Chapter 11

Alexi strides back into the penthouse, his boots sinking into the plush carpet with each measured step. As he approaches the sleek leather couch, his gaze falls upon Zara, her familiar scent of wild lavender and moss filling his senses and causing his heart to quicken.

Alexi"s pulse races as he sinks down onto the sofa beside Zara, the buttery leather soft against his skin. Meeting her gaze, he swallows hard. "I spoke to Aziel about Marius and the threat he poses."

Zara leans closer, her brow furrowing. "What did he say? Will he help us?"

"He had doubts, wanted to know how I could be so certain Marius was involved." Alexi drags a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "I had to tell him, Zara. About the visions we shared through our bond."

Her eyes widen, a flicker of panic in their depths. "You did what?"

"I didn"t have a choice. Aziel respects our connection, but he"s still hesitant to fully commit without solid proof." Alexi reaches for her hand, his thumb skimming her knuckles. "We"ll figure this out."

Zara"s eyes flash with a mix of emotions, her body tensing as she takes in Alexi"s words. "What do you mean, hesitant? Does he not understand what"s at stake here?"

Alexi runs a hand through his dark hair, frustration evident in the set of his jaw. "He understands, but he"s cautious. He wants proof before he moves against Marius, before he puts his own position at risk."

"Proof?" Zara scoffs, her voice rising with each word. "What more does he fucking need? We"re running out of time here, Alexi."

"You think I don"t know that?" Alexi snaps, his own frustration boiling over. "I"m the one who"s been trying to convince him, trying to make him see what"s at stake. But he"s not just going to take my word for it, Zara. He needs evidence, something concrete that he can use against Marius."

Alexi"s eyes blaze crimson as he stares intently at Zara, his jaw clenched with determination. "We"re not going to just stand by and do nothing," he growls, his voice rough and laced with intensity. "All I"m saying is that we need to be smart about this. We have to figure things out while Aziel does his due diligence."

Zara scoffs, her eyes flashing gold as she pushes off the couch, pacing the room like a caged animal. "Patient? How can you ask me to be patient when people are dying?"

Alexi rises to his feet, his movements fluid and predatory as he follows her, his own frustration mounting. "You think I don"t feel the same urgency? The same desperation to act?"

"Then why are we still here?" Zara whirls to face him, her voice rising with each word. "Why aren"t we out there, hunting down Marius, putting an end to his schemes?"

"Because we can"t afford to be reckless!" Alexi snaps, closing the distance between them until they"re standing face to face, mere inches apart. "If we make one wrong move, if we tip our hand too soon, Marius will slip through our fingers."

Zara meets his gaze unflinchingly, her eyes molten gold, the heat of her anger rolling off her in waves. "So we"re supposed to just sit here and wait, while our enemy grows stronger by the minute?"

Alexi"s hand shoots out, gripping Zara"s chin and forcing her to meet his fiery gaze. The tension between them crackles like electricity, her intoxicating scent mingling with the spicy aroma of her arousal, testing the limits of his self-control.

"Damn it!" he growls, his voice rough with barely contained frustration. "We can"t just charge in like a couple of hotheaded fools. We need a strategy."

Zara wrenches her face from his grasp, her eyes flashing with fury. "Strategy? While innocent lives are being lost every second we waste? To hell with your plan!"

He steps closer, invading her space, his own anger rising to match hers. "And what good will it do anyone if we get ourselves killed? Use your head, woman!"

She jabs a finger into his chest, her voice rising to a shout. "Don"t you dare patronize me, you arrogant leech! I"m not some helpless damsel waiting for you to save the day!"

Alexi"s nostrils flare, his control slipping as her fiery defiance stokes the flames of his desire. "I never said you were! But we won"t stand a chance against Marius if we don"t work together!"

Zara"s chest heaves, her breath coming in swift, angry pants. "Then stop wasting time and do something! Before it"s too late and we lose everything!"

Their faces are mere inches apart now, the heat of their argument giving way to a different kind of tension. Alexi"s gaze drops to her parted lips, his own breath ragged with the effort of holding himself back.

"Zara..." her name escapes him in a rough, desperate whisper.

He yanks her against him, their bodies colliding.

Alexi claims Zara"s mouth, the kiss turning deep and hungry as she arches against him. Her breathy moan of his name sets his blood on fire, the primal need pulsing through his veins.

She tastes like heaven, and he can"t get enough.

Alexi devours her mouth, swallowing her wanton moans as their hips rock together in a primal rhythm. The sting of her teeth on his bottom lip sends a jolt of pleasure straight to his aching cock.

When they finally come up for air, her eyes glimmer with equal parts desire and wariness. "What are you doing, Alexi?" The unspoken "to me" hangs between them, a question he"s desperate to answer with his body.

Alexi trails a finger along her jaw, relishing her hitched breath at his feather-light touch that ignites sparks through his entire being. "You have to know how badly I want you," he rumbles against her ear, his voice low and filled with promise. "How fucking desperate I am to be inside you, to claim you as mine."

She shivers in his arms, pupils blown wide with a hunger that matches his own. Her nails rake down his back under his shirt, jolts of pleasure-pain rippling across his skin, urging him on. "Then what"s stopping you?"

Fuck.

Alexi"s gaze sears into Zara"s, the crimson of his eyes flaring brighter with every ragged breath. "Nothing," he growls, his voice thick with unbridled desire. "Not a single fucking thing."

In one swift motion, he scoops Zara into his arms, her startled gasp morphing into a needy moan as he carries her towards the bedroom, his steps purposeful and determined. Her legs wrap around his waist, the scorching heat of her core pressing against his straining erection through their clothes, driving him mad with want.

