Page 210 of The Night Firm

"It was a group effort," I say sleepily, the warmth of the fire, the steady drone of the rain and the feel of Sebastian's body all working together to lull me into unconsciousness.

"Led by you," he clarifies. "You're the bravest, most selfless person I've ever met."

I look up at him and caress his handsome face, losing myself in his forest green eyes. "Meeting you changed my life," I say. "That day on the subway, I had lost hope. I didn't know where I was headed or what my life would look like after Adam died. I had nothing left. Then I saw you, full of color and life, juxtaposed against a world of grey, and I couldn't stop thinking about you. Your eyes pulled me in to a new world, before I ever knew how literal that new world would be. You gave me a reason to live again. You saved me," I say. "So whatever you think of me, know that part of that is because of you."

He bends forward to press his forehead to mine. "You saved all of us," he says softly. "We would be dead right now if not for you."

Tears burn my eyes as I remember how close I had come to losing all of them. "Then we have saved each other. And now, we will save all of the Otherworld, and free it from the tyranny of the Mother of Dragons."

His lips find mine and despite my exhaustion, I can't help but respond in kind, pressing myself against him, intertwining my fingers into his hair as he claims my mouth with his. His arms pull me closer to him, and our bodies press together, feeding on each other's warmth and energy. I feel the stabilizing strength of his earth magic flow into me, giving my own powers a boost, giving me energy, healing me. And I melt into him as he moans against my mouth.

"Eve," he says breathlessly, pushing me away gently. "I want you, but I don't want to hurt you."

I push myself against him, again. "You could never hurt me."

And it's true, I realize. It has always been true. From the beginning, Sebastian has been my rock. The foundation that this entire new life was built upon. Without him, none of it would exist for me. Without him, I would still be sorting through the tattered shreds of my old life wondering how I ended up there, wondering where to go next. It was Sebastian's strength that has helped me heal from the death of my brother. His steadfastness that has gotten me through these recent trials and struggles. Even now, as the winds blow outside, as the world feels as if its ending, it's his arms around me that are holding me together, filling the holes in my magic, mending the tears in my heart.

"It has always been you," I say, and then there is no more space for speech.

There are some emotions that are too powerful to be contained in words. They require the entire body to act as their language. To communicate the depths of my love for this man, I use everything I am. Body, mind, and soul.

Any walls between us crumble and new roots form, binding us, connecting us forever.

The power we share fills me with a new kind of strength that I grab onto with everything in me.

The fire crackles beside us, the crystals shining above us, and I straddle the sexy Earth Druid, enjoying the feeling of him between my legs as my weariness evaporates as quickly as dew when the sun comes out.

His lips trail down my neck. "I have missed the feeling of the sun since being turned, but being with you is better than the warmest day, then the freshest morning breeze. You bring light into my life, joy into my heart. "You are my sun, Eve Oliver. You are my everything."

He whispers these words against my collar bone, against my lips, against the hollow of my neck, and my skin absorbs his promises like a thirsty child on a hot summer day drinks his water. His declarations quench the thirst of my soul and fill me with love so deep and joy so pure I can't contain it. I feel it spilling out of me, shining through my skin like magic.

I look down at us and realize we are both glowing a golden light that radiates throughout the cave.

As he hardens beneath me, I realize we have too many clothes on, so I pull my arms away from him to quickly shimmy out of my shirt, until my breasts are free and tantalizingly close to his lips.

He claims one of my nipples in his mouth and sucks, and my undressing is paused as pleasure strikes me like lightning, zapping through my body, spreading warmth everywhere.

I need to feel more of his flesh, so I tug at his shirt until he helps me get it off. I place my hands on his chiseled chest, enjoying the roped contours of his muscles. God he feels so good.

My breasts brush up against his bare skin and tighten in need. I grind against him but our pants are in the way of our pleasure, and there's no easy way of undoing this.

Unless…

I close my eyes and imagine just teleporting our pants and nothing else.

This is new for me.

But my power has returned. Being with him has strengthened me beyond what I could have imagined.

And in a blink, we are both naked, our clothes lying next to us now.

His eyes widen. "Neat trick." His voice is thick with desire, as he presses himself between my legs.

He resumes his attention to my breasts and drops his hand between my legs to heighten my need with his fingers.

At first, his touches are feather light, teasing my flesh. I arch closer to him as his tongue flicks at my nipple. When he presses his fingers deeper into me, I moan, desperate for more, unable to stop from moving my hips to feel him more deeply.

"I need you," I beg, ready for more than just fingers and tongue.