Chapter 40 Anastasius
Claeg’s path was entwined with mine. By the gods, nothing felt more right. The day of breath was always full of surprises, but the connection with my Selected was unparalleled. I never wanted to part. To do so would be to amputate the fire within me. Unthinkable. I craved him. So, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I cleaved myself from my path and emerged from within the prophetic dancing draconis. We hadn't yet breathed our flame, but the need to consume Claeg overpowered my desire to worship even the gods. Claeg followed my lead, his wings so close I felt the air from every sweep of them. Energy snapped between us, electrifying the beats of my heart. I abandoned all thoughts of Oriana and my task in favor of indulging in the pleasure of flying with Claeg. My Chosen. I knew it then. It didn’t matter the results of the trial. He would be my Chosen. When I became De Vita, I would ensure it.
We ventured through the canyons, heading to the cave we had slept together in—back to another time we were vulnerable with each other. The cave came into view, reminding me of that night, the time my desire had been set ablaze, but I had been too afraid to act on it. That wouldn't happen again. I needed to feel Claeg, to taste him, to unite our bodies as our souls would be joined when he was officially my Chosen. Until that day, I would fight for him. Even if he didn't win, which I was certain wouldn't be the case, the dance proclaimed our paths as entwined. With him, I would have everything.
At the entrance of the looming cave, I allowed my wings to recede until I was in the flesh of a man once again. Claeg followed suit. He hovered over my shoulder, his breath on my neck raising bumps along my flesh. I sucked in a breath. The air was busy with energy. Tension. My cock throbbed.
“Eleos….” His name came out as a moan, making me flush. His resulting smirk had me burning with desire. The distance between us was only a breath, but it was too much. “I…” I breathed, my words taken away when his lips met the spot beneath my ear. Suddenly, his hands were on me, closing the space between us with a frenzy.
“Why do I feel this way?” Claeg growled, ripping at my ceremonial tunic. The fabric tore, but I couldn't bring myself to care about the precious attire. Claeg inhaled deeply, his hands desperately pulling the ruined clothes off of me. As the clothing fell away, exposing my skin to the sun, I realized I hadn't responded. We had danced, writing them in the sky—it was a language nobody spoke, but our paths were clearly entwined.
I voiced my theory, my eyes slipping closed: “It's the gods. They are pulling us together because you are my Selected.” Claeg froze, dropping his hands from my body. No! my body cried in response to the absence of his heat. My eyes flew open to see Claeg standing before me with a frown. The expression made my cock soften and worry pulse through me. “What's wrong, Selected?” I reached for him, but he stepped away. The action made my stomach twist. “Eleos?” I prompted.
“Do you feel the same about Oriana?”
His question made me grimace. Instantly, Claeg stiffened, misinterpreting the action.
“No. She is a spark while you are goddamn blaze. You are beautiful, and you burn so brightly. You make me feel it all.” I took a step toward him and, to my relief, he didn't step away again. “You are the one I Choose, Eleos. It is you that I want now,” I whispered. I resisted the urge to bite my lip. Now wasn't the time to have a bloody pool in my mouth, especially if this was headed where I wanted it to.
“I tell myself that this is wrong, that I shouldn't want you. But when I'm with you, I feel like my Circles aren't broken. You make me feel healed,” Claeg said, absently rubbing his hands together, the scars matching the one on his neck. My chest ached with phantom pains. He still wouldn't meet my eyes.
“Eleos…” I tilted his chin up with a couple of fingers. “You are perfect the way you are. There’s nothing I would change about you.”
His eyes flashed with anger, making me realize my mistake instantly. “Except my name, you mean.” He pulled back, and I sighed.
“Yes,” I admitted, making Claeg hiss and turn his head to the side. I dropped my hand. “I would because I want to remind you every moment of every day that you are more than Claeg the Ruptor. You are Eleos the merciful,” I whispered. Claeg refused to meet my eye for a minute, but when he did they were glassy and vulnerable.
“And if I can’t be there for you to do that?” he asked, his voice cracking. I frowned, not understanding what he meant. I took another step toward him until his back was flush with the mesa.
“Then I will hunt the entire world for you. There is nowhere that you can go that I won't follow. I would fly across the sea for you,” I vowed, pressing my hands to the rock on either side of his head, enclosing him between my arms.
“And if I don't become your Chosen?”
My answer came quickly and without hesitation.
“I don't care about the Selection. I care for you. No tradition will take that from me. You are mine,” I growled. Claeg didn’t shy away from my possessiveness. He leaned into me, our chests brushing. His violet eyes glinted with mischief.
