The Shadows That Burn (Daughter of Fire #2)

Ch.1: The Lure of Dreams

I gripped his hair, and he groaned in response. The heat between my legs was demanding to be paid attention to. And the hardness I felt pressing into my thighs wasn't helping.

"Fuck!" He growled softly. "Honestly, is it too damn much?"

Yes. No. I had no idea! My mind was fuzzy all over again, and the only thing I knew I wanted was him inside me.

"Please..."

I was no longer embarrassed about having to beg him. Thankfully, he listened to me this time. He grabbed my wrist and pinned it to the pillow, and with one swift roll, he was on top of me. Those grey eyes were burning, much like I knew mine did.

His lips found the base of my neck, and I squealed when he nibbled on the sensitive skin. From where he buried his head, I heard him ask, "Does that qualify as a yes?"

I released an impatient breath. "I'll think about it."

He pulled back to give me an unconvinced eyebrow lift, and I decided I had enough. My hand shot to his manhood, cupping it a little more roughly than I had intended. His lips broke into a groan mixed with laughter.

"Easy now, Slifer."

"Please?" I repeated, squeezing a tad more.

The sound of his moans only intensified the fire dwelling inside me. He bit his lower lip in pleasure as my fingers stroked him slowly.

"Dear Gods, Lydia! You certainly don't hold back."

That was another thing I wasn't embarrassed by anymore.

He finally retook charge and nailed my hands back above my head. As he started to move down, lips and tongue pleasuring every inch of skin, my legs quivered in anticipation.

Everywhere he touched, it felt like he was seeping into me. Like we were becoming one. And my hands didn't waste any opportunity to feel the hot skin moving over me.

From the moment he returned, that seemed to be the only thing we were doing. We didn't miss any moment in feeling each other, with only the sheets separating us.

He kissed his way up my body until his lips were inches away from mine, then stopped to gaze at my face. "You know what," I told him, "I might take your offer."

He didn't smile like I expected him to, nor did he give any indication that he heard me.

"Gabriel," I brushed his hair back. "Did you not hear me? I said it wouldn't be such a bad idea to share your bed. Though I warn you, I'm a messy sleeper."

He wasn't even blinking, as if his face had suddenly frozen. I placed a hand on his cheek, but his whole skin was as cold as ice. I was growing concerned, and I couldn't shake that slight feeling of dread in my stomach.

"Gabriel?"

His mouth opened, but the words coming out were the most horrid. "You left me."

"What..."

The corners of the room seemed to darken, and even the air felt thick and suffocating.

"You let me go," he said again with that utterly blank expression. "Why didn't you save me?"

It's then that the cold hit me, spreading through every nerve in my body and leaving only hollowness behind. It was getting difficult to breathe, and I started coughing, my throat feeling like hundreds of clawed hands were squeezing the air out of my lungs.

I tried to say anything -to call out for anyone. But the room was getting darker, and Gabriel's body was slowly disappearing. It was turning to mist and gradually vanishing into the empty space.