51. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
ELLYA
A lec fills me while I greedily draw his blood into my mouth, savoring his taste, like a decadent dark chocolate cake. As I finally pull my mouth away from him, my breathing increases quickly, as does Alec’s.
With my claiming sealing our mating bond, a fierce supernova is forming beneath the surface of my skin, right where Alec’s light lives in my heart. The opaque veil separating the magic of our bond dissolves, and the ancient, living magic solidifies into a pathway between us. My entire body ignites with exultant euphoria as my soul becomes whole, the pieces of each other we hold within ourselves merging into one, as it was always meant to be. I see the relief and pleasure on Alec’s face as he experiences the same thing I am.
Through our newly completed bond, I receive the crashing waves of his pleasure and love coursing through me, and I send my own right back. He holds me tight, a large hand pushing hard between my shoulder blades, my sweat slicked chest pressed against his.
Alec’s eyes go wide as something new and unexpected begins to travel through our bond, the magic of it swimming with joy as the spools of power in my belly shine bright and vibrate, tiny tendrils from each one snaking towards the open channel of our bond .
My gifts move towards Alec, longing to find the vessel they have been waiting for. As the threads of my power travel between us, Alec’s mental gifts gravitate towards me. Our gifts coil around each other briefly in a loving caress before moving on to take root in their new homes.
Alec’s mouth drops open and he gasps sharply. I give him a wicked grin with this unexpected turn, a new commanding heaviness blanketing my mind in the form of Alec’s gift. A strange sensation, as both my own powers have always been present within my diaphragm.
Take it, I command internally, speaking directly to his mind. I give that power a shove towards him, commanding him to accept what I owe him.
Pure ecstasy graces Alec’s beautiful face as his new powers enter his body, threads of both my electricity and Sight. A light moan escapes each of us at the same time when our magicks solidify within each other—becoming wholly new powerful beings together.
Equal in every way.
Wield it, I communicate through our bond after our new powers have settled.
With my command, Alec matches my wicked grin as he replies gruffly in my mind, Make me.
Rising to his challenge, I weave my mind through these new threads of power living in my head, like a puppeteer balancing the cross of its marionette, seeing Alec as the doll. I pull tight on those strings, and one of Alec’s hands reaches up towards the end of the pallet bed where I will him to plant his palm on the ground. The raw power I feel watching him do as I command makes a new wave of desire pulse through me .
As he reaches to complete my command, he shifts higher and I grind on his hard cock, still buried deep within me where it belongs. I use his power to make him thrust into me again, easily throwing out another thread of control to make him do as I bid while his long fingers dig into the dirt above my head.
Alec smiles gleefully down at me. Will you use my power to make me fuck you while I wield your destruction?
His voice in my head is somehow infinitely more comforting, smooth, and seductive than his physical voice that makes my knees weak.
I answer by forcing him to pull out nearly to the tip before dipping back into me with a tantalizingly slow stroke. I mentally force his hand deeper into the earth before I relinquish enough of his physical control to allow him to rove his free hand over my body; allowing him to touch me how he wants while I exert our unheard of magic over him.
Continuing to make Alec drive into me, slow but deep, I tilt my head back to watch where his hand connects with the ground. I moan with each gentle thrust, savoring how he takes me, and I him. Savoring our sharing of power. Savoring the way Alec looks at me as if I’m all that exists in this world.
I feel so fucking powerful—using this new magic while being adored by my mate.
And I know that he feels as powerful as I do.
I release his control back to him fully. Take me how you want me while you make the earth burn.
Alec answers me with a soft kiss and continues to push into me with the pace I set, never faltering. It’s instantly more pleasurable, more intimate, when the moves are his .
Why would I need to control Alec’s body to make love to me when he does it so well on his own?
He pulls away from my face and we turn our attention back to where his hand rests in the grass, both of us breathing heavily. My walls are already clenching around him at the sight, the overwhelming sensations of our mating bond bouncing within us, and the unexpected development that has come with it.
Through our bond, I’m aware of Alec pulling on that new power with ease, like he’s held and used the gift his whole life. He groans at having me wrapped around him mixed with the physical power swimming through his body—a sensation of deep magic he hasn’t felt before, previously only possessing a mental gift.
Alec’s expert movements within me stay steady, his slow glide draws out the pleasure of each stroke exquisitely.
“Yes,” I moan, encouraging him with the way he moves and the power he wields.
