The Mirror in the Mountain (The Mirrored Trilogy #2)

14. Adrian

Chapter 14

Adrian

E stelle’s fingers threaded through mine, tugging me forward. She didn’t look at me as she silently led me toward the pond. And I didn’t say a word as I followed her under the curved branches of a willow by its shore.

She turned slowly, the moonlight refracting from the calm waters glistening on her cheekbones, lighting up those stunning, gold-flecked eyes.

“You don’t have to fight this,” I whispered, the world around us so still, it felt like we were under an enchantment. “I’m not trying to use you. And if you never want me to help you rule Soleara, I’ll be content to spend my days learning all the ways to make you smile, make you laugh…and make you moan, if you’ll let me.”

The corner of her mouth quirked up in an almost smile, and I reached up my hand without thinking, cupping her chin as I traced the edge of her lips with my thumb.

My heart leapt when she didn’t pull away.

“So, what is it that you want then, Princeling?”

“You,” I said baldly. “I want you to give me a chance. Give this anima bond between us a try before denouncing it to crueler intentions.” My hand traced down her jaw, wrapping behind her neck as my fingers threaded in the waves of her hair. “I won’t rush your decision. And if I need to tell the High Queen herself that we need more time before the bonding ceremony, then I will, if that’s what you want.”

Her eyes widened. “There’s no way?—”

“This is your decision,” I said firmly. “And if it’s not me, I’ll find a way to accept that too.”

“It’s your decision too,” Estelle whispered.

I gave a small shake of my head. “I already know what I want. I don’t need time to deliberate because there’s no question that it’s you.” My fingers stroked the back of her neck as her lips parted in surprise. “I know you don’t know me yet, but somehow, I feel like I’ve known you forever. Like I’ve always been waiting for you. And I think you feel that too.”

Those flecks of gold in her eyes glinted as they narrowed. “Bond or no, I have no intention of losing my head just because I met my anima .”

But I felt her shiver as my other hand traced down her back. Felt the way she arched into me as my hand wrapped around her waist, drawing her flush against me.

“We’ll see about that.”

I leaned forward, my mouth brushing hers in the barest whisper of a kiss. Over before it had even begun—waiting for her response before giving in to the desire to take her exactly as I wanted to and never let her go.

She sucked in a faint breath. Then her lips crashed onto mine, frantic and rough and claiming. Like she’d been holding herself in check and was finally giving in to reckless abandon. I lifted her up, and she immediately wrapped her legs around my waist, her nails digging into my back like the remaining room left between us was as intolerable to her as it was to me. I backed her further under the willow, away from the prying eyes of any guards that might happen to patrol above us. Pushing her against the rough bark of its trunk as I feathered kisses down her neck, my hand moving up her exposed legs to where the hem of her nightdress had ridden dangerously high.

“Maybe I’ve always been waiting for you too,” she whispered against my mouth so softly, I almost missed it.

I stilled as hope flooded me. And then I was kissing her more feverishly than before, her soft moan into my mouth unlocking something primal within me.

Estelle’s fingers found the buttons on my shirt, tearing them open. I groaned aloud as they moved to the ties of my pants. Catching her fingers in mine, I brought them to my mouth to kiss them as I whispered, “Wait.”

She jerked back, but my hold on her hand tightened.

Her legs slipped from my waist, her expression shuttering. “Do you want this or not, Princeling?”

I let out an incredulous breath. “First you don’t want me, now I’m not getting naked fast enough?”

Her eyes flickered. “If you don’t want me to?—”

I was already shaking my head. “Of course I do. I just didn’t want to go too quickly for you. We have a lifetime together…we don’t have to rush into tonight. And I want this to be perfect for you.” My mouth twitched. “We could even find somewhere more comfortable than a tree and the ground.”

She gave me a slow smile that made my heart skip a beat. “And if I prefer it?”

Light glowed at her fingertips, and I felt my mouth drop open as tiny balls of it drifted upwards, resting against the willow’s leaves. Estelle’s face was illuminated in a soft, silver glow, the gold of her eyes gleaming like a crown around the dark dots of her pupils. Tiny flecks of light danced around us like fireflies, a few landing softly in her chestnut hair.

Her magic was Celestial—and with that kind of control, I knew it was a force to be reckoned with. My own magic itched to be released, to meet and match her own.

“Estelle—”

I let go of her hands. Instead of pulling away, she reached toward me, entwining her arms around my neck. When her lips met mine again, I lost all semblance of thought as she pressed herself fully against me, nearly climbing me in her insistence. I hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs back around my waist, bringing her core against the straining bulge she had elicited.

She gasped as I brought us to the ground, still cradling her against me. Then she stilled as she realized her back didn’t touch the mossy earth.

A blanket of darkness covered it, cushioning us as I brought my lips to her neck.

Estelle gasped. “You’re?—”

“Celestial too? Don’t act so surprised, Princess.”

