Chapter 19

*Hazel*

 Even if he had been liking me, devouring my lips the moment we met still wasn’t the right thing to do — even though I had responded with the same desperate energy. And the strangest part was that I was certain I wouldn’t resist if he did it again.

 It all felt unreal. I didn’t know him from anywhere, yet my body and soul craved him as though we had shared lifetimes before. A single kiss from him had left me weak and aching, my whole being alive with a longing I couldn’t explain. The attraction was overwhelming, like I had finally found my home in him. The familiarity of it all was what pushed me to ask if we had ever met before, as if some forgotten past was reaching for me.

 “Would you like us to see again?” he asked.

 It sounded more like a plea than a question, as though he was forcing himself to remain a gentleman while something much deeper burned beneath the surface.

 Without even needing to think about it, I already knew the answer.

“Okay…” I replied softly.

 He took my hand in his, his thumb brushing across my skin as if committing the moment to memory. He stepped closer, pressing a gentle peck to my lips before murmuring slowly, “My baby…”

 The words sent a shiver through me. Everything about him felt dangerous and sweet at the same time. I wanted to melt into him, to lose myself inside the calm, sinful warmth of his presence.

 “We should go back,” he said at last, though he looked like the idea cost him something.

 Outside, the black horse waited. He lifted me carefully, settling me on the saddle before climbing behind me. His voice came low and close to my ear.

 “Just hold the rope. You’re not going to fall.”

 He was so close that I could feel every movement of him behind me. My cheeks burned with heat as my thoughts wandered far from where they should. I shifted slightly, and the contact only grew more intense. I wasn’t normally this bold — this reckless — but something about him stripped away my control. From the moment our eyes had met, my restraint had simply vanished.

The ride itself felt endless and too short at the same time. Every bump of the path seemed to echo through me, the world around us blurring into nothing but the shared space between our bodies.

 *Orion*

 Her scent surrounded me, sweet and intoxicating, making it nearly impossible to think straight. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe, forcing myself not to lose control. Every instinct screamed to pull her closer, to give in completely — but I held myself back, even as the effort nearly broke me.

 The palace finally came into view. I dismounted first, then helped her down, careful with my hands, careful with my voice. Through the mindlink, I alerted Shane to send her ladies at once.

 She wasn’t ready to know who I was.

 Not yet.

 The mate bond was already tightening, its pull impossible to ignore. The longer we were apart, the stronger it would become — especially for me. I would need to speak to the Queen Witch about what this meant for her, about the timing, about everything.

 Her ladies arrived, and I stepped back, though my eyes never left her face. She kept looking at me, as if she could already feel the distance growing between us.

 “Take very good care of my lady,” I instructed them quietly. Then I turned to Shane and gave him further instructions. They were not to reveal my identity. Not yet.

 As she was escorted away, she looked back once more.

 And in that moment, I knew — this was only the beginning.