CHAPTER 226: CHAPTER 227: OWN ME (18+)

The bathroom was a crucible of steam and shadow.

Eli slipped through the door, her silver-white hair glinting like moonlight, her ash like eyes sharp with a hunger that could burn through stone.

Her silk robe clung to her curves, damp from the steam, outlining every line of her body—a weapon as deadly as the gauntlets she’d worn against Claire and lara.

Her bare feet slapped softly against the cold stone floor, each step deliberate, a predator closing in on her prey.

’She’s always been my weakness.’ Atlas thought, a memory flashing—her fight with other furing the war, her look aggressive, her touch free of this possessive fire. The contradiction clawed at him: the Eli he’d known, his enemy, versus the Eli now, a woman who burned to claim him, to break him.

Without another thought, Atlas crashed his mouth onto hers. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was raw, desperate, furious.

Their teeth clashed, their breaths stolen, the water’s roar a counterpoint to the storm in their chests. Eli gasped beneath him, stunned for a split second before her hands, those fists that had struck him in the war while he chocked her just days ago, grabbed at his hair and pulled him closer, her nails scraping his scalp, a spark of pain that ignited his blood.

He groaned into her mouth, the taste of her—sweet, angry, his—sending fire straight through his veins.

The steam thickened, the lavender scent mingling with her musk, a heady mix that drowned out the sulphur, the war, the world.

Eli moaned against his lips, her body arching into his instinctively, seeking more, her breasts pressing against his chest through the damp silk.

Gods, it’s like she was made to fit me,

he thought, a contradiction stabbing her gut—his vow to Claire, to the kingdom, warring with the pull of Eli’s fire, a chain forged in their shared past.

She pulled back slightly, just enough to see his lips—swollen, wet, trembling—before she growled, "You’re not leaving me, Atlas. I won’t let you." her voice was rough, a vow and a plea, his hands sliding higher, pushing her thighs apart through the robe, the fabric slipping to reveal smooth, damp skin. The water cascaded, pooling at their feet, the cold stone a stark contrast to the heat of their bodies.

She whimpered into him, a sound that made his heart throb painfully, his cock stirring against his breeches, a traitor to his resolve.

Atlas trailed his hand along her bare stomach, the silk parting under his touch, feeling her shiver, her body so sensitive, so responsive. The steam curled around them, a ghostly shroud, the lamp’s flicker casting their shadows in a wild, writhing dance—a broken chain, a symbol of the bonds they couldn’t escape.

Eli tilted her head back, her lips parting with a soft cry of pleasure, her silver hair clinging to her neck, water dripping from its ends.

"You’re mine," she growled, pressing her forehead against his chest, hearing his racing heartbeat, a drumbeat that echoed her own. The shower’s heat burned her skin, but his warmth was hotter, a fire that threatened to consume her.

Claire’s out there, planning strategies for me, he thought, her purple eyes flashing—her halo, her claws, her vow to save him. The guilt was a knife, twisting deeper with every second he lingered.

"....I don’t belong to anyone," he whispered brokenly, his voice cracking under the weight of her emotions, his hands fisting the air, as if grasping for control.

She frowned, her jaw clenching, water streaming down her face, mingling with the sweat on her brow.

She kissed his way down his body, worshiping every inch—his muscles, the curve of his shoulder, the pulse at his throat—her hands roaming freely now, no longer restrained by fear or anger.

The tiles were icy against her knees as she knelt, the water pounding her back, a relentless rhythm that matched the storm in her chest. Eli’s scent filled the room, sweet and addictive, cutting through the lavender, a lure he couldn’t resist.

"Look at me, atlas," she murmured against his skin, her voice dark and rough, her breath hot against his damp flesh. "I’d burn down the fucking world before I let you go." her hands slid down his sides, savoring the feel of his bare, hard skin, the silk robe now a puddle at her feet.

He cupped her breasts, thumbs grazing over her nipples, already tight, knowing she was begging for attention, the steam amplifying every sensation.

"You’re so beautiful...when you are on your knees," he murmured hoarsely, lowering his mouth to one peak, kissing it gently at first, then harder, his tongue flicking against it.

Eli cried out, her hands flying to his hair, tugging desperately, her nails scraping his scalp, a micro-movement that anchored her to him. Her body writhed, overwhelmed, trembling under the water’s cascade, the steam a veil that hid their sin from the world.

"Open for me," he coaxed, voice deep and full of praise, his hands gentle but firm on her thighs. "Let me show you what only I can give you." The water roared louder, a mirror to the storm within him, the lamp’s flicker casting their shadows in a jagged dance, a broken chain that bound them still.

Slowly, hesitantly, she parted her thighs, and Atlas’s breath caught, his eyes darkening at the sight of her vulnerability.

Atlas slowly...very slowly, plugged her in. Like he wanted to see her desperate for every inch. And she did. She did groan.

"ohhh....Fuck, you’re perfect," she whispered, her voice raw, her hands steadying his as she trembled under the shower’s heat and the rod below.

Eli let out a helpless moan, her back arching against the tiles, her hands gripping his shoulders, nails digging in, leaving red crescents that burned hotter than the water.

"That’s it," he encouraged, his voice a low growl, his hands steadying her as she trembled. "Let go." The steam thickened, the lavender fading under her scent, the room a crucible of their desire, the war’s distant roar a faint echo now.

And with her easing her waist on his own. His hips bucked in, moving faster, faster, faster. As the sound of their skin colliding echoed within the bathroom.

Palp! Plap! Plap!

"Atlas....Atlas!..ohhh!" She moaned in absolute pleasure.

"Come for me," he demanded, his lips brushing her ear, his breath a spark that ignited her. Eli broke with a cry, her body locking up, trembling, shuddering against him as she surrendered, her moans echoing off the tiles.

"...aaahhhhhhhh!!!" She moaned in release.

Atlas held her, his arms a cage and a cradle, the water washing away the evidence of their collision.

When he pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, her lips kiss-swollen, her white eyes glazed with pleasure.

She looked utterly wrecked—and utterly his. He cradled her face, his thumb brushing her bottom lip, a gentle touch that belied the fury of moments ago.

"Never," he said fiercely, his voice a vow, water streaming down his face. "Never talk about owning me ..." His golden eyes burned, a mix of rage and need, his heart pounding with the weight of his words.

Eli sucked in a breath, her eyes meeting his, defiant even in surrender. "Yes, you..." she whispered, her voice trembling, ".....but leaving you? Never." Her hands gripped his arms, her nails digging in, a micro-movement that anchored their connection.

Atlas wanted more. Ravage her more. Tear her pride apart more. Own every part of her until the morning sun came.

But...knock! Knock!

"Brother....are you inside?" The innocent Lara spoke. As Atlas’s eye opened wide