Chapter 23 Aurora #3
His breath is sharp, his grip tightening as if he’s struggling to pull them back.
He wins, but just barely.
They recoil, but not before one last lingering stroke over my skin.
When my body finally stops shaking, Ezra brings his fingers to his mouth, sucking them clean with a deep, filthy moan. His tongue drags over every knuckle, savoring every drop.
He doesn’t look away. Doesn’t fucking stop.
His shadows tighten around me, aching to taste what he won’t share.
And then, still watching me, he presses those same fingers to my lips.
“Taste how sweet you are, Aurora.”
I wrap my lips around them, my tongue swirling, sucking him deeper. Ezra bites his bottom lip so hard a bright bead of blood wells up and rolls down his chin.
I whimper, because fuck, I want to lick it off.
“You’re a goddamn vision when you come, Aurora,” he murmurs, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in my neck. His breath is warm, his lips grazing my pulse while his shadows curl around us.
“So fucking gorgeous.”
His grip tightens, but then he hesitates, his breath stuttering deep in his chest.
“Well,” he murmurs. His voice is softer now, almost uncertain. “That was … unexpected. I gave you what you asked for. But … I hope you’re not afraid of me now.”
Ezra tries to drop his head, but I don’t let him. I cup his face, my thumb tracing over his cheek without thinking. His dark grey eyes warily flick to mine.
“I’m not scared of you,” I say quietly, my voice softening just for him. “You saved my life, Ezra. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.” I shiver, swallowing around the terror lodged in my throat. “I’m scared of them.”
Ezra exhales through his nose, his fingers brushing against my ribs, bringing me back from the sharp edge of panic.
“That’s very wise.” His shadows wrap around my legs, mimicking his praise. “I never want you to fear me, little lupine. You can ask me anything about myself, or about other creatures. If I can answer, I will.”
My bottom lip catches between my teeth, a thousand questions screaming for attention.
Ezra’s lips curve as if he could hear every single one.
“You already have questions, don’t you?” He presses a soft, quick kiss to my neck.
I roll my eyes. “Wouldn’t you?”
He chuckles softly. “I’m listening.”
“I noticed you breathing last night. Which is silly. But then I thought … if you’re made of shadows, do you even need to breathe?”
The question sounds stupid the second it’s out of my mouth. I can’t even look at him.
Christ, what a childish thing to ask.
Ezra tuts, tilting my chin back toward him. “Never be ashamed of your curiosity, Aurora.”
A shadow brushes my jawline. It feels playful and affectionate.
“Right now, you want to know why I breathe.” He chuckles. “An excellent question. And the answer might help with some of the other thoughts swirling around that beautiful brain.”
He taps my temple, his grin damn near insufferable.
“I can shift into any living creature on Earth,” Ezra explains in a soft, slow voice. It’s clear he’s picking out the perfect words … the ones that won’t send me running.
“When I take a solid form, I take on its physiology. I need to breathe, just like you do. I have organs, veins, a heart that beats.”
His fingers tighten on my waist, a smirk curling his lips.
“But don’t mistake me for human, Aurora. I am only this way because I choose to be.”
His shadows flicker restlessly, silently voicing their disgust at being tied to this human form.
“For example …” Ezra leans in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper, as if what he’s about to say might break the universe itself. “I don’t use the bathroom.”
I blink at him. “Ever?”
“Never.”
I narrow my eyes. “You mean to tell me that in all your billions of years of existence, you never once—”
“Not once.” He says it too confidently, like not having to shit is an acceptable humble-brag.
“That’s deeply unsettling,” I say, my nose crinkling in mild disgust.
“Is it?” He smirks. “I think it’s an ideal feature. Imagine all the time I’ve saved. If you added up every human’s bathroom trips, that’s years wasted. Years people could’ve used to do literally anything else.”
I stare at him with a mixture of disbelief and deep confusion. “So, you’re saying the secret to world domination is better digestive efficiency?”
“Exactly,” Ezra purrs, looking way too satisfied with himself. “Imagine what humanity could accomplish without such wasted potential.”
That’s the line that does me in. A laugh bursts out before I can stop it, my forehead dropping to his shoulder as I shake with helpless giggles.
“Christ, you’re actually serious,” I wheeze.
Ezra huffs, feigning offense. “I’m always serious, Aurora.”
“You’re so fucking weird.” I lift my head, still grinning, wiping a stray tear from my eye.
Ezra tilts his head, smug amusement flickering in his storm-grey eyes.
“And yet, you still look at me like you want to drag me to the floor and devour me whole.”
My laugh cuts off instantly.
I blink.
He grins.
