Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
C lothes slipped away—careless. Forgotten. Like we were shedding something heavier than fabric.
The flickering of candlelight painted his skin in gold. But all I saw was him. The unmistakable flames licking his arms—his tattoo—came alive in the low light, etched with fire and rebirth that had always felt more than ink. It was a bond. A vow.
I’d been there when he got it.
I’d seen the way he looked at me—like his soul had already chosen mine.
Back when we thought it was metaphor. Before we knew my fire was real.
It had always been for me.
A love letter, burned into skin.
“You’re not broken,” he whispered, resting his forehead against mine. “You’re not some problem waiting to be solved. You’re not a competition I need to win. You’re you. And tonight… you’re mine.”
Something inside me cracked wide open, shattering every inch of me. Scorching my insides.
His love was a storm. A wildfire. And for the first time in my life, I let it burn. I let it claim me—fully, completely.
I was ready for him to have every inch of me.
Not because I owed it.
Not because I needed to choose.
But because I wanted him.
Needed him.
Desired him beyond all reason and thought.
I could no longer deny the heat. The inferno that had always burned between us. And now the space between us was ash. Nothing left standing in our way.
The world narrowed to his hands. His breath. The sound of his heartbeat echoing in my chest. And for once… I wasn’t afraid of being seen.
I wanted him to see everything.
Unapologetically.
Irrevocably.
Me.
“I need you to know,” he murmured, breath warm against my skin, “if you want me to stop, just whisper the words…”
“I’ll tell you,” I promised.
His smile was soft. Shaky. Built of devotion. But it was his eyes that drank me in—watching me as I discarded my nightshirt in a crumbled heap on the floor. I stood bare except for a scrap of lace and a barely-there bra.
He sucked in a breath like I’d stolen the air from his lungs.
“Holy shit…” His voice dropped to a gravelled whisper. “You’re…” He shook his head like language had abandoned him.
“You’re going to ruin me.”
My breath hitched. “Good.”
Then his hands slid up the inside of my thighs, each touch of his fingertips setting fire to my nerves. He paused, just before touching the fabric between my legs.
“May I?”
My throat was raw with need. “Yes.”
His fingers slipped beneath the lace, stroking slowly—teasing, coaxing, learning me by the way I trembled. He memorized every breathless sound, every shiver. Every place that made me burn.
I fell back onto the mattress as his body followed, shadowing mine, his hand never straying from the place he now owned.
He grinned—mischief, awe, and worship all tangled together.
“Fuck, I love that mouth.”
“Do you really?”
He didn’t answer. He took my mouth with his instead—devouring it like it was sacred. And I let him. I let him claim every gasp, every tremble.
“Em…”
My name was a gasp on his tongue. But when his gaze locked on mine, it was more than tenderness. It was awe. Like I’d given him something he never knew he was missing—and now he couldn’t live without it.
He slipped a finger beneath the strap of my bra, letting it fall from my shoulder.
“Can I take this off?”
The heat in his stare consumed.
But the hunger in mine burned hotter.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He unclasped it with a skill that made me smile—but the sound caught in my throat when he dropped it to the floor and looked at me like I was fire and dusk–sunset incarnate.
Beautiful. Untouchable.
Like I’d stolen the sky and made it mine.
“You sure you’re not a Goddess?” he murmured, brushing his thumbs along my ribs. “Because I swear the whole realm should kneel at your feet.”
I flushed—every inch of me burning.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
“You don’t have to hide from me,” he whispered, tipping my chin up. “Not tonight. Not ever.”
“I’m not,” I whispered. “I want you to see me.”
And Gods, did he ever.
He kissed down my arms.
Over the soft swell of my breasts.
Lower still.
And when his mouth met my stomach, it wasn’t just a kiss—it was a confession. A vow sealed in heat. Every touch was a promise. Every kiss a prayer. Every breath he stole from me etched something eternal into my bones.
By the time he reached the edge of my panties, I was trembling.
“So…” he murmured, gaze flicking up. “Should these stay or…?”
“Go.” I practically begged.
He peeled them down, inch by inch, like he was unwrapping something precious.
And he never looked away. Not once.
Like if he blinked, I might vanish.
He kissed my hipbone. Then the inside of my thigh. And I nearly came undone.
