Page 37 of Tempest Blazing (The Dragonne Library #3)

I devoured her like a man starved, my tongue circling her clit before dipping inside her.

Her thighs trembled against my shoulders, her fingers tightening in my hair.

My magic responded to her pleasure, earth and water elements combining to intensify every sensation as I sucked her clit between my lips.

"Kane, I'm going to—" Her words dissolved into a cry as she came again, her thighs clamping around my head, her body shuddering beneath my mouth.

I worked her through it, gentling my touches as the aftershocks rippled through her. When I finally pulled away, her hand reached for me, tugging me up her body.

"I want to see you," she said, her fingers finding the buttons of my shirt.

I let her unfasten them, one by one, until she pushed the fabric from my shoulders. Her hands traced the contours of my chest, sending sparks of fire magic dancing across my skin.

"You're so beautiful," she whispered, her fingers tracing a pattern down my abdomen to the waistband of my pants.

Her hand pressed against the bulge straining against the fabric, and I couldn't suppress a groan. She unfastened my pants, sliding her hand inside to wrap around my cock. The contact nearly undid me.

Gods, how I wanted to bury myself inside her, claim her completely.

The instinct to mate her, to bind her to me forever, roared through my blood.

But she didn't know—couldn't understand what that meant.

For Fae like me, the first joining with a true mate was binding, eternal.

She deserved to know that choice before making it.

I kissed her deeply, partly to silence the truth I couldn't yet speak. "The exams tomorrow," I said instead, the half-truth bitter on my tongue. "We both need rest. This isn't something to rush."

"Then let me at least give you this," she said, her hand tightening around me as she drew me free from my pants.

I couldn't deny her—or myself—this much. I positioned myself at her side, my fingers finding her center again as she stroked me. We moved together, finding a rhythm that built rapidly toward release.

"Together," I said, feeling my control slipping as her hand worked me perfectly. My fingers circled her clit, dipping inside her occasionally to gather her wetness.

Her breathing quickened, matching mine. "I'm close," she gasped.

"Let go," I urged, feeling my own release building. "Come with me, Tess."

Her body tensed, her inner walls clenching around my fingers as her orgasm took her. The sight of her pleasure, the feel of her coming undone against my hand, pushed me over the edge. I spilled into her hand with a groan, my magic surging uncontrollably as my release crashed through me.

For a moment, our magic merged completely—fire, earth, air, and water tangling with her golden-purple essence. The connection was so intense, so perfect, that I knew without doubt she was mine. My mate.

We lay there, breathing hard, our magic slowly separating like oil from water. The raw need that had driven me here began to ebb, replaced by something sharper—clarity. Regret. I'd lost control. Completely. Utterly. The realization hit like ice water.

The familiar panic clawed up my throat. My father's threats against Tess echoed in my mind—not because he knew how close we'd become, but because she was human.

Vulnerable. An easy target for Silvius's sabotage.

Control was everything—the only thing that kept me safe, kept me whole, kept those I cared about protected.

Without it, I was just another Fae who couldn't contain his power, who let emotion dictate magic instead of the other way around.

My father had beaten that lesson into me—that power without control was weakness, that vulnerability was a luxury I couldn't afford.

I'd sworn I'd never be that exposed again.

Never let anyone strip away the careful discipline I'd built around my magic, around my heart.

But here I was, undone by a girl who made my elements sing and my carefully constructed walls crumble.

And worse—my loss of control put her directly in my father's crosshairs.

"Stay," Tess whispered, her fingers brushing my arm. "Just until I fall asleep."

I should say no. Should walk out that door and put distance between us. But her eyes held mine, and I found myself nodding. "Just until you fall asleep."

She curled against me, her breathing gradually slowing. I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts churning like storm clouds. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. Not because I couldn't control my own fucking temper.

I'd come here because I was spiraling, because the rage was building to dangerous levels and I needed an outlet before my magic consumed everything in its path.

But using Tess like that—treating her as nothing more than a pressure valve for my demons—made me sick.

Especially when every moment I spent with her painted a bigger target on her back.

Fuck.

I glanced down at her sleeping face, peaceful now. This wasn't her fault. She hadn't asked for any of this—the bond, my attention, my loss of control. Or my father's twisted games. But part of me was annoyed anyway. At her. At myself. At the universe for tangling us together.

At her for making me feel things I couldn't compartmentalize or suppress.

Was this what having a mate meant? This constant, maddening pull?

This erosion of my carefully constructed boundaries?

This terrifying vulnerability that left my magic—and my heart—completely exposed?

This desperate need to protect someone who was already in danger simply because she existed in my father's world?

I didn't want that. Didn't want to need anyone this much.

Didn't want to be at the mercy of emotions that could make my power spiral beyond my control.

Didn't want to risk the kind of magical catastrophe that happened when discipline shattered—especially not when my father was already looking for excuses to eliminate the human threat.

My magic stirred restlessly beneath my skin, pushing back against every rational thought.

It whispered that being with Tess was pure magic—the kind that felt right in ways nothing else ever had.

Part of me wanted to listen, wanted to give in to what felt so natural it scared me.

But I couldn't afford that luxury. Not now.

Not when losing control meant becoming the kind of Fae who let power run wild, who destroyed everything he touched.

Not when my father was already planning Tess's downfall.

Her breathing deepened as sleep claimed her. I carefully disentangled myself, tucking the blanket around her shoulders. Tomorrow we'd face the written exam. She needed rest. So did I.

I moved silently to the door, pausing to look back at her.

Something twisted in my chest—desire, protectiveness, fear.

All of it too intense. Too raw. Too much like the desperate vulnerability my father had taught me to bury beneath layers of rigid control.

Too dangerous when every emotion I felt for her put her deeper in Silvius's crosshairs.

I slipped out, closing the door quietly behind me. The cool night air helped clear my head as I walked back to my quarters. Tomorrow, I'd be in control again. I had to be.

No matter what it cost me. No matter what it cost her.