Chapter 43
Chapter
Forty-Three
ALLIE
I didn’t know if I would implode or explode, but my body was definitely not coming out of this the same.
Under Ryker’s careful touches, it had already turned more pliable than it had ever been. Like he’d melted all the steel I’d needed to be the fearsome Huntress. Not through force or lies, but with a controlled gentleness that made me want more
He peppered small kisses up my thighs, the sensation coursing through me deliciously. But the thing that drove me absolutely wild was how he kept his hungry gaze locked on me.
“Your skin is so soft.” His breath ghosted against me as his tongue darted out to taste that small bundle of nerves behind my knees that made my eyes roll in the back of my head.
Slowly, achingly slowly, he began to spread my legs apart, fierce stare dissipating all of my inhibitions.
Whatever reservations or hesitations I usually had vanished. I couldn’t feel anything but powerful and wanted when he looked at me with such reverent hunger.
He kept kissing up my thigh and inhaled deeply, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “You smell so good.”
My eyelids fluttered as another wave of lust washed over me. His voice, cool gravel, was seducing me. That’s what this was.
The slow seduction of The Huntress.
And she loved it, almost purring deep inside of me.
She’d recognized an equal in the same bed and was curious what he could do. What I wanted him to do.
Ryker tsked, a smile in his soft tone. “Eyes on me, Allie.”
My eyes snapped open. My name slipped off his tongue like a caress, slow and determinate.
He slowly raised my right leg over his shoulder, the muscles on his chest and back roiled deliciously with the movement. Small drops of water still played on his skin. I wanted to lap each of them up.
When Ryker finally–mercifully–dipped his head between my legs, mouth doing deliciously depraved things to my heated flesh, the last of my control slipped.
A moan dripped from my mouth, even as my teeth dug into my bottom lip. My hips rose of their own accord.
But Ryker wasn’t having that.
He splayed a steady hand on my stomach, pinning me to the bed.
I tugged on the sheets, staring at the amazing man working my body into a frenzy.
The sounds escaping my throat were raw, melting in with his groans, which vibrated straight through my center.
Gods, I hoped these stone walls were thick enough.
His free hand roamed up my thigh, drawing small circles on my skin. He was such a tease, every movement designed to make me writhe underneath his mouth.
Slowly, his fingers found my center. We both gasped, our voices melting together.
He found the bundle of nerves in two quick strokes, caressing it with precise tenderness. For all the time we’d spent together, that particular spot had always eluded Waden.
“Gods, you’re so warm.” He licked one long line, drawing another moan from me. “I can’t wait to be inside of you.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” My head rolled on the sheets. I was feverish, delirious, out of my mind.
Ryker gave a low laugh, the sensation sending shivers skittering through me. “Patience.”
A second finger joined the first, tormenting me. My chest arched off the bed. My right hand shot out, covering the palm he pressed against my stomach.
Even if the sky fell down on top of us, even if Solkar himself paid another visit to us mortals, I couldn't keep still.
But I didn’t want Ryker to let me go.
He only smirked up at me. “I was wondering how long you’d last.”
The absolute nerve of–“I’m wondering how long you’ll last.”
No doubt about it, I was completely out of my mind.
Ryker spanked my ass cheek–and godsdammit if that didn’t make me moan.
“Brat. My brat,” he muttered, making me tremble in a whole new way. “Love hearing that slashing tongue of yours again. Welcome back.”
“Glad to be here. Literal–” I shuddered as Ryker began to slide his fingers in and out of me. “Don’t stop.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” His grin turned merciless. “At least not this time.”
Excitement coursed through me. Yes, there would definitely be a next time.
Now that I’d gotten a chance to discover what being truly wanted meant–not for titles, long legs, or for the thrill of it–I knew I wanted more.
And that terrified me, underneath all this pleasure and desire.
But all I could focus on was the way his fingers did terrible, wonderful things to my body.
No responsibilities, no expectations. Just this man who looked at me like he’d waiting for me to appear his entire life.
His grip on my leg increased, as if he wanted to both ground me and never let me go. His satisfied growls matched my own moans.
His hand grabbed mine, twisting our fingers, as my body trembled out of my control.
A subtle touch, but one which sent me over the edge.
This wasn’t just lust.
This was passion.
True, raw desire.
