Chapter 25
Elina
I wake to sunlight kissing my skin, soft strokes caressing my cheeks.
Blinking against the light, I greet the sun through a big opening in what appears to be a forest shelter.
Trees and blue skies adorn the space around the bright orb.
But something draws my attention more than the beautiful sight.
Turning my gaze to my left, I come face-to-face with Ulf’s hard expression.
Except, it’s just the lines and the icy blue of his gaze that are severe today.
The look in his eyes is soft, full of affection, as he keeps caressing me, head propped on his elbow.
“Am I dreaming?” I whisper.
He slowly shakes his head.
Remembering myself, I lift a hand to my mouth. “Sorry,” I mutter.
A flash of uncertainty makes me look away.
I have no idea how to navigate this new situation.
I barely have any idea where we are and what we are.
I remember the vows I made—the vows he made.
Follow and obey. Protect, guide, and take care of.
I remember the drums, the crowd, the whip, and Ulf’s carnal possession.
And I remember vague glimpses of being carried up the mountain and placed on this cot.
At the time, it all somehow made sense, but now, in the light of day, I can’t seem to make heads and tails of it.
“It’s okay. Unless I explicitly tell you not to speak, you may address me however and whenever you like. The barrier has been dissolved now that you belong to me.”
“Oh, okay,” I simply say, drawing a steadying breath as I glance at him and away again. Being close to him now is as overwhelming as ever. If not even more, remembering all the things he did to me and the way I gave in to him last night.
“Are you okay?” he asks, a flicker of concern tightening his brow when I turn my gaze to him again.
“Um. Yeah. I think so. Just… confused.”
Curving his hand around my cheek, he coaxes my attention to stay on him. “Elina, everything that happened last night was real,” he explains with grave earnestness. “You’re mine now. The bond has been forged. Only a decision made by the group can break it.”
“What—” I stop myself, not used to talking to him—not knowing how to phrase the many questions whirring in my mind.
“Ask your question,” he beckons. “I know you have many, and I’ll be happy to answer them all.”
“What does it mean? Are we… Is it like a ma—” Marriage, I want to say, but it seems absurd. I don’t even know this man. The idea that I’m sort of married to him now is… I can’t even put it into words. My brain fires off in ten different directions—concern and fear, but also desire and hope.
Understanding my direction perfectly, he says, “Yes, it’s the same as marriage.”
My eyes go wide. “But—” I glance between his eyes, and although familiarity and a sense of safety pull at me, he’s also a stranger. Someone who belongs to a dream. It’s surreal. “I don’t know you.”
“Don’t let the fear control you,” Ulf reminds me, brushing his knuckles over my cheek.
“Last night, you were reduced to your truest self. You left all your fears and preconceptions on the mountain—all your overthinking and ideas of what you’re supposed to be.
It’s not easy to connect to your true self and know what you truly want, but you did that.
Your response was open and straightforward—more certain than anything I’ve ever heard.
Deep down, you know that you belong with me, just like I know I belong with you. ”
“How can you be so sure?”
A smile curves his lips. “I knew the moment I let you see me in that store—your reaction was pure and instinctive. I was so worried our connection had just been a powerful surge of desire that would die out with time. But it wasn’t.
I gave us both time to see clearly and let that initial infatuation die down.
And that deep pull was still there when we saw each other again. ”
I just stare at him as his words filter through my blurry brain.
It takes a moment for the message to settle, and when it does, I feel the truth of it.
No matter how scared I am, that connection is there, true and deep.
My breaths grow heavier as I shed my shields and give in to it—the intense urge to submit that I’ve felt from the first moment I saw him.
I sink into the cot, softening beneath his mighty stare.
Within moments, tears start pooling in my eyes.
The intensity is simply too stark to remain steady.
But somehow, despite the quaking ground beneath me, Ulf keeps me steady as he curves both hands around my face and claims my gaze with the sharp blue intensity of his all-consuming attention.
“You’re mine, Elina. Can you feel it? That this is where you belong?”
Again, that feeling of being connected to something higher surges through me. “I do,” I say, nodding in the frame of his hands. My voice cracks with the intensity of it all. “So much.”
Silence descends while he studies me, claiming my bared vulnerability and my aching devotion.
