Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,226

body. Opening my mouth, I cried out his name as the orgasm washed through me, sending me floating on the waves, now coloring his eyes. The intensity burning within them sent me rocking upon the white caps. He tightened his hold, increasing his speed while growling my name, claiming my mouth hungrily, and filling my body with arousal.

He didn’t move away from me, staring into my eyes. I trembled and came undone as the mating finished, and his scent forced my body to shiver and shake violently. Knox lowered his mouth, pulling on my lip as he smiled against me.

“You are mine, Little Monster. Now until forever. I claim you as my mate, Aria Primrose Karnavious,” he whispered so softly that I almost missed it. It also wasn’t in English, which meant I had to pretend I hadn’t understood.

“Again,” I whispered as he smiled.

“You’re not too sore?” he asked, lifting as he released my hands.

I cupped his cheek, smiling seductively up at him before speaking softly. “Stars, hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.”

“Are you quoting Shakespeare to me now, woman?” Knox’s smile was blinding as he searched my eyes.

“We’re fucking in the library, so it seemed fitting,” I laughed as he lowered his eyes to my mouth.

“Fate gave its light tonight, and all the pretty stars then did align. And yet she shined brighter than any star ever could burn, with an inner fire that burned me hotter than even Ifrit’s fire. She burned me with her darkest pleasurable desires and lit up my night as she became my brightest light,” he swallowed, watching me.

“Knox Karnavious, my husband and mate,” I whispered, tears filling my eyes as he kissed them away.

“There’s something I must do tonight, Aria. Do not leave this nest. Do you understand me? I enjoy seeing you naked within it, knowing that it is only ours. I intend to return and find solace within your heat.”

“You don’t think it’s a little weird that I make a nest where we could get busy? I really hope I’m not one of those three-headed bird-like beasts that tried to eat us when we were going down the waterfall.”

Knox laughed, kissing my lips as he lifted to stand. I watched him walk away, his hands forming fists at his sides. Turning, he stared back at me with indecision playing in them. My heart thundered at the idea of him leaving to do what I knew he intended, tonight. Pain pierced through my heart as it clenched tightly, choking my words.

“Those aren’t shifters. They’re birds with no human form.” Knox bent to retrieve his pants before holding them up to smirk as he took in their shredded legs. “You were amazing tonight, Aria. I didn’t expect you to give me this. I know I have not earned it, nor am I deserving of you.”

I lifted into a sitting position, smiling at him sadly while my heart cracked, knowing I was losing him again. “Kiss me, Knox. One time without your walls up. Just once,” I whispered. Standing, I waited to see if he would fulfill my request.

“Every time I kiss you, my walls are down, Aria. You’re the second women I have ever kissed in my life. Kissing insinuates feelings. I haven’t kissed other women because I don’t care about how they feel, which makes me an asshole, but I am okay with that. Yet you, I crave your lips and the sweet nectar of them against mine.” He closed the distance between us, cupping my cheek as he lifted me, claiming my mouth in a kiss filled with longing and something else. Something deeper.

Knox went to war against my lips, and by the time he finished, he was inside of me again, and I was holding on for dear life. He unleashed his control, taking us both over the edge until we slid down the wall together. He cradled me as if I was precious, and I gasped for air, whispering his name since that was the only thing that would escape my lips.

“That’s how you kiss a woman until the only thing she can whisper is your name, for the record,” he growled against my ear, pulling back. I smiled at him, still trying to get my brain to work enough to figure out what words even were after that kiss.

Knox placed me inside the nest before he dressed, moving toward the door with a cocky grin on his lips. When he reached the