The kiss broke, but the connection didn’t. Victor’s steel-grey eyes, now fully revealed, burned into mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. He didn’t say a word, just reached out and cupped my face, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. And then, he moved.

  It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t hesitant. It was a decisive, possessive act that left no room for doubt about who was in charge. He pushed me back against the pillows, not roughly, but with an undeniable force that sent a thrill of submission – and, gods, excitement – through me. And then he was on me, between my legs, his mouth ciming mine again in a kiss that was all teeth and tongue and raw, animalistic hunger.

  My hands, of their own volition, found his shoulders, gripping the hard muscles beneath the fine fabric of his discarded shirt. I needed something to hold onto, because I was pretty sure I was about to be swept away. He broke the kiss, only to trail his lips down my neck, nipping, sucking, tasting, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

  “Mine,” he murmured, his voice a low, guttural growl that vibrated against my skin. And, fuck, I wanted to be his.

  I gasped, my body arching involuntarily, a desperate plea for… everything. He didn’t hesitate. He took me in his mouth, his tongue a skilled, relentless tormentor, driving me higher, closer, further than I’d ever been before. Except… maybe… with Aeolin. No. Focus, Sam. This is different. This is… Victor.

  My hands tangled in his hair, not to guide him, but simply to hold on, to anchor myself to reality as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me. I bucked against him, a wordless cry escaping my lips, a plea for release that was also a demand for more.

  And then, he lifted me. Not gently. Not carefully. He grabbed my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh, and hoisted one of my legs over his shoulder, exposing me completely.

  “Oh... fuck.” I gasped.

  And then, he plunged into me.

  It wasn’t the slow, teasing entry I might have expected. It was deep, hard, and fast, a ciming, a taking, a complete and utter possession. I cried out, my body arching, my back bowing off the bed, every nerve ending on fire. He didn’t stop. He didn’t slow down. He drove into me again and again, each thrust a shockwave of pleasure that threatened to shatter me completely.

  This wasn’t the pyful, teasing encounter of the market. This was… raw. Primal. Animalistic. And, gods, it was good. He was a beast, a force of nature, and I was… his. Completely and utterly his.

  He was thick, veiny, impossibly long, filling me completely, stretching me, pushing me to my limits. And the stamina. It was… frankly, intimidating. It reminded me, with a pang of both amusement and annoyance, of my noisy neighbors from the previous night. This guy was… unquenchable. The muscles of his arms and legs, visible now in the firelight, flexed and strained with each powerful thrust. He was a godsdamned machine.

  He knew what he was doing, too. Every touch, every thrust, every look was calcuted to elicit a response. He found my ass cheeks, kneading and squeezing, his fingers digging in, anchoring me to him. Then he would grab a tit, twisting the nipple, and i’d squirm. He knew exactly how to drive me wild, and he was doing it with a ruthless efficiency that left me breathless and begging for more.

  “Fuck…” I gasped, my voice ragged, the word a mix of plea and praise.

  He didn’t reply, just thrust harder, deeper, his hips smming against mine. I could feel the sweat slicking our bodies, the heat radiating off him, the sheer power of his movements.

  “More,” I whimpered, the word barely audible, but he seemed to understand.

  He gripped my hips tighter, his fingers digging in, and increased his pace, a relentless, driving rhythm that pushed me closer and closer to the edge.

  “Yes… gods… yes…” I moaned, my head thrashing back and forth on the pillows.

  A low growl rumbled in Victor’s chest, a primal sound that sent another shiver of excitement through me. “You like that?” he asked, his voice hoarse, his breath hot against my ear.

  I couldn’t answer, couldn’t form words, could only arch my back and meet his thrusts, a silent, desperate plea for release.

  He chuckled, a low, throaty sound that was both mocking and… encouraging. “Good,” he murmured. “Because I’m not done with you yet. Not even close.”

  And then, he really started to fuck me.

  Time lost all meaning. There was only the sensation, the heat, the friction, the overwhelming, all-consuming pleasure. It wasn’t as… magical… as that time with Aeolin in the rainforest. That had been… otherworldly. This was… earthier. More visceral. More… human. But it was no less intense, no less powerful.

  Finally, finally, after what felt like an eternity, I felt the first tremors of release. I cried out, my body tightening, my fingers digging into his back, leaving deep, red marks that I knew would be visible for days. He groaned, his movements growing even more frantic, and then, with a final, guttural roar, he came, his body shuddering against mine, his seed spilling deep inside me. I felt the bed shake, the shadows move.

