Chapter 29 Luka #3
“I regret it hurt you, but…” She took a deep breath, and those were tears in her eyes when she admitted, “I don’t think I’d change my actions.
He was the only one I had when I was alone.
If that makes me selfish, then I own it, Luka.
I had no one until you came along, and then I was so afraid of losing you…
” Her eyes fell closed, and she tipped her head back against the window.
“It didn’t matter in the end. I suppose I lost you either way. ”
He slid his hand back into her hair, threading it through his fingers and gripping once more, keeping her in place.
“You pissed me off,” he said. “The betrayal gutted me, and yes, I needed time to think. Yes, I wanted you gone. Didn’t want to be in the same space as you.
” She stiffened at the words, screwing her eyes shut even tighter.
“But no matter how hard I tried to hate you, I couldn’t.
Not because of some Marks or some supposed bond, but because you, Tessalyn Ausra, have worked your way under my skin.
I’m as obsessed with you as Theon is, and we have time to make up for.
Nights to claim and trust to rebuild. You didn’t lose me, baby girl.
You may not be my Match or my wife, but you are my light. You are mine.”
Her eyes fluttered open, holding his for seconds that seemed to drag on and on, and then she was pushing up onto her toes, finding his mouth. His lips melted into hers, tongues taunting and teasing while they battled for dominance like they always had, likely always would.
“You can make me suffer now,” she whispered onto his lips, and the growl that rumbled from him was all dragon as he pushed the straps of her top down her arms, freeing her breasts.
He palmed one, savoring the gasp from her as he kneaded the flesh, still gripping her hair in the other hand. Brushing a thumb over her nipple once more, he took her hand and tugged her with him.
Sitting on the edge of the bed to not agitate his wings, he pulled her between his legs. She stared at him, her breasts spilling out of her top, and her chest rising and falling erratically.
Hooking his thumbs into the band of the leggings, he tugged them down as he ordered, “Undress.”
Her lips pursed, but for once she didn’t argue. She took over, slowly peeling the leggings down her legs, stepping out of them and kicking them aside. Then she pulled the top over her head before shimmying out of her undergarments.
“Anything else?” she asked with a smirk while his heated gaze slid over her. He said nothing, only reached for her hips and pulled her back to him, forcing her to straddle his lap. She frowned, her fingertips brushing along his chest. “You’re still partially dressed.”
“And?” he asked, relishing the feel of her touching him again.
“It’s not fair.”
“There’s nothing fair about suffering, temptress,” he replied, leaning in to capture her lips.
Her tongue swiped against his, and she sighed into him, relaxing in his hold.
His hands ran over her ass, squeezing the soft flesh, and the sigh turned into a moan.
Her hands were roaming now, and he knew she was growing hungrier.
But when she rocked against him, rolling her hips against his cock, he nipped her bottom lip at the same time one of his hands left her ass, only to come back with a sharp smack.
She gasped, lurching back and giving him an accusing look.
“We’re not even close to doing that, baby girl,” he said with a low chuckle as he smoothed his hand over the same spot. Her lips pursed, but that was intrigue in her eyes as she held his stare. “Theon said you killed Felicity.”
Her brows crashed together. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Why did you kill her?”
“Because she kept touching Theon,” she answered.
Luka hummed, his hand still smoothing over her flesh. “Maybe you need to learn to share.”
“Absolutely not,” she snarled vehemently.
He smacked her ass again, leaning in to swallow her gasp while he soothed the spot with his hand, feeling her relax into him once more.
“How did you kill her?” he asked when he broke the kiss.
“I punched her in the face,” she said, that now familiar madness creeping into her features. “She kept touching my things. Theon. My dagger. So I sliced it across her throat and then shoved it into her chest.”
Another smack and that had a low moan slipping past her lips. “Luka…” she said breathlessly.
“You know I like seeing you covered in the blood of victory,” he chided.
“It’s not my fault you weren’t there,” she shot back, only to have his hand connect with her ass again.
“There’s that bratty mouth again,” he chastised. “What are we going to do with that, hmm?”
“Luka,” she whined, squirming atop his lap as she clutched at his shoulders.
Another smack.
“Stop grinding against me, Tessa,” he warned.
