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Chapter Twenty-Two

Ena was running through the dark woods, her heart pounding, but she didn’t know where she was going. She turned around when she heard a man laughing—an evil, menacing sound that echoed through the woods.

Behind her, there were five men holding Ty down on the forest floor.

He was struggling in a blind rage, spitting and thrashing like an animal.

She watched as one of them raised a sharp dagger and thrust it deeply into Ty’s chest again and again, stabbing him repeatedly.

His blood spurted everywhere until he was drenched in it and it pooled around him like milk spilled on the floor.

She opened her mouth and screamed, her fear and rage and helplessness flooding out of her. She felt her Gift growing, growing, growing inside her. Her head was full of terror and chaos and she wanted them to die.

She knew it was wrong, and that Gaia would abandon her for it, but she reached for it . She let it grow through her, making her powerful, giving her control. She cracked open her mouth to speak when a blinding white light appeared.

Raising her arm to shield her eyes from the light, Ena was reminded of the bone-deep terror she’d experienced during her Summoning, and all at once, she Knew. Gaia had come to punish her—to take away her magic. She cried out to beg for mercy and then—

“Ena,” a voice gently called to her. “Ena! Wake up.”

Ena’s eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking around frantically. She was in a dark room and it was stiflingly hot. She turned to her right to see Ty, shirtless and sitting up on the bed next to her, reaching out as if he was about to touch her, but was unsure of himself.

“Ena, are you okay? You were having a dream,” he said.

A dream. It was a dream.

Ena rested her head in her hands as she remembered where she was.

The guesthouse in Attax. She was in a room with Ty.

She’d fallen asleep, and slept deeper than she had in weeks.

The room was warm because the fire had just died down after burning hotly for hours, and Ty was sleeping next to her, putting off his own heat like an inferno.

She took a deep breath, calming her pounding heart. “I’m fine,” she replied quietly. “Sorry, I-I was having a nightmare.”

“It’s okay,” Ty said gently. He continued to watch her, clearly unsure of what to do. Ena just sat there, making no move to lay down again.

“Did you want to talk about it?” he asked cautiously.

Ena didn’t know what she wanted. She’d been trying hard not to think about it all, and since they’d arrived in Attax, there’d been plenty of distractions helping her keep her mind off it.

But the dream had made her viscerally remember the fear she’d felt during the attack.

She remembered running through the dark, fearing for Ty’s life, and using her magic in ways she never thought she could.

Using her visanis to make that man slit his own throat.

She remembered wanting them to suffer—to die— and part of her thriving in the knowledge that she was capable of doing it.

She remembered those dark feelings, and her guilt and shame over them mixed with her fear as tears came to her eyes. Then she looked over at Ty in the dim light, and she remembered other feelings that were equally as dangerous. And all at once, everything came crashing down in such painful clarity.

She was in bed with a daemon. The same daemon she’d foolishly, willingly fell for years ago, and had never moved on from. A daemon who, if she were being honest, she wasn’t even trying to get away from anymore. A daemon who was drawing her in, making her care about him again, making her want him.

Gaia, what in the Underworld was she doing? She was losing her grip on herself. She’d always been one of the best witches in her Coven. Always helping people, perfecting her potions and spellwords, serving Gaia, and maintaining the balance. That was her path.

What path was she on now?

All at once, she felt so out of control and scared and…unworthy. The tears started to spill over and she turned her face away from Ty so he wouldn’t see.

“Hey, hey,” Ty said, sensing her distress. “It’s alright, Ena. You’re safe here, you’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you. You know that, right?”

She nodded as he wrapped his arms around her gently. But he didn’t know that it wasn’t others she was afraid of. It was herself.

She started to sob, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

Ty had never judged her over what happened.

He’d understood she’d done what was necessary, and she wanted nothing more but to allow him to comfort her, to hold her, and reassure her that she was still good.

And that Gaia still loved her. She knew, if given the chance, he would tell her that, all of that, and he would make her feel seen and worthy again.

And she was so, so grateful for that. For him.

So she let him hold her, and slowly stroke her hair, as she sobbed quietly into his chest.

When her crying gradually stopped, Ty laid her down gently on her side and curled up behind her.

She felt her body calm down as he slowly stroked her hair, her arm, the side of her thigh.

His touch felt so right, and despite her fear and her guilt over her feelings for him, she felt drawn to him.

The same way she’d been all those years ago.

She didn’t want to think about the man she’d killed anymore. She didn’t want to think about what Heran or her sister would say about it, about any of this. She just wanted to stop thinking. And his hands felt good. Gaia, they felt so good.

How could something so wrong feel so good?