I soared higher and higher, knowing he’ll be right there to catch me. My back arched off the bed and my mouth opened into a silent scream as my body blazed alive. Wave after wave of pure pleasure crashed in and over me, until I was spent and satisfied.
I sunk back down into the mattress, limbs still shivering.
So that is what ecstasy felt like.
This was different, in the absolute best way.
Only once the shivers completely faded away did Ryker crawl back on top of me licking his lips. When we were once again face to face, he brought his fingers to his mouth and licked every one of them, groaning in satisfaction.
Just like that, I wanted him all over again.
My impatience seemed to have brushed up on him, too. He yanked the towel off his hips–how it had clung to it while we’d writhed was beyond me–and I finally could feel all of him.
And his body truly was perfect, in every single way.
I grabbed the back of his neck and claimed his lips in a fiery kiss. I moaned as I tasted myself on his tongue.
I couldn’t wait anymore.
I wanted him inside of me, hot and hard.
But there was one problem. A huge one.
I ripped my mouth from his with a gasp. “I didn’t drink Mother’s Mercy.”
I haven’t had the potion in so long, I didn’t even remember the recipe to brew the potion.
Ryker frowned. “What in the underworld is that? An aphrodisiac?”
“No, a potion you drink to prevent those precious heirs from popping out before you’re ready.”
“Ah. We call it Lover’s Luck.” He nuzzled my neck as if we didn’t have a huge problem on our hands.
“Do you have some?” I asked, sounding too hopeful even to my own ears. Gods, wearing my eagerness so openly was strange.
“No need.” He kissed my clavicle. “You do remember I also have power, yes? Power which can control every single cell of the body–inside or outside it.”
Now that was impressive. “You can prevent pregnancies?”
“Yes, for how long is required.” He stilled suddenly. “I only control my body, of course. Not yours. I remember what I promised.”
It took me a few moments for the memory to burst through the haze of pleasure.
On the day I woke up here, he’d used his power to freeze my body so I wouldn’t attack him.
A shiver coursed down my spine at the thought, but it wasn’t born out of fear, like before.
“I hadn’t even thought about that possibility. You promised, I believed you,” I said.
It was as simple as that.
The kiss he gave me was different than all the others. Not brimming with desire, not searing, not playful.
It was deep and slow and vulnerable. He took his sweet time tasting me sweetly, making my toes curl.
Caught in the moment, our bodies moved of their own accord, sliding against each other, hips lining up. It felt so natural. So easy. So…welcomed.
Without breaking the kiss, Ryker pushed inside of me achingly slow, filling me inch by inch, just like I’d craved. My hands grasped his shoulders and didn’t let go, as my world spun around me–only this time, in the best possible way.
We moaned at the same time, breaths mingling just like our bodies did.
Ryker lowered his head to the crook of my neck, where his breathing always lingered longest. “Breathe. Just breathe.”
I didn’t know if he was talking to me or himself. But when he started moving inside of me, the air whooshed out of my lungs.
Each little groan that escaped me spurred him on. His movements were gentle and controlled, but the sounds escaping his throat sounded feral. One of his hands tangled in my hair, pinning me down.
The other covered my clavicle, his thumb resting on my pulse point–and that drove me fucking mad.
I covered his palm with mine and tugged it fully over my neck. He stilled for the briefest moment, letting me take control for once.
I could only guess what he was thinking, but it must have been the same memories that whirled around in my head–Orion choking the life out of me.
But that moment had been about betrayal.
This was about trust.
I wanted that awful memory to fade. Vanish in a sea of pleasure until not even his scars remained on my mind.
Ryker still waited for my cue, obviously unsure where this was going–and I adored that.
I pressed my palm against his hand and increased his grip.
He shuddered above me, the sensation divine inside of me.
He didn’t clench and he definitely didn’t choke. He just pressed enough to feel him there. I knew I could stop this with one word and he knew it, too.
But, gods, it felt good to pretend.
An otherworldly groan melted from my lips.
“Fuck,” he whispered, his other hand digging into my hip, pinning me further under him. He caught on fast. Smart man. “You like that?”
“Love it.”
I’d never ever done anything like this before. I hadn’t even had the guts to say it.
But it was an unspoken testament about how much I trusted Ryker to not take advantage of the pretend control I was giving him.