Now, I couldn't help running my tongue along my lips; his pupils dilated as they flicked to my mouth. I sucked in a breath. My cock throbbed under my tunic, and Claeg’s erection pressed against my thigh. He smirked at me, a knowing look on his face. By the gods, he was beautiful. I needed him. My restraint only extended so far. “Then show me, Prince,” he taunted. I snapped, my lips crashing with his.
He tasted like citrus and rainfall, better than I remembered—my personal ambrosia. Our lips danced. This was where I was meant to be. Claeg flicked his tongue along the seam of my mouth, pleading for entry. My mouth eagerly opened for him, allowing him to consume me—and he was ravenous, his kiss beautifully relentless. I moaned when his teeth took my lip between his, applying that comforting pressure I so often sought.
His hands went to my hair, becoming entangled with the braids. The heat of the rock pressed against my hands as he pulled me to him. After an eternity that was too short, he broke the kiss with a gasp, which I echoed. He didn’t give me a moment to breathe, pressing kisses along my jaw.
“I am going to own you,” he growled, his hands leaving my hair to clutch me all over my body as he made his way down to my neck. He sucked my throat, bringing feeling to the area. It wasn't quite painful, but it was reminiscent of the feeling.
“Eleos, please,” I begged, not even sure what I was asking for but knowing that I wanted every bit of him that he offered. He smirked against my nipple, grinding his erection along my thigh before falling to his knees. He looked up at me through light lashes, licking his lips.
“Brace yourself, Prince,” he warned me a moment before releasing himself upon me. He sucked my cock tightly, bringing me to the back of his throat without hesitation. Pleasure flooded me, burning the numbness away. Thankfully, my hands were already braced upon the mesa, for my knees trembled as Claeg flicked his tongue along my head. He worked me over with his mouth, evoking sensations that I had never felt before.
“Eleos,” I murmured over and over like a prayer. After only a few minutes, my orgasm began building. Just when I was about to lose control, he pulled off as if sensing my predicament. He gave me a cocky smirk, his eyes full of mischief. “Eleos,” I pleaded, my chest heaving. Surely, this was what pain felt like, this desperate need to satiate myself.
Instead of indulging me, Claeg grinned, his hands coming up to lightly tug on my scrotum. I whimpered, and he pinched harder. “By the gods, Eleos, please,” I moaned, but he only responded by nudging my legs apart and sucking on his two fingers. My length twitched at the sight of him before me. When my hips flexed forward, craving that bit of friction, he grinned, chuckling darkly. Claeg brought the fingers out of his mouth with a loud pop. The well-lubricated digits went to my ass, teasing my hole. I sucked in a sharp breath, holding it in. My whole body tensed.
“Is this okay?” he asked, withdrawing slightly. He looked up at me with concern in his eyes. I bit my lip before nodding. He gave me a lazy grin. “Breathe out and relax your muscles, Stas.” The shortened version of my name on his lips made my cock twitch with need. Slowly, I did as he said, and his spit-covered finger gently coaxed me open. I let out a long, low groan as a finger filled me.
“Have you ever touched yourself here, my Prince?” he asked when my vision was swimming and black spots were growing in the corners. I shook my head—no I hadn't, but I wasn't sure why. I rocked back on his finger, and he gave me a dirty grin.
“More,” I demanded, and he quickly obliged, adding a second finger. He flexed them, kneading me. His fingers plunged in and out, crooking them in just the right way that he grazed over a spot within me that made me shudder. Again and again, he worked me to frenzied pants, reduced to a puddle of pleasure. And then his mouth was back on my cock. “Eleos,” I cried as my body spasmed. My orgasm surged until I was once again on the brink. It was too much. Better than anything I had experienced with myself before. There was no time to cry out a warning before I was spilling down my Chosen’s throat. He took me selfishly as I pulsed, pouring my seed into him with bursts of ecstasy. A sound came from my mouth that I think was supposed to be his name, but it came out garbled and incoherent.
After a few ragged breaths, my body came down from its high, and Claeg pulled himself off me and removed his fingers, licking at my head to greedily consume every last drop. My heart hammered against my chest as my hands went to pull him up so I could return the favor, but he pushed my hands away. “What—”
“This was about you.” He stood up with my hands caught in his.
“I want to please you,” I protested.
“You just did.” He gave me a lopsided grin, his eyes sparkling and chest heaving.
“You know what I mean.” I thrashed against his grip, but he didn't release me, holding me so firmly I could feel the outline of his scars on my wrists.
“When I am your Chosen, you shall have all of me, I promise,” he answered and let go. Before I could protest further, he was twisting out from against the mesa as if he had never truly been trapped there. My heart pounded against my chest as I looked at the shredded remains of my tunic. A grin teased my lips. I would have him. Claeg would be mine.