Chapter 9 #2
His fingers dug harder into my skin, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, careful of his injuries, and pulled him to me. The silk of my wedding gown bunched between us, lifting as he slid his hands beneath it, over my hips and between my thighs.
Our tongues danced together hard and hungry. The claws of one hand found the edge of my panties while the other hand went to my breast.
He kissed me, hard, hungry, desperate. As if I were the only thing left in his world that mattered.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, tugging him closer as his hands roamed over me, my mouth just as hungry and demanding as his. Our bond thrummed with shared desire, each sensation echoing between us. His lips trailed fire down my neck, and I gasped as he nipped at the sensitive spot below my ear.
“You like that?” he purred as he braced me against the wall.
I whimpered, feeling as if I might implode.
“Good. Keep making those sweet noises.” He nibbled, then nipped a line down my neck as his claws gently pressed against my core. “I don’t have my shadows to help tend to you this time, so I suppose you’ll have to settle for me.”
A sharp gasp escaped before I could stop it, and I clamped a hand over my mouth.
A feral grin spread across his face, one that screamed possessive and primal.
He kissed me again, swallowing every whimper as his fingers dipped lower, gliding over my wet folds.
His touch was slow, teasing, precise, and playful, even with the claws on his fingertips, dragging over me in strokes that made me arch and my pulse gallop.
I rocked against his hand, desperate for more, but he held me right on the edge, denying me the friction I needed.
Groaning, he pressed harder, but still not enough, before his mouth returned to mine in a kiss that stole my breath.
I gave him every gasp and moan.
His hands mapped every inch of me like he was memorizing each contour and tremble. As if tonight might be our last, he hooked a claw in my panties and yanked them down in one smooth motion, letting them fall to the floor.
Cool air kissed my skin.
I trembled, staring at him through half-lidded eyes. He was my mate. He was mine.
His thumb brushed my cheek. Then he caught my chin and tipped my face up, his gaze burning through me. “I love you more than life itself,” he rasped. “My magic, my kingdom, none of it matters next to you.”
Then his lips crashed over mine again. He tasted of smoke and salt. Like everything I shouldn’t want, and everything I could never live without.
My wolf surged forward, needing the connection just as much as I did. The pulse in his neck called to me, and I didn’t hold back.
I bit him hard, right above the collarbone.
He shuddered as blood welled under my tongue, hot and metallic. I licked it slowly, relishing the way his body responded to me.
His growl vibrated deep in his chest. Then his hand shot up to the nape of my neck. His claws grazed my skin as he tugged firmly to remind me who he was.
That I belonged to him.
“My…wolf,” he said, the word unnatural on his tongue and yet so beautiful. “My claws and fangs don’t scare you?” His thumb brushed my cheek.
My breath caught, and heat coiled in my core. I tilted my head and grinned. “Your claws are magnificent, but your fangs? Are they really big enough to be called fangs?”
His eyes darkened, and a low growl rumbled. “Every part of me is more than big enough to satisfy you, and I know how to use all of it.”
His fangs nipped at the base of my shoulder, and my wolf whimpered. Even though our connection was complete, the act of sharing blood was so personal. His teeth sank into the soft place where neck met shoulder, and I gasped. His palm slid over my mouth, muffling the needy sound.
His tongue swept over the bite, and pleasure spiked through me like lightning. My legs locked around his hips, and he tugged the bodice of my gown down to my waist in one sharp jerk, baring my breasts.
The silk pooled at my ribs, but I barely noticed. All I could feel was him.
His mouth trailed down my chest, lips parting over the swell of my breast. He sucked a bruise into the flesh, bit down hard enough to sting, then soft enough to make me moan. My hands fumbled at his shirt, desperate for skin to skin. “Fuck!”
He chuckled. “Feck.”
I grinned, even as my breath caught. “That’s such a stupid word.”
With a wicked glint in his eyes, his tongue swept into my mouth just as his fingers slid inside me.