I’m hit with a strong wave of utter rapture down our bond as electricity breaks free from Alec’s hand, shimmering and crackling like my own currents, only his veins of magic glimmer with blue-black lights of night. He implodes one of the large trees with a deafening boom, decimating the tree into ethereal ash that disperse in the wind.
Alec’s eyes flutter closed.
Ellya. He clenches his jaw tight. Fuck, this feels good. The thought is barely a whisper skating across my mind with his sensual desire. You feel so good.
My orgasm builds as Alec sends down our bond his deep running power and elation, new to both of us. I hold him tight around his back and hook my ankles around his waist while the heat in my core begins to reach its peak .
Alec’s fist clenches in the dirt, and he releases another current of power, moving towards five targets at once.
I am going to come again, he tells me as his glorious light shines through the ground. They hit with precision and explode in a plume of blue-black, leathery scented smoke.
Alec cups my cheek with his dirty hand, and a small burst of electricity escapes from his fingertips, sending a tingly sensation over my skin. The sight, the smell, the newness of our power mingling and Alec’s flesh within me is too much. I crash as his hot cum pumps deep inside of me, pulling his face to mine and kissing him repeatedly, messily, as we release.
Keeping my eyes open, I watch the ecstasy on Alec’s face as he comes undone for me, electric currents escape from my fingertips, dancing across him, as his did me. My orgasm and currents pulse in time with each burst of his.
Everything about us is perfectly in tune. Our bodies; our magic; our souls.
We are meant for each other.
We lay together, panting, in our euphoric cocoon of magical, mating bliss for long, silent minutes. When the electric energy of our mating, and Alec’s display of power calms, he unsheathes himself from me in one long, wet pull, leaving a mess between my legs of our mixed pleasure and a smear of blood.
Alec gets up, bringing forth a sigh of displeasure from me, and I turn in his direction, gravitating towards him. He only laughs and goes to wet a cloth with a pitcher of water and returns to me. He gently turns me from my side to my back and nudges my knees to expose me to him.
Did I hurt you? Alec asks my mind nervously before he gingerly cleans me with the cloth, looking down on me with reverence .
My lips curl up, and I shake my head. I was made for you, I remind him, and he smiles—relieved.
After the initial pain of adjusting to Alec’s considerable size, I felt no discomfort at all, only an overwhelming sense of fullness and completion.
He tosses the cloth aside and takes a drink of water before handing it to me. He grabs a blanket before laying on his side next to me, covering us both. I curl into him and stare into his dark brown eyes. We gaze at each other, stroking every inch of each other we can reach while the sounds of the celebrating city waft towards us.
Have any other mates shared power? I ask his mind, reveling in this new way we can communicate.
Not that I am aware of .
Knowing there’s another level of uniqueness to our already rare mating bond makes me smile at him sleepily.
There has never been a love like ours before, I tell him, running my fingers across my white claiming marks decorating his neck.
His lips caress mine as he pulls me in closer to him. And there will never be another like it again.
Alec and I return to the palace residence the next morning after he destroys the rest of the forest, his power working exactly the same as mine, not requiring him to touch the earth with his hands.
We laugh about the decimation of our very expensive mock Brhadirian forest so soon after its creation. Being able to watch Alec destroy it with my power was as much a gift as the sentiment behind the forest in the first place .
We lock ourselves in our chambers as we continue to connect on levels never seen before.
On the first evening of our mating bliss, Alec sleeps with his head against my stomach while I lazily play with the silky strands of his hair. He begins to twitch against me in his sleep. My brow furrows when the spasms grow stronger. Alec’s muscles turn rigid; blood begins to drip from his nose.
I’m about to wake him in a panic when suddenly, I know what is happening to him.
That unyielding spool holding my Sight that has sat dormant for all these weeks begins to wake up. I grasp it desperately, pulling hard to unfurl it, and I freefall into the vision my mate is in.
I love it when things come together unexpectedly. When I went to the theater, I didn’t know he would be there. But there he was. In all of his dark, dominating glory. Every bit as beautiful as a polished king as he is a cold and brutal killer.
If he would only give in to what is so clearly meant for him.
I beamed when I saw him, saw him take in my extravagant gown of his colors, gold and black, matching so perfectly with his royal Vahnsing tunic and gilded crown—the colors setting us apart from the colorful backdrop of Quinndohs around us.
We have always matched so perfectly.