Alexi"s jaw clenches as he fights for control, every fiber of his being screaming to bury himself inside her tight heat, to lose himself in her intoxicating warmth. He kicks open the bedroom door, his gaze locked on the bed, a silent promise of the pleasure to come.

The door slams shut behind them, the sound echoing through the space as he sets her on her feet.

Their mouths crash together once more, tongues tangling in a frenzied dance of passion and need as they tear at each other"s clothes, desperate to remove any barriers between them. Buttons fly, fabric rips, but neither of them care, too consumed by the all-consuming hunger to feel skin on skin.

I have to have her.The thought pounds through Alexi"s mind, a primal drumbeat urging him on.

Alexi"s hands roam Zara"s body, mapping every curve, every dip, committing them to memory as he seeks to brand her as his own. Her fingers dig into his shoulders, nails biting into his flesh as she arches against him, her body begging for more.

They tumble onto the bed, a tangle of limbs and desperate kisses, the world falling away until there"s nothing but the two of them, lost in the heat of their passion. Alexi"s mouth trails down Zara"s throat, drawing a keening moan from her kiss-swollen lips, the sound sending a bolt of pure lust straight to his core.

Alexi captures her mouth in another bruising kiss, his tongue delving deep as he grinds against her, the friction maddening and yet not nearly enough. Zara"s hands tangle in his hair, tugging him closer, her legs wrapping around his waist, urging him on.

"Alexi," she gasps, her eyes molten gold as she meets his fiery gaze, the plea in her voice unmistakable. "Please..."

He groans, the sound rumbling through his chest as he settles between her thighs, the heat of her core searing him even through the thin barrier of their remaining clothes. "Tell me what you want, Zara," he demands, his voice rough with need, his control hanging by a thread. "Say it."

She writhes beneath him, her hips rocking up to meet his, seeking the friction they both crave. "You," she breathes, her nails raking down his back, leaving trails of fire in their wake.

He relishes the way she arches into his touch, her own fingers digging into his shoulders, urging him on.

Fuck yes. The thought echoes through his mind as he loses himself in the feel of her, in the intoxicating scent of her arousal mingling with his own.

"Alexi," she gasps, her back arching off the bed, her body trembling with need. "I need you inside me. Now."

He groans, positioning himself at her entrance, the head of his cock sliding through her slick folds, teasing them both with the promise of what"s to come. With one swift thrust, he sheathes himself fully, their twin moans of pleasure filling the room, the sensation of her tight heat enveloping him unlike anything he"s ever known.

Holy hell, she feels incredible. Like she was made just for him, every inch of her molding perfectly to his body.

Alexi sets a relentless pace, driving into Zara with deep, powerful strokes that send shockwaves of pleasure rippling through them both. She meets him thrust for thrust, her nails digging into his back, urging him on, her cries of ecstasy spurring him to new heights.

The world narrows to this moment, to the slide of their bodies, the mingling of their breaths, the fire raging between them. Alexi loses himself in Zara, in the way she feels, the way she tastes, the way she moans his name like a prayer, a plea, and a promise all in one.

Alexi drowns in the intoxicating slide of their bodies, the way Zara meets his every thrust with a roll of her hips, driving him deeper, harder, faster. Her breathy moans fill his ears, echoing through his very soul as he drives into her with a relentless rhythm, pouring every ounce of his desire, his need, his longing into each movement.

She feels so fucking perfect, like she was created just for him, every inch of her body fitting against his like a missing puzzle piece finally falling into place.

Zara"s nails rake down his back, leaving trails of delicious pain that mingle with the pleasure coursing through his veins, the sensation sending him spiraling higher and higher. Alexi groans, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his fangs grazing her pulse point, the temptation to taste her, to claim her in every way possible, nearly overwhelming him.

"Alexi," she gasps, arching beneath him, her body trembling with the force of the sensations crashing over her. "Don"t stop. Don"t ever stop."

He growls, his hips snapping against hers with increased fervor, the bed creaking beneath them as he drives into her with abandon. "Never," he promises, his voice rough with desire, with the depth of his feelings for her. "I"ll never stop wanting you, Zara. Needing you. You"re mine, now and always."

Their bodies move in perfect sync, skin slick with sweat, breaths mingling in the charged air between them, the rest of the world falling away until there"s nothing but the two of them, lost in the throes of passion. Alexi can feel the telltale tightening in his groin, the pressure building with every thrust, every slide of her slick heat against his aching cock.

"Come for me, baby," he urges, his hand slipping between their bodies to find her most sensitive spot, stroking her in time with his thrusts. "Let go. Let me feel you."

Zara cries out, her inner walls clenching around him as she shatters in his arms, his name falling from her lips like a prayer as she comes undone, the sensation sending Alexi over the edge with her. His own release tears through him with the force of a hurricane, his vision whiting out as he spills himself inside her, marking her as his own in the most primal way possible.

They cling to each other as the aftershocks roll through their bodies, chests heaving, hearts racing, the rest of the world slowly coming back into focus. Alexi brushes a tender kiss against Zara"s temple, marveling at the depth of emotion swelling in his chest, the feeling of rightness, of completeness, that settles over him like a warm blanket.

Alexi drinks in the sight of Zara, her skin flushed and glowing in the aftermath of their lovemaking, her eyes shining with a mix of sated desire and something deeper, something that makes his heart clench in his chest.

Fucking hell, she"s stunning like this, lost in the aftermath of the pleasure he brought her. He traces a finger along the curve of her jaw, marveling at how her skin seems to glow in the dim light, at how perfectly she fits in his arms.

Having her here, like this, feels like finally coming home after an eternity of wandering, of searching for something he didn"t even know he was missing. Until her. Until Zara.