Evies breath caught. He was coming back. She waited. And waited. Until she heard a faint thud in his room. She waited some more. 30 minutes. One hour. She let out a frustrated breath and came out of her room. She found him in the living room. He was seated legs wide open his face resting over his palms, with his elbows on his knees. Dressed in a black long sleeve, and jeans. He was staring at three odd looking objects that were set on the table before him, deep in thought.
He was there.
Quiet as a whisper, Evie crept forward. "What have you got there?" she asked, touching his shoulder. Without lifting his gaze, he took her hand, guiding it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, then with a twitch of a smile, tugged her down until she settled across his lap.
He inhaled her scent, trailing soft kisses along her neck. One hand cupped her jaw; the other slipped beneath her top, fingers raking lightly over the skin of her back. "Come see what I got," he murmured against her throat, planted a final kiss, then lifted her gently onto the sofa. Rising, he turned to the three items.
Evie sat up, already missing his touch. "Artefacts?"
He nodded once, as if confirming something simple. "They're the only remains of my civilization," he said, voice flat. "I took them."
She blinked. "You took them? Won't anyone notice they're gone?"
A ghost of a smirk curved his lips. "Not a soul. I made replicas—down to the DNA. The rich asshole who probably bought these on black market won't suspect a thing. " He swept a hand over the nearest object. "These," he said, "are the real ones."
Evie leaned forward her mind a bit blown at how extensive his power was. The first artifact was a jagged shard of glass-like crystal, veins of molten gold dancing through its translucent surface. It pulsed softly, as if alive. "What is that?" she asked.
Rohmir lifted the shard, its soft glow catching the darkness in his eyes.
"The Aetherweaver's Core," he said, voice low. "Crafted by our greatest elemental arcanist. It was used to stabilize the Core Spire's raw energies. But this..." His fingers brushed the surface. "This was as far as we got in trying to harness the aether's power."
At the center of the shard, a golden mote of pure aether spiraled lazily, alive and ancient. Rohmir set it down with a careful reverence.
"That's how I found that damn book," he added under his breath. "Trying to please my king. Trying to find more power for him."
Evie leaned in, her heart quickening.
"Rohmir!" she cried. "You just remembered something!"
His body tensed, realization flashing across his face.
"Oh fuck," he muttered, sinking heavily onto the sofa.
"The book you mentioned—do you remember anything about it?" Evie asked, holding her breath.
Rohmir scrunched his face in thought. She caught herself staring—he'd tanned from the relentless Middle Eastern sun, and Evie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from getting distracted.
"Soul Magic," he said finally, his voice rough. "The book that got me into all this mess. That's all I have—just flashes. No context. Images slipping through my fingers."
But these artifacts—they could be the key.
Evie pointed to the item in the center.
"Tell me about this one."
He picked up the pendant: heavy, iron-wrought, the center a pool of swirling liquid silver.
"The Aegis of Vitarra," he said, frowning as his fingers brushed it. Memories flickered in his eyes.
"It was made for Veil-walking. Step into another realm, step out wherever you wanted to be."
The silver inside pulsed gently.
"That's a vein of shadow-veil magic," Rohmir added. "The only dark magic our laws ever allowed—and even then, only to the highest-ranking mages, and always under supervision."
"Wow," Evie whispered. "These things are insanely powerful, Rohmir. Are you sure it's safe to have them here?"
A glint of something savage flared in his eyes.
"I dare anyone to try and take them from me."
Evie squeezed his arm gently.
"Okay. What about the last one?"
Rohmir blinked, then reached for the final piece: a smooth, obsidian orb. It was unnaturally cold, its surface flawless and empty.
Rohmir stared at the orb.
"No idea," he said at last. His voice was almost reverent. "But I know it matters."
Evie bit her lip, thinking.
"So where do we go from here? Maybe find out if that Soul Magic book is still around?"
Rohmir didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tilted her chin toward him with one finger, his touch gentle.
"I need to apologize first," he said.
Evie raised an eyebrow.
"You'll have to be more specific."
"You needed me to fuck you," Rohmir said bluntly, "and I ran."
Evie swallowed hard, shaking her head.
"No. You were right. I wasn't myself. And you had something important to do. You found a new lead."
His gaze softened—but the tension between them snapped taut.
"It doesn't excuse me for leaving you wanting," he said, voice rough.
Evie's heart pounded under the weight of his stare.
"I forgive you," she said quietly.
"I don't want your forgiveness," Rohmir whispered. His eyes dropped to her lips, then back to her eyes.
"What do you want then?" Evie asked, breathless.
"I want you to fuck me like you're still pissed."
Evie smirked, climbing into his lap, grabbing his face with both hands.
"Forgiving you doesn't mean I'm not still pissed," she murmured. She ground slowly against him, feeling him harden instantly beneath her.
"You left me. Without a word. For more than a week."
Rohmir's head fell back against the sofa as she kissed a line down his throat, slow and punishing. She nipped and sucked at the sensitive spot at the curve of his neck, her teeth scraping deliciously against his skin.
A low, guttural moan tore from him as his hands clutched at her hips, trying to drag her closer.
"I'm sorry, pet," he rasped, eyes closed, hips moving to match her slow, punishing rhythm.
Evie stopped, dragging her lips away, forcing him to look at her.
"Look at me, Rohmir," she said.
He opened his eyes—and the raw, burning devotion in them nearly undid her.
"We're in this together," Evie said, fierce and tender all at once. "Whatever we see in the visions, don't shut me out. Don't run off without telling me. We work smarter together."
