60. After the Collapse #3
His eyes burned when they met mine. "It’s rather simple, starling. I want you to take as much of me as you can."
Desire curled through me. "Is that right?"
Without breaking eye contact, I leaned forward and licked him from base to tip, savoring the taste of him. His whole body shuddered, a strangled curse escaping his lips.
"Gods, your mouth," he groaned as I took him between my lips, sucking hard. His hand tangled in my hair, not guiding but holding tight as if he needed an anchor.
I took my time, alternating between torturous gentleness and intense suction, watching his control unravel thread by thread. When his breathing grew ragged, when his grip in my hair became almost painful, I met his gaze deliberately, challenging him.
Understanding flashed in his eyes. The hand in my hair tightened, and he began to move, slowly at first, testing. "Is this what you want?" he asked, voice strained.
I hummed my approval around him, and that small vibration seemed to snap the last thread of his restraint. His grip became firmer, more commanding as he controlled the pace, gradually increasing the depth with each careful thrust.
"Take more," he urged, watching me with blazing intensity. I relaxed my throat, allowing him deeper access, and was rewarded with a guttural sound.
He released my hair suddenly.
"Stop," he finally commanded, voice harsh. "I'm not finishing like this. Not tonight."
I pulled back, deliberately licking my lips as I looked up at him. "Too much for you to handle, Prince?"
His eyes were wild and untamed. And the war in them set my blood on fire.
"Get up. Now."
He practically dragged me across the study toward the tall library ladder. With quick efficiency, he tested the mechanism before locking it into place with a decisive click.
He stepped closer, his chest pressing against my back. His hands ran slowly up my sides, tracing every curve. The warmth of his palms burned through me as they continued their journey upward, skimming over my shoulders and down my arms .
He guided my hands forward, placing them firmly on the wooden rungs at shoulder height. His hands clamped around mine.
"Don't let go." His breath was hot against my ear as he leaned in. My knees weakened.
He released me to trail back down my arms, my sides, eventually settling on my hips. He used his knee to nudge my legs apart, positioning me exactly as he wanted.
He pressed against me from behind, his hardness digging into my lower back. "You enjoy provoking me, don't you?" he murmured, his lips brushing the sensitive spot below my ear.
"Yes," I admitted shamelessly. "Desperation is a great look on you."
His hand slid between my legs. "Look at you," he said, voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "Soaked already, starling.”
I moaned as his fingers explored me, teasing but never giving enough pressure where I needed it most. "Xül, please?—"
"Please what?" he taunted, echoing my earlier challenge. "Tell me what you need."
"I need you inside me," I gasped, pride abandoned in the face of desperate desire. "I need you to fuck me. Hard."
One hand gripped my hip firmly while the other slid around to trace teasing patterns across my stomach, gradually moving lower. I trembled with anticipation, my knuckles white as I gripped the ladder rungs.
"I've thought about taking you like this," he murmured, his lips brushing against my shoulder.
I could feel him positioning himself behind me. The sensation sent waves of anticipation through my body. When he finally began to push his cock inside me, the size drew a gasp from my lips.
I arched my back, pressing against him, silently urging him to move faster, to take more. His response was a nip at the junction of my neck and shoulder.
"Patience," he warned, though his voice was strained. "I want to feel every inch of you. "
When he was fully seated, he paused, his chest pressed against my back, his breath ragged against my ear. For a moment, we remained perfectly still, joined completely, the sensation almost overwhelming.
He pulled back before slamming forward, setting a rhythm that started achingly slow but gradually increased in intensity. Each thrust drove me against the ladder, the wooden rungs pressing into my palms.
" Fuck ," he groaned, one hand sliding up to cup my breast, the other still gripping my hip with bruising force.
His pace quickened, each movement becoming more forceful. The sound of our bodies meeting filled the room, punctuated by my gasps and his occasional growls of pleasure.
"More," I begged, pushing back against him. "Harder."
Something seemed to snap within him at my demand. His hand left my breast to tangle in my hair, pulling my head back so he could speak directly into my ear.
"Harder, starling? As if I hadn’t already planned on marking you so thoroughly that every god in every realm would know you belong to me." He slowed, hesitating before slamming back into me. "Leaving my handprints on your thighs, making sure you carry the evidence of my claim on your body."
