Chapter Ten
I hate thinking about my past.
It is nothing but pain and torture.
But sometimes, you need to look back in order to see a way forward. I hope that is what I am doing here. Moving forward... with her...
Grimacing at the memories that begin to swirl around in my head, I quickly continue on. She deserves to know that whole horrible truth. Then she will understand why I could never be a worthy mate. I only hope that she will still have me as a friend. It is more than I had merely dreamed possible a week ago.
“She trained and forced me to understand every ounce of pleasure I was able to provide to a master for about a hundred years, before I was presented as a gift to the Princess. I was to be her royal courtesan. A few weeks after I was given to the Princess, the pull ignited in my chest.”
At my words, Forsythia rubs a hand across the center of her own chest. The same spot that she explained where she feels her pull to Blake. And perhaps, a pull to me as well.
“ I was in denial for a little while. But eventually, I clung to the feeling like a small string of hope. Not that I was ever foolish enough to believe that a slave was worthy of such a bright gift of love, but that I may use that connection to escape the prison I had become trapped in.”
Knowing her elvish heritage, I carefully approach the next portion of my story, not wanting to upset her but needing her to understand the whole ugly truth of it all.
“Excuse my words Forsythia, but elves are extremely arrogant people as a whole. They didn’t believe I was capable of escaping them, so I was gradually given more leniency. One day, I used that to my advantage. I fled and ran for several weeks while the elven guards tracked me. I did not fear death from exhaustion or injury. I did, however, fear the guards might catch me and force me back to the palace. I feared that my time would run out and that I would be forcibly bound to the royal family. A life bond.”
A quick flash of green eyes has me shuttering. I will never forget the disgust in the Elvish Princess’s eyes when she was presented with me as her betrothed.
“I made my way back to my homeland, or rather the barren space that was once a beautiful lush forest. There, I stumbled on a small forgotten portal to the earthly realm. Counting my blessings, I crossed and quickly destroyed it. Then, I found my way to you through the bond. Once I made it though, I knew that I could offer you nothing as a mate. I was in hiding, running for my life. I was a slave. My life was never my own. Bought, sold, used. I could see how bright your aura was compared to the other witches and knew you were so much more . What could I possibly give you, when I am so much less ? So I watched. I stayed in the shadows, held back by my own fear and struggling with my instinctual need to protect you.”
I stop briefly and reach into my pocket to pull out the dried meat she had given me. I see the tears beginning to pool in her eyes, but I ignore her shame. I will explain the rest so that she can understand my actions and that I mean her no harm, nor will I take anything more than what she gives me.
Opening the cloth, I hold it up slightly so that she can see it.
“This...” I choke on the emotion for a moment before clearing my throat and pushing forward. “This is the first thing anyone has given me since I became a slave.” I lower the cloth to my lap with one hand and reach up to brush my lips with the other.
“And this? This was my first kiss. Kisses are emotional, and never something to be given to a slave. You have already given me more than I had ever dreamed. Please. If you will not let me do anything else, let me help you find your mate. I will leave knowing that you are safe with him once more.”
I hold my breath and stare at the ground. Afraid to look in her eyes. I don’t want to see pity in her beautiful golden orbs.
Her small hand reaches over and pulls my chin to face her. Once I turn, I discover that she is much closer and is sitting on her knees so that she is able to peer directly into my eyes.
“You are not a victim. You are a survivor.“ My breath is taken away when she presses her lips against mine in the most tender caress before pulling back and watching me. Much like I watched her all these years.
There is a conviction in the tone laced within her words that clenches my heart tightly. Her hands move up and cup my cheeks as she speaks again.
“ You fled those awful people to save your life. There is no shame or cowardice in that. You were bought and sold like a trinket at an age where you should have been exploring the world with a mind full of innocence.”
Tears are flowing down her cheeks like tiny rivers, and this time I notice that she has no shame in her eyes. Instead, I see a gentle sort of admiration. “ You are a survivor.”
Who would have thought that four words, spoken by a tiny, clumsy female, would rip open a wound I thought had healed years ago?
She releases my face and places a hand over my rapidly beating heart, but it’s too late. I feel the first tear streak down my cheek and know that more will follow.
Is this what it is like? Not to watch, but to be seen ?
“You’re a survivor, Lucian. And not just for going through what you have and coming out the other side stronger, but because you are the last of your people. That pride shines straight through your strong voice when you speak of them. You are just as much of a gentle and protective soul, as you are a fighter. I don’t need to know you for longer than I have, to understand who you truly are deep inside, Lucian.”
She moves until our lips nearly touch.
“And if the Gods have chosen you as one of my soul-bonded mates, then it is I who am honored.“ She gently presses her lips against mine, and I feel something inside of me snap.
