CHAPTER 243: CRAVING

I wanted more, and judging by the way her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted ever so slightly...So did she.

And Zarah didn’t hesitate to show that.

With a firm pull, she brought me flush against her, her hands fisting the fabric at my collar as her lips brushed the edge of my jaw, then moved lower. Her breath was warm—hot, even—and when her mouth found the base of my neck, when her teeth grazed skin with just enough pressure, a sharp jolt ran down my spine.

A low sound slipped from my throat. Unintentional. Raw. But it didn’t stop her.

Zarah moved like she knew exactly what she wanted, and there was no hesitation in the way her legs wrapped tightly around my waist. The shift was urgent, clumsy only in how fast it happened—but I caught her without effort, one arm under her thigh, the other steadying her back.

I held her close, closer than I ever had before, like she was the only real thing in the world anchoring me to the moment.

There was no need for words now.

Her touch said more than words ever could—and mine responded in kind. Greedy. Certain. Unapologetically hungry.

We gave in, completely, without hesitation or restraint. Like two wild things who had been holding back for far too long, only to finally snap, not with violence—but with raw, unfiltered desire.

Every movement was urgent, every breath carried heat. The air between us turned heavy with it, thick with the kind of need that drowned logic. There was nothing neat about it. No careful steps or rehearsed motions. Just want. Just us. Messy. Real.

Limbs tangled beneath the arching branches above, our bodies pressed so close the space between us ceased to exist. Every gasp echoed in the quiet grove. Every shiver felt like a storm in my veins.

And there, beneath the canopy, with the moon watching in silence, we let it happen. Over and over.

I lost track of time.

Everything blurred into sensation and breath and the weight of Zarah in my arms.

By the time clarity began to return, the sky had already deepened into a darker shade of blue. The stars had come out. The camp would’ve quieted by now—meals finished, patrols rotated.

Zarah stood a few steps away, slipping back into her clothing with slow, practiced movements. There was a quiet to her now—not the kind that spoke of discomfort or regret, but something steadier. Settled.

I sat on a nearby rock, pulling on my own tunic, and glanced her way.

And despite everything we’d just done... I couldn’t stop staring.

The way her form moved beneath the fabric. The way the moonlight played against her skin.

Slim, green, and somehow still hot enough to make me hard again—even after everything we’d already done.

I couldn’t get enough of her.

My eyes traced every curve, every inch of exposed skin before her tunic slid into place. And still, it wasn’t enough. Desire stirred again, slow and heavy, reminding me just how little control I had around her.

"What are you staring at?" Zarah asked, her tone low and teasing as she sauntered toward me with slow, deliberate steps. She leaned in close, her breath brushing against my lips, her gaze sharp and provoking. "Hmm?"

I swallowed hard.

Temptation hit me like a wave.

Oh, I wanted to be tempted.

But I couldn’t let it win. Not this time.

We had to go back. There were responsibilities waiting, people relying on us. I couldn’t afford to lose myself again, no matter how much every nerve screamed otherwise.

"Your pretty face," I murmured, brushing a kiss against her lips—just enough to steal one more taste, but not enough to spiral us back into that fire.

Then I reached down, took her hand in mine, and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Let’s go."

She gave a small nod, and with our hands still clasped, I activated [Warp].

In a blink, we reappeared back at the camp.

I landed just behind Thok, who flinched at the sudden shift of air before glancing over his shoulder. The moment he saw it was me, his body relaxed—but only just.

The goblins he’d been speaking to, however, were a different story.

One shrieked. Two others fell backwards in surprise, and another was already halfway across the clearing, having bolted the moment we appeared like lightning had struck behind them.

Thok cleared his throat.

"Chief," he said, offering a quick nod of respect. The others scrambled to mimic him, dropping into messy bows, eyes wide and still twitching.

It was then I noticed something interesting.

They were all female. Newly added recruits, judging by their expressions and the slight trembling in their postures. Still not used to the kind of absurdity that came with my magic.

I raised a brow. "What are you doing?"

Thok stood a little straighter, but not before his eyes darted to the girls and then quickly back to me.

"Just... telling them of your strength," he said, voice a bit too cheerful. "Your might, your skill, your... leadership."

His tone was off. There was a nervous edge to it. A slight sheen of sweat on his brow. He wasn’t just talking about me.

"Right," I said flatly, folding my arms.

I stared at him—long, hard, and deliberate.

The kind of look that didn’t need words to say I see through your crap, you little schemer.

He wilted just a little under my gaze.

Then, without a word, I gave him a slow shake of the head.

Bad goblin.

He didn’t respond.

He just grinned awkwardly, hands behind his back like a student caught sneaking out of class.

I turned my gaze toward the female goblins, and almost instantly, most of them dropped their eyes or looked away. A few shifted uncomfortably, wringing their hands or stepping back ever so slightly.

Still afraid of me.

Understandable.

Their fear wasn’t baseless, after all they had just seen me blink into existence like some ghost. It wasn’t something they were familiar with so their reaction made sense.

There was also the fact that I conqured their home. Yep can’t forget that.

I activated [Analyze], letting the...