Chapter 13 – A Passion Revived  

"This is where I want to make love to you."

She swallowed. "Are you sure?"

His answer wasn't words as he moved closer, cupping her face in his hands, and kissed her. Deeply. Passionately. A kiss that burned, that unraveled something inside her she hadn't even realized was still tightly wound. She didn't hesitate. Not when every fiber of her being screamed for him.

"You're now everything to me," he whispered against her lips.

Her fingers trembled as she traced the sharp lines of his jaw. "Then show me."

As they kissed, Bastian's hands roamed over Anastasia's curves, memorizing every dip and swell. He took his time, determined to worship her body the way she deserved. Sliding his fingers into her silky hair, he deepened the kiss, tongue delving past her parted lips to tangle with hers.

Anastasia moaned softly into his mouth, pressing herself flush against him. She could feel his arousal hard and insistent against her belly, but Bastian made no move to rush things. His hands remained reverent as he undid the buttons of her dress, peeling the fabric away to reveal inch after tantalizing inch of creamy skin.

When the dress pooled at her feet, Bastian paused to admire the view, eyes darkening with desire. Anastasia stood before him in nothing but a lacy bra and matching panties, rosy nipples visible through the sheer fabric. "You're exquisite," he breathed. Reverently, he trailed his fingers down her neck, between the valley of her breasts, over her quivering stomach.

Anastasia shivered at his touch, goosebumps rising on her skin. She reached out to undo Bastian's shirt, desperate to feel him, all of him. He shrugged it off and took a moment to strip completely, letting Anastasia take her fill of his toned physique.

Once bare, Bastian gently guided Anastasia down onto the bed, settling his body over hers. He rained feather-light kisses over her face, down her neck, as his hands explored. He cupped her breasts, thumbs grazing the hardened peaks through her bra until Anastasia was writhing beneath him.

"Please," she whimpered. "I need you."

Bastian smiled against her skin. "I want to savor every moment."

He made quick work of her bra and panties before trailing open-mouthed kisses down her body. Anastasia's breath caught as he nuzzled the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, parting them gently. She cried out when his tongue found her center, lapping slowly at her slick folds.

"Oh god." Her fingers fisted in his hair as he continued his ministrations, driving her wild with pleasure. When he suckled her throbbing core, Anastasia nearly shot off the bed, back arching as she came with a keening wail.

Bastian crawled back up her trembling body, peppering her face with soft kisses as he waited for her to come down. He traced the contours of her body like he was memorizing her all over again, and maybe he was. Once her breathing had steadied, he reached between their bodies to position himself at her entrance. He paused, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"I love you, Ana," he murmured.

With that, he pushed forward, slowly sheathing himself inside her slick heat. They both moaned at the exquisite sensation, Bastian burying his face in her neck to inhale her scent as he began to move.

He kept his pace slow and steady, rolling his hips sensually as he filled and withdrew from Anastasia's core. Each slide was torturously exquisite, building the pleasure higher and higher. Anastasia met him thrust for thrust, wrapping her legs around his waist to draw him in deeper.

Their coupling grew more passionate as the need built between them, fingers digging into skin and mouths fusing in breathless kisses. Bastian could feel Anastasia tightening around him, her body preparing for another peak.

He shifted slightly, changing the angle of his thrusts to hit that sweet spot inside her. "Oh Bastian!" Anastasia cried out, nails raking down his back. "Yes, just like that!"

Her ecstasy was infectious and Bastian felt his own release building, coiling tightly at the base of his spine. He reached between their bodies to rub tight circles on Anastasia's clit and she shattered with a scream of his name.

The feel of her pulsing around him pushed Bastian over the edge and he followed moments later, spilling himself deep inside her with a guttural groan gasping her name like a prayer.

Every kiss, every caress, was a memory reclaimed, a love story rewritten. Maybe this was his way of bridging the gap between the past and the present, between the boy he used to be and the man he had become.

And when he gazed down at Anastasia's flushed and sated face, he cupped her cheek tenderly, thumb brushing her lower lip.

But suddenly everything stopped.

He froze. His entire body went rigid. His breathing hitched.

