Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Z exx lay beside Linnea on the thick pile of furs, their bodies slick with sweat, their breathing gradually slowing as their passion ebbed into a warm, contented glow. Above them, fabric draped from the central pole with tiny bells along the closed flaps.
Outside, the sounds of celebration continued—the low thrumming of drums, the occasional burst of laughter, the melodic singing of the priestesses. But here within their private sanctuary, there was only the two of them, cocooned in the scent of desert flowers and aromatic oils that had been part of their bonding ritual.
The glow from the oil lamp on the low table cast golden patterns across Linnea's skin, highlighting the curves and planes of her body in a way that made his breath catch. Her ebony hair spilled across the pale furs, a striking contrast that made his heart race and his cock thicken anew.
"I'm surprised you wanted to return to the Dothvek village for our wedding," he said, trailing his fingers along the curve of her hip. "I would have thought the chancellor would need to be married in a grand ceremony in the city."
Linnea smiled, turning onto her side to face him. "I wanted to return to where it all started," she said, her voice soft with affection. "Our love story began in a tent.” She traced one of the black lines on his chest. "Besides, I already had the grand ceremony when I was confirmed as chancellor. This was for us, not for anyone else.”
Zexx captured her wandering hand, bringing her fingers to his lips. "When did you know?" he asked, curious about the moment she had first felt what he had struggled against for so long. "When did you first realize what was between us?"
"That first night," she admitted, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I tried to tell myself it was just physical attraction, just the exotic appeal of someone so different from anyone I'd known. But it was more than that, even then."
"I fought it for a long time," he confessed, remembering his initial resentment at being sent to the stone city, his determination to remain aloof and untouched by its chancellor. "I thought loving you would be a betrayal of my people, of everything I'd believed my whole life."
"And now?" she asked, her finger tracing the outline of his lips.
"Now I know that loving you has made me more truly Dothvek than I ever was before." He pulled her closer, feeling the perfect fit of her body against his. "Our people believed in connections that transcended understanding, in bonds forged by something greater than ourselves. How could I deny that when I felt it every time we touched, every time our minds joined? I believe that something greater than attraction or desire brought us together. Whether it was fate or the magic of the ancient goddesses or both, I am grateful for it."
She smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips. "As am I. Though I'm not sure the goddesses of the sands intended for a Crestek chancellor to become the mate of a Dothvek warrior."
"Perhaps they enjoy surprising us," he suggested, pulling her back down to rest against his chest. "Perhaps they knew that our peoples needed more than treaties and diplomatic agreements to truly find peace."
"They needed us," Linnea murmured, already drifting toward sleep. "The chancellor and the warrior, the stone and the sand."
"The perfect mating of opposites.”
The tent suddenly seemed filled with the weight of everything they'd overcome—the prejudice of generations, the plots of enemies, the barriers of their own making. Yet here they were, Crestek and Dothvek, bound now by both the ancient rituals of his people and the promise they'd made to each other.
"I love you, Zexx," Linnea whispered, the words simple yet profound in their absoluteness. "More than I ever imagined possible."
"And I love you," he replied, the phrase still new enough on his tongue to send a thrill through him. "Beyond sand and suns, beyond stars and time."
She nestled closer, her head fitting perfectly into the curve of his shoulder, her breath warm against his skin. "Are you certain about living in the city?" she asked, the question tinged with lingering concern. "I know how much you missed the sands, how confined you felt within those walls."
Zexx tilted her face up to his, wanting her to see the truth in his eyes. "I will be happy wherever you are," he told her. "The walls don't confine me when you're beside me. Besides," he added with a smile, "the city has changed since you've begun your reforms. The gates do not stayed closed, the people are allowed to walk along the sands, Dothveks are welcome traders. It is freer now."
"Still," she said, her fingers playing with a strand of his hair that had fallen across his shoulder, "I'll want to come to the oasis for frequent breaks. To breathe the desert air, to sleep under the stars, to remind myself of the simplicity we can so easily forget in the politics of the city."
He rolled on top of her in one fluid movement, pinning her hands above her head as he grinned down at her. "Are you certain it's the desert air you crave?" he teased, lowering his head to nip gently at the sensitive spot beneath her ear. "The stars above? The simplicity of village life? Or could it be something else entirely?"
Her laughter vibrated through both their bodies, a sound that never failed to fill him with joy. Then she arched against him in a way that sent heat surging through his veins once more. "I will confess that the opportunity to have my fierce Dothvek warrior without interruptions from council meetings and diplomatic crises is a particularly compelling reason to visit the village."
"I thought as much," he murmured against her throat, releasing her wrists to slide his hands down her sides, savoring the way she responded to his touch. "Using the chancellor's official visits for your own pleasure. Very devious, mate."
"I learned from the best," she retorted, her hands now free to explore his body with the same deliberate attention he was giving hers. "A certain ambassador taught me that diplomacy can be very pleasurable."
He demonstrated her point by claiming her mouth in a kiss that left no room for doubt.