Mara I woke up to the quiet hum of the afternoon sun slipping through the curtains. The clock confirmed what my aching body already knew—it was well past noon. We’d slept through the morning, wrapped in exhaustion from everything that had happened. Lucian lay beside me, stark naked, his breathing soft and steady. His body was flushed with heat, and he had morning wood—hard and ready. Faint claw marks traced across his chest and shoulders, healing over slowly. My marks. I stared at my fingers, slightly shocked. I’d scratched him badly. His cinnamon scent still lingered thick in the air, and with it came the unmistakable stirrings of my heat—again. No build-up, no warning. It flared quickly, and I didn’t wait. I climbed on top of him and sank down, slow and deep. Lucian moaned in his sl