I scowl. “Whatever,” I grumble, the corners of my mouth drawn tight in a suppressed smile.
“I’m just saying,” he murmurs, lips brushing my ear, “it’s a very … hungry look.”
I playfully shove him back, my face on fire.
“Congrats, Ezra. You’re the perfect man. No bathroom breaks, zero shame. The pinnacle of creation.”
Ezra smirks, lazily running his fingers down my spine, his shadows following. “And yet you’re still thinking about devouring me.”
I playfully groan but freeze when he tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ears, his fingers dragging slow against my skin.
“Satisfied, my curious queen?”
“Sure.” None of this makes any fucking sense.
But in my new reality? Sure. Everything he says checks out.
“So then … why don’t you stay a shadow?” I tilt my head, running a teasing hand down his chest. “Or a dog? Or something else? Why be human?”
Ezra hums, considering my question. His fingers trail absentmindedly along my hips, which is super distracting.
“That’s a brilliant question.” His grin sharpens. “Though I’m not sure my answer will satisfy you.”
He leans in, nosing along my jaw. “I could shift into a hawk in a pinch, but I’d only be as strong as a hawk. My two preferred forms—the Tesem and my L?kkda—are manipulative predators.”
His voice dips, playful but dark. “One lures its prey in with a gorgeous smile.” He flashes me one of those. “The other with puppy-dog eyes.”
His shadows slither over my shoulders, then circle once just before nuzzling their cool, charged tendrils against my bare skin.
“Both benefit me. And honestly, I haven’t needed my Umbraeth much in the past few hundred years.”
He pauses, grinning. “Although … I have found myself using it quite a bit this past week,” Ezra says with a wink.
What a fucking dork.
“Any others, darling?” His voice turns rougher as his fingers tighten on my waist. “Because I’m afraid I can’t sit like this much longer and keep my hands to myself.”
Ezra presses his hips up, dragging me across his still-straining cock.
I bite my lip to keep from moaning, breath hitching uselessly in my throat.
Fuck.
I wrap my arms around his neck, trying desperately to control myself.
“One more question. Why do you look like this?”
I gesture at all of him, biting my lip to keep from blurting out all the shit I really want to say.
Because … goddamn. The man is reality’s pièce de resistance.
A slow, wicked grin spreads across his face.
“Ah, so you’ve noticed how handsome I am.”
His shadows preen behind him, my unspoken compliment making them twist with pure joy.
Apparently, they’re fucking dorks, too.
“I took exceptional care crafting this body,” he says, completely serious. “I consider it some of my finest work.”
That’s it. That’s the whole explanation.
I squint at him. “No, but actually.”
Ezra hums again, and I get the feeling no one’s ever asked him these questions before.
“I’ve known many humans, underborne, and erevald.” He pauses, like he’s remembering all of them. “I chose features I found beautiful and created … me.”
He studies me now, his gaze dark and devout. “I would have chosen your eyes if I had known you then. They’re a miracle.”
My heart stutters. At this rate, the man is going to give me a heart attack before I’m thirty.
“And before you ask, yes.” He leans in, nipping at my bottom lip. “I chose my physique. And my dick size.”
His fingers ghost down my throat then across my chest, heat following close behind.
“Which I hope is to your liking.”
What the hell is lodged in my throat that’s suddenly making it so hard to swallow?
“And the tattoos?” I ask, trying to keep us both focused.
Ezra hums again, deep in thought, while I daydream of licking his throat just to feel the vibrations.
“Those are a different matter,” he says, choosing his words with care.
“I’ve had those since I learned how to shift into solid forms. Tattoos like mine mark my ability to shift. Most underborne have one tattoo, big or small, that reflects the form they can shift into.”
His shadows curl along his forearm, almost displaying the ink for me, pride wriggling through their inky little bodies.
“But I’ve never met anyone with as many tattoos as me.”
Ezra’s voice drops, emotion scraping rough against his throat.
“When I’m an animal, my fur or feathers mostly cover them, but as a human …” He gives a slow shrug. “They are quite the conversation piece.”
He sounds ashamed. I glance down, tracing a fingertip along the ink peeking out just above his sweater, where his tattoos creep over his collarbone.
“I think they’re beautiful.”
Ezra’s head cocks slightly, almost confused. “Really?”
I nod, my thumb tracing the ink on his right collarbone—a single raven feather and tiny bones woven into creeping blackberry vines.
“I never had anyone tell me that before,” he admits, his voice quieter than usual. “I just … stopped taking my clothes off. Or made sure it was dark. That way I could avoid answering questions when I engaged in … extra-curricular activities.”