Chapter 28 Shattered
Gavriel’s hand gripped the back of her neck while the other anchored her waist, pulling her tightly against him as if afraid she might vanish.
Althea’s hands came up, pressed against his chest, not to push him away, but to steady herself. He kissed her like he needed to remind her who she belonged to. And for a moment, despite herself… she kissed him back. But then something inside her snapped back into place. She broke the kiss with a sharp intake of breath and shoved at his chest.
“What the hell was that for?” she snapped, eyes wide and burning with emotion.
Gavriel didn’t answer right away. He was still breathing hard, jaw clenched as he stared at her. “You drive me insane,” he muttered. “Talking about another man like that… acting like I don’t see it.”
“We were friends! Kael and I grew up together!” she pointed out, her voice rising with urgency.
But even as she said it, fear twisted in her chest. She could tell Gavriel wasn’t the kind of man to let go once he claimed something, or someone, as his. And if he found out the truth... that Kael wanted her as more than a friend, that he loved her… Gavriel would never let him live.
She had known Kael’s feelings all along. She didn’t need him to say it, she could read his thoughts, feel the quiet ache he carried every time he looked at her. A love that was never spoken but always there.
“He wants you. I saw it.” Gavriel’s voice was low and dangerous, his eyes darkening as he stepped forward and yanked her back into his arms.
His hand curled around the nape of her neck, firm and possessive, forcing her face closer to his.
“You,” he growled, his breath brushing her lips, “don’t ever think you’ll escape me with him. I will kill that man the moment he tries to take you away from me.”
His lips grazed hers, not in a kiss, but in a warning. A rough, threatening brush that made her stomach twist. Althea’s breath hitched. Her hands trembled as they rested against his chest, caught between fear, frustration, and something far more dangerous… desire.
“He won’t,” she whispered, forcing herself to stay calm. “I’m already yours… whether I like it or not. I won’t run away from you. So please, don’t hurt the others just because of me.”
She swallowed, lying through her teeth. “Kael is just family. He sees me like a sister, nothing more.”
A fragile silence hung between them.
Gavriel’s gaze searched her face, his jaw tight. He didn’t speak, but she could feel the war behind his eyes. Doubt. Possession. Madness. Need.
She leaned and took the initiative to kiss his lips. If he was having doubts, all she needed to do was reassure him and make him feel secure. Althea wasn’t sure what came over her, why she even cared if Gavriel felt reassured when she was nothing to him but a bedwarmer… a pawn to flaunt, to breed, to break.
Maybe it was because he held her life in his hands. Maybe… just maybe, it was because she wanted to live more now. More than ever.
His lips froze beneath hers for a heartbeat, as if startled by her boldness. But then, like a dam breaking, he responded with fierce urgency. His hand gripped her waist and the other slid to the back of her head, deepening the kiss until she could no longer breathe.
He fumbled with her clothes, growling in frustration as the fabric resisted giving way. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath, fingers trembling with urgency. Then he leaned in, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear.
“I’ll end up tearing everything off you… Take it off,” he whispered, voice low and rough with desire.
Even as he spoke, he was already undressing, his eyes never leaving hers, burning with hunger that made her breath catch.
Althea froze, glancing around. “Here? In the open?” she gasped in disbelief. Never in her wildest thoughts did she imagine she’d do this in a forest clearing, surrounded by nothing but trees, wind, and sky.
But then, her mind betrayed her, flashing to that time in the cave… to the hot spring. ‘But that was at least a hidden space!’ she argued internally. ‘This is out in the open!’
Gavriel chuckled low, sensing her hesitation. “The trees won’t judge,” he murmured against her skin, the gravel in his voice was tinged with wicked amusement. “Besides, I won’t let anyone see you but me.”
His words shouldn’t have sent a thrill down her spine, but they did. She could feel her pulse fluttering in her throat, her heart pounding too fast to calm.
Then he smirked, the kind that made heat rush to her face. “You started this, Althea. Fueling the fire in me. Now take off your damn clothes or...” His gaze dipped, voice darker. “Would you rather I do it? I can’t promise your clothes will survive.”
Her eyes widened, and she hurriedly undressed before he could carry out his threat. She was still pulling down the last piece when he suddenly seized her, lifting her effortlessly. A startled squeal escaped her lips as her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.
Then he pulled her close, their bodies fitting together as if made for this moment. Althea’s breath caught as he claimed her in one smooth motion, her arms wrapping around his neck, holding on tightly as if the world had fallen away beneath her feet.
Gavriel let out a low, guttural sound against her skin, his mouth brushing along her throat.
“It feels so damn good to be inside of you like this,” he whispered, the words sending shivers down her spine.
His movements were steady, growing in intensity, as he thrust his length in and out of her. Althea’s body responded instinctively, drawn into his rhythm, lost in the dizzying heat that curled around them like wildfire.
Her nails dug into his shoulders, her heart pounding unevenly as pleasure unfurled from deep within her. She couldn’t think, only feel. Every gasp, every low moan from him made her feel more wanted than ever.
They moved together in a fierce, breathless dance, amid the quiet of the forest and the pounding of their hearts. The friction felt so good as Gavriel continued to pound in and out of her.
Her breath came in soft moans, her chest rising and falling as he took her higher, deeper into heaven. Each movement, each sound between them, echoed through the clearing. The forest was their only witness.
“Gavriel…” she whispered, breathless, her voice trembling as she clung to him.
He groaned at the sound of his name on her lips, his pace growing more fervent. “That’s it,” he murmured, voice rough and low, his lips brushing against her skin. “Say my name, Althea. I want it to be the only thing you remember when you shatter in my arms.”
His mouth traced across her neck and shoulder, warm and possessive, each kiss intensifying the heat flowing through her. He left traces of himself on her with gentle bites and lingering kisses, as if marking her as his own. Her body shivered beneath the weight of it all… his touch, his voice, the overwhelming sensation building inside her.
Every breath, every movement drew her closer to the edge. And she couldn’t stop herself.
“Gavriel,” she cried again, voice rising as she shattered in his arms.