She sighed as I hungrily worked my way down her chest. If the taste of her skin was this intoxicating…

I wanted to devour her. To taste every single inch of her. And to take my time doing so.

Her hips lifted, and I answered instinctually, moving against her. She let out a moan that rearranged something vital within me.

Suddenly I was desperate to get her to make that sound again.

“Tell me you want this,” I rasped, grinding my almost-painful hardness against her. “Tell me you want me, anima. ”

Estelle’s eyes met mine, something almost fearful behind that lust-fogged gaze.

“I—I want to believe you,” she whispered.

I pulled down the neckline of her gown, drawing her peaked nipple into my mouth. She gasped and I grinned, before doing the same to the other.

“Not good enough,” I murmured, hearing her sharp inhale as the warmth of my breath fanned across her breast. “If you accept the bond though, you know you’ll be able to sense my intentions.”

“And be bound to you for eternity,” she added disdainfully, even as her fingers threaded into my hair.

Strands of darkness lifted her dress, baring her to me. The smallest scrap of lace covered her, and I worked my way down to it hungrily, kissing and tasting a path down her stomach. Finally, I reached my goal, placing an open mouth kiss against the warm lace that made her hips jerk.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I drawled against her, delighting at the way she squirmed—her hips unconsciously moving toward my face.

“I’m just...not sure…what I?—”

I moved back, looking up at her. “Do you want me to stop?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “No.”

I hooked my fingers under the lace lining either side of her hips, then pulled it down, exposing her to me entirely. Our eyes met just before I slowly licked up her slit, groaning at her taste before doing it again. Her head fell back with a guttural moan.

“Tell me what you want,” I said, as one finger slid inside her teasingly, then another as she clenched around me. Gods, she was so wet, so tight?—

“I don’t know…what I…”

“Yes, you do,” I insisted. My tongue found her center, and her hips bucked as I lazily circled that sensitive bud.

“ Adrian —”

I jolted at the sweet sound of my name on her lips—it was the first time she had deigned to say it. I resisted the urge to beg her to say it again, even though I knew I could spend the rest of my life trying to get her to say it exactly like that.

“Yes, Princess?”

“More…more of that.”

I smiled, then obeyed. My fingers curled beckoningly as I pressed down harder with my tongue with each movement. She writhed against me, and I hardened further at the thought of that responsiveness once I was inside her.

My tongue pushed down, and she came apart, gasping as shudders ran through her body. I kept going, my fingers still moving inside of her as she clenched around me, drawing out every shiver of pleasure before she went limp and sated.

I pressed a kiss against her inner thigh. Estelle’s eyes opened, and she gave me an almost shy smile before leaning toward me. Her lips brushed mine, then she deepened the kiss, her tongue chasing the taste of her pleasure.

Her hand pressed firmly on my chest, then she pushed me back against my darkness, impatiently yanking down my pants before straddling my thighs. I swore under my breath as her hand wrapped around my length, my hips involuntarily bucking against her grip.

She leaned forward, her bare sex tantalizingly close. But she hovered there, seemingly unsure as her wide eyes met mine.

My hands found her hips, bracing her. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” I promised. “We can stop right now. And if you want to wait—for this, for the bond, for all of it—I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

A small smile twisted her lips, the way her mouth curved heartbreakingly perfect.

“I don’t want to wait.”

She dropped her hips, sliding along my length. When she brought just the tip of me inside her, I let out an almost embarrassingly loud groan of need.

So tight, so hot, so…

She winced, and I stilled. “Are you…have you done this before?”

A blush spread across her cheeks, so inviting it was all I could do not to taste it. It was hardly an unusual thing for our kind to have sex before a bonding ceremony, the act of pleasure even encouraged after reaching maturity. But the innocence of her blush confirmed what I had already guessed.

“Not…exactly, no.” She slowly worked me in another inch, and my fingers clenched against her hips, trying to keep myself still. “Puritanical, remember?”

She slid down further, and I struggled to form a coherent thought even as some primal part of me roared to bury myself inside her for eternity. “Estelle…”

“I might be new to this, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to move,” she said with a sinful smile.

I shrugged. “It’s my first time too.”

Her wide eyes met mine. I was hardly inexperienced, but this final boundary…maybe I had known somehow that there was only one person I wanted to be inside of for the rest of my life. As if she had read that thought behind my eyes, Estelle smiled. I lost my breath as she seated herself fully, biting the side of my cheek to keep this from ending far too soon at the rightness, the unimaginable urge to claim her and keep us joined like this forever. But her pained gasp brought me back, quieting the roar of my need. “I—I don’t want to hurt you. Are you?—”

“I’m sure,” Estelle breathed. “Please?”

I rolled my hips against her, gently testing. She let out a small moan, but it wasn’t one of pain. “You never, ever have to beg, Princess.”

