Page 17

HAZEL

T he moon hangs low, silvering the forest in soft light. Ley lines run nearby, their energy crackling beneath our feet like restless serpents. Derek and I are supposed to be tracking their surges, but the tension between us is thicker than the magic in the air.

We’re standing near a pool of still water, its surface glimmering like onyx. The camp is miles away now—distant, a world apart. Here, it’s just us and the ancient trees and the stars and this hunger I can’t ignore anymore.

“You should take notes,” Derek says, eyes fixed on the compass in his hand. He’s trying to do his job. Be professional. But his shoulders are tense, jaw set, and every time I shift, his gaze flicks my way, sharp and predatory.

So I push.

“Notes?” I step closer. “Like what? ‘The ley lines are surging’ ?”

He doesn’t look up. “Precise measurements. Patterns. Any anomalies.”

“I’ve got an anomaly for you.”

He freezes.

I step behind him, close enough to feel the heat of his body. Then I whisper against his neck, soft as a promise: “ You.”

He turns, slow, the compass forgotten in his hand. His eyes are dark, endless, and when they find mine I forget to breathe. Because this is it—the moment we’ve been dancing around since we met.

I reach for him, but he grabs my wrist, stopping me.

“Hazel,” he warns, voice rough. “Don’t.”

“Why?” I tip my chin up, daring him to lie. “You want this. I want this. We’re out here alone, and I’m tired of pretending we’re not two people who can’t stop fighting because we can’t stop thinking about each other.”

He watches me, unblinking. Then he says, soft as a secret, “I have scars you can’t imagine.”

“So do I.”

“I’d hurt you.”

“Try.”

He growls and pulls me close. Our mouths crash together, everything we’ve ever needed—or feared—bound up in this kiss.

I gasp. He tastes like mint and iron, ancient and new. His hands are in my hair, the forest floor is cold beneath my back. His body is hard against mine, firm and desperate, and when he breaks away, bent over me like a shield, his fangs are extended.

“I’m not human,” he breathes.

I reach for his face. “I don’t care.”

Something breaks in him. He kisses me with ferocity, with a need so deep it feels like both a lie and the only truth. His fingers find my skin, my shirt is ripped away. I don’t care if he breaks me. I want to be broken here, by him, in this moment where the stars are our only witnesses.

The night air is cool against my skin, but I’m burning up. The forest floor is rough beneath me, but I don’t care. Derek is all I can feel, his hands, his mouth, his body pressing me into the earth.

His fingers are deft, tearing at our clothes with a predatory urgency. My skin burns where his touch grazes, every scar demanding to be mapped, every nerve ending electrified. I arch against him, wanting more, needing him to consume me whole.

I gasp as his cock enters me, his eyes locking with mine, hungry and dark. I wrap my legs around him, drawing him deeper, feeling the stretch of him inside me. His hands grip my hips, pulling me closer, as if he can’t get enough of me.

He moves with a feral intensity, each thrust a delicious mix of pain and pleasure. I dig my nails into his back, urging him on. The world narrows to the space between us, to the sound of our ragged breaths, the slick heat of our bodies moving together.

He leans down, his mouth finding mine again, and I bite his lip, drawing blood. It’s metallic and sweet on my tongue, and I moan, the taste of him intoxicating. He groans in response, his thrusts growing more frantic, his control unraveling.

“Fuck, Hazel,” he growls. “You’re mine. Understand? You’re mine.”

His words send a thrill down my spine, and I laugh, the sound wild and free. “Only if you’re mine too, Derek.”

His eyes blaze with an ancient fire, and he surges forward, burying his cock to the hilt inside me. I cry out, reaching my peak, clinging to him as waves of pleasure crash over me.

He follows me a moment later, his back arching, his body shuddering. He collapses on top of me, breathing heavily.

Derek rolls over, pressing me into the forest floor. He flips me onto my stomach, his movements rough and possessive. I spread my legs eagerly, arching my back to meet him. The cool night air brushes against my exposed skin, making me shiver, but Derek's body is a furnace against me.

"Not done with you yet," he growls.

His hand grips my hip, and I feel the head of his cock press against my pussy. I brace myself, anticipating the stretch of him inside me again. He thrusts in deep, and I cry out, my fingers digging into the earth beneath me.

"Fuck, Derek!" I gasp.

He stills, buried deep inside me. "Is this okay?"

I laugh, breathless, over my shoulder. "More than okay. Don't stop."

He moves, setting a punishing pace, each stroke driving me closer to the edge.

I meet him thrust for thrust, moaning with each movement.

His fingers dig into my hips, holding me steady as he fucks me hard.

The forest around us is filled with our noises—our breaths, our moans, the wet slap of his skin against mine.

"You’re so tight," he grunts, leaning over me, his teeth grazing my neck.

"So deep," I whimper, my voice trembling with pleasure.

His hand sneaks around to cup me, his fingers working my clit in time with his thrusts. "Come for me, Hazel," he murmurs against my shoulder. "I want to feel you come around my cock."

It doesn't take much more. My body tightens, and a wave of pleasure crashes over me, so intense I black out for a moment. I come with a scream, my vision going white, my body clenching around him.

Derek groans, his cock pulsing inside me as he finds his own release. He collapses on top of me, caging me in with his arms. We lay there, breathing hard, our bodies still connected.

After a moment, he pulls out gently and rolls me onto my back. He runs his fingers through my hair, looking down at me with a mix of wonder and something like regret.

"What’s wrong?" I ask, still catching my breath.

He shakes his head. "Nothing."

I reach up and trace his jaw with my fingers. "Don't think too much, Derek. Just feel."

He leans down and kisses me, slow and deep. When he pulls away, he murmurs against my lips, "You’re dangerous, Hazel."

I smile. "You have no idea."

He stands and helps me up. I pull on my discarded clothes, wincing slightly at the aches and scrapes from the forest floor. Derek watches me, his expression unreadable.

"We should head back," he says, but he makes no move to leave.

I nod. "But you're not ready to let me go?"

He looks pained. "No. Not yet."

"Good." I step close to him, my fingers trailing down his chest. "Because I'm not ready to let you go either."

He takes my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. Together, we step into the forest, leaving the glade behind, the ley lines still humming beneath our feet, and the rest of the night stretching out before us, dark and full of possibilities.