Pausing my perusal of my vanity before me, I glance at his form in the mirror. It was easy to convince him to indulge, even if he was reluctant at first. The copious alcohol and smoked opium tar were detrimental for me to get what I need. He initially declined when I mentioned having a pipe and a few balls of the drug, but he quickly caved—as he always does .
Smiling at the sight of his sleeping form sprawled across my bed, he lets out a small snore. Unfortunately, he passed out before I could get a taste of his glorious cock. No bother, I’ll just wake him with my mouth wrapped around it after I’ve finished.
Everyone has always appreciated my pale skin, elegant long neck, wavy black hair, and eyes silver as moonlight. My tall, curvy frame. Everyone but the one I want to.
Why is he so immune to my beauty? My charms? Why has he made me chase him for nearly two centuries? He’s never taken a wife, but now that he’s become King, he’ll be more likely to.
It will be me. I will have my way.
Tilting my head to the side, I expose my pale neck, running my fingers over the spot above my jugular and pout. I turn away from my reflection and sigh angrily.
So stupid. It’s all so stupid.
Pulling out a drawer, I fish out the leather kit I’m looking for and take it to the bedside. I pull a small stool next to the bed before gently unfurling his arms, crossed tight across his chest like thick, metal bands. I scowl. Even in a stupor, he’s so tense.
I begin to Sing my slumber song as his arm gives to me. Even with the drugs and alcohol, he still stirs, his great power sensing a threat and attempting to rouse him to block it.
I increase my tune by a fraction.
It’s a fine line between keeping someone unconscious and bursting the blood vessels of the brain. Being a Singer is a useful but temperamental gift .
He calms, and I stroke down the inside of his arm as I pull out the needle and eight empty glass vials. I connect the tubing of the needle to a glass cylinder and quickly sink the iron into his vein, his thick fluid instantly working its way out. I sigh in relieved satisfaction at the sight. Filling all my vials is quick work, and my smile has widened by the time I’m finished. I remove the needle and put everything back in the kit, stashing it away silently before he wakes.
Coming back to the bed, I straddle his lap while I take his arm in my hand, inspecting it. A small line of blood drips from the unhealing hole. I lick it up, moaning at the rich, forbidden taste. I don’t swallow and hold it in my mouth. Placing his limp hand on my thigh, I bring my mouth to his neck, and suck hard as I swallow the precious drips of his blood. I then kiss his unmoving lips.
I’m breathless when I come up and look down at him still sleeping. I graze my hand over his soft cock, not stirring for me at all. His reaction to my touch has waned with each passing encounter.
I’m desperate for these minutes to pass, until that small bit of iron leaves his body, and I can rouse him without him being suspicious. I will make him react to me, even if he again has to resort to using his magic to move my body the way he needs.
I come out of the vision first, gasping and horrified by what I’ve just Seen.
Alec’s eyes dart back and forth beneath his lids while he’s still lost in the magic, fighting his way back to this time and place. Sitting up, I pull him with me as best I can, his heavy weight making the task difficult. I cradle his head against my chest, shushing into his hair as he has for me so many times.
Alec begins to stir, blood pouring from his nose, his drawn breaths are shuddering, becoming more jagged, as he comes to.
“I’m here,” I tell Alec softly, beginning to guide him into position to put his head between his knees. At least he’s not falling into fits of seizures like I used to.
He gulps in deep breaths as I gently stroke his back and give him calming words, reminding him of my presence. He’s soaked in a sheen of sickly sweat across his rich skin, but his breath is catching, and slowly his head lifts.
He turns to me, and what I see sends a stabbing jolt straight through my heart.
Alec looks terrified. Utterly afraid and vulnerable.
“Ellya,” he whispers, his voice strangled.
“Are you alright?” I ask him, the question holding so many meanings.
“I am so sorry that you had to see that,” Alec tells me, wiping the blood from his face with our sheet before throwing it in a heap on the floor.
“You’re sorry?” I whisper in disbelief.
“I know you have always been sensitive with anything pertaining to Rahleigh. And that was particularly…” Alec trails off and shakes his head, a lock of dark hair breaking loose, before finishing, “Gruesome.”
Shock settles into me at the realization that—at this moment—he’s concerned about me. “Were you aware that had happened?”
He shakes his head slowly .
I think I’m going to be sick. Hot, burning bile creeps up my throat as blood rushes in my ears, black dots staining my vision.
“ You were violated.“ The truth shatters through me with my spoken words, and I see red. As red as the blood that vile woman stole from my unaware mate.
Alec drops his head and shakes it slightly before saying, “No, that was different.”
