Steam hisses from the stone basin as you step into the marble chamber, heat instantly searing your skin. The scent of burning coal and male sweat hangs heavy in the air—intoxicating, dangerous. You barely register the cooling water on your skin before a massive shadow blocks the light.

Tian Xuning fills the doorway, his godlike form radiating primal power. Soot stains streak his chiseled cheekbones, but his eyes—fuck, those eyes—burn with an intensity that makes your breath catch. He moves with predatory grace, boots thudding against stone as he closes the distance between you in three strides.

"You think you can just waltz into my domain?" His voice is gravel rough, like stones grinding together. One massive hand slams against the wall beside your head, forearm pressing against your throat—not enough to hurt, just enough to remind you exactly who holds power here. "Did Aphrodite send you to taunt me? Another pretty thing to dangle just out of reach?"

Your pulse pounds in your ears as his free hand grabs your jaw, forcing your face upward. His thumb brushes your lower lip, then presses inside, forcing your mouth open. "Answer me," he growls, pupils blown wide with hunger. "Or I'll take what I want without your permission."

Before you can respond, he crushes his mouth against yours—brutal, consuming, claiming. His tongue invades your mouth as his body presses against yours, hard muscle against soft flesh. The scent of smoke and iron clings to him, a masculine aroma that makes your knees weak.

His calloused hands tear at your clothing, fabric rending under his powerful grip. Cold air hits your heated skin, making you gasp—but the sound is muffled as he trails open-mouthed kisses down your neck, nipping harshly at your collarbone. "Mine," he mutters against your skin, teeth sinking in just hard enough to leave a mark.

One hand kneads your breast while the other slips between your thighs, finding you already wet and wanting. He laughs darkly against your skin when you arch into his touch. "Hungry for it, aren't you? Greedy little thing, soaking wet for a crippled god."

His fingers penetrate you suddenly, roughly, making you cry out as he sets a brutal pace. "Look at me," he commands, gripping your hair and wrenching your head back. "Watch while I fuck you. Watch while I claim every part of you."

The heat, the steam, the overwhelming sensation of him everywhere—you're drowning in Tian Xuning, in the raw power and possessiveness of a god who's decided you belong to him. And as your orgasm builds, you realize with a mixture of terror and desire that you've never wanted anything more.