So she decided to let go. She decided to lean in to what felt good and right and safe, in a world where everything increasingly felt bad and wrong and unsafe.

She arched back into him in silent invitation, pressing her ass softly into his crotch.

She felt his cock through his pants, already half-hard, and she knew it was a bad idea, she knew it would only add to her guilt and all her confusing feelings, but she was so, so tired of fighting what felt good, what felt right, what called to her.

“Please, Ty,” she whispered quietly.

She felt his body freeze behind her, finally understanding her meaning. For a second, she wasn’t sure if he would continue. Maybe he would be the rational one, and put a stop to this right now, before any more lines were crossed.

Then he took a deep breath, his head nestled into the crux of her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin and hair, and he groaned. “Fuck, Ena,” he said. “This is a bad idea.”

“I know,” she said, “but I don’t care.”

He paused for just a second, as if holding himself back, before sliding her hair off her shoulder and kissing her neck gently, tenderly. The single kiss sent shivers down Ena’s body. She couldn’t even comprehend how many times she’d dreamed of having his lips on her again.

“Fuck it. Me neither,” he said.

Then he unleashed himself.

He kissed her neck again, open-mouthed this time, licking her, tasting her.

She loved it. Gaia, she loved it so fucking much, and she wanted more.

She arched deeper into him, feeling his rock-hard cock behind her, and she ground into it.

She brought her hand up to tangle in his hair, holding his mouth to her as he continued to kiss up and down her neck, nibbling at that sweet spot just under her ear.

She squirmed and writhed in front of him, and sensing she wanted more, he slowly lowered the hand he’d been stroking her arm with to pull up her shift, bunching it around her waist. Her bottom half was fully exposed now, and his hand felt so big and warm as it slowly traveled up over her stomach, tracing circles with his fingers, until it came up to cup her breast.

He squeezed gently, kneading it softly as she arched back into him with a moan. He began to swirl his thumb over her nipple, making it peak and driving her mad until he eventually pinched it. The sharp shock of pain drove her crazy, making her gasp and sending a throb right down to her core.

Ena tilted her head back and moaned. “Fuck, Ty.”

“More?” he asked, his voice breathless from kissing her neck.

“Yes, fuck yes.”

He lowered his hand back down her stomach and paused above her mound. She could feel the dripping wetness gathering in between her thighs, and Ena wanted nothing more but to have him inside her. Any part of him. Right the fuck now.

But instead, he teased her as he took one long finger and gently stroked her right down her center. He did it again, and again, and again, until she thought she might explode right then and there. She whimpered and squirmed against him, begging him wordlessly for more.

He chuckled darkly at her unabashed desire. “Ena,” he whispered into her ear, “I want you to hear me.”

She turned her face towards him so she could see him. His gaze locked on to hers. His eyes were dark with desire and his pupils blown wide, as if they were trying to take in everything they could, absorbing every part of her body as she lay half undressed and writhing before him.

“I’ve thought of you every single day for nine years.

” He sunk one long finger into her. “I’ve pictured your face when I took others to bed.

” He brushed his thumb over her clit, swirling in tight circles.

“I think of you every time I fuck my own hand.” He started to move his finger in and out, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

When he sunk a second finger in, the heel of his hand now perfectly hit her clit as he moved his fingers in and out in the perfect rhythm.

Ena’s eyes started to close, her pleasure building, her orgasm getting closer and closer as she rocked into him.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

Ena did as she was told and opened her eyes again to look at him, and the intensity she saw on his face made her not want to look away again. She knew he wanted to see.

“I’ve dreamt of you for nine years. You’re mine. Do you hear me? You’re mine .” His words pushed her over the edge, and she kept her eyes on him as her climax shattered through her.

She clenched tightly around his fingers as she shouted, “Yes! Fuck…yes, Ty.” I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours, she thought to herself, all of her walls and hesitation having been shattered by his words and her orgasm.

He continued to move his fingers slowly in and out, wringing every last drop from her pleasure.

When he finally pulled his hand away, Ena was breathing heavily, but she could still feel his rock-hard cock pressed against her back, and the tightness in his body.

She turned around in his arms so she was facing him and slowly lowered her hands to stroke it gently over his pants.

He groaned and bucked into her as they locked eyes again.

Ena could tell they weren’t done. Not even close. Nine years was a long time to wait for more of this.

“Get on your knees,” Ty told her, his gaze filled his raging desire.

“Yes, Master,” she replied, her lips quirking slightly.

Ty growled, then moved with her as she sat up and went to the edge of the bed.

There was a loud knock on the door.

They both froze, their heads swiveling to the door as if they couldn’t possibly have heard correctly. Then they heard a voice—

“Ty! You in there?”

It was Steig.