Damon’s POV
When her body shuddered against mine, when her nails dug into my shoulders and the sound of my name slipped from her lips like a prayer, I knew the bath wasn’t enough.
She was trembling from more than heat. She was trembling from everything - the weight of vows, the fire of the Goddess still in her veins. And I wasn’t about to let exhaustion claim her before I did.
I stood, water streaming off us both, and lifted her easily into my arms. She gasped, her legs instinctively tightening around my waist.
“Damon..”
“Hush,” I growled, kissing the corner of her mouth as I carried her to the bed. “Let me take care of you.”
I laid her out against the sheets, her hair wet and fanned like spilled ink over the pillow. For a moment, I just looked - at the shimmer of moonlight still cli
