Chapter 48
ESME
Ipush open the door to my turret, the familiar creak of the hinges a small comfort after everything we just endured in the graveyard.
Dayn follows close behind, his solid heat at my back, and as soon as we step inside, he snaps the door shut in a way that says, that was more than enough bullshit for one day.
The room is dim, lit only by the faint glow seeping through the glyph-etched window, but it’s ours.
Just us. I turn to face him, my back against the door, and for a moment, we just stare at each other.
His amber eyes burn into mine, intense, his chest rising and falling like he’s still holding back the dragonfire from exploding out there at the table.
Tension radiates off him, mirroring the knot in my own gut, but it feels like there’s something else too—a spark, a shared edge that’s always been our way of surviving the chaos.
“Well,” I say, crossing my arms to hide how my hands are still shaking, “that was... brunch. Remind me to skip family gatherings from now on. Next time, we order in.”
Dayn’s mouth twitches, the barest hint of a smirk breaking through the storm in his eyes. “You’d be surprised what I’d do for a moment’s peace with you.”
He steps closer without crowding my space, without yet touching me.
His heat still seeps into me, chasing away the graveyard chill that’s clung to my skin since we left that cursed table.
I tilt my head back, holding his gaze, and for a second, the weight of everything—Esther’s betrayal, Dominic’s bond, Helena’s words—fades under the intensity in those amber eyes.
But it doesn’t vanish. It lurks, like shadows pooling in the corners of the room, waiting.
“Peace,” I murmur. “That’d be a fine thing. ”
“We have it,” he says, “for now.”
He reaches out to brush a strand of hair from my face.
I don’t want to ask myself how long we have it.
Don’t want to dwell on any of it. Not the bonds or the betrayals or the graveyard theatrics that turned that brunch into a warzone.
We’ve earned a godsdamn reprieve, Dayn and I, after everything.
That’s why I dragged him up here, why we shut the door on the world, and locked it out. Just us. Just this room.
Just the heat still simmering between us, needing somewhere to go.
His hand lingers on my cheek, thumb tracing a slow path along my jawline, and just like that, the spark ignites.
I grab the front of his shirt, yanking him closer until his mouth crashes against mine, all that pent-up fire alive in an instant.
His hands are on me before I can blink, sliding under my shirt, digging into the flesh of my hips.
I don’t care about neat or slow; I shove him back toward the bed.
My shirt hits the floor somewhere and I push him down, straddling his lap, feeling the hard lines of him press up against me.
“Bit feisty, aren’t you?” Dayn says, a faint smirk pulling at his mouth.
“I’ve been called worse,” I breathe, my fingers already working at the buttons of his shirt. “And I don’t remember you objecting earlier.”
“That was different,” he replies, his hands skimming up my bare back, leaving trails of heat. He sits up enough to help me strip his shirt off, and it’s tossed aside with the same disregard.
“Different how?” I ask, nipping at his lower lip, my hips shifting against him in a way that earns a low growl from his throat.
“I think you were still holding back then,” he says, his voice rough. “Now you’re not.” His eyes drop to my bra. “And neither am I.”
His gaze darkens, molten gold flickering in his eyes as he trails a finger along the strap of my bra, the touch light but charged with intent.
Heat builds where his skin meets mine, a pulse of draconic magic that hums against my flesh.
It seeps in, seductive and slow, coiling around the fabric like invisible flames, teasing the edges until the clasp at my back loosens on its own, the straps sliding down my shoulders in a sensual glide.
The bra falls away, discarded by that same ethereal fire, leaving me bare to him, my skin tingling from the magic’s lingering caress.
I gasp at the sensation, the way it sparks along my nerves, heightening everything—the roughness of his palms, the sharpness of my own breathing as his mouth finds my neck. “I never consented to you bringing… your magic into this,” I breathe.
He pulls back slightly, eyes locked on mine, that smirk returning. “I’m one package, sweetheart. Take it or leave it.”
His words ignite something primal in me, a challenge I can’t resist. I lean in, my lips brushing his ear, voice a husky whisper. “Oh, I’ll take it.”
But don’t think you’re the only one with tricks.
I summon my shadows before he can respond, letting them coil from my fingertips.