She was panting now, her hands turning frantic as she ran them over his arms, his chest, and she wasn’t fucking listening anymore. Seeking and wanting. He hadn’t been lying. He was going to reclaim her, but she was going to suffer first.
His hand smacked her ass twice more before he pushed her off his lap. The whine that came from her was downright pitiful, and he chuckled darkly, shoving her toward the chair.
“Is that where you’ve been sleeping, baby girl?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said petulantly as she eyed him. “I didn’t think you’d want me in your bed.”
“Take a seat.”
“I don’t want to sit there,” she replied, lifting her chin as if she would defy him.
“Too bad,” he retorted, his power pushing against her and forcing her ass into the armchair.
“Luka,” she cried again, already trying to stand.
“Stay there, Tessa,” he warned. “I’m not above calling on your husband to keep your ass planted.”
She stilled, and yeah, he knew exactly what those words did to her. Saw the subtle clench of her thighs. The intrigued tilt of her head. Another time, maybe, but this time—this reclaiming—was all his.
“Don’t move,” he ordered. “If you can’t sit still, then you’ll have to watch.”
“Watch wh—”
But her words cut off when he stood and shoved his pants down, taking his cock in his hand and stroking it up and back down. He’d just needed some godsdamn relief because he was hard as fuck.
“Theon said you had stipulations about your newfound marriage,” he said, continuing to stroke himself.
“What?” she asked, distracted and breathless.
“Focus, baby girl,” he chided. “Tell me your stipulations for agreeing to become Theon’s wife.”
Her tongue darted out, gliding along her bottom lip as she watched him. And fuck, she couldn’t be doing something like that right now.
“Tessa,” he snapped when she didn’t answer.
“I…” She shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. “It was a new Mark. Something Cienna created, I think?”
“And your stipulations?”
“It wasn’t so much a stipulation as an open-ended opportunity,” she replied, her hand drifting down her stomach.
“Don’t you dare touch what’s mine, Tessa,” he snarled, smoke accompanying his exhale as the dragon in his soul strained, more than ready to take.
“Luka, please,” she said, tipping her head back in frustration.
“What happened to making you suffer?” he mocked, working his palm over the head of his dick. “Tell me about this open-ended opportunity.”
She bit her lip, and he was so godsdamn close to just hauling her up and sinking into her. He’d spent the last weeks in his cave doing everything in his power to deny himself and her, and while she was suffering, so was he.
“Tell me, Tessa,” he ordered. “Or I’m finishing on you instead of in you, and you’ll be left wanting.”
Her eyes flashed to his. “You wouldn’t.”
His smile was cruel. “I liked seeing myself on your tongue. You think I wouldn’t like it just as much seeing myself on your skin? I would absolutely leave you wanting, and I’d make sure Theon didn’t come to finish the job.”
She scowled up at him. “Asshole.”
“Brat.”
She ground her teeth, shifting in the armchair and rubbing her thighs together. So needy and wanting and fuck.
“Tell me, Tessa,” he barked.
“I only agreed once I knew the Mark could be added to,” she blurted, watching him as if he was going to rebuke her.
“What do you mean, added to?”
“I’m not… I’m different,” she said, and that neediness was turning into something else.
Something he didn’t like.
Uncertainty.
“I’m wild and untamed. I’m an imbalance,” she went on. “But with you—and him—I can breathe. I can sleep. I’m not so uncontrollable when you’re both… It’s unconventional, I know, but I need you both. I can’t fight it anymore. And if that was something you eventually wanted…”
She trailed off, shrugging a shoulder as she turned her head to look away from him. His hand had stilled, dropped to his side as he stared at her. Her stipulation to becoming Theon’s wife was that…she could be his too? If that was something he wanted?
A cry of surprise came from her as he hauled her up, back out of the chair, and spun her around as he sat back on the edge of the bed.
He couldn’t risk the healing of his wings, so this would have to do for now.
Pulling her back onto his lap, her back against his chest, he spread his legs wide, forcing hers wide in turn.
He pushed on her back, making her lean forward some as he used his other hand to line his cock up with her more than ready center.
He thrust up as he pulled her down, sliding into her with one quick move. Hot and tight and godsdamn everything.
“Fuck,” he growled, and she made a sound as she reached behind her, grappling for something to hold on to.
“Please, Luka,” she gasped, but he was already moving.