  We y there, tangled together, gasping for breath, our bodies slick with sweat. The room was a mess, the sheets soaked with our combined fluids, the air thick with the scent of sex and… and something else. Something… us.

  After a while, Victor, his breathing still ragged, rolled off me, pulling me close, his arm a heavy, possessive weight across my waist. He pressed a kiss to my temple, a surprisingly tender gesture that sent a warmth spreading through me, a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire in the hearth.

  “Victor,” he said, his voice a low rumble against my ear. “Victor Ravencrest. Welcome to my… well, my father’s home, I suppose.” He chuckled, a soft, self-deprecating sound. “I bought my own pce down the street. Less… family.”

  I managed a weak smile. “Sam,” I said, my voice hoarse. Too many people knew my face, and my name now, thanks to Maple and everything else. Best to keep it simple. “Just… Sam. I’m… from the west. Visiting. For… business,” I breathed. Liar. But a believable lie, I hoped.

  I was tired, bone-tired, not just from the sex, but from the constant pressure of Ashara’s training, from the constant need to be on. I y there, my body still buzzing, sweat glistening on my skin, and tried to ignore the sticky feeling of cooling cum on my chest, face, and between my legs, dripping down my ass. My smell, Victor’s smell, mingling with the already-present scents of sex that clung to the room.

  Victor smiled at me, not the predatory, possessive smile of moments ago, but a genuine, almost… kind smile. It was a smile that reached his eyes, crinkling the corners, and it made him look… younger. Less… dangerous.

  “You’re… good, Sam,” he said, his voice soft. “Very good.”

  I blushed, a wave of heat that had nothing to do with the afterglow of sex.

  He chuckled again, then sat up, the movement pulling the sheet away, exposing his body in all its glorious, post-coital splendor. Gods, he was magnificent. He started to get dressed, pulling on his discarded clothes with an easy grace that made my breath catch. The way the silk shirt clung to his damp skin, the way his muscles flexed as he buttoned it, the way his breeches hugged his thighs… it was a show in itself.

  He leaned over, pressing a final kiss to my lips, a lingering, possessive kiss that left me wanting more, then winked. “Duty calls,” he said, a hint of regret in his voice. “I have guests to entertain. But…” He paused, his eyes locking with mine. “…I’m sure we’ll find each other one day. Count on it.”

  And then, he was gone, leaving me alone in the room, my body still humming, my mind racing, my mission… almost forgotten.

  Almost.

  I y there for a few minutes, catching my breath, trying to process everything that had just happened. The sex. The… connection. The name. Ravencrest. Fuck. Then, with a sigh, I sat up, a sticky, uncomfortable mess.

  The room was a disaster. My clothes were scattered everywhere, mingled with Victor’s, a testament to our frantic undressing. I was a mess, too. Cum, his and mine, was smeared across my chest and face, a glistening, sticky reminder of our encounter. And… other… fluids… were leaking out of me, a warm, viscous trail that made me squirm.

  I tried to clean myself up, using a discarded shirt, but it was a futile effort. I was covered in Victor, in his scent, in his… essence. And, honestly, I didn’t really mind.

  Finally, more or less dressed, and feeling like I’d just run a marathon, I pulled myself together. Focus, Sam. Mission. Amulet.

  I opened the door, peered cautiously into the hallway, half-expecting to see Felix lurking there, smirking, and then slipped out, moving with the silently.

  The rest was… surprisingly easy. I found the lord’s study without much trouble, navigating the surprisingly quiet upper hallways.

  The sounds of the party – the roaring of the crowd, the booming music, the occasional shriek of ughter – were a distant, muffled backdrop, a reminder of the world I’d temporarily left behind. But up here, it was almost eerily silent. It was… almost too good to be true.

  The lock on the door was magically enhanced, a challenge that would have intimidated me a few weeks ago. But now… Thanks to Ashara’s relentless training, I picked it with ease, the tumblers clicking softly under my skilled fingers, a small thrill of accomplishment that was quickly overshadowed by the memory of… other… clicks… and moans… and… Focus, Sam! Get the amulet. Get out. Then… Victor.

  I slipped inside, found the amulet – a surprisingly small, unassuming object, considering its supposed power, – and pocketed it. No arms. No guards. No… complications.

  I was out of the mansion and back on the streets of Ashbourne in under an hour, the amulet a heavy weight in my pocket, my body still humming with the aftershocks of the night’s… activities. A successful mission. A successful… everything. And yet… all I could think about was Victor. And those steel-grey eyes.

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