Rohmir gave a slow, wicked smile. "Can I at least keep doing it just to get angry sex?" he teased.
Evie crossed her arms. "You won't get any sex."
He groaned theatrically. "Fine."
"Good," Evie grinned—and then leaned in, nipping at his jaw. "Now, angry sex time."
Evie grabbed Rohmir by the collar and shoved him back against the couch.
He let her, a slow, dangerous grin pulling at his mouth, but Evie could feel how tight his muscles were under her hands—coiled, barely restrained.
Good. Let him suffer.
"You don't get to leave me," Evie growled, tearing his shirt open. Buttons popped, skittering across the floor.
Rohmir hissed in a breath as her nails scraped down his chest.
"Fuck, Evie," he muttered, half a prayer, half a plea.
She didn't slow down. She ground down on him, feeling the thick, desperate heat of him straining against his jeans.
"You think you can just vanish for a week and walk back in like nothing happened?" she snapped, reaching down and undoing his belt with a vicious tug.
He caught her wrist, just for a second.
"Careful," he rasped, his eyes burning into hers. "If you keep treating me like a chew toy, I might start enjoying it."
Evie yanked her hand free. "Good. You don't deserve anything soft right now."
She shoved his jeans down enough to free him, and Rohmir swore under his breath as he sprang free, already hard, flushed, leaking at the tip.
Evie curled her hand around him, giving a punishing squeeze.
"You missed this?" she hissed, pumping once, slow and cruel.
Rohmir's head fell back, his hips jerking helplessly into her grip.
"Every fucking second," he groaned.
Good. He should have.
Evie rose up on her knees, yanking her panties to the side.
She wasn't interested in games.
Not tonight.
Without warning, she sank down on him in one hard, brutal thrust.
Rohmir's entire body snapped taut, a hoarse shout tearing from his throat as she sheathed him to the hilt.
"Evie," he gasped, his hands flying to her hips.
She slapped them away. "No touching," she ordered, glaring down at him.
"You don't get to touch me. You just get to take it."
Rohmir's eyes gleamed, half-wild with need, but he dropped his hands obediently to the sides of the couch, fists clenching.
Evie started to ride him, brutal and unforgiving, slamming down on him again and again, rolling her hips, using his body exactly how she wanted.
The sounds of their bodies meeting filled the room, and Evie didn't care how filthy it sounded.
She wanted him to know how badly she'd needed him.
How furious she still was.
Rohmir was panting, sweat slicking his brow.
"Fuck, Evie—" he tried again, voice strangled.
"Shut up," she snapped, picking up the pace.
He did. But the low, desperate sounds he made were enough to tell her he was hanging on by a thread.
Evie leaned down, teeth grazing his jaw, biting just hard enough to leave a mark.
"Did you think about me while you were gone?" she growled against his skin.
"Did you think about how I was aching for you, Rohmir?"
"Every goddamn night," he choked out.
Good.
Good.
Evie slammed down harder, grinding her hips cruelly against his. The pleasure was sharp, almost painful, building fast and wild inside her.
She wasn't going to let herself be soft.
Not tonight.
Tonight was for every lonely night he was gone.
Rohmir was shaking, muscles locked, his eyes wild and glassy.
"Evie," he gasped. "Baby, please—"
Him begging was her new favorite thing, she had just realized.
She grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him, rough and punishing, teeth clashing.
He kissed her back just as fiercely, pouring every ounce of regret, every bit of desperate longing into it.
Their bodies moved frantically now, desperate for more, more, more.
Evie felt herself spiraling, her body tightening viciously around him, her orgasm building too fast, too hard.
Just as he was about to lose it, Evie tore herself off him, leaving him throbbing and empty. Rohmir let out a broken, guttural sound, his hips jerking up instinctively, chasing her heat. A single, maddening drop of her slick dripped from her hot corr onto the flushed, aching tip of his cock.
"Fuck, Evie," he snarled, his voice dark and wrecked with need.
She slammed herself back down onto him, hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. But when he clawed his way toward release, she yanked herself away again, leaving him cursing, begging under his breath. She did it again. And again. Each time, he grew rougher, his hands digging into her hips, his control slipping fast. By the fourth time, Rohmir was shaking, every nerve stripped raw, the bond between them a livewire under his skin.
He grabbed the back of her neck and crushed her mouth to his, kissing her like he was starved for her—because he was. His whole body trembled with the need to take, to finish, to have her completely.
She broke the kiss, panting.
"You get to cum now," she ordered, slamming down on him again.
Rohmir groaned, his entire body trembling under the strain.
"Yes, ma'am," he managed, voice wrecked.
The power, the control—it was heady, addictive.
Evie rode him mercilessly, using his body, punishing him with pleasure.
The coil inside her snapped without warning.
Evie cried out, her whole body locking around him as the orgasm ripped through her, sharp and raw.
Rohmir lost it, surging up and burying himself as deep as he could, spilling inside her with a broken, wrecked moan.
Evie clung to him, riding it out, wringing every last shudder from him until he was spent and trembling beneath her.
They stayed like that, panting, clinging to each other, sweat-soaked and shaking, the bond fizzling.
And then—
BZZZ-BZZZ-BZZZ!
Evie's phone buzzed loudly on the coffee table.
They both froze, still tangled together, hearts thundering.
Evie let her forehead fall against Rohmir's chest, groaning.
"You have got to be kidding me," she muttered.