She leaned forward, kissing me as she lifted herself, then sank back down. Holding onto her hips, I pulled back slowly, then thrust all the way back in. She whimpered against my mouth, making hot, breathy sounds that I focused on drawing out again and again.

I flipped us over in one smooth motion, making her gasp at the new angle. Her eyelashes fluttered; her hair spread out like a dark corona, strands of my darkness playing with the curls of her hair. She was so, so beautiful, staring at me, entirely unguarded for once. Biting the inside of my cheek, I concentrated on going slow—on making this first time just as perfect as her.

Estelle yanked against the nape of my neck, her breathing ragged as she pulled my lips to hers. Then my hand slipped between us, my thumb pressing down, and her entire body shuddered.

“Adrian… Adrian ?—”

My control broke, and we came apart together.

I fell against her, barely having the wherewithal to keep my shadows in place as I panted against the curve of her neck. Leaving a soft kiss behind her ear, I carefully slid out of her, wrapping my arms around her as I tucked her against me.

My heart twinged at the way she was looking at me. Then her expression closed, and I fought the urge to wince as I watched that wall stack back up behind her eyes.

“You don’t need to be afraid of this,” I murmured. “I would never want you to regret me.”

Estelle stiffened. “I’m not. I don’t. I’m just…” She sighed heavily. “I feel like I don’t have a choice in this. And even if it’s something that’s meant to be, it’s?—”

“Scary?”

She glared at me, and I tucked a strand of her hair behind the point of her ear. “Just because I want this doesn’t mean I’m not scared too.”

Estelle shook her head stubbornly. “There are ramifications of being with me that you aren’t aware of yet.”

“Something to do with the High Queen?”

She startled before that careful mask slid back into place.

“You did accidentally mention something about your birth.” I grinned at her. “Or did you think I already forgot? Considering her gift, I’m guessing a prophecy is involved?”

Her lips tightened and the smile slid from my face.

“Whatever it is isn’t going to change the way I feel about you,” I promised. “Though I have to say I’m intrigued. No wonder she’s taken an interest in your bonding ceremony.”

Estelle started to move away. My arms instinctively tightened around her before I made myself let her go. Forcing the bond on her wouldn’t help either of us. Not when there was obviously something more to it than just trepidation.

She swallowed hard as she pulled up her dress, awkwardly patting down her hair. “I just don’t know you yet. Not really. Even if it feels like I do.”

“I’d say we know each other pretty well, Princess.”

A blush spread enticingly down her neck, and it was all I could do to stop myself from tasting it again.

I shrugged. “Fine then, keep your secrets.”

She blinked in surprise, and I held out my hand. After a long second, she took it.

“You seem remarkably okay with this,” Estelle murmured.

“With whatever you’re hiding from me?” I led her from the willow, the balls of light winking out of existence one by one as we passed them. “I look forward to you trusting me enough to tell me everything. But I’m not in any rush.”

“No rush, except the part where our bonding ceremony is in three days.”

I came to a halt, tipping up her chin with one finger. “I told you already. If you don’t want that, we don’t have to do that either.”

She was already shaking her head. “My father…the High Queen…”

“Have no say in our relationship.”

“You have to know that’s not true,” Estelle said softly, even as her eyes flashed with a hint of her magic. “Half the realm is here on an extended stay to watch our bonding ceremony, whether or not that’s what I want.”

My jaw flexed as I tried to hide my own insecurity at her indecision, especially after what we had just shared. Even if she said she didn’t regret it.

“If choice is what you’re worried about, you should know I have no intention of bonding with anyone who doesn’t consent to it,” I said with forced lightness. “ Anima or not, it’s up to you. And if you say the word, I’ll find a way to put a stop to this. Even if I don’t want to.”

Her mouth quirked. “Here I thought you were trying to convince me to go along with this.”

“Oh, I have a feeling I’ll grow on you despite whatever hang-ups you’re attempting to wedge between us.” I reached out my hand, inwardly sighing in relief as she took it. “But if three days isn’t long enough to convince you, I’ll take however long you need for you to realize what this was always meant to be.”

Estelle blew out a breath. “You really want this, don’t you?”

I laughed, and her lips curved upward before she could hide it. “Of course, I want this. Not only did I find my anima , but for my anima to be you? The brilliant, brave princess who enchanted me from the moment I met her? Not to mention a new, sandless kingdom to explore together.” I smiled at her, my heart stuttering as she smiled back, albeit hesitantly. “The only thing I don’t get is why you don’t. But I’m happy to convince you.”

“Fine.”

“…fine?”

That smile lingered even as her gaze grew serious. “You have until the ceremony to convince me.”

I raised a brow. “And if I don’t?”

She tugged her hand out of my grip, her gown gleaming in the moonlight as she slowly walked away from me. Her hips swayed side to side mesmerizingly as she called over her shoulder, “Three days, Princeling.”