And then his eyes-

Something changed. Like a fog lifting, like a dam breaking. His irises darkened, dilated, then flickered with something else. Something terrifying. Something overwhelming.

"Bastian?" she whispered, suddenly afraid.

He didn't answer. Didn't blink. Didn't even seem to see her anymore.

Panic clawed its way up her throat. She gripped his face, forcing him to look at her. "Bastian, talk to me! What's wrong?"

His lips parted. A single, shuddering breath escaped him. And then-

"I remember."

Her stomach dropped.

He looked right into her soul, his expression a storm of emotions crashing into each other. His fingers curled around hers like he was anchoring himself, like he was afraid she would disappear.

His voice, when he spoke again, was barely a whisper.

"I remember everything."

Chapter 150 – Never Going Back

Anastasia stared at Bastian, heart hammering. "Say that again."

His piercing gaze locked onto hers, an intensity she hadn't seen in what felt like forever. Then, he smiled—soft, knowing, and utterly devastating. "I remember everything."

At first, she thought she'd misheard. That her desperate mind was playing cruel tricks. But then—then she saw it. The way he looked at her. Like she was his whole world. Like nothing had ever changed. And in that instant, she knew.

Tears blurred her vision as she threw her arms winding around his neck. His grip was just as fierce, pulling her so tightly against him that she could feel the wild thud of his heartbeat. His face buried into her shoulder, voice thick with raw emotion. "I remember everything," he murmured. "I remember us. Every stolen moment. Every promise. I remember the council, the choices, the elixir—" His voice cracked, and then, softer, reverent, he whispered, "I remember our child."

Her breath hitched as his hand drifted down, fingertips tracing over her stomach. And then, in the gentlest motion, he sank to his knees before her, pressing his lips to her belly. "I remember you, little one," he whispered, voice full of aching devotion. "And I swear, I will never forget you again. I will always be here. No matter what."

Anastasia bit her lip, overwhelmed. Gratitude surged through her, silent and powerful, as she clutched at his hair, as if grounding herself in this impossible, beautiful moment. He was back. Her Bastian was back.

Then she saw it—the single tear slipping down his cheek, catching in the dim glow of the city lights.

Her chest tightened. "Bastian," she whispered. "What's wrong?"

He lifted his head, and her breath caught. His eyes—bloodshot, glossy, desperate—held so much grief it nearly shattered her. He tried to blink it away, but the tears fell anyway, silent and unstoppable.

"To think I could forget you," he choked out, voice heavy with guilt. "To think I left you. Left our child." His jaw clenched, self-loathing dripping from every word. "That is something I will never forgive myself for."

Anastasia didn't hesitate. She cupped his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Bastian, listen to me. This wasn't your fault. You didn't choose to forget. And you didn't leave me—we were torn apart." Her voice trembled, but her resolve held firm. "We both know who's responsible. And he will get what he deserves."

His eyes darkened, but instead of answering, he let out a slow, measured breath. Then, a small smirk lifted the corner of his lips. "I know," he murmured. "But right now, I don't want to think about that." His hands slid up her arms, pulling her closer. "All I want to do is make love to you. Over. And over. And over again."

A furious heat flooded her face. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was shy in front of him. Like the girl she used to be. The girl who once trembled under his gaze when he first kissed her all those years ago.

But that shyness vanished the moment his hands traveled up her inner thigh.

Her breath stilled as his fingers brushed against her, teasing, exploring. A strangled moan escaped her lips when he finally slipped inside her, his touch setting her whole body ablaze. And then he was kissing her—devouring her—like he was trying to make up for every second they'd lost. Their tongues tangled, desperate and insatiable, as he swallowed every sound she made.

Time ceased to exist. There was only them—tangled in heated whispers and feverish touches, relearning each other's bodies in a way that felt like both a first and a reunion all at once. And when it was over, they stayed there, side by side, staring at the ceiling in breathless silence.

Anastasia turned to him, catching the pensive look on his face. "What are you thinking about?"

He didn't answer right away. For a long moment, he just lay there, lost in thought. Then, finally—

"I don't want to go back."

She frowned. "Go back where?"

His jaw tightened. When he spoke again, his voice was firm. Absolute.

"The Celestial City," he said. "I never want to set foot in that place ever again."