Chapter 45: Chapter 45

JASMINE

The medical team and the magical healers gave me the green light to leave. Aaron had left instructions for me to come to his room, but before I could make a move, Erik swept me off my feet—literally.

“Erik, come on, I can walk,” I argued, reaching up to touch his face, trying to get him to look at me.

“Minnie, let me do this,” he insisted, his voice heavy with emotion. His words were so sincere, they made my heart clench.

I relented, wrapping my arms around his neck as he carried me out. I could feel the tension in his every step, a silent storm brewing beneath his calm façade.

His fingers tightened around me, a silent testament to the words he wasn’t saying. We walked in silence through the Scire pack’s living quarters, the walls adorned with the familiar symbols of Aaron’s lineage.

Despite our recent victory, a sense of unease still hung in the air—the fear of what might have been. Erik paused in front of a door, his gaze holding more than just his usual intensity.

There was a vulnerability there, a rawness that was new. He opened the door without a word, leading me into a dimly lit room.

The soft glow from the fireplace cast long shadows on the walls. The silence was deafening. He shut the door behind us but didn’t let go of me, holding me as if he wasn’t ready to part.

When he finally set me down on the edge of the bed, his hands lingered at my waist, as if he needed to reassure himself that I was real.

“I couldn’t breathe when I heard you cry out in pain,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “I wasn’t there, Jasmine. I wasn’t there when you needed me, and I…”

He trailed off, swallowing hard. His hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb gently stroking my skin. Erik, the warrior, the protector—the man who always vowed to keep me safe—was coming undone.

“I can’t get it out of my head, that sound… you crying out in pain. It’s haunting me,” he said.

I covered his hand with mine, feeling the warmth of his skin against my cheek, and my breath hitched.

“Erik, I’m here now. And you’re here with me.”

His jaw tightened, his eyes softening as they met mine. “I can’t bear the thought of you hurting. I need… I need to replace that memory, Jasmine.”

His forehead rested against mine, his breath hot against my lips. “I need to hear you moan in pleasure. Only pleasure.”

His words sent a thrill of desire coursing through me, and before I could respond, his lips were on mine. The kiss was gentle at first, almost reverent, but then it deepened, filled with a desperation that left me breathless.

His hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, as if letting go would mean losing me all over again. I moaned into his mouth, my body reacting to his every touch. He groaned in response, the sound resonating in his chest.

“Let me help you forget,” he murmured against my lips, his hands already exploring my body, pulling me tighter against him. “I need to make you feel good, Jasmine. I need to know that you’re mine. That you’re here.”

His lips traced a path from my mouth to my jaw, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. Every touch was deliberate, claiming me, grounding himself in the fact that I was here, safe, with him.

He gently laid me back on the bed, hovering above me with eyes darkened by desire but filled with tenderness. “You don’t know what hearing you in pain does to me,” he whispered, his fingers deftly unbuttoning my shirt. “I have to make this right.”

In one fluid motion, he removed my shirt, his gaze never leaving mine. There was a raw vulnerability in his eyes, as if he was exposing more than just my body.

He unhooked my bra, slowly sliding it off, his hands brushing my skin with a reverence that made my heart flutter. His thumbs grazed my nipples, and I gasped as a wave of pleasure shot through me, arching my back into him.

Erik’s mouth followed the path his hands had made, his lips wrapping around my hardened nipple, sending another jolt of pleasure through me. A loud moan escaped my lips. I was completely at his mercy, lost in the intensity of his touch.

“I need to hear you, Jasmine,” he said, his voice a low growl against my skin. His lips and tongue worked wonders on me, leaving a trail of fire as he worshipped every inch of me.

“I need to hear you forget everything except this. Except me.” Erik’s words were a warm whisper against my skin, his heated breath causing shivers to cascade down my spine.

I gasped as his hands ventured lower, his fingers deftly unbuttoning my pants, stripping them off, leaving me bare and vulnerable to his electrifying touch. He smiled against my skin, his hot breath teasing the sensitive spot just below my ribs.

“That’s it,” he murmured, his voice heavy with desire. “Let me take care of you. Let me make you forget.”

And he did. Every caress, every kiss, every whispered promise erased the fear and pain, leaving only the overwhelming pleasure of being with him.

I knew that no matter what happened, Erik would always be there—fierce, protective, and mine. His lips found mine again, his kiss more urgent now, as if he were trying to etch every part of me into his soul.

His kisses then slowly trailed down, worshipping every inch of my body until he reached my sex. When his lips enveloped my clit, a powerful wave of pleasure washed over me.

I let out a moan, not from pain this time, but from the electric heat and pleasure of his touch, from the way his body fit perfectly against mine, from the way Erik always made me lose my senses. Erik growled low in his throat, and the sound sent a shiver through me.

“Did you hear that?” he whispered, his lips gliding over my pussy. “That’s the only sound I want from you tonight.”

His hand slid down my body until his fingertips brushed the bare skin of my sensitive nipple, and I arched against him, craving more.

