43 Chapter 43
43 Chapter 43
Seraphina’s POV 1
The morning sun streaming through my bedroom curtains felt different somehow-warmer, more golden, like the entire world had
shifted on its axis overnight. I stretchednguidly beneath my sheets, every muscle in my body deliciously sore in ways that made me
blush even though I was alone. The scent of sandalwood still clung to my pillows, a heady reminder of everything that had transpired
between Damien and me just hours before.
“Good morning, sunshine,” A purred in my mind, her mental voice practically dripping with satisfied smugness. “How are you feeling?”
Heat flooded my cheeks as memories from the previous night crashed over me in vivid detail-Damien’s hands on my skin, his mouth
trailing fire down my throat, the exquisite stretch and burn as he’d imed me against my bedroom door with a passion that had left me
breathless and shaking.
I muttered, though even I could hear how unconvincing that sounded. “It was just…”
“Just what? Just the most intense, earth-shattering sex of our entire existence?” A’sughter echoed through my consciousness. “Face
it, Sera-that man is ours now, whether we’re ready to admit it or not.”
I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow that still smelled like him, fighting the urge to stay in bed all day and relive every moment.
But reality intruded in the form of Adrian’s cheerful voice calling from the kitchen.
“Mommy! I made coffee!”
The panic that shot through me was immediate and intense. “Adrian!” I called back, scrambling out of bed and throwing on my robe.
“Sweetheart, you’re not supposed to touch the coffee maker!”
I rushed to the kitchen, only to find my four-year-old son standing proudly beside our small coffee maker with a steaming mug in his
hands.
“I wanted to surprise you,” he said, his face glowing with achievement. “Mr. Damien showed me how to push the buttonsst night after
you fell asleep.”
“He did, did he?”
“Uh-huh!” Adrian bounced excitedly on his toes. “He said good coffee was important for hardworking mommies. He also taught me how
to butter toast without tearing it!”
Sure enough, there was a te of perfectly buttered toast waiting on the counter, along with Adrian’s favorite strawberry jam arranged
in a neat little pattern.
“That was very thoughtful of both of you,” I said softly, epting the mug and taking a careful sip. It was actually quite good. “Did you eat breakfast already?”
“I had cereal and orange juice,” Adrian reported dutifully, “Mr. Damien said I should let you sleep because you had a very hard week.”
An hourter, I stood in the executive elevator at Nightshadow Industries, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened with each
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passing floor. My lips seemed fuller, still slightly swollen from Damien’s kisses, and there was a glow to my skin that had nothing to do
with expensive cosmetics.
The elevator chimed softly as it reached the executive floor. I stepped into the familiar marble corridor, noting with relief that Anna’s desk was empty. Apparently, she was runningte this morning-a small blessing that would give me a few peaceful moments to collect. myself before facing whatever fresh hell she’d cooked up.
“Good morning, Seraphina,” ire’s warm voice greeted me as I settled into my desk chair. “You look… radiant today. Did you sleep well?”
Heat flooded my cheeks at the knowing glint in her eyes. “Very well, thank you,” I managed, grateful when myputer screen gave me
something to focus on besides ire’s amused expression.
I’d barely opened my email when I heard the distinctive sound of Damien’s office door opening. Every nerve ending in my body suddenly
came alive, hyperaware of his presence even though I kept my eyes fixed firmly on my monitor.
“Good morning,dies,” his deep voice carried that familiar note of authority, but when I finally looked up, the intensity in his blue eyes
was focused entirely on me. “Seraphina, could I see you for a moment?”
Professional. Casual. As if he hadn’t been buried inside me just hours earlier, iming me with a passion that had left fingernail marks on
his shoulders and my name torn from his throat like a prayer.
“Of course, Mr. Nightshadow,” I replied, proud of how steady my voice sounded even as my pulse hammered against my ribs.
I followed him into his office, hyperaware of the way his expensive suit molded to his broad shoulders and the memory of what all those
perfectly tailored clothes concealed. The moment the door clicked shut behind us, the professional facade fell away like a discarded
mask.
Damien moved with predatory grace, closing the distance between us in two quick strides. His hands framed my face with devastating
gentleness, and then his mouth was on mine-hot, demanding,pletely possessive. I melted into him with embarrassing eagerness,
my hands fisting in his shirt as he deepened the kiss until I was dizzy with want.
“I’ve been thinking about you all morning,” he murmured against my lips, his voice rough with barely controlled desire. “About the way
you felt in my arms, the sounds you made…
“Damien,” I breathed, though whether it was a protest or encouragement, I couldn’t say. “We’re at work. Anyone could―”
“Let them,” he growled, his mouth finding the sensitive spot behind my ear that made me gasp. “Let the whole damn building know
you’re mine”
His hands slid down to cup my ass through my pencil skirt, pulling me flush against the hard ridge of his arousal. The casual
possessiveness of the gesture,bined with the intoxicating heat of his body pressed against mine, made rational thought nearly
impossible.
“Is this your idea of professional conduct?” I managed to ask, though my breathless tone undermined any attempt at reproach.
“Absolutely not,” he admitted with that devastating smile. “But I’ve discovered I don’t care about professional conduct when ites to
you.”
He backed me against his desk, his hands roaming with increasingly bold familiarity. The cool mahogany pressed against my thighs as he
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lifted me easily, settling me on the edge while his mouth zed a trail down my throat.
“Damien,” I gasped, my fingers tangling in his thick hair as heat pooled low in my belly. “We can’t do this here. ire is right outside, and
Anna will be back soon…”
“Then we’ll have to be quiet,” he murmured, his hands already working at the buttons of my silk blouse. “Think you can manage that,
emerald eyes?”
The challenge in his voice sent electricity shooting straight to my core. Part of me-the professional, responsible part-knew this was
insane. We were in his office in broad daylight, separated from the rest of the floor by nothing but a ss partition and a door that
anyone could walk through.
But therger part of me, the part that had been starved for this kind of desperate passion, didn’t care about the risks.
I was just reaching for his belt when a sharp knock on the door made us both freeze.
“Alpha?” ire’s voice carried through the mahogany, carefully neutral but with an undertone that suggested she knew exactly what
we’d been doing. “I have the Morrison contracts ready for your review.”
Damien closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine, both of us breathing hard. “Give me five minutes, ire,” he called back, his
voice remarkably steady considering the state we were both in.
“Of course, Alpha.”
I slid off the desk on unsteady legs, my hands shaking as I rebuttoned my blouse and tried to restore some semnce of professional
dignity to my appearance. Damien watched me with eyes that promised this interruption was only temporary, that we would finish what
we’d started.
He moved back behind his desk, putting safe distance between us, but his heated gaze never left my face. “Actually, before irees
in, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you. About what happened with Valerie.” 1
“What about it?” I asked carefully.
“Tell me everything you remember about that night. Every detail, no matter how strange it seemed.”
So I did. I described the rage that had consumed me when Valerie threatened Adrian, the way something primal had awakened in my
blood. Damien listened without interruption, his expression growing more thoughtful with each detail.
“And this has never happened before?” he asked when I finished,
“Never. I’ve always been exactly what everyone expected-a weak omega who couldn’t defend herself against a determined housecat.” I
paused.
Damien was quiet for a long moment, his analytical mind clearly processing the implications. “Sera,” he said finally, “I think it’s time we found out exactly what you are”
“What do you mean?”
A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his features from handsome to absolutely devastating, “I mean I’m giving you a new assignment. Effective immediately, you’re going to spend your afternoons training with my warriors.”