“Em…” His voice shook. “Remember, if you want me to stop…”
I almost laughed. Because he was the one being gentle, as though he was the one being claimed. Like I was stealing his virtue.
“Don’t you dare.”
His smile was crooked and wrecked. And then his fingers replaced his mouth—sliding between my thighs.
It was delicate. Devastating. Divine.
This wasn’t like before.
This was bare. Raw. Intimate in a way that broke me.
My back arched, a moan ripping free. He touched me like he’d been made for it. Like he knew my body better than Elessandria, the one who’d created me.
“Gods…” His breath caught. “You’re already so gloriously wet.”
“I—I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I don’t know how to control it?—”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” he growled. “You have no idea what that does to me.”
“I just don’t want to do anything wrong.”
“You couldn’t,” he said.
His thumb circled my clit with aching precision.
“And just so you know—this? Being this wet? That’s the greatest fucking honor of my life. It means you want me. That you desire me beyond reason. That you claim me... as much as I claim you.”
“Oh.” My voice barely rose above a breath.
His eyes darkened, molten gold fading into something darker. Deeper.
“Can I show you… more?”
I nodded, letting go of the last sliver of doubt. Because I trusted him. Even with the parts of me I hadn’t yet learned to love.
He kissed me until I forgot who I was. Until all that remained was need and flame. He tasted me like I was his final meal. Touched me like I was holy and when I shattered beneath him, he caught every piece.
“Tell me,” he rasped. “Tell me this is what you want.”
I knew what he meant. He wasn’t just asking about tonight. Or my body. He was asking if I chose him . If I wanted him to be my first.
The one I’d always remember.
The one who’d claimed not just my body—but my heart.
“I want this,” I whispered. “I want this to be with you .”
He kissed me, soft and slow. “Then I’m yours.”
He moved between my legs, watching my face like it was the only thing in existence–and in the breathless silence, in the quiet he carved between heartbeats, I became hallowed.
Worshipped.
Unraveled.
And then, carefully, he pushed inside me.
Inch by inch.
Until there was no space left between us.
Only us . And Gods, I felt it.
There was a slow, exquisite stretch. My body molded around him like we were made for this—made for each other . He filled me completely. And where I expected pain… There was only this: Perfection.
I felt full. Claimed. Undone.
Like no part of me didn’t belong to him.
He stilled, breath ragged. “Okay?”
“Yes,” I gasped. “Yes.”
Relief softened his eyes—and then he moved.
And I shattered again.
He thrust into me slow and deep, drawing sounds from me I didn’t recognize as mine. His name poured from my lips like worship. And when he withdrew, only to push back inside, my entire body sang .
“Fuck,” he groaned. “You’re so tight.”
“Is… that good?” I choked out, barely coherent.
A laugh—broken and breathless. “It’s mind-blowing .”
He adjusted his angle, his cock brushing a spot inside me that shattered my vision into stars.
“Holy shit, Bastian,” I cried out.
“You feel so fucking perfect,” he groaned, dragging his lips along my jaw. “And when you say my name like that? I swear it’ll fucking ruin me.”
“I can’t get enough of you.”
“Gods, Em…”
And then it hit—blinding. Blistering. White-hot light tore through me.
I moaned, his name. And he held me while I shattered. Murmured my name like a secret. Worshipped me.
And only moments later, he followed—his body crashing into mine as he whispered my name, over and over again, into my neck like it belonged only to him.
We collapsed.
Tangled. Breathless. Whole.
“I didn’t hurt you?” His voice—soft. Wrecked.
I shook my head, smiling through the haze.
“No. I’m… I’m better than fine. That was… beyond anything I could’ve imagined.”
He laughed—breathless, disbelieving.
“Was it… good for you too?” I asked.
He kissed me, slow and reverent. “It was beyond amazing. You are my everything. ” My breath caught.
“The way you sounded when you came…” His voice was reverent. “That’s my new favorite sound.”
He traced slow circles on my skin. Peaceful. Quiet.
And then?—
“I love you, Em.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I love you.”
Not because he said it first. Not because I was supposed to.
But because it was real.
Undeniable.
No matter what existed between Maalikai and me—it could never touch this .
Not this moment.
Not this man.
Not this kind of love.
I wasn’t just in love with Sebastian.
I was his .
And deep down, I think he would always have my heart.