Chapter 70
Aegir stiffened.
His whole body stilled—frozen, just as I had been—and I swore that not even one hair of his moved. I carefully leaned onto him, soon finding myself with my arms wrapped around his neck, my thighs around his waist. The blanket, now drowning somewhere behind me.
He held me so tight, air squeezed out of my lungs. Yet I still found myself burying my face in the space between his neck and shoulder. I pulled him close, absorbing every second of our embrace. It reminded me too much of home.
He took the deepest breath. One that filled him with the reassurance he’d been yearning for all this time. He knew now how I longed for him. How I burned for him.
His hands moved from clenching my back to gently cupping my face. He looked at me with such intent, it felt as if he was studying my face on the eve of an important exam.
“I’m sorry I ran away. I should have spoken to you first. I’m such an idiot. But I was so hurt and enraged and jealous. I just—” My brows turned knitted. “Why are you smiling?”
“You were jealous?”
I gave him a partial eye roll that came with turned-up lips. “If it pleases you so much, then yes, I was very jealous. I had a family of green monsters growing all over my back.”
He chuckled, brushing my cheeks with his thumbs. My eyes tried to avoid his, but he gently nudged my chin, a delicate gesture that made me not want to.
“I’m sorry I took your valuables,” I whispered.
He gave me half a smirk. “It’s all right. I’m sure you took good care of them.”
My lips pursed and I lowered my knitted gaze. “I lost all of your weapons and I may have accidentally broken your compass…but I bought you another one….and…and I spent twenty-seven of your gold coins and eleven silvers.”
To my surprise, he let out a low chuckle, head swaying. “You’re one little troublemaker, aren’t you?”
I gave him a sheepish smile. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Mad at you? I was mad at you hours ago when you tried to die on me. Don’t you ever try to kill me like that.”
I smiled softly at him. “I’ll try not to.”
“You’d better.” He sounded dead serious, but his hands moved gently down the sides of my back and he wrapped them tightly around my waist.
“We found people from Nerithia on Mistgeil Island,” I told him quietly. “More than five hundred.”
“I know. Eldric found them, too, when I sent him to search for you.” My heart swelled with relief.
“Will your brother give them refuge here? He did not believe us.”
“He will.”
“And Marshen? He did good by me.”
“I’ll see to that. I won’t let my brother execute him. We’ll figure something out, I promise.”
My gaze lowered from his eyes to his mouth and my palms went to his face. I slowly traced every one of his features with my fingertips, as if I were blind and needed to feel every contour, every curve, every line.
“You’re the most beautiful man,” I whispered—male, I meant to say.
“You haven’t seen every man.”
“I don’t have to.”
“Well, most-beautiful-man wants to kiss you now,” he said, lifting his arm to graze my jaw.
Well, I couldn’t let him wait, could I?
Our mouths finally collided, sending an immediate jolt of lightning straight through my belly.
It started off fast and urgent, his tongue too eager to meet mine.
Our grip tightened and he devoured me hard, like tomorrow was not guaranteed.
But then he slowed our kiss and took his time with his soft tongue strokes and tender nibbling on my lips.
He cupped my face in his palm; the other he placed at my nape as he worked my mouth.
“You’re so mine,” he rumbled against my lips.
And I swore my belly warmed at just the way he said it.
He kissed me deeper, his hands moving along the column of my back.
My own moved along his thick shoulders, explored his arms, his broad and chiselled chest, his face. I just couldn’t get enough of him.
The world lowered around me as he lifted me up and carried us towards the bath’s landing.
He sat me down, then knelt on a lower step before me.
We kissed greedily for a while longer, my fingers threaded through his thick, dark curls, his own gripping my back.
I held on as he moved his hands towards my front, rubbing both of my hardened breasts with teasing thumbs.
My serrated breaths turned hitched as he glided his tongue over one of them, then the other.
I remained seated upright, my head tilted backwards.
I rested my arms at my sides, my hands pressing firmly on the slate as he leisurely tasted my breasts.
The heat I felt gave me the need to press my legs together, just to sense that bit of pressure, but my legs were spread and sprawled right in front of him, aching for him.
My knees found his sides instead. He licked and pecked his way down along my torso, leaving behind a trail of feverish skin.
Then he lifted his hungry gaze and murmured to me, “Remember what I promised you, Cordelia.”
My reply came out hushed. “I never forgot.”
My breath caught in my chest. They were nothing, I thought.
My dreams, my thoughts, my fantasies. Reality was better, much better.
I lay myself on my back, my arms carelessly thrown above my head, and I shamelessly indulged each and every one of his attentive strokes.
My hands moved to clench his hair. My taut legs quivered.
“Aegir,” I moaned, “I’m, I—” Blatant sounds escaped my mouth as I savoured one release after another, each one dismantling me, skin to bones.
I heard them at first. And then I felt them.
Soft waves splashed against my feet, and water reached my back, soaking my hair.
But I couldn’t care any less. I remained unmoved, other than the heavy rising and falling of my chest. Aegir also seemed to choose oblivion as he climbed on top of me, eager to fulfil the second part of his promise.
His body rested on one elbow, his other hand caressing my face.
I dissolved at his touch, at his sight. And then I dissolved into him.
Our shared breaths turned heated, as did our joined movements.
He moved his mouth from mine only to press soft kisses and bite gently along my jaw.
I moved my arms and pressed my hands against his back, my fingernails dragging along the length of it until reaching and clutching his round rear.
He went for my neck, his tongue grazing the mark—the mark I had protected with my palm when he asked to remove it.
“Never,” I breathed. It slipped out of my mouth without a warning, something in between a whisper and a moan.
Aegir moved his lips close to my ear and rasped, “Forever.”
My grip tightened and I pushed against him.
An invitation that was quickly answered.
A sharp gasp left me. The whole of my skin prickled—it hummed.
He remained there, then cupped my chin, eyes fixed on mine, and he murmured to me, “I, Prince Aegir Hailin, Lord of the Vanguard of Ice, pledge my soul to you, Cordelia Wildheart. My soul is yours, if you wish to have it.”
My own tossed, beckoning me, begging me to accept it, wishing itself to be forever mended with its other half. It surprised me, the unfamiliar longing.
“Aegir.” His name came out as a plea. I managed to choke out my next words. “There are things, things you must know, about me, about who I am.”
His words also came out serrated. “And I want to hear them all. But know that whatever you tell me will not matter. All I want to hear you say is that I’m yours. Because I am yours, right? You said it before—I want to hear you say it again.”
“But your immortality. What if I—”
“Shh,” he hushed against my lips, grazing my lower lip with his front teeth. “I don’t care about that. Please.”
I had not realised how unsettled my soul was until the next words came out of my mouth.