Gabriel barely made it to the shower.
His knees ached. His thighs burned. His back was sore, his neck was mottled with marks, and his scent clung to the sheets like a confession. Damian hadn't just been possessive. He'd been relentless.
Three times.
Three knotting times.
Gabriel groaned as the hot water hit him. "What are you trying to do, Emperor? Secure an heir or ruin my spine?"
He braced a hand on the marble tile, the other pressing instinctively low against his stomach. It wasn't pain. Not really. Just… a tightness. A fluttering awareness that something might've changed. His body didn't feel like it normally did after sex. It felt full.
Gabriel exhaled, dragging fingers through his damp curls. It was reckless. It was deliberate. And it was very likely effective.
He placed a hand low on his stomach and rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "Wonderful," he muttered to himself. "I'll be round and hormonal in no time."