I pick his chin up with my fingers and turn his sad eyes to me. “That was not different,” I tell him defiantly. “If anything, it was worse.” My heart pounds as something dark begins clawing at my chest. “She drugged you. She purposely got you drunk and high, and then she stole your blood and mimicked claiming you. She touched you when you were unconscious!”
My eyes are wild and wide. Jealousy always reared its ugly head with any mention of Rahleigh, but this isn’t jealousy burning me alive right now.
“Did you partake with opium often?” I ask. I almost wish I hadn’t when his face crumples further, and he rubs a hand over it.
“Yes,” he admits, not meeting my eye.
My heart plummets.
“Do you still?”
Alec’s head snaps up. “No,” he says firmly, and the truth of the word barrels down our bond. “I do remember some of that evening. That was the last time.”
“Alec,” I begin. “I know you drink too much, but I never would have suspected that.”
“You think I drink too much?” Alec asks, brows drawn—taken aback.
I look at him pointedly. “Everyone thinks you drink too much.”
“Do you think less of me?” Alec’s nervous unease passes down our bond. His lack of concern over learning about the violation his body suffered while he slept, too focused on his concern that I might judge his past, causes my heart to break further.
“Of course, I don’t think less of you.”
His shoulders sag with relief, and he lays down on his back, rubbing both hands over his face.
“Are you alright?” I ask him again, and he pauses.
“Yes. I am alright.” And I feel the truth of that as well. “I had wondered how Locane got my blood to try severing our bond. It seems I now have an answer.”
I take one of Alec’s large hands in mine. “Why haven’t you told me about the opium before?”
“That is a part of my history I am not proud of,” he admits, squeezing my hand. “I had always planned to tell you, to tell you everything. I wanted to wait, to tell you in the most intimate way possible.”
“Tell me now?” I ask him quietly.
Alec hesitates before swallowing hard and nodding.
We speak few words but communicate endlessly.
We share everything with each other over the next few days. We share our memories and our pains. Alec shares his struggles in his younger years to find purpose and ways to ease his inexplicable sadness, to be happy without drowning in numbness.
I share the heartaches of my father’s indifference towards me throughout my childhood while doting on my brothers. I don’t share images of my intimacies with Locane, only the crushing weight I felt when it was over. I share my confusion, regret, self-loathing, and self-destruction that were born from that one act as much as Locane’s other abuses .
We share beyond our hurts. Exchanging these things with each other in a far more intimate way than how our shared mind power works. We are able to send each thought straight through our bond and experience it together.
We spend all of our time skin to skin, even when Alec’s not buried within me. Webs of our electricity constantly spread across each other’s bodies, as if our magic is hungry for us to learn every inch of each other as well. Our currents mingle together to create colors never before seen in this world.
With each pass of power we feel, we familiarize. With each kiss, caress, thrust, gaze, memory, and thought, our bond grows and strengthens into a titanium line between us, becoming impenetrable. Unbreakable.
I become him and he becomes me in a sense. But then again, that is what we were always meant to be.
Perhaps the Fates created me for Alec because they knew he would need someone to fill the hole that Locane would leave behind—the torn and decayed fabric of their bond swaying in a darkened breeze. Perhaps they made me for Alec because they knew in giving me to my broken family, I would have a hole of my own from the day I was born. An endless chasm that only someone like an extraordinary mate, someone just for me, could stand at its precipice and gaze into its darkness with me.
Whatever the reason, I thank the Fates all the same for giving me what is mine.
Alec sits up with his back against the headboard as I straddle him, taking him deep and riding him slow, languid, unhurried. Our faces are close, the tips of our noses barely skimming. Our eyes are locked as we share gentle breath. His hands graze in lazy strokes up and down my sides .
“Take what you need from me,” Alec breathes with passion. “I will give you everything I have, everything I am. My heart, my soul, all my earthly possessions. And when I have nothing left to give, I shall cut myself open and bleed at your feet while I beg you to take that from me too.”
Letting loose a breathy moan, I cradle his face between my hands. Our lips barely connect as I ask him, “What about you? What do you need?”
“This,” Alec says. He kisses me deep before telling me, “This is all I need.”
We find our pleasure together as I send a wave of overpowering love and adoration through our bond.
I will never be as good as Alec at verbally expressing my care; never come close to the caliber of gifts he comes up with to show me his affection.
But I can do this. I can show him what he means to me in the most visceral way, and that matters more than words or materials.