Page 178 of Never Kiss a Fae

Safe.

Home.

Mine.

A wave of heat slammed into me, showering me in a deep-seated craving we shared—our fire yearning to complete what we’d begun.

Soon,I vowed.Soon.

Her teeth sank into my lip, and her nails ran down my back, leaving a trail of embers that deliciously burned and danced with my own magic.

“While I appreciate that you’ve stopped throwing fireballs at my head, can we focus?” Cyrus rudely interrupted. “Claire’s vitality is what needs to be rejuvenated, not your own.”

He was right. Claire’s hand already dipped to my pants, sensing the need in me for her touch. I grabbed her wrist before she could slip her fingers past the waistband.

She pouted and narrowed her eyes at Cyrus. “It’s not all about me.”

The amused smirk on Cyrus’s face said otherwise, not that I doubted he hadn’t enjoyed their past week together. The residual impact from full mating rituals was well known, and while I was envious, I also knew Claire would have been ravenous in her near-death condition. It was a tall order for any man to take on.

Cyrus responded with his element instead of his typical smart-ass retorts. A glimmer of liquid swept across Claire’s lips like a kiss, a show of power that surprised me in both its precision and gentleness. Her tongue slipped out to taste it, and she fluttered her eyes closed with delight.

Not to be outdone, I followed the trail of magic with my own, concentrating to sweep blue heat across her delicate skin. She gasped, her lashes lifting as the steam mixed with our breaths, her blue irises flashing with a knowing flame that absorbed my energy. My hand fisted in her hair, angling her to my desire to give her everything she wanted—everything she needed.

“Yes,” Cyrus said, his tone approving as Claire stopped trying to give me what I yearned for and greedily drank in the elements swirling around her. “Just like that.”

A blush crested Claire’s cheeks and she smiled.

Energy danced in her gaze, and I realized I’d never seen her like this—balanced, like a new fae born into the world who understood her powers and how to control them.

No hesitation.

No emotions running her into the ground.

Just knowledge and acceptance.

Cyrus had done what none of us had yet to accomplish—he’d given her what her elements craved. And while she was sated with regard to water, she neededmore.

Challenge accepted.

I poured my flames through the bond, adoring the way it lit up her features and the sigh that feathered from her beautiful mouth. But I wasn’t enough, and the flicker of her gaze to the hall told me as much.

Claire craved her circle and the balance it provided.

“Sol and Vox are in the kitchen,” I murmured, guiding her away from the bedroom before I yanked her inside and burned her clothes off.

If we—her mates—did this right, it would prove far more satisfying in the long run.

Claire glided beside me, her movements graceful as water mixed with fire along her footsteps.

Elements, she has no idea how powerful she is. She’s intoxicating.

Sol’s arms were crossed, his large form leaning against a broken peach tree that had grown from what was left of the dining table, while Vox stood with both fists knuckled down onto the cracked wood.

They both stopped midsentence and locked gazes on Claire the moment I brought her into the room. If it hurt me in my soul not to be fully mated with her, I couldn’t imagine what her call was doing to them.

By the look of utter conflict on Vox’s face, he was fighting it hard. Sol, on the other hand, loosened his stance and gave Claire a warm smile.

With a small nudge to her back, I sent her toward the Earth Fae. “Go on, sweetheart. Don’t be afraid.”