One word and this would stop in an instant.
I knew that.
He definitely knew that.
And it made everything wonderful.
“You and I–” He stole another searing kiss from me. “–are going to have a lot of fun together.”
Of that I had no doubt.
All that mattered now was the way our bodies fit together so perfectly. I met him thrust for thrust, nails digging into his back, my lips hot against the shell of his ear.
His hand on my hip snaked up and caught my palm, intertwining our fingers once more as he drove into me hard enough to shake the entire bed. The sculpted canopy of twigs vibrated above us, as the forest itself was listening to our groans.
“Look at me,” he growled. I hadn’t even noticed my eyes closing, too caught up in this storm rising within me. But, for the first time, it didn’t want to defend or attack. It rose up to enjoy. “I want to see you come undone once more. I want to feel you clenching around me.”
And I did.
And I screamed.
And I fucking loved it.
I’d barely blinked myself out of the stupor when Ryker’s growl thrummed through me, blazing through my veins. For a moment, I felt another wave of pleasure crash over me, as if I’d felt his release from his own mind.
But that would have been impossible.
He touched his forehead against mine, such a sweet, simple gesture that made my heart soar more than it should have.
He whispered things in an ancient language I didn’t understand, his arms circling around me in a soft embrace.
Slowly, our breathing began to quiet.
I’d never…i’d never felt like this.
He was still inside of me, yet I felt safe and cherished.
Not the safety of having the Protectorate at my back, not the one my family name or my titles or my bow had given me.
The safety of someone who saw me .
The woman who could talk herself away from death’s grip himself, but who somehow stuttered in sweets shops.
The one who’d made a name for herself from archery but hadn’t touched a bow until he threw one at her.
Ryker seemed to want me not because of who I was, but in spite of it.
He wanted me. Wanted to know me. That I liked, what I didn’t, what made me tremble and what made me think.
Nobody had cared that much about my inner world. Not like this.
Since I’d woken up in this frozen land, he’d tried to make my life easier. Perhaps too harsh at times, too direct, but that had been his goal.
We’d both been thrust into each other’s lives, sealed by the same massacre and Clan Council decree.
Yet he’d accepted fate while I’d fought it.
He’d tried to bridge the gap while I’d wanted to deepen it.
And now, I wondered why . Why had I fought this so much?
Maybe because I was so upset at the reality I’d found myself in.
Maybe because the wounds Waden had left on me still stung enough that I feared to hope again.
Perhaps it was because he was the Commander and I’d been Protectorate royalty, designed to be foes until the unavoidable end.
Yet here we were, drinking each other in.
I was tired of worrying. For a moment, he’d helped me let go and just enjoy .
I’d writhed under him and the sky hadn’t fallen to punish us.
All we’d experience was pure pleasure.
I smiled up at him, as if my world hadn’t been turned inside out. As if I hadn’t been betrayed and lied to. As if I hadn’t lost my Clan and title of First Daughter.
I smiled like a woman who had been totally and completely satisfied.
“Did you like that?” he asked, voice husky and low. But there was a shift in his eyes. They’d turned more guarded. Hesitant. As if he was both hopeful and afraid of the answer.
“I loved it.” I sealed my admission with a kiss, hoping the sway of my lips could transmit the words they couldn’t form right now. It had been exquisite and I loved it–perhaps a bit too much. “And you?”
It was my turn to hesitate and wonder. I wanted him to have enjoyed this as much as I did.
I needed it.
“It was amazing.” He kissed my shoulder tenderly. “Perfect. Better than I even imagined.”
A giggle escaped me, his nose tickling my neck. But just as my entire being relaxed into his embrace, old ghosts howled.
“You are amazing.” He kept kissing my skin, as if he wanted to remember every inch and every freckle. “Perfect. Glorious.”
Glorious .
The one word which could spread ice through my veins.
The word Waden always called me.
It cracked through me, opening old wounds I’d prayed to be stitched forever.
No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on Ryker’s kisses or how much I tried to convince myself that this was different– he was different, he would never do what Waden did–the fear took hold of me.
The shadow of Waden’s betrayal slithered in the room, suffocating all my bliss.
I fought the memories and the dread slowly taking over me, as fiercely as I did in battle.
But, in the end, I lost.