The fire hadn't gone out.
If anything, it had become something deeper, darker—a smoldering pulse that lived beneath their skin, thrumming every time their eyes met.
Riven sat on the edge of the bed, bare feet brushing the cold floor, the early morning light casting gold across his skin. He wore nothing but one of Cassian's shirts—half-buttoned, completely unrepentant.
Cassian stood across the room, watching.
"Come here," he said, voice a low command wrapped in smoke.
Riven's lips curled in a slow, deliberate smile. "Make me."
That was all it took.
Cassian crossed the room in three long strides and had Riven pinned to the mattress before either of them could draw a proper breath. His mouth claimed Riven's in a kiss that tasted of hunger and slow-burning promises. One hand wrapped around Riven's wrist, holding it above his head, while the other slid beneath the shirt—claiming, exploring, daring.
"I don't know how to stop wanting you," Cassian murmured against his lips.
"Don't," Riven whispered. "Burn me instead."
Clothes disappeared between rough tugs and frantic fingers. The shirt fell first—Cassian tearing it open to expose the marks he'd left the night before. Riven was all heat and soft moans, arching into every touch like he needed it to breathe.
Cassian's mouth moved lower, across his chest, down his abdomen, his teeth scraping lightly, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He tasted Riven like a forbidden meal—worshipping and devouring in equal measure. Riven's fingers twisted in the sheets, gasps escaping as Cassian teased, taunted, and finally—satisfied some invisible line had been crossed—gave him everything.
When he pushed inside, it wasn't rough. It was slow, torturous, a claiming through tension and control. Riven whimpered, legs wrapping around Cassian's waist, nails raking down his back.
"I want you deeper," Riven breathed. "Until there's nothing left but you."
Cassian obliged.
Each movement sent shockwaves through them both, the room thick with heat and need. The sound of skin on skin, of whispered names and bitten curses, filled the space like music only they understood. There was no softness—just the raw intimacy of knowing where the other person's edges were… and pushing past them.
It wasn't just sex—it was a surrender.
By the end, they lay breathless and tangled, Riven's head against Cassian's chest, their hearts beating in sync.
But silence didn't last long.
"You think Silas is finished?" Riven asked quietly.
Cassian's jaw tightened. "No. But neither are we."
A pause.
Then Riven turned to face him, eyes still heavy with lust but clear with purpose.
"Then burn everything that comes for us."