Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Senara
My eyelids fluttered open, as fragile as butterfly wings in the pale morning light. I was cocooned within Thorn's strong arms, his steady breath a comforting rhythm against my neck. Despite the fatigue that clung to me like dew on a spider web, there's an undeniable energy coursing through me—an electric pulse of desire that matched the beat of my heart.
I shifted slightly, pressing my back deeper into Thorn's solid chest. The movement stirred him awake and I could feel his own need pressing insistently against me, answering the silent call that resonated within me. It was the desire we’d been fighting for too long, one that I’d wanted to give into for a while now, but Thorn had resisted. I told myself not to move again, knowing that things were untenable between us right now regarding the bond and magic.
Thorn's hand moved then, fingers gently drifting over the contours of my arm before settling at my hip. His touch ignited goosebumps across my skin—each one a tiny explosion of sensation adding fuel to the flame of my desire.
"Good morning," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep and something more primal. It vibrated through me like a tuning fork.
"Morning," I managed to whisper back, afraid that any louder might shatter this precious moment suspended between dreams and reality.
I didn’t move as Thorn's lips found that sensitive spot below my ear—a tender kiss sending shivers cascading down my spine. I couldn’t help but arch instinctively toward him, seeking more of his touch—the heat radiating from him seeping into my skin.
The world outside our embrace faded away as we turned to face each other.
“Thorn,” I began, intending to give him the option to stop whatever he just started, to remind him that this wasn’t what he wanted yesterday.
He didn’t let me say anything more though as his lips crashed against my own in a kiss that told me exactly how much he’d been holding back until now.
Thorn's warm lips pressed against mine, soft and demanding. My heart pounded in my chest as his tongue swept into my mouth, tangling with mine in a fierce dance that sent sparks flying through my veins.
The taste of him was intoxicating—a heady mix of mint and desire—and I groaned into the kiss, unable to resist the pull any longer. I turned to face him fully and moved a leg over his hips, so I was straddling him and pressing myself even closer to him. His hands roamed over my skin, tracing patterns on my back and sides that sent shivers down my spine.
The small sticks on the ground cracked as we shifted and I rolled my hips against his, rubbing myself against him like a cat. He nipped at my lower lip and I gasped into the kiss as his heat enveloped me like a blanket on a cold night.
He moved lower, kissing his way down my jaw and neck until he reached the tender skin above my collarbone. With each feather-light touch of his lips, I melted further into him.
His hand slid up under my shirt and he growled at the contact with my bare skin. We both shivered at the electricity that arced between us at this simple touch.
It had been too long, much too long since we’d been able to be together without worrying about someone catching us. In fact, hadn’t we always been worried except for that first night before we knew each other and what we would become to one another.
His hands gripped me tightly, holding me to him as he devoured me, kissing everywhere he could reach; his rough stubble scraped across my cheekbones as he buried his face in my neck and shoulders while one strong hand skimmed down to my hip before rising once more and settling on my rib cage. He nipped at my earlobe tenderly then trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone.
“Thorn,” I gasped as his finger brushed over the delicate skin of my breast. “Thorn, please…” I didn’t have the words any more as his thumb flicked over my nipple making my hips jerk.
I was panting with need and when I looked at him I found him watching me, his pupils dilated with desire and something more, something that made me go a little wild. I reached down between us, sliding my hand over his leathers along the outline of his cock. He groaned and his head tipped back landing against the bark of the tree.
“Tell me what you want, Senara,” he growled, sending a shiver of need through me once more.
“You, Thorn. I want you.”
Both of his hands were under my shirt now, but the leather top I was wearing as armor was preventing him from moving freely. Without asking I yanked at the laces and loosened them, giving him better access before I pulled it up and over my head, not bothering to take it off properly.
It was a bit awkward, but I didn’t care. My desire was too urgent to worry about a little awkwardness. The binding I’d been using for my breasts had come loose a while ago and now, without the leather holding it in place it pooled around my waist, leaving just a thin layer of cotton between my skin and Thorn’s lips.
I was about to remove it when he pushed my breasts up with both hands and took one nipple into his mouth and then the other. His tongue swept over them in hot, languid circles, before he sucked on them, gently scraping his teeth against the tender flesh through the fabric.
I moaned and gave in to the sensations. There was no point in trying to fight whatever was happening, after all, it had been what I wanted for a long time now, so it was okay to let myself enjoy it.
“Pants. Off.” Thorn’s words were grunted out as he continued to play with my nipples and kiss my neck sending ripples of desire to my core, making me ache for him.
“I can’t get them off if you don’t let me go,” I mumbled between moans.
He growled. “Never letting you go again.”
His words pierced my heart and made my desire burn even brighter for him. As soon as he gave me enough room I pushed to my feet, he reached for one foot, pulling one of my boots off as I unbuttoned my leathers and shimmied out of them. Quickly he took off my other boot and pulled his own shirt off as well, but before I could sit down again, he slid his hand between my thighs.
“Fuck, Senara, just the scent of you is enough to make me almost lose control.” His voice was rough with need, which only made me ache for him even more. Thorn ran a finger against my folds. “So wet already. Do you think you’re ready for me?”