His words sent a shudder through me. He noticed, of course—those eyes missed nothing.
"You like that idea, don't you?" His voice turned mocking, cruel. "The thought of being marked, owned, used by me?"
"Yes," I gasped, the single word barely coherent as pleasure built within me. "Gods, yes."
“Remind me again who you belong to?” He released my hair to grip both my hips, using the leverage to drive into me with renewed intensity. The change in angle had me seeing stars, each thrust hitting a spot deep inside that sent shockwaves of pleasure through my body.
"You," I gasped, clinging to the ladder as pleasure built to an almost unbearable peak. "I'm yours, Xül. Only yours."
"And I'm yours," he growled. "Every part of me belongs to you, Thais. My body, my heart, my fucking soul—it's all yours."
His crude sincerity, coupled with the relentless rhythm of his body against mine, sent me crashing over the edge. I cried out his name as waves of ecstasy tore through me, barely aware of his own release following moments later, his grip tightening as he emptied himself inside me.
For long moments afterward, we remained locked together, his forehead pressed against my shoulder as we fought to catch our breath. My legs trembled uncontrollably, the ladder now the only thing keeping me upright. His arms wrapped around my waist, supporting me as my strength failed.
When he finally moved, it was to turn me in his embrace. His fingers traced my cheek. Gentle. So gentle now.
He studied my face for a moment before sweeping me into his arms without warning. I let out a startled laugh, instinctively wrapping my arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?" I asked as he started walking.
"Taking you to bed," he replied, kicking the door open with his foot. "Did you think we were finished?"
The path through the darkened corridor was familiar to him, even with the minimal light. His chambers emerged before us, moonlight streaming through the tall windows.
He set me down on the massive bed, but instead of joining me, he stood for a moment, just looking at me with an expression that made my heart race.
"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious under his intense gaze.
"I'm committing this to memory," he said quietly.
The weight of his words settled over me, reminding me of all that was at stake—and of the conversation we needed to have. I patted the space beside me, and he joined me on the bed, pulling me against his chest as if he couldn't bear any distance between us.
"Tomorrow I break free," he said softly. "No more hiding. No more pretending. Whatever happens, whatever he tries to do to us—we face it together."
The moment had come. I took a deep breath, gathering my courage.
"There's something we need to discuss," I said. "About what happens after the Forging."
He tensed slightly. "What about it?"
"I know which domain I’ll choose."
"Draknavor," he said immediately, as if it were already settled. "There’s nothing to discuss."
"No," I said firmly. "I'm committing to Sundralis."
His expression darkened. "Have you gone mad?"
"Thatcher's there," I explained, holding his gaze. "And that's where I need to be right now."
"This is quite an idea, starling. A hasty one?—"
"I'm not choosing anyone over you," I interrupted. "We've decided on each other, and we have an eternity to explore what that means. But I'm not going to sit idly by in Draknavor while all these plans unfold around me."
He was silent, his jaw clenched tight enough that I could see the muscle working beneath his skin.
"Xül," I said softly. "You and I can be fully together after all of this is over—when Olinthar falls. Until then, I have to be with Thatcher. He needs me, and I need to be there, in the heart of Sundralis, close to Olinthar."
"Where I can't protect you," he said, his voice dangerously low.
"Where I can protect myself," I countered. "Where I can be useful."
He turned away, shoulders rigid with tension. "It's too dangerous."
"More dangerous than falling for Death's son while plotting against the King of Gods?" I asked, a hint of dark humor in my voice. "Everything about this is dangerous, Xül. "
He was quiet for so long I thought he might refuse to discuss it further. Finally, he turned back to me, his expression unreadable.
"You've already decided," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"And nothing I say will change your mind."
I snuggled closer, placing my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath my palm. "Not about this. But it doesn't change anything between us. When Morthus takes the throne, I can come back here. To Draknavor. This isn't goodbye. It's strategy."
A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Using my own tactics against me, starling?"
"I learned from the best," I replied. "Besides, you're the one who always tells me to see the larger picture."
He covered my hand with his own. "I'm beginning to regret that particular lesson."
"No, you're not," I said softly.
His eyes searched mine for a long moment before he nodded, resignation and pride warring in his expression. "When this is over?—"
"When this is over," I echoed, "we'll have all the time in the universe."