as his fingers made their way down my navel. “I’m ticklish,” I hissed, arching away from him.

A low growl left his throat as he yanked me back, lifting one of my legs, and opening me wide. “That’s because you’re a delicate flower. I wonder… is your nectar as sweet as your blood?” he asked before dipping his fingers between my thighs and spreading my petals.

He traced slow, deliberate circles around that spot—the one that made me jolt and shake every time his fingers brushed against it.

As I began to whimper and clutch the bedding, he pushed a finger inside of me, keeping just enough friction on that little bud to drive me crazy.

We moved together as I trembled beneath the touch of his hand.

I was still experiencing shockwaves when Galen flipped me around, face to face, and guided me to his erection. Trailing curious fingers along his length, I experimented with what he responded to. I wrapped my hand around, gliding it over velvety steel.

He took slippery nectar from between my legs, rubbing it up and down his shaft, while he watched me with heavy-lidded eyes.

I copied his movements, feeling curious and eager to please—studying him as he twitched and groaned.

It was surprisingly rewarding—to be the one controlling his pleasure.

When he reached his release, he spilled onto my stomach, shuddering.

He noted my look of surprise and said, “If we have sex and I release in you, it could produce a baby. I’m on a tonic that would prevent such a thing. Has anyone ever explained this to you?”

“I’m well read,” I said with false bravado. Adeline had explained the basics. It didn’t stop me from feeling completely over my head.

“Humans have such a short lifespan, yet they spend a third of it staying chaste.” He said with an edge of condescension.

I buried my face, but he pulled my hands away.

“No, don’t feel ashamed… sex is natural—as natural as eating, drinking…

as natural as magic , to a Fae. It’s your customs that are backwards, not you. ”

He was wise not to laugh or even smirk as he made sure I knew the ins and outs of procreation. After our conversation, I could feel hard evidence of just how much he’d liked our talk. “Has corrupting me turned you on?” I asked mockingly.

His entire face lit up. “You have no idea. I’m dying to taste you. Do you trust me?” I nodded slowly, heart racing, as he climbed over me.

“Do you taste sweet like honey? Or something fruitier? Melon, perhaps?” he asked with a husky tone that vibrated against my skin, as he moved lower and lower.

He made his way down until his head was between my thighs.

He spread me open, meeting my apprehensive gaze.

The sight was both erotic and anxiety-inducing.

I protested, trying to sit up, when I realized what he was about to do.

“Lay back, love. I don’t want to hear the words ‘ no ’ or ‘ stop .’ You are mine until I say so. Understood?” My heart tumbled over itself as I felt his breath at my sex. This was… so intimate. A flush crept across my skin.

The way his fiery green eyes stayed locked on me, while his lips grazed sensitive skin, caused me to wiggle and writhe under the scrutiny of his piercing gaze.

He slid me forward, forcing me fully on my back, then settled in with a possessive growl.

His tongue boldly ran along my center, causing me to release a startled groan.

Soft, warm kisses turned into swirling tight circles as he expertly flicked his tongue over and over.

I arched up, twisting and kicking, needing relief from his relentless pursuit to devour me.

“Lay still for me,” Galen commanded. I did my best, but… six gods , he was asking for the impossible . I was drenched and he still wasn’t done with me. I squirmed in anguish, cursing Cyro , and whoever else was responsible for gifting him so thoroughly.

I’d caught fire, though his flames were nowhere in sight. He moved his tongue in and out, up and around, gripping my thighs with bruising force. “Galen…” I breathed, fisting his hair.

Then his fingers were working me, while his mouth continued its conquest, wringing every ounce of sensation from me. I panted, legs quaking, as I reached the top of the mountain. Frost bit at my fingers while I bucked, thrusting my head back as I rode wave after wave.

“Galen..." I moaned. He made no motion to move from his position, perched between my legs. "Galen… it’s too sensitive. Please . Stop,” I said desperately.

“Not yet,” he huffed between greedy mouthfuls and dove deeper. He couldn’t mean to make me shatter again. I’d die from it.

The pleasure had turned to something else.

He held me down with a flat-palmed hand over my stomach.

Just as I thought the sensation would kill me, I came a third time.

Frost spread over my body… over the bed.

Galen looked up at me, licking his lips.

“You taste like sunshine, ice wielder. Explain that to me.”

We laid tangled in a heap as we drifted down from the clouds. He nuzzled into the crook of my neck and promptly began to snore.

I stayed awake, mind racing, as morning light filled the room. Could I truly let myself fall for this male? Was there a universe where our lives—our people—could co-exist? I had my doubts, but for the first time, I was willing to set them aside and find out where this could lead.

I’d let him bite me and it had felt better than I wanted to admit.

I prodded the puncture wounds to find that they’d scabbed over but hadn’t completely healed.

In contrast, my wound from the village brawl had disappeared in hours.

I pondered why a bite would heal slower than a cut.

My stomach sank and I took a deep breath, shutting down the shame that was creeping its way in .

I was trying not to let negative feelings worm their way into my head, but I could already hear my guilty conscious asking, what would Ophelia think?

Annoyed, I countered the intrusive thought. Ophelia hadn’t even told me about faeries or magic—she might very well be Fae. It was her fault for letting me walk blindly into this world .

I snuggled into Galen, until the voices faded.

Over the last decade, I’d let my fear of abandonment keep me from living life to the fullest. I’d let it fester into insecurity and self-doubt.

Somewhere along the way, I’d grown ice around my heart.

It was time to admit that my loneliness was partially self-induced.

I’d pushed people away, declined invites, and judged others without truly knowing them; until I’d found myself jaded and alone.

Galen had walked right past my boundaries—more accurately, he’d set them on fire. And now he was sleeping soundly on my chest. I watched gold lashes flutter as he dreamed, feeling the full weight of his presence upon my heart.

He terrified me as much as he elated me.

Sometimes he was overly confident, sometimes his moods were unpredictable, and I did worry about his relationship with his mother.

But he’d saved me, in more ways than one.

He was exactly what I needed at this moment: Safety, warmth, passion .

We were both a little broken, but together we were whole.