39. Golden Breath #3
His hands slid beneath the edges of her robe, spreading it aside until only the thin barrier of her clothes separated his palms from her skin.
“Off,” he said, voice rough.
She didn’t know if he meant the cloak, the shirt, or her hesitation—but she obeyed on all three counts.
The air caught in her lungs when his bare chest pressed to hers, heat radiating from him like a furnace.
He leaned them both down onto the cushions, caging her beneath the solid weight of him.
The Bond pulsed with azure light, then deepened—thickened—until the edges bled into molten gold.
Her fingers threaded into his hair as his breath whispered into her mouth, down into her lungs, until every nerve lit with heat.
It wasn’t just mana. It was him—the essence of her Silari pouring through her in a seamless, unbroken Weave.
Hands traced the runes at his ribs, each one flaring under her touch.
His hips pressed into hers in a slow, deliberate rhythm, each movement synced to the inhale-exhale of the Breathweave.
His voice inside her head spread like mist, enveloping her as sure as his arms. Take all of me. Every drop. Until you’re burning again.
She arched beneath him, not sure if the heat pooling low in her belly was from the mana or the man.
Likely both. The kiss turned molten, his tongue stroking into her mouth even as the mana flowed harder, faster.
His hands gripped her hips, rolling her up into him in a rhythm that left no space, no air between them.
By the time the Weave peaked, she was shaking, every breath shared, every pulse of her heart syncing perfectly to his. The gold and blue light between them flared bright enough to paint the walls, then sank back into her skin, leaving her flushed and trembling.
Braced over her, his voice in the Bond was a vow. You will never fade in my arms.
And from the knowing smile curving her lips, she believed him.
The Bond hummed with her surrender before the thought even formed.
When her fingers curled into his collar, he gave her his mana again.
Golden essence slid into her on his exhale, liquid fire winding through her limbs, pooling low, burning away the last trace of cold.
She gasped, the sound spilling into a low moan as his hand traced down her thigh, then up beneath the loose drape of her robe.
Her hips shifted in his lap, brushing the hard line of his need, and he angled her to straddle him fully.
The robe loosened beneath his hands, silk sliding away to bare her skin to his heat.
One hand cupped her jaw, the other drew slow, loving paths along her spine until she melted against him. When she whispered his name in the Bond—Kail—it was all the permission he needed. He guided himself into her in one unhurried thrust.
Mana flared. The gold didn’t just weave into her now—it pulsed with every slow movement, every press of his body into hers. Conscious of her recovery, he moved with measured restraint. Beneath his touch, the shadow of exhaustion receded, replaced by the bliss of unity building between them.
She clung to him, nails curling against the back of his neck, Bond-thoughts spilling without filter.
Mine. My breath. My life.
He sealed his mouth over hers, swallowing every sound, every shiver.
The golden light between them flared—bright, consuming—until she shattered in his arms; her cry caught in his kiss.
Only then did he follow, grounding them both in the quiet aftermath, his forehead resting against hers as their hearts stayed perfectly in sync.
That, his voice in the Bond was rough velvet, is how I save you.
"Something tells me this method isn’t in the Doctrine," she murmured, her eyes alight with mischief.
He bumped his hips against hers, a slow, claiming reminder.
It’s one I’ll only share with you, my Sovereign Star.
They lay quiet for a time on the divan, Auryn drifting between realms as Kailorien's fingers brushed through her hair. On one such pass, she took his large hand in both of hers.
I fear this new hunger, Kail. I do not understand it.
He kissed a trail up the nape of her neck. Your body knows what it needs. My heat. My mana—he grazed his teeth against her skin—your Silari.
"We do not know what it means for you to take that title," she said, sighing.
"But I will carry it, if it means protecting you."
She frowned. "I thought as you do once. I took the name of Sokar without understanding the depth of its suffering."
His lips paused, his sigh stirring strands of her hair. "You regret it…"
"No," she cut in. Firm. Certain. "But I worry…your mana is different from mortal men. I have never seen a limit to what you can draw from the Veilweave. But this golden light troubles me. Frightens me. No matter how limitless a sky may seem, every world has an end."
He pulled her against him. "You are my world, Auryn."
She held his hand tight. "And you are mine…that is why, Kailorien, we must be careful. Especially now, when everything seems to be breaking around us."