There’s no doubt; this man is my God. A force that gives me new purpose and meaning, deeper than any I thought I’d ever know.
I’m no longer the same person. I feel it in my gut—just as true as I belong to Ulf.
A new world has opened up, and the sun greeting us on top of this mountain seems to welcome me into this new world.
And this shelter—this time alone with Ulf—is my first step into uncharted territory.
Letting my gaze drift over the small space, I find a rounded structure of thick branches and a cover of twigs and dry forest debris.
At the foot of our cot, the big opening in the structure creates a window into the open, while an opening in the other end creates a door.
We’re lying on one out of two cots, just wide enough to fit us both.
The other cot is strewn with bags—both empty and full—a couple of water bottles, and other outdoor necessities.
Turning, Ulf reaches for a bottle and hands it to me after unscrewing the cap. “Drink.”
I take a small sip, then guzzle half the bottle in one go as I realize how thirsty I am.
Then I brace my elbows on the cot and lean up to get a better view of our surroundings.
The new position doesn’t offer me much more than the sun and a few tree tops, so I push up to sit, and I nearly gasp when I still can’t see the ground.
I think we must be right on the edge of a cliff. “What is this place?”
“Afraid of heights?” Ulf asks with a chuckle.
“It’s breathtaking.” With wide eyes, I look back at him, still lying with his head propped on his elbow, crinkles adding charm to his sharp gaze.
It makes a smile twitch on my lips. Seeing Ulf smile like this is a rarity.
One that’s extremely beautiful. “But yeah, this scares me a little,” I add, glancing out at the bottomless view.
When I let his magnetic gaze spellbind me again, I’m not sure which scares me more—Ulf or the startling lack of ground within sight.
He pushes up to sit in one smooth motion, a testament to his effortless strength.
My breath deepens as he slides his fingers over my cheek, into my hair, and cups the back of my head.
“You’re perfectly safe, Elina,” he says, leaning so close his hot breath fans my lips—a scent of mint revealing he must have been up and come back to bed.
“I’ll protect you, my little deer.” His eyes drift shut, and time stops when he presses his lips to mine.
My eyes fall shut too, my thoughts slipping away.
All I feel is the sincerity of his promise lingering in the air around us—in his possessive hand and soft kiss.
Slowly, he starts moving his lips against mine, and I soften into him, following his lead, moving with him, tasting and soaking up the feeling of his lips—warm and soft, yet firm and guiding.
When he starts licking my lips, coaxing them open, I suddenly remember myself. “I haven’t brushed my teeth,” I say, trying to pull away, but Ulf holds me there.
“Shh.” He firms his grip on my head and advances, tasting my lips and finally moving in to dance a slow dance with my tongue.
Forgetting myself in the possessive swirl of his kiss, I lean into him, letting my head relax into his palm, absentmindedly lifting my hands to his chest—feeling the hard strength of muscle and the slight tickle from a smattering of hair.
Slowly, he moves over me, lowering me onto the cot, deepening the connection little by little.
An intense surge rushes through my body when he settles on top of me, nudging my legs apart to make room for him, caging my head in between his elbows, and pinning my head between his warm hands.
I moan into his mouth, feeling utterly enthralled—helpless to withstand his magnetic power, helpless to escape this mighty man.
Heat floods my body, and when he lowers his hips to mine, I gasp at the feeling of his rock-hard cock.
A frantic energy grips me. Wild desire and rushing intensity.
I reach for his shoulders, needing to hold on—needing to urge him on—but Ulf grabs my wrists, gathering them in one hand and pinning them above my head.
Then he grabs my jaw and deepens the kiss further.
My nostrils flare as they become my only source of air, and my world reels as it narrows to the sole purpose of his command.
Taking his time, he moves his hips to drag his cock along my slit, teasing and prodding, driving me mad with lust.
I whimper into his mouth, trying to beg but unable to form any words through the complete claim of his kiss.
I release a long moan into the kiss when he finally breaches my opening.
With maddening languor, he slides inside me, lighting fire to new nerves with each slow increment he advances.
When he’s finally seated deep inside me, I’m panting and whimpering repeatedly, a fine sheen of sweat gathering on my brow.