Chapter 192
Aria’s POV
I drifted through gossamer light, suspended between worlds as the Moon Goddess’s revelations crashed over me in relentless waves. Each word she’d spoken carved itself into my consciousness, dragging me back to that fateful night with merciless precision. The memories unfolded before me–vivid, raw, inescapable–like a film I couldn’t tum away from no matter how my soul begged for reprieve.
The puzzle pieces of my fractured past clicked together with brutal clarity. Ethan and I had completed the mate bond that night, but there was no force, no violation. His eyes had sought mine in the dim light, his voice rough with desire yet gentle with concern as he’d asked for my consent. And 1–or rather, the part of me that was Cassandra–had answered with eager certainty. Cassandra had severed our connection completely, swallowing my consciousness.
The cost of her protection burned through me now–six precious years stolen from all of us. Six years where I couldn’t recognize my true mate, where Lucas had grown without knowing his father. The injustice of it kindled a fury deep in my chest, white–hot and consuming.
My gaze darted frantically around the shimmering space, searching for any trace of the Moon Goddess’s dual face or Cassandra’s tawny form, but all I could see was Ethan. His presence dominated the memory, magnetic and inescapable, drawing me deeper into the scene with each labored breath.
His lips found mine again, warm and urgent, reigniting the kiss we’d barely paused. My back hit the mattress as he eased me down, his touch careful but electric. “If you want me to stop, just say it,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble against my!
y skin.
I swallowed, my pulse racing. “Don’t stop.” The words tumbled out, shaky but certain, as his fingers brushed across my bare chest. A soft moan escaped me, unbidden, and I felt my body respond before my mind could catch up.
“Goddamn, you’re beautiful,” he growled, his lips grazing my nipple. It was the same feral edge I’d heard in the hospital that night, and it sent a shiver racing down my spine. My back arched instinctively, pressing myself closer to him, craving more of his touch. One hand cupped my breast, his thumb teasing the peak while his tongue traced slow, deliberate circles around the other. I squirmed beneath him, a breathless laugh slipping out as pleasure sparked through me. He grinned against my skin, a knowing glint in his eyes. “I want to taste every inch of you.”
His hand slid lower, rough fingertips trailing along my ribs, dipping across my stomach, and hooking into the waistband of my sweatpants. My breath hitched as he tugged them down, inch by torturous inch, until I lay bare before him. Exposed. Vulnerable. His gaze roamed over me–hungry yet tender–and I felt pinned beneath it, powerless and emboldened all at once. Heat crept up my neck, and I moved to close my legs, my hands lifting to cover myself. But Ethan caught my ankles gently, holding me open for him.
“You’re the most captivating woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, his voice a reverent whisper. His eyes drank me in, committing every curve to memory. His calloused fingers glided up my legs, lingering behind my knees, sending tingles racing through me. Then his hands gripped my thighs, pulling my hips to the edge of the bed, parting me wider. My cheeks flushed, a dizzying mix of want and embarrassment flooding me. He smirked, leaning closer. “I love how you Blush for me.”
“Please,” I whimpered, my core clenching around nothing. The emptiness ached, a hollow I didn’t know how to fill. Could he sense it? Would he know what I needed if I asked? My hands twisted in the sheets, desperate for something–anything–to ease the fire building inside me.
Ethan pressed a kiss to the inside of my thigh, kneeling between my legs. My breath caught as watched him–this powerful, unyielding man–lower himself to me. His lips brushed higher, and when his teeth grazed the sensitive skin where my thigh met my hip, a soft cry slipped from my throat. His fingers shifted, parting me gently, and he pulled back just enough to take me in. The intensity of his stare made my heart stutter.