I turn and pull her to me. Her body melts against mine, and I feel her instantly relax. That single motion. That innocent involuntary show of complete and total trust is all it takes.
I love her.
Fully. Wholly. I am hers .
Every breath. Every heartbeat. They only exist for her.
I may have found my freedom when our bond ignited, but I found myself in her.
She tastes like honey & lemons. So sweet and yet, tart. She moans into my mouth when I swipe my tongue along hers again, and the sound makes my wings instantly spring free. She pulls back a little and gasps at the sudden movement from them. But when her eyes dance around them, followed by her soft fingertips, I begin to feel far more primal urges.
One thing I have always managed to keep from my captors was my wings. They are something else I can give to her. I wrap them around her back and pull her close to me while trailing kisses across her neck, inciting the sweetest-sounding giggles. She pushes away a little, and I loosen my wings’ hold on her.
I am not actually sure what I expect her to do, but when she reaches down, grasps the bottom of her shirt and pulls it up over her head… well, I don’t have to feign the surprised look on my face. She just smirks and then unclasps her bra and tosses it away just as quickly and her beautiful breasts spring free from their cage.
The sight knocks the wind from my lungs and causes my cock to jump so hard in my pants I fear it may actually punch a hole through them to get to her. The star is dipping low in the sky, and night is crawling in around us. The tiny last rays of light peeking through the trees dance across her exposed skin. She arches back a little, and her pert nipples point directly at me. I can not stop myself from licking my lips, on the verge of begging her for a taste.
She must know where my thoughts are as she offers me a very suspicious smirk.
Taking that as my cue, I reach forward to give into my aching need to touch her, but her hand snatches mine out of the air. I look at her, the confusion showing clearly on my face.
“I am choosing you as my mate. I am declaring you worthy of our bond, and I want that bond to be initiated on your pleasures, Lucian. Not mine.“ She lets go of my hand, and I gulp loudly.
My pleasures?
I have no clue what that could mean, but my heart is pounding at the fact that she not only wants me but wants to confirm our bond.
With a steel determination, I vow to give her everything within my power. If she wants to pleasure me, then it will be my honor. I finally manage to nod at her, and a smile so blindingly bright lights her face.
She reaches forward and gently trails her fingers under the bottom of my shirt. My body shutters in response.
I cannot say I have felt that before.
She grasps the material and begins to pull it up my body. I tuck my wings in for a moment and duck a little so that she can pull the fabric over my head before tossing it… wherever she tossed her things. I am sure we will sort it out later on.
Once again I have to clench my fists as my fingers itch to explore her exposed flesh. My mouth is watering at the thought of tasting even just one of those perfect nipples.
Focusing again on my wings, I unfurl them from my back, but before I can bring them close to her, she lets out a growl of appreciation and begins feverishly tracing every inch of my exposed skin with her hands. She presses me back lightly, and I respond by gently lowering myself to the log until I am lying flat against it. Her touches send tiny jolts of electricity through me, and my body shivers in response. Then she pulls away for a moment, and I hear her shifting around. Before I can angle my head enough to see what she is up to, she begins to run her hands up my legs, and when she traces them up my thighs, my brains leak out of my ears.
She moves up to my abdomen, and I suddenly find that I want her so desperately to touch me. Everywhere . As her hands reach just below my pecs, I notice that she has moved her entire body up with her arms. I feel her nipples brush against my stomach, and my hands instinctively move to touch them, but again she snatches my hands before they reach their target.
This time an actual growl escapes my throat and causes her to laugh. The darkness has been creeping in around us, but when a breeze blows through the trees and allows more light to touch her, I see that the shuffling around was her tossing away the rest of her clothes. She straddles me, and I get a front-row look at the whole of her.
She’s let her hair down, and the soft, chocolate curls hang freely down her arms and wings. Her eyes have their golden glow that seems to emit their own light. She catches her lip in her teeth, and I find myself wanting to do the same. But she still has a hold of my hands, keeping me pinned in place. So instead, my eyes travel across her neck and down to her beautiful breasts that I will forever dream about burying my face between. I continue to look my fill, making note of the glorious hips straddling me and the perfect slit between her magnificent thighs.
I have only a brief moment of fear for the size of her tiny slit and its compatibility with my larger member before she is leaning forward again. Her nipples brush against my skin as she plants tiny electric kisses across my bare chest. When I feel the tip of her tail dip into my pants and trace along my hip bone, my eyes roll back in my head.
Fuck, I need her.
I suddenly realize what she means by my pleasure.
Surely, she means to torture me and make me come before I even get to test the worrisome theory of my size versus hers.
What a gloriously naughty mate the Gods have gifted me.