CHAPTER SIX #3
I loved it.
I trembled in his arms, pressing my lips to his collarbone. "Gods, you're mine," I whispered.
His eyes flared.
Without another word, he hoisted me back up and broke into a full sprint toward House Ignis. We were cackling like teenagers; he ran as if the world were catching fire, and I never wanted the moment to end.
Jeremy's breath came in short bursts as he charged up the stone staircase with me in his arms. It felt like being sixteen again—sneaking into castle gardens, lips tasting of moonfruit and stolen cider.
"Which one?" he panted as we reached the hall.
"That one at the end." I pointed, still catching my breath.
He slowed as we reached the door, his brow furrowing at the carvings. "Hmm. Of course they gave you... your brother's room."
My breath caught. What?
He gently set me down, but I could only stare at the door. The realization hit like a physical blow. This was Jax's room. He should have been a third-year now, tearing through the Aegos Trials with that signature wild grin.
And now I was sleeping in his bed. Standing where he once stood. Breathing his air.
Jeremy stepped inside, crossing the room as if it didn't carry the weight of my entire world.
He pushed open the balcony doors, letting the salt-tinged breeze swirl in. "That mark on the wall? He made it training one night with a Tideris student—"
He turned around and stopped abruptly when he saw my face.
"Ava…"
The tears had already come. Silent at first, then crashing over me like a broken dam.
Jeremy rushed to me, gathering me in his arms. I broke, burying my face in his chest. "I miss him," I whispered.
He held me until the sobs subsided, then offered to make tea. While he went to the kitchen, I scrubbed away the night's tension in a scalding shower.
Wrapped only in a towel, I stepped back into the room to find him waiting on the bed, shirtless and steady, a steaming cup in his hand.
"I got your favorite," he murmured, his emerald eyes glowing in the low light of the fae lanterns.
I set the tea down, my heart thudding against my ribs, and flipped off the main lights. In the golden shadows, I let the towel drop.
Jeremy didn't hesitate. He closed the distance in two predatory strides, hoisting me up as my legs locked around his waist.
He tasted like the forest and the storm we'd run through, his mouth consuming everything I had to give.
I moaned against his lips, my fingers tangling in his damp curls, pulling him closer until there wasn't a breath of space left between us.
"Ava," he groaned against my lips, the sound vibrating deep in his chest.
He broke the kiss to bury his face in the crook of my neck, his teeth grazing my earlobe before his mouth began a slow, torturous descent. He bit and sucked at the junction of my shoulder, marking me, his hands sliding down to dig into the soft curves of my ass.
He lifted me higher, pressing me firmly against the hard ridge beneath his sweats.
I arched back, a low, desperate sound tearing from my throat. The grief that had been crushing me was incinerated—replaced by a white-hot fire that blurred my vision.
"Jeremy," I gasped. "Please."
He growled—low, primal—and carried me toward the bed, his lips never leaving my skin. His mouth was deliberate, tasting and exploring, and when he took my breast our eyes locked.
I gasped at the sharp heat of his tongue and teeth, seconds away from combusting.
He pulled back just enough to brush a strand of hair from my cheek, his gaze piercing. "Ava…" he murmured, his voice low and raw.
Something shifted in him then. He moved with intent, shedding the last of his clothes, and the sight of him stole the air from my lungs. The usual princely restraint was gone—replaced by something rougher, something possessive. I craved it.
A knowing smirk tugged at his lips. "Like what you see?" I could only nod, biting my lip.
He climbed back over me, his hands drifting lower.
When he finally touched me, a feral moan tore from my throat—slow, agonizing strokes that quickly turned frantic, driving me toward an edge I couldn't handle. My legs shook, my nails clawing at his arms.
"Fuck, Ava, you're so wet," he groaned, pausing just long enough to make me ache.
Then he settled between my thighs. The first contact sent a shiver racing down my spine. A soft whimper escaped me as I felt him at my entrance; he groaned in return, his forehead dropping against mine. With a single, slow push, he filled me completely.
We both gasped, bodies molding together as if they were always meant to be this way.
"Gods, Ava… you're fucking mine," he breathed.
He moved with purpose now, each thrust stealing the breath from my lungs. We lost ourselves in it—moaning, gasping, chasing a release that felt bigger than both of us.
Our mouths crashed together in a frenzy of tongues and teeth, hands gripping and hearts thundering in perfect, chaotic time.
It wasn't just physical. It was history, heartache, and hunger all burning at once. And I wanted every bit of it.
And for one night, I let myself have it.