Chapter 246 Warnings of Restraint
(Adelaide)
It should have crushed her. His giant hand.
Instead, he caught her throat with only part of it—two fingers and the broad curve of his palm bracketing her neck, his thumb resting beneath her jaw. His hand was far too large to close around her properly, far too wide for something so small, and the space he left was as deliberate as the touch itself. Not crushing. Not fully cutting off her breath. Just enough pressure to remind her how easily he could.
His claws did not pierce her skin, but she felt their promise there, hovering millimetres away. The sheer restraint in the way he held himself back was unmistakable. His pulse hammered against her jaw where his thumb pressed.
Adelaide gasped—not in fear, but in shock at how right it felt.
Apollo leaned in, his face close now, his growl vibrating directly against her skin.
“I know exactly how fragile you are,” he said. “More than you do.”
Her pulse thundered beneath the partial cage of his hand.
“Last night changed you,” he continued, voice rough, controlled only by force of will. “Your body hasn’t caught up yet. Your bones haven’t learned what they’re carrying. Your flame hasn’t settled.”
His grip tightened, not closing, just narrowing the space. Enough to make the point unmistakable.
“And if I lose control like this,” he finished, “I won’t just hurt you. I’ll break what you don’t yet know how to hold together.”
Her hands came up to his wrist, not pushing him away. Holding him there.
Her eyes burned as she met his gaze, defiant even as her breath shook.
“You don’t get to decide that alone.”
Something dangerous flickered across his face. The chamber hummed low, stone warming, air thickening, as the tension between command and consent stretched thin. Heat pressed against her spine, a verdict waiting to be spoken.
Apollo did not release her. But neither did he tighten his hold. And in that suspended moment, it became terrifyingly clear that the next choice would not belong solely to instinct. It would belong to power.
Apollo’s hand stayed at her throat, not closing, not withdrawing. The pressure was deliberate, a line drawn in sensation, not force. Her breath came shallow beneath his palm, pulse hammering hard enough for him to feel.
She did not pull away. She lifted her chin instead.
“Do it. Take me,” she whispered. Her voice was raspy from a mix of the pressure at her throat and the desire coursing through her.
“You don’t command me,” he said, voice hoarse. “Not yet.”
Her hands slid up his forearm to his fingers. Warm skin against fur and muscle. She squeezed his hand, making his hold on her neck tighten. A growl rumbled from him, low and deep, rattling the stone bench. She felt the tension in him, the way his entire body was coiled around restraint.
“I think I might,” she said with a teasing smile.
Apollo’s wings shuddered, a sharp, involuntary flare. The chamber answered with a low, resonant hum, stone warming beneath their feet. His hand slid from her throat to her jaw, claws grazing her skin with exquisite care as he forced her to look up. "If I take you like this," he said, voice low and dangerous, "I won’t be gentle."
Adelaide’s breath stuttered. “Then don’t be,” she said.
The air shifted. Not violently, but undeniably. The hum beneath them deepened, settling into something heavier, steadier. The bench warmed beneath her feet, heat rising through her soles.
She didn’t argue. She met his gaze, breath unsteady, and let her hand slide down her own body, slow and deliberate. Not hidden. Not shy.
Apollo tracked the movement, his teeth flaring as he watched. Firelight danced along her skin, blessing and curse entwined.
She dragged her fingers through her folds. Her clit was already throbbing and begging for pressure. She pushed three fingers inside her wet cunt, rolling them through her arousal until they were slick and shining.
She lifted her fingers again and held them between them. The glistening wetness coated her. The heat and scent unmistakable in the charged air.
"I’m ready for you," she said. She ran her fingers over his face and mouth, smearing her slick across his lips and sharp, exposed teeth.
The words landed like a blade, slicing through Apollo’s already fractured control.
A sound tore from his chest, low and feral, restraint gone. His wings flared wide, filling the chamber, shadows snapping tight as the hum beneath their feet surged. One hand claimed her throat, the other wrapped around her waist.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he growled.
His restraint broke.