They slither across his skin, wrapping around his wrists and pinning them above his head against the headboard—not enough to truly restrain a dragon, but enough to tease, to make him feel the pull of my power mirroring his.
The shadows pulse with my intent, a dark caress that traces the lines of his muscles, dipping lower to tease along his waistband, cool tendrils contrasting the heat radiating from him.
Dayn’s eyes flash gold, a low rumble building in his chest as his magic surges back, that draconic fire flaring to life. It pushes against my shadows, warm flames licking at the dark coils, melting them into something hybrid—smoky wisps that spark and dance across our skin.
“Playing dirty, Salem?” he asks, amusement in his voice, heat too, as he twists one hand free and sends a wave of fire skimming up my thigh, making my breath hitch.
“Only as dirty as you.”
I counter with a sharper tug of shadow, wrapping it around his hips, pulling him closer while I rock against him, the magic weaving into the friction, heightening every sensation.
It feels like a dance, a fight of elements—his fire trying to consume my darkness, my shadows slipping through to bind and tease, each push and pull sending jolts of pleasure that blur the line between power and need.
He frees his other hand, fingers closing around my thigh as his magic flares brighter, but I lash out with a tendril that coils around his neck, not choking, just holding, forcing his gaze to mine as I lean down.
I hold his gaze, my shadow tendril tightening just enough to make him arch beneath me, a growl vibrating through his chest that I somehow feel all the way to my core.
His fire pushes back, warm tendrils snaking up my arms, wrapping around my wrists in retaliation, pinning them lightly to his shoulders—not enough to trap me, but enough to remind me who’s under me, all that coiled power waiting to unleash.
“Yield,” I whisper against his lips, my voice breathless, teasing, as I grind down harder, feeling him harden beneath me through the frustrating barrier of his pants.
“Never,” he rasps, but there’s a wicked gleam in his eyes as his magic surges again, those fiery wisps dipping lower, tracing the curve of my breasts, circling my nipples until they harden under the phantom touch.
It’s like his hands are everywhere at once, stroking, teasing, sliding down my trousers, the heat building to an ache that makes me gasp and rock against him instinctively.
My shadows retaliate, slithering down his chest, wrapping around the waistband of his pants and tugging them open with a slowness that has him bucking up into me.
Gods, the friction is maddening, our elements feeding off each other, amplifying every sensation until I’m trembling, heat pooling between my legs.
I lean in to claim his mouth again, fierce and hungry, my tongue tangling with his as shadows coil around his thighs, spreading them just enough to let me settle deeper against him.
His fire responds by licking up my inner thighs, a teasing burn that stops just short of where I need it most, making me whimper into the kiss.
Dayn breaks away first, his breath hot against my ear. “You’re driving me insane, Esme.”
“Good,” I manage, my voice shaky as I finally shove his pants down, freeing him.
My hand wraps around his length, stroking slowly, shadows weaving in to add that cool contrast to his scorching heat.
He groans, head falling back, and his magic flares brighter, those flames finally dipping between my legs, brushing against my core in feather-light strokes that have me arching, desperate for more.
But before I can guide him inside me, he flips us with a surge of strength, pinning me beneath him on the mattress while one hand slides off my trousers and panties completely.
His fire holds my wrists above my head now, a gentle but unyielding restraint, while my shadows lash out playfully, wrapping around his waist, pulling him down until he’s pressed flush against me, every inch of him teasing my entrance.
“Dayn,” I breathe, half plea, half demand, as our magics entwine tighter, shadows and fire merging into a storm that pulses through us both, heightening the need until it’s almost unbearable.
He pauses, eyes locking onto mine, something softer breaking through the heat.
“I love you,” he says, voice rough but certain, like it’s been waiting to spill out.
“Whatever comes—bonds, rites, ancient bullshit—we face it together. The stars aligned us for a reason. I won’t let anything tear that apart. ”
The words hit me like a spell, raw and real, cutting through the haze of magic and need, straight to the part of me that’s been waiting to hear them.
I cup his face, my thumbs brushing over the sharp lines of his jaw, shadows still flickering at my fingertips but softer now, less about control and more about connection.
“I love you too,” I whisper, the words spilling out fierce and true, like they’ve been trapped in my chest for longer than I realized.