Valen's mouth claimed hers like a secret he never wanted the world to hear.
It wasn’t desperate. It was deliberate. Worshipful. The kind of kiss that dragged a promise from the bones—not just the lips. A kiss that said mine without ever speaking it aloud.
Valen’s hands stayed on her waist, as if afraid too much pressure would shatter her, or worse—make her vanish like a dream.
But Seraphine didn't vanish. She kissed him back, deeper this time, her fingers sliding into his hair, her body answering his with a need that had long stopped being logical.
The throne groaned beneath them as she shifted onto his lap, her armor already loosened by the heat between them.
His lips moved to her jaw, then her neck—soft, reverent, hungry.She tilted her head, offering him more.
Valen groaned—low, gu
