Page 39

CORA

T he fire crackled softly beneath the moonlight, casting golden shadows across the forest floor. Flames licked the edges of the stone circle Callum had cleared earlier, a quiet labor of love. Tall pines stood like sentinels around them, bearing witness.

Cora stood barefoot in the moss, the hem of her green wrap dress brushing her calves, her breath caught somewhere between awe and want.

Her fingers ghosted over the new ring on her hand, the one he’d slid onto her finger an hour ago.

She could still taste the kiss he gave her after.

Still felt it humming on her skin like a promise etched in heat.

Callum stepped into the firelight, slow and steady.

His shaggy brown and gold hair curled around his ears, wind-tousled.

The faintest flicker of amber glowed in his blue eyes.

His lion was close. He wore his ranger shirt open, sleeves rolled, muscles beneath coiled with purpose.

Not nervousness—intensity. A man ready to claim.

“You sure?” he asked, voice roughened with restraint.

“Yes.” Her voice was breathy, sure. “I want this.”

He reached for her, pulling her gently into the center of the circle. His hand wrapped around hers, warm and steady.

“This is more than instinct,” he said, tone quiet but unshakable. “It’s choice.”

Her lips tilted up as she met his gaze. “Then choose me.”

He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth. “Always.”

When his mouth met hers, it was tender at first. Soft, slow.

But the moment her hand slid up his chest, heat stirred between them, blooming in the space where their magic and hunger touched.

His growl was low in his throat, his other hand slipping to her waist, pulling her against the solid line of his body.

Their mouths fell into rhythm, deeper, more urgent.

Her hands gripped his shoulders, sliding over the fabric down to his lower back. She could feel the raw power beneath his skin, the heat his body gave off like kindling near a flame.

“Clothes off,” he rasped, breath hot against her throat.

She laughed softly, dizzy and aching. “Bossy.”

“Ranger privilege.”

They undressed in firelight, slow and greedy.

His shirt hit the moss first. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons, but he helped, tugging it off with a flick of his wrist. The heat from his skin hit her next—golden, sun-kissed, dusted with dark hair over his chest and arms. He smelled like pine and warm spice, a scent that soaked straight into her bones.

Her dress dropped off her shoulders, whispering to the earth. She stood there—bare, glowing faintly in the firelight, her pale skin lit with shadows, her curves soft and trembling under his gaze.

Callum stepped back for a heartbeat. Just one. His eyes devoured her, but with reverence, not greed.

“Gods, Cora...” His voice cracked. “You’re mine.”

She reached for him, fingers curling around the back of his neck. “Then claim me.”

He lowered her onto the blanket, careful, slow.

Moss and wool cradled her, the firelight kissing her skin.

His body hovered above her, and then his mouth found the soft slope of her breast. He licked a path down to her belly, over the curve of her hip, and lower, his hands following—touching every inch of her like he’d dreamed of this a hundred times.

Her magic answered, flickering golden and green along her arms, like vines dancing with flame.

When his hand cupped her pussy, she gasped, hips jerking under his touch.

“Fuck,” he whispered. “You’re so wet already.”

His thumb circled her clit, slow and steady, while his fingers teased her entrance, spreading her slick heat. “That for me, sweetheart?”

She nodded, throat too tight to answer.

Her hands gripped his arms, fingers brushing the veins that stood out in his forearms as he worked her open, easing one thick finger inside her, then another. Her back arched.

“Gods, you’re tight,” he growled. “Your pussy’s already clenching around my fingers. I haven’t even?—”

“Callum, please,” she breathed. “I need you.”

He shifted above her, hand sliding free. His cock pressed against her thigh—thick, hard, hot.

She looked down, eyes going wide as he wrapped a hand around himself, guiding the flushed head between her legs.

“Look at me,” he said.

She did.

And then he pushed in.

Her pussy stretched around him inch by inch, tight and pulsing, heat blooming between her thighs like nothing she’d ever known. He groaned, deep and low, his face inches from hers as he slid in to the hilt.

Cora’s hands flew to his back, nails dragging along his skin as her legs wrapped around his waist.

“Fuck,” he said, breath shaking. “You feel like velvet. Like you were made to hold me.”

She whimpered, rocking her hips beneath him. “You fill me so deep. I can feel you everywhere.”

He braced himself on his forearms, body trembling with restraint. “I want to go slow. I want to remember everything about this.”

“Then take me slow,” she whispered.

He moved.

The first thrust was deep and aching, dragging his cock out almost all the way before pushing back in. Her pussy squeezed around him, greedy for every inch.

Cora moaned, head tipping back. “Callum…”

“I love you,” he said against her mouth. “Every part of you. Even the wild parts. Especially the wild parts.”

She kissed him, lips trembling. “I love you more.”

His hips rocked into hers, each thrust sinking deeper, grinding in ways that made her see stars behind her eyes. Their rhythm was perfect. Familiar. Like the forest had written it for them before either of them was born.

“You feel so fucking good,” he growled, hips picking up pace. “Every squeeze. Every little flutter. You’re mine.”

Her magic surged again, light glowing under her skin, wrapping around their bodies like mist. Their breaths mingled. Sweat beaded between their bodies, the firelight glinting off his golden skin.

“Callum, I’m close.”

“I’ve got you. Let go for me.”

His hand gripped her hip tighter, his cock grinding into that perfect spot over and over, and her body shattered.

She came with a cry, pussy clenching wildly around him, magic bursting out of her like a solar flare.

Her body arched, and her eyes glowed with that wild, feral light only fae could possess.

Callum let out a roar, his hands tightening as he fucked her through it. “Now?”

“Yes,” she breathed, panting. “Please, Callum—now.”

He buried himself deep, dipped his head to her neck, and his teeth found that soft spot under her ear. He bit—not cruel, but firm, primal. The bond ignited.

Gold light burst from her neck. At the same time, her magic rose and met his—twining, locking, sealing.

A vine-wrapped sigil formed where his teeth had marked her, glowing faintly under her skin.

Callum came with a growl, cock pulsing deep inside her as he spilled everything into her, his body shaking with the force of it.

Their breaths were jagged, chests rising and falling in sync. He didn’t pull away. He stayed inside her, pressed close, his forehead resting against hers, both of them trembling.

“Mine,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “Forever.”

She smiled up at him, her body still warm, sated, glowing with magic and love. “Yours.”

The fire crackled gently. The trees rustled around them, content. The Veil pulsed with calm.

They curled into one another under the blanket, tangled in limbs and magic, letting the woods hold them a little longer.

There was nothing left to fear.

Only love to grow in. Together.