Gripping her hair once more, he pulled, forcing her to arch her neck back so he could taste her as he pulled out and thrust deep once more. Something between a sigh and a whine came from her, her fingers twisting in the bed covers.
“More. Please,” she moaned.
She didn’t need to ask twice. It was hard and fast. A clear fucking as much as it was a reclaiming.
Her head fell back against his shoulder, and he let her take over sliding up and down his cock as she took from him.
His hands roamed, fingers tracing down her sides, up the planes of her stomach, between her breasts.
His lips never stopped exploring her neck, biting and sucking.
And when he felt her tightening around him, he stood, pulling out and ignoring her disgruntled growl. He was already twisting them around, pushing between her shoulder blades, and forcing her chest to the bed. Kicking her feet wider, he sank back into her, thrusting deeper and harder.
She buried her face in the blankets, trying to muffle her moans, but he wanted to hear every sound. Gathering her hair in a hand, he pulled, making her back arch as she pushed back against him.
“Yes,” she chanted. “Yes, yes, yes.”
He leaned down as he continued to pump into her, making sure she could hear him when he said, “Never tell me you are too wild, too untamed, or too uncontrollable again. Do you understand?”
Tessa only moaned, her arms stretched out above her head as she clenched the comforter in her fingers.
His hand smacked her ass once more, that moan becoming more as she started to clench around his length.
“Say it, Tessa,” he growled.
“I understand,” she gasped out, breathless and completely at his mercy.
“No more sleeping in a fucking armchair. You sleep in a proper bed with me or Theon,” he grunted, his balls drawing up tighter as he came closer and closer to tipping over the edge.
“Yes,” she rasped, and he reached around her, finding her clit. He knew it wouldn’t take much more, and he was right. “Please, Luka,” she moaned again, grinding against his hand.
“You don’t need my permission, baby girl,” he growled. “You take what you want.”
“Gods,” she cried as she fell apart. Her body tightened, a spring ready to snap, and she shuddered as her pleasure ripped through her. Her breathing was erratic as she rode out her orgasm before going limp.
He released her hair, gripping her hips to pound into her, pulling her back into him harder and harder. Then he reached his own release with a final thrust, spilling inside of her as he clutched at her hips, a sheen of sweat on her back.
It took a minute for his own breathing to regulate, but he peppered kisses up her spine as he went, not wanting to pull out of her just yet.
Her skin was salty, and she sighed, her fingers finally releasing the comforter.
It was only then, with her drowsy and sated beneath him, that he noticed the faint cords between them.
A faint midnight blue intertwining with gold so tightly there was no way to tell where one started and the other ended.
It flared, hovering between them for a few seconds, before settling into them.
Something he felt in the depths of his being.
Something his dragon gave a snarled ‘mine’ over.
They cleaned up before she crawled beneath the blankets, stretching like a cat and rolling onto her side to face him. He was lying on his stomach, hoping Cienna would stop by sometime soon. Turning his head, he found her eyes on him and her teeth worrying her bottom lip.
“You’re okay with this?” she asked. “Me and you and me and him?”
“I knew what I was getting into, Tessa,” he answered. “Theon was the one who needed to get on board.”
She nodded, reaching over to run her fingers through his hair. “I want you to know there’s no pressure. About the Mark. It’s your choice. I never want you to feel trapped.”
It was his turn to nod. He knew she was likely wanting an answer, some sort of enthusiastic commitment, but he couldn’t find the words to give that to her just yet.
“Why us?” he asked, not even sure where the question came from.
Her fingers stilled, brows pinching. “Why us what?”
“Why choose us? When we made your life a godsdamn nightmare?” he pushed. “More so Theon, but I did nothing to stop him.”
She was quiet for so long, he wasn’t sure she was going to answer. But her fingers resumed their movement through his hair, nearly lulling him to sleep. One would think he’d had enough of that after three godsdamn weeks.
It was minutes later when her soft voice drifted to him.
“Both of you let me be who I was always meant to be, whether that’s a villain or a saint.
You accept me and all my chaos. Some hate the villains, but I joined them and learned how to love and to be loved.
And maybe it’s not how the rest of the stars love, but it’s ours. ”
She drifted off to sleep, but he didn’t follow her. When her breathing was soft and steady, Luka reached over and ran a finger along the Mark on her wrist.
Villain or saint, she was theirs.