Chapter 27 #3
“I don’t,” he said, holding her gaze, and Lory’s heart did a painful throb, but he wasn’t done.
Somewhere between the wealth of emotions warring in the captain’s expression, his control seemed to snap, and as it did—“Love is too weak a word for what I feel for you, Elory. It’s a mockery for the bond tying me to you and a shadow of what I see when I look at you.
” He squeezed her hand, a reminder that he was here.
That they both were, and they were, for once, really talking.
“When I look at you, I see the future of Brestolya, the freedom of my people. I see fires burning down armies, and I see light… so much light.” He lowered his head, slowly shaking it.
“I see my heart shredded when one day you’ll wake up and realize I’m not worthy of you. ”
When Lory didn’t speak, he lifted his head, peering at her from those storm-gray eyes, and a droplet of water fell from the skies, landing on their joined hands, and inside Lory’s chest, the fiery thread came to life, weaving its path through her dress like a phantom sun.
She barely noticed, transfixed by the conviction on Khayrivven’s face.
“I’m hopeless when it comes to you, Lory.
You’re the beginning and the end of my universe.
Without you, what I’ve been fighting for means nothing, and I’ll happily watch this world go to shit if I can have you.
Maybe that makes me a monster, but you’re mine, Gutter Gem.
And I’m selfish when it comes to you. There is no point in trying to deny it. ”
The world shifted around her as Khayrivven stepped into her space, close enough so her chest rested flush against his.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, not letting go of her hand as he tucked it behind her back alongside his, and with his free hand, he captured her face, tilting her chin up with his thumb and index finger.
His eyes glittered in the dim light of the pending night, and he’d never looked more fierce or beautiful.
And as he leaned in to kiss her, hovering just an inch above her lips as he waited for her to give him a sign she wanted this, Lory wasn’t afraid.
An explosion of emotions ran through her as she rose to her toes to close the gap, his mouth molding over hers with hot greed.
She could die in this moment and wouldn’t question whether this was the right decision, because nothing in this world felt as good as Khayrivven pouring his deadly focus into kissing her, into touching her.
Like feathers, his fingers grazed her neck, the bruises still on her throat, half-covered by her hair.
The wind tore on her skirts as it swept along the carved path, and as Khayrivven lifted her against the wall, his fingers digging into her thighs, thunder clapped above them, and the skies tore open.
Rain caressed her face as she tilted her head back to give Khayrivven better access as he kissed his path along her neckline, and she opened her mouth, tasting the tears of the gods.
If Khayrivven noticed the rain, he didn’t show it, his attention on her skirts as he pulled them out of the way, hands sliding under her dress.
Her undergarments were loose enough for him to slide his fingers underneath with ease.
A low, guttural moan rumbled in Khayrivven’s throat as he dragged his fingertips through her wet folds, and all Lory could think of was that she wanted him. Now.
“I’m at your command, little Flame,” he murmured, and she knew her thought had slipped right into his mind.
“If you want me to fuck you, I will. If you want me to kneel at your feet and worship you with my mouth, I will. If you want me to just kiss you while I slowly burn in your presence, I will gladly do so.”
Desire licked down Lory’s spine like a white-hot tongue, and she knew she wouldn’t get a word out.
So she slid her hand between them, fumbling with the ties of his pants, until his cock sprang free, and Khayrivven groaned as she wrapped her hand around his solid flesh, guiding him past the loose silk of her undergarments.
“Give me everything,” she whispered.
And when Khayrivven thrust into her, the thread in her chest wrapped tighter around her heart.
Mine. It echoed inside her head. Mine.
She didn’t realize the full meaning of it until the moment he stopped holding back—and his thrusts became hard and deep, slow enough to draw a full breath before he plunged back into her every time he pulled back to the tip.
His mouth slammed down on hers, devouring her in a kiss so consuming, she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
The thread glowed a fiery orange now; she could see it with closed eyes, could feel it spiral out of her and into him, out of him and into her.
Lory didn’t feel the hard, rough stone behind her back, couldn’t feel the rain falling from the skies now, the gods pouring their tears upon them; for joy or mourning, she wouldn’t have cared had she noticed her soaked hair and dress.
Mine. Mine. MINE!
His voice echoed in her mind for a minute after he shuddered inside of her, his climax chasing hers by a heartbeat.
And then, the world lay still.