I nodded frantically, which made him chuckle before he gently pushed a single finger into me.
Another groan seemed to escape him as he withdrew his finger. “You’re so tight. I’ll need to loosen you up if you’re going to take my cock.”
I wanted to agree but all I could do was watch as he stuck the finger that was just inside me in his mouth and sucked it clean before he reached back out and thrust two fingers inside of me, stretching me open and filling the void that had ached for him for so long. I moaned and arched into his touch, needing more. My hips began to gyrate of their own accord as his free hand cupped my ass, holding me steady as he thrust those fingers in and out stretching me in a way that made me shiver in anticipation. My legs shook with the effort to maintain balance as he pushed me closer to the edge.
The cool air was sharp against my exposed skin now that my pants were off, but it was drowned out by the heat between us—the fire burning within our connection. My breath caught in my throat as he withdrew his fingers and I stumbled from the sudden lack of contact.
I looked down at him and saw him savoring the taste of me on his fingers. Before he could get distracted again I knelt down, quickly unbuttoning his pants.
He lifted his hips and shoved the material down to his knees so his cock was exposed, jutting proudly out of his body. My whole body was awash with anticipation as I looked up at him, waiting for him to deny me.
Instead of doing what I expected he reached out and cupped the back of my neck, pulling me down into a kiss with one hand while the other thrust those two fingers back inside me once more.
Our tongues swirled and I could taste myself on his lips. I wanted more though so I broke away from the kiss, reaching down and positioning his cock just right. Once Thorn removed his hand I sank down onto him.
He slowly slid into me, filling me with one deep thrust that made us both groan aloud. I pushed up off him before sliding back down once more, stretching myself around his cock. His hips jerked forward in an involuntary motion, his body clearly wanting more than just mere inches inside of me.
I gasped as I was stretched to the edge of pain and looked down only to see that there were still inches of his cock to go.
Part of me was determined to get all of him inside me, but the rest of me seriously doubts that it was possible. Still, I rose once more and worked myself up and down on him before pushing further down.
Finally, as our hips connected completely, he groaned my name. “I almost lost you,” he gasped as he clutched me to him. “I can’t believe I ever tried to deny this.”
I couldn’t tell if he was talking to me or to himself.
Before I could respond he had us flipped over with me on the ground and him above me, his golden eye blazing with a mystical fire that still called to me. This time he was the one in control as he began to thrust in and out of me in a steady rhythm that matched the rapid beating of our hearts—his lips found mine once more in a desperate kiss.
Our bodies moved together in perfect synchronicity, every thrust sending waves of pleasure coursing through me. Thorn's muscular form pressed against mine, his skin hot and slick with sweat. I ran my hands down his back, feeling the power in his muscles as he drove into me again and again.
"Senara," he moaned against my neck, his breath hot on my skin. "You feel so good. So tight."
I arched my back, taking him even deeper inside me. The friction was exquisite, each movement sending sparks of ecstasy through my core. I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him on.
"Don't stop," I gasped. "Please, Thorn. Don't ever stop."
He growled low in his throat, a primal sound that sent shivers down my spine. His thrusts became harder, faster, more urgent. I could feel the tension building within me, a coiling heat that threatened to consume me entirely.
Thorn's hand slipped between our bodies, his fingers finding that sensitive bundle of nerves. I cried out at the dual sensations, my inner walls clenching around him. He groaned in response, his hips stuttering slightly before resuming their relentless pace.
"Let go," he commanded, his voice rough with desire. "Come for me, Senara."
His words pushed me over the edge. My orgasm crashed over me in waves of blinding pleasure. I screamed his name as my body convulsed beneath him. Thorn followed soon after, burying himself to the hilt as he found his own release.
For a long moment, we lay there entwined, our bodies slick with sweat and trembling from exertion. Thorn's weight was comforting on top of me, and I never wanted him to move. But eventually he rolled to the side, pulling me with him so that I was cradled against his chest.
I glanced up at him wondering if he regretted what had just happened. Thorn's golden eye had dimmed to a warm amber, filled with tenderness as he gazed down at me. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch gentle, and I didn’t see any doubt on his face.
As our breathing slowly returned to normal, I traced lazy patterns on his skin. "What happens now?" I asked softly, almost afraid to break the spell of the moment.
“Now?” Thorn sighed and his gaze hardened. “We move. The last thing I want is for the corrupted fae to catch up with us and corner us again. Blood Fire Phoenix isn’t something I can do often. The Veil of Life shouldn’t be too far away now. We covered a lot of ground by flying.”
His words reminded me of the vision I’d had with the moon goddess and seeing the fae sprout wings of their own. I couldn’t help but wonder what Thorn would say if I told him I’d spoken to the moon goddess. Multiple times.
Now wasn’t the time to bring that up though, maybe once we were safe again and not worried about being found by corrupted fae at any moment. I couldn’t help but worry that it would be yet another thing that was strange about me, along with the way I healed him, and the fact that we had a soul bond at all.
I couldn’t help but wonder what us having sex again would mean for the bond. Did he still want to try and break it when we found the elves? Or had he really had a change of heart and wanted to keep it after all?