“Let me hear it, Jasmine,” he urged, his tongue circling my clit, his breath hot against my skin.

I arched into him, surrendering everything he wanted as I lost myself completely in the overwhelming pleasure only he could bring.

My orgasm was building with every second, every touch, every movement of his tongue and hands. Erik was relentless in giving me pleasure, a master at it. If anyone could elicit the most diverse moans from my lips, it was him.

His name slipped from me in a breathless moan as my fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, deeper. His tongue moved with purpose, and I was lost, unable to think of anything else but the electric pulse of pleasure that coursed through me.

When the orgasm hit, my body writhed under his touch, my mind a haze of pure bliss, and my mouth moaned to him. Nothing else mattered in that moment—only him.

“I want to erase every memory of pain,” he growled softly against my skin, lips trailing up my leg, sending shivers through me. “Replace it with this.”

His hands explored my body like he was memorizing me all over again, committing every inch, every curve to memory. The way he touched me—there was more to it this time. His need wasn’t just about desire; it was about protecting me, about making me whole again.

I was already lost in him, but when his lips found mine again, I surrendered completely. His mouth explored my neck, my shoulders, my chest—every inch of me was his.

Erik’s eyes seared into mine, dark with desire, but something deeper simmered beneath. His fingers moved over me, and when they slid down, teasing my entrance, I arched into him, craving more, his fingers slick with my excitement and his saliva. And when he finally pushed two fingers inside, a gasp tore from my lips.

“Erik,” I moaned as his fingers moved in a rhythm that sent fire through my veins. His lips found the sensitive skin of my neck, his breath hot and teasing.

“That’s it,” he murmured, voice rough with need. “Only pleasure.”

I let go of everything else—the pain, the fear. In that moment, all that existed was him—his heat, his strength, the way he filled every empty space inside me. His thumb circled my clit, pulling me higher, until I shattered under his touch, a cry of release echoing in the air between us.

I wanted more. Needed more. My hands fumbled with his uniform, desperate to feel his skin against mine. Erik helped, his boots hitting the floor, his shirt gone in an instant.

My eyes fell to the hard line of his cock, visible even beneath the thick fabric of his pants. When he finally stripped, he sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze locking with mine, waiting.

I eased onto his lap, aligning him at my core, and gradually descended. His hands held my waist, and as he filled me, a moan slipped from both of us. The warmth of him, the sensation of him inside me—it was overpowering.

I moved on him, rising and falling, deeper with each push, my body quaking from the pleasure that surged through me. Erik’s lips seized mine in a kiss that was scorching, brimming with all the longing and emotion he harbored.

His hands wandered my back, my hips, as if he couldn’t get enough of me. His mouth left mine, trailing along my jaw to my neck, each kiss sparking a flame that burned hotter than anything I’d ever experienced.

“I’m yours,” I exhaled, fingers burrowing into the muscles of his shoulders. “I’ve always been yours.”

He released a low growl, his breath warm against my neck. His hips met mine in a steady rhythm, but his eyes—dark, intense—probed mine.

“Say it again,” he demanded, his voice heavy with emotion. “I need to hear it.”

“I’m yours, Erik,” I murmured, my voice trembling not with fear, but with the overwhelming urge to give him everything. “I’m yours.”

His reaction was instant. His mouth collided with mine, and he pushed me back against the bed, his body looming over me. His movements were authoritative, but there was a softness, too.

His hands cupped my face, his lips grazing mine in a kiss that conveyed more than just lust—it conveyed love, a connection deeper than anything we’d ever shared.

“You don’t know what this does to me,” he whispered, his breath warm against my skin as he thrust slowly inside me, his eyes locking with mine. “To hear you say those words. To know that even after everything…you’re still mine.”

My heart throbbed at the intensity of his words. I reached up, tangling my fingers in his hair and drawing him closer.

“Show me,” I murmured, my voice thick with need. “Show me how much.”

He didn’t need more prompting. His lips found mine again, slower this time, his hands exploring my body as if each touch was a silent vow.

“You’re perfect,” he whispered, his voice reverent as his lips trailed down my neck, his thrusts deep and steady. “And I’m never letting you go.”

I could barely breathe, the pleasure overwhelming me as he thrust deeper, his body pressing against mine, and our movements synced flawlessly. The weight of his words hung in the air between us, but all I could do was cling to him, my body shaking with the intensity of what I felt for him.

Erik’s pace quickened, his hand moving between us, finding my swollen clit. His thumb pressed against it, and I was undone again, my body shaking as waves of ecstasy washed over me. My walls tightened around him, drawing him deeper until I felt him reach his own climax, his groan of pleasure echoing in the room.

For a moment, neither of us moved. We lay there, entwined in each other, breathing heavily, our bodies still connected. Erik’s forehead rested against mine, his hand stroking my hair as if he needed the contact—needed to reassure himself that I was still there.

“I’m never letting you go,” he whispered again, his voice raspy but full of something more—something unbreakable.

And in that moment, as the last traces of pleasure faded, I knew that no matter what happened, no matter what battles we faced, we would always find our way back to each other.