Heat was filling up the space now. There was only Seraphina and I in the air, in the sweat, in that moment; there was no other existence in this world. Neither the speed of the car nor the slight wind from the windows could reach us.

  Just hot and cold. Overlapping for those moments.

  Slowly, my lips sealed together with hers. All the gentle folds on my red skin mixing with the folds on hers, almost filling each other up. A soft and peaceful scent reached my nose as the sound of our breaths mingled together.

  Hot.

  The top of my lip, below my nose, it was hot. Her cold breaths were going away.

  I couldn’t process much as I slowly started to pull back. My brain was melting into a mush that would leak out my ears, perhaps. The bottom of my body was heavy, with air leaving my lungs and striking my heart straight.

  How lethal was she?

  Could even Seraphina understand what was going on? I doubted it; I really did not know.

  All I knew was that I was staring into her eyes, and I could see my reflection in her iris.

  Her eyes were solely on me.

  On me.

  “It’s done…” I softly let those words out. Forming syllables together in my mouth. “You know the bond…”

  Seraphina reached ahead. She held my hand by the wrist and gently pulled me closer. In the blink of an eye, she leaned ahead again and kissed me once again. Her lips met mine, and an ecstatic rush filled my chest.

  It was like music playing. Like the strumming of guitar strings. I opened and closed my eyes over and over as Seraphina and I overlapped into one. Saliva spread over my lips while soft clicks poked at my chest and in my mind.

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  Making out. I gently placed a hand on her back and pushed her further onto the seat. Seraphina leaned back; her spine was losing strength, and so was mine.

  A desperate movement as I moved my knees ahead. All I needed was right here and right now.

  I heard a breath. A hissing breath.

  And we kissed again.

  Again, and again.

  Over and over, longer every time, even if just by a second. We were doing all we could, as best as we could, as deeply as we could—only getting better with each time.

  My hand moved.

  “Mmm…” Seraphina moaned into my teeth as I reached her shoulder. She raised her hand to my back while my palm trailed down her sides. One by one, inch by inch, going lower and lower.

  I reached her side.

  Her waist.

  I traced a finger over her pelvis, bringing it closer to her thighs, slowly running between them.

  A small screech resounded as I was pulled away from Seraphina. That moment snapped us out of our small world. I turned to my side immediately and noticed outside the windows: the sky had changed, it was evening, and we were back in front of the Ashen Gryphon’s tower.

  Seraphina and I didn’t share a word. We both just sat back down.

  What had happened just now was completely out of the heat of the moment. It didn’t take long for a snap and for the chauffeur to open the doors for us. Seraphina got off first, while I followed. The man bowed, got into the car again, and took it off to the parking.

  I was flushing red. Or so I had thought. This was not good. I couldn’t let anyone see me like this.

  That was my first thought. I turned toward Seraphina and saw her walking toward the entrance of the Ashen Gryphon. I followed behind her, my head lowered.

  What was all this?

  What would happen now?

  All those thoughts filled my chest.

  I was running out of breath. Anxiety and joy were both taking over me. I wanted to freak out. What in the world had just happened?

  We got into the lift.

  The crowd around the Ashen Gryphon had reduced significantly. There was almost no one around here at this hour.

  Everyone was starting to leave or had left. Of course, there were still many divisions working, but in such a big place that amount barely counted.

  We went up into the lift.

  The floors changed.

  We were closing in on Seraphina’s office; not a word had been said between us. Only the air of the elevator.

  “Ding.”

  It stopped.

  We both moved out.

  I turned to her, and a hand wrapped around my neck again.

  Seraphina slowly pulled me and fell back as the elevator door closed, and our lips met again.