CHAPTER 8

"God, you look like a dream."

Ethan’s palms were rough, heat seeping through the silk of Madison’s gown as they traced the curve of her spine. He hooked his fingers into the low back of the dress, hauling her flush against his chest. The smell of the coming storm outside mingled with his scent—sandalwood, rain, and a sharp, musky spike of hunger.

Madison tilted her head back, her throat bared to the dim light of the penthouse. "Dreaming is for people who aren't awake yet, Ethan."

"Then let's stay awake." He spun her. Fast. Her heels skidded on the hardwood before his mouth crashed onto hers. It wasn't a question. It was a takeover. He tasted of expensive bourbon and a raw, animal need that made her knees turn to water.

His hands didn't glide; they gripped. He bunched the silver fabric in his fists, hiking it up until his calloused thumbs pressed into the soft skin of her inner thighs. Madison let out a jagged breath, her nails digging into the hard muscle of his forearms as he backed her toward the sprawling king bed.

They hit the mattress in a tangle of limbs and discarded silk. Ethan’s weight was a mountain, a grounding, heavy heat that pinned her into the high-thread-count sheets. He didn't play nice. He yanked his shirt over his head, chest heaving, his eyes burning gold in the shadows.

"Madi," he growled, the sound vibrating in his throat as he pinned her wrists above her head.

"Shut up and touch me," she snapped, her breath hitching.

He moved lower, his tongue lashing against her skin, marking her. He worked her dampness with a bruising pressure until she was arching off the bed, her back a bow of pure tension. Then, he was there. Thick. Rigid. He guided himself to her entrance, the tip of his cock rolling against her slickness before he drove home in one sharp, violent thrust.

Madison’s head slammed back into the pillows. A guttural scream ripped from her lungs, her internal muscles clamping around him in a frantic, pulsing rhythm. He was too big, a physical intrusion that reached deep enough to shake her soul. He didn't wait for the sting to fade. He pounced.

Thud. Thud. The headboard knocked against the wall. Ethan’s hands moved to her waist, his fingers digging in so deep they’d leave purple crescents by morning. He pounded into her pussy, each strike rhythmic and savage. Madison’s legs flew up, wrapping around his thick waist to pull him deeper, her heels digging into the small of his back.

"Ethan! Ohh, fuck!"

The sheets were a wet mess of sweat and friction. He flipped her, shoving her onto her hands and knees. Doggie style. He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back as he lunged into her again, his cock hitting her cervix with every brutal shove. She was cumming everywhere, her body shaking as the white-hot waves crashed through her.

As the heat peaked, Madison reached back, her hand searching for purchase on his shoulder to steady herself against the onslaught. Her fingers brushed over the crest of his deltoid.

Something was wrong. The skin wasn't smooth. It was raised. Scarred.

She traced the shape in the dark, her heart stopping. A snarling wolf head. A crescent moon.

The Silver Moon crest. The exact same mark the assassins in the morgue wore.

The orgasm died in her throat, replaced by a cold, metallic taste. She bucked, not in pleasure, but in a frantic heave to get away.

"Get off me!"

She shoved him, her Celestial strength returning in a violent surge. Ethan, caught in the haze of his own release, tumbled back against the footboard, his chest heaving, his cock still dripping and red.

Madison scrambled to the corner of the bed, her eyes glowing a lethal, predatory silver. She grabbed a discarded sheet to cover her nakedness, her hands trembling with a sudden, icy clarity.

"The mark, Ethan," she hissed, her voice a serrated edge. "The tattoo on your shoulder. I’ve seen it twice tonight. Once on the men who tried to put a needle in my brain, and now on you."

Ethan blinked, the gold in his eyes receding as he reached for her. "Madi, wait, I can—"

"Who the fuck are you really working for, Ethan?"