I jolted as pleasure crashed through me.
Hold still, he commanded. Curling his hand in just the right way, he made me feel the careful caress of his claws with every movement. His mouth pressed to the hollow of my throat, his tongue licking a line to my jaw as his hands devastated me.
He leaned back just enough to look down at me. His eyes blazed molten silver, pupils blown wide. “Perfection. You are pure perfection.”
My pulse pounded, and I gave him a hungry little smile and hooked my fingers into his belt. His hard length pressed against my core, and I groaned.
“This is so unfair.” I cupped his hardness. “I’m practically naked, and you’re still dressed.”
He arched a brow. “Not for long.”
Stripping the gown the rest of the way off my body, he flung it aside.
I growled and struck his shoulder lightly. “Get your clothes off before I take what’s mine.”
His grin turned feral. “Come claim me, my beloved.”
His shirt vanished, tossed somewhere behind us, and I took in his blood-smeared skin and bandaged wounds. I reached for the edge of the wrapping, intending to smooth it down, but he caught my wrist and pressed a kiss to the inside. “Later. I need you.”
And his mouth was back on me, licking one of my nipples. He alternated between sucking, licking, and biting, every stroke more possessive. I whimpered as his hand slid up my thigh again, driving me to the edge.
He plunged his fingers inside me, slow and sure, and my body clenched around them. I couldn’t get enough of him. His claws scraped gently, drawing out another whimper.
“You’re loud,” he murmured, his voice thick with pride. “Do you want them to hear you?”
I shuddered. “Yes,” I gasped, then bit my lip. “No. Maybe. I don’t care.”
I tried to choke back my moans. I didn’t want an audience, but everyone probably knew what we were doing. “You’re still wearing your pants.”
“Not for long,” he repeated.
The catch in his voice sent a shockwave through me. He stepped back half a pace and reached for his belt. The buckle gave with a low clink, and his pants slid over his hips. Leaning forward, I tugged them farther down, scraping my nails over the hard lines of his thighs.
He was magnificent–every inch of him. All muscle and power. All mine.
With a low growl, he pulled me flush against him, hips grinding against my inner thighs and the thick ridge of him rubbing against me, hard and hot.
“Easy, my sweet bride.” His fingers worked me open again. His thumb circled, stroked, and flicked. The friction continued to build until I could barely think. Then the head of his dick nudged against my folds.
I clutched his shoulders and gasped as his hips bucked. Harder.
He laughed roughly. “Patience, my love.”
“Never.”
My head dropped back against the wall as he pushed deeper, stretching me until I was full.
Then he moved.
Slowly at first, going deep and at a steady pace. He pressed me against the wall, and the crate beneath me groaned in protest. Every time I clenched around him, he let out a ragged breath and murmured my name.
Everything we felt for each other exploded through our bond, and his body tensed each time I drew close to my own release.
His mouth found my throat, and his teeth and tongue grazed the mark he’d made, then lowered until his lips traveled even lower, closing around my nipple. He sucked and bit repeatedly until pleasure and pain blended together.
It was all too much, yet not enough.
He snarled and slammed me harder against the wall. The crate shook under me, and the whole room trembled with every brutal thrust. His wings flared behind him, shuddering with each movement.
One arm wrapped around my back, bending me into a perfect arch, while the other slid up my throat, his thumb pinning my jaw. His eyes locked with mine. “Look,” he rasped. “You’re all I see. All I want.”
He devoured me like we were the last two alive. Like I was his salvation and his ruin. Like he could never get close enough, deep enough, hard enough to satisfy the ache. And I felt the same for him.
I wrapped my legs tighter around his waist, heels digging into the muscles of his back. I met every thrust with a desperate need. Our pleasure started blending together until I wasn’t sure what was his and what was mine. The bond between us crackled.
He drove into me with his jaw clenched and his fangs bared. “You’re mine,” he growled.
