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“Oh yes, it’s very traditional to get a diamond. The bigger it is, the bigger the man’s commitment,” I say in an eager rush. “Assuming they aren’t cheap skates.” I watch him carefully, waiting for his reaction.

“Diamond?” Dracoth grimaces, and I worry it’s as I suspected—he’s a space hobo. “Not Elerium?”

What’s Elerium?

“No, definitely a diamond,” I say with a firm nod. “It has to be.”

“A strange tradition,” he rumbles in his chest, eyes locking onto mine again with that fiery intensity. “So be it. You shall have your diamond.” He gives a solemn nod.

I squeal with delight, rushing to wrap my arms around him, an impossible task given he’s as broad as a bus.

“I can’t wait,” I purr against his scalding skin, enjoying his warmth as he wraps me in his huge arms again.

“Tell me the secret,” Dracoth presses, his voice a low growl as his hands begin their gentle but insistent caresses, fingertips tracing over my skin and through my hair.

“What secret?” I ask absently, still daydreaming about my soon-to-be diamond ring. “Oh yeah, that!” I realize, catching the growing Mr. Frowny Face spreading over him.

“It’s simple, really,” I say, teasing him just a bit, knowing how impatient he is. “The answer was obvious after our... little argument.” I laugh with a sardonic edge, recalling how we both played with fire, literally. “It’s our emotions.”

Dracoth tilts his head a fraction, his intense stare almost breaking through my smug satisfaction.

I close my eyes, sensing the bond between us, our flames burning close but separated. “You can almost feel it when you close your eyes,” I mutter.

He stares at me, still skeptical.

“Go on; try it.” I urge, smiling as I touch his chest, feeling the heat radiate beneath my fingers. He closes his eyes, exhaling a long breath.

“Try to sense me through our bond,” I whisper into his long ear, my voice low and seductive, tracing my finger along the ridges of his chest. “Remember what it felt like...”

I slide across him, my body brushing his, my lips just grazing his skin. “...When I spoke of your parents,” I purr, nibbling on his ear, feeling the tension rising in his body, his rage stoking like a fire roaring to life.

“What it felt like...” I continue, my voice sultry, raking my nails over his rock-hard stomach, “when you first entered me.” I laugh throatily, loving the intoxicating power, feeling him on the verge of losing control.

Suddenly, Dracoth’s eyes snap open, glowing with swirling mist—red and silver, his furious desire blazing in the recesses of my mind. Excitement and power surge through me as our flames join in a beautiful union.

Dracoth smirks, and suddenly, balls of fire swirl around us, casting flickering orange glows through the quiet darkness.

“You spoke the truth,” he says with too much hint of a question.

“Of course I did!” I snap back, my own eyes misting red and silver like his. “I never lie...” My words trail off. Dracoth knows me too well now. “I mean, I’m not just a pretty face.” The heat from his rotating flames becomes stifling, drawing a sheen of sweat from my pale skin.

“Can you turn those things off?” I nod toward the hovering balls of fire.

“Yes,” Dracoth replies with a flick of his wrist, and the flames blink out of existence, leaving the night dim and cool by comparison.

“I’m bloody roasting now,” I grumble, wiping the sweat from my brow, feeling a little gross after everything, having not cleaned since Ignixis dragged me off to that hellish freezer place. My eyes are drawn to the nearby pool of water, shimmering with a welcoming purple light of the moon.

“I suppose that water’s freezing?” I mutter.

Dracoth stands suddenly, his imposing figure towering over me like a red statue—well, except for his huge, glistening cock dangling between his legs. I don’t think sculptors have enough stone to make penises that big.

“Yep, definitely warm.” I giggle, my gaze roving boldly over his nakedness.

With the confidence of a ten-foot mountain of rippling murder muscle, he strides forward, each step making the ground tremble like he’s a living earthquake. As he passes, I yelp in surprise when his hand slaps my ass, the sting making my skin tingle as he leers over his shoulder.

“You don’t know your own strength,” I complain, trying to rub the pain from my throbbing backside.

He doesn’t reply, focusing instead on the small pool of water, hands outstretched.

Curious, I rush over. “What are you doing?” I ask, but before I can get close, the water begins to bubble and steam, casting orange waves of light through the murky depths.

Clever.

“Showing off now, are we?” I smirk up at him. “Well, I can show off too.”

Raising my hands, I summon horizontal barriers a fraction above the bubbling waters.

“See?” I step onto the translucent platforms, feeling power hum through me as warm water laps at my feet. I marvel, as it looks like I’m walking on water. “It’s a miracle,” I declare with a grin, glancing back at Dracoth.

“Divine,” he growls low and deep, approaching the edge of the pool for a better look.

“Together, we’ll stand as gods.” His expression is as hard as stone, but through our bond, I feel his pride roar like a wildfire.

It’s infectious. The pull of his ambition, his confidence, flutters through me.

I can’t deny its appeal and with him, together, anything seems possible.

“Together,” I echo, meaning it with every beat of my heart. I turn my attention to the bubbling water—looking a little too bubbly. “Wait, is this going to boil me like a lobster?” My gaze flicks back to Dracoth, frowning. “You do spend a lot of time bathing in lava.”

“You fear nothing,” he replies, stepping onto my barriers. He plunges a hand into the sizzling water, showing no sign of discomfort, though he’s practically a walking fireball. Tentatively, I dip my toes through the steamy waters, feeling pleasant heat just on the edge of being too hot.

“You’ll learn to trust me,” Dracoth says, his voice a low promise as he crosses my barriers.

“Will I?” I shoot him a challenging glance, an idea sparking mischief in my mind. “But can you trust me?”

With a flick of my wrist, I drop the barrier beneath his feet. But to my amazement, he moves like red lightning, reacting almost before the platform vanishes. He’s fast, but not fast enough—his foot slips just as my platform fades.

I burst into laughter as he tumbles toward the water, but in an instant, his massive hand lashes out, grabbing my ankle.

My breath catches as he yanks me down with him, the dark forest spinning as I plunge into the bubbling water, a steamy blur rushing up to meet me.

My heart pounds in exhilaration as the warmth engulfs us both.

A scream rips from my lips but is cut short by the shock of the plunge.

I flounder, submerged in the simmering pool, trying to avoid swallowing water as I scramble to regain my bearings.

An immense force yanks me upward, my head breaking the surface, and there stands Dracoth, frowning down at me. The water only reaches his crotch.

“Oh... it’s quite shallow,” I giggle, struggling to hold his intense, blazing red and silver misty gaze. “At least it’s warm, though.” I force a nervous smile—he still looks like an angry wet rock.

“I trust you to misbehave,” he growls, answering to my earlier question. But his expression softens as he pulls me close against him. We nestle together at the pool’s edge, enveloped in the steam. A beautiful, eerie silence lingers as we watch the stars sparkle above.

It’s nice here—quiet, serene. Even my thoughts are content, simply existing with him in these stolen moments.

Peace.