“You are mine.” I could barely form the words. My entire body was tightening, the heat in my belly nearly too much. “Always.”
His hand slipped between us, his thumb stroking my clit. My body shattered as an orgasm crashed through me. I bit back a scream, and he slammed in deep. His whole body quivered as his ecstasy mixed with mine.
My vision whited, then blurred back. The euphoria between us strengthened as we both fell farther than ever before. His head dropped to mine, both of us breathing hard, our bodies locked together. I felt every pulse inside me, every shudder that passed from him into me.
I cupped his jaw, brushing sweat from his cheekbone. He shivered once, chest rising slower now, and gathered me in so tight I could barely breathe.
He pressed his mouth to my forehead in a tender kiss, and he lingered.
I clung to him, knowing the peace wouldn’t last. Soon, we’d have to get dressed, go back, and return to the gathering room with all its tension and decisions that still had to be made. The weight of this brokenness pressed in on us.
But for now, we had this.
He pulled back enough to look at me. A soft smile spread over his lips, softening the sharp lines of his face.
"I love you, Briar. More than I thought possible.
" He cupped my face in his hands, his touch reverent.
"No matter what happens, remember that. Even if I had known you were Aureline before we were wed, I still would have chosen you. "
Heat flooded my chest, the warmth expanding until I thought I might burst. “When this is all over, we need to find a place where no one can find us. Where we can just be. At least for a little while.”
A low chuckle rumbled through him, vibrating into my bones. He whispered, “I agree, my love.”
He kissed me again, then stepped back and sighed.
I understood that sigh. It was time.
Sliding off the crate, I cleaned up as best I could. One of the nearby chests held waterskins, bandages, and healing salves. A full bath would have been nice, but this would do for now.
“Well.” I brushed hair away from my face and wrung out a damp cloth. “Time to return to all our cares and responsibilities, Shadow Vaddy.”
Vad froze mid-motion. His head cocked, and his expression twisted between horror and reluctant amusement. “What did you just call me?”
“Shadow Vaddy.” I twirled the cloth like a lasso before tossing it into the crate. “It’s an Earth thing.”
He grunted, unimpressed. “My name is Vad. Not Vaddy.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “I’ll be certain to remember that the next time we fight.”
When I began to gather my wedding dress, it came apart in my hands, separating into multiple garments.
A slim, pale lavender slip slid free. Interesting.
When I’d first worn it, the fabric had wrapped around me seamlessly, forming a full ensemble, including undergarments, corset, overskirt, and shoes.
Now it seemed to have separated into individual garments, as if the magic had begun to unravel.
I held the slip. It resembled a sturdy sundress and was far more practical for movement than a full gown. The outer layers pooled at my feet, still blood-speckled but hauntingly beautiful.
Fate had made this for me. And the shoes were some of my favorites. They still said Shadow Queen on the bottom.
Vad pushed his long, dark waves out of his face. A contemplative smile spread as he watched me. “Part of me resents that this is where we finally consummated our marriage. I wanted to spoil you, feed you the finest delicacies of my kingdom, and wrap you in silks and velvets. But here we are.”
I tied my hair back with a strip of white cloth from the crate. “So long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we are. Though I wouldn’t say no to a hot meal that wasn’t that broth Vyraetos was making.”
“Soldier stew. It’s his specialty.” He picked up his torn shirt and pulled it on.
I lifted a brow. “Made out of actual soldiers?”
He snorted. “Probably best not to inquire too much on the ingredients. It tastes like shit, but it’ll keep you standing when you have nothing else.” Vad pressed his lips together. “Our next focus should be clothing. We need armor, at least leather. Anything's better than nothing at all.”
“What about the clothing we found in the Healing Hall?” I smoothed the slip down my thighs and glanced at the discarded robes we’d scavenged earlier.
“Better than the wedding dress.” He winked
I opened my mouth to reply when a scream tore through the air.
One of terror, not pain.
It came from the gathering room.
Something was wrong.