Chapter 17 Rhianelle
The Tluryan elves made the interior simple, neat, and pleasant.
They’ve taken unnecessary care to fill the room in the viridian color of my house, from the duvet to the heavy draping on the windows.
Candlelight and elvenlight both illuminate the room in an incandescent glow.
I glance at the large four-poster bed with a rich brown leather headboard.
It’s big enough for five people to sleep comfortably.
The entire place feels more like a cozy cottage than a tent.
Every fine embellishment in this tent is made to serve one purpose. The thought alone brings a sudden rush of anxiety in me.
Svenn is standing at the corner of the tent in front of a gilded mirror and a basin, washing his hands. It’s all a myth that vampires can’t see themselves in mirrors.
Our eyes meet in the reflection, and I remain trapped under that gaze for a small eternity.
This has to be weird for him. To suddenly be thrown into marriage after waking up from a thousand-year-old slumber.
He may escape the dungeon with this bargain, but it comes with a life of servitude under the Aeonians later.
A rush of guilt fills me for dragging him into this. Suddenly, everything feels wrong. “I should go.”
“Stay,” the elven word escapes his lips.
The pendant works.
Even Svenn is surprised by the sound of his voice. The moment stretches between us as we stare at each other.
I’m not entirely convinced that he comprehends the Arawynn bond. “Has the Demon Lord explained everything to you?”
Svenn gives me a brief nod. “He told me to fuck you before dawn.”
The crass answer doesn’t surprise me because I’m sure that’s exactly what Kheirall said.
This is a transaction. A contract. There’s no need to overthink it. We just need to consummate the marriage quickly.
“Then we should really get started…” I trail off. I slowly approach him with careful steps.
Svenn winces before he speaks. I imagine it’s painful to use the pendant. Ragnar has said as much.
“Did the bastard demon force you?” he asks, his voice low.
“Kheirall did no such thing.” I shake my head. “I want this.”
Something like relief flashes on his face. He suddenly snatches my chin, lifting my face until I’m looking at him straight in the eyes. “You barely know me. Aren’t you scared, Nel?”
I force myself to swallow.
Yes. No.
I’m more afraid of the fall of my homeland at the hands of the Aeonians, the persecution of my friends, family, and people. I decide that the truth is always the best way to move forward.
“I am terrified of the Nightwalker.” I wrench free of his grip, reminding myself to breathe again. “But earlier when I looked at you, I saw Svenn.”
He arches a brow at the answer.
“The guy I saved in the dungeon, the one standing by my side through every obstacle, the one who held me through my darkest moment.” I exhale slowly.
He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his fingers gently brushing the tip. It’s a small reminder of the moment we shared in that dungeon.
“I can be that guy,” he says after a while.
He moves across the room towards the bed, settling at the edge of it. Something about the act feels like an invitation for me to come closer.
We’re really going to do this. I inhale a sharp breath as I march silently towards him. Instead of crawling onto the bed, I find myself standing in front of him. My heart does an odd dance when I find his eyes focused on me. Even with him sitting down, I barely stand taller than him.
“Can we start our play now?” The silly words jump out before I can stop them.
“Play?” He checks the pendant to see if the translation is correct. I hope he keeps thinking every dumb thing I say is the totem’s fault.
My hands are shaking and unsteady as I place them on his incredible, ripped chest. I know nothing of the art of seduction like the Maidens of Arawynn.
I wish Blaire had taught me some tricks on how to initiate this.
It was so easy and smooth back in the forest. I start by planting a kiss at the column of his throat, trying to get a reaction from him like I did at the altar.
His eyes darken as he watches me. “Have you done this before?”
My heart ratchets into a thunderous beat at the question. I have done it once. It was such an unpleasant experience I haven’t shared my bed with anyone else until now. But I’m pretty sure myself counts.
“Yes, regularly,” I say with confidence. Wait—it may be the wrong thing to say. Svenn has been imprisoned for ages, from an entirely different era. He might be disappointed that I’m not some blushing virgin.
“I lost my maidenhead years ago,” I confess honestly. From the countless riding sessions, then to an elf in the western infantry after Aerin’s dare. “Would you have preferred a virgin?”
The necklace whirs to translate my words to him.
A dark chuckle escapes his lips, filling the room. “I want you.”
All my reservations leave me when he utters those words.
“Then take me.” My voice shakes.
Be careful what you ask for. His eyes seem to gleam.
In a smooth movement, his hand unclasps the strap behind my neck. A small shiver goes through me when the silky material of the dress pools around my waist. He tugs the pin from my hair, letting the curls flow freely down in waves and pulls back to stare.
The swallow in his throat is almost audible.
Heat fills my cheeks. That look of raw lust on his face is for me. It that makes me feel desired, wanted, and alive. His dark eyes settle on my ears.
“I can cover them if you don’t like them,” I quickly say.
He snarls at the very suggestion. “You are lovely. Perfect in every way.”
Without warning, his mouth captures my breast. I let out a gasp when his tongue rolls over my nipple, sucking hard between his teeth. His hand kneads my other breast, twirling the sensitive bud with his fingers. Excitement settles in my blood, running a thrill straight to my spine.
“You are divine,” he murmurs against my skin.
His hands roam the curves and slopes of my body in an unhurried, lazy caress.
He adds his mouth to this new torment, and I fight to keep my breathing steady.
The feel of his sharp fangs traveling over my skin is truly something else.
My arms clutch his neck desperately for support as my legs become useless.
Every muscle in me grows taut in anticipation of his next kiss, his next touch.
I’m still reeling from the sensations when he pulls away. A sharp yelp falls from my throat as he lifts me to the bed with casual grace, planting my head softly on the pillow.
“Nel…” he grunts. No one calls me that. An odd sense of comfort fills me at the silly nickname. “Tell me, how would you like to play?”
I’m regretting my choice of words now, but I’m glad he asked that. It restores some semblance of control in me after the Aeonians ripped it away.
I stare into Svenn’s dark eyes and for a moment, we simply exist in each other’s gaze.
Knowing that this is the same person I met in the dungeon calms me further.
I reach for his face, tracing the sharp outline of his brow down to his nose and mouth.
He lets me continue without interruption.
My finger freezes the moment I meet his sharp, elongated canine.
How in the world had I mistaken him for a human?
“We were interrupted earlier at the altar. Let’s continue our play from there,” I say in a breathy whisper.
He rips the rest of the gown from my body with a rough jerk and just like that I’m laid bare for his viewing pleasure. His eyes make a slow gaze of me from top to bottom. My breasts grow heavy at the attention and the throbbing between my legs reaches a new height.
“You’re unreal, Rhianelle,” he says in a gravelly voice. Only some of the things from his mouth come out elven. It’s getting a little frustrating. A small gasp leaves my throat when he suddenly spreads my legs wide.
Maybe he meant to warn me, but the pendant fails to translate him. He drinks in the sight of me, and I squirm underneath the ferocity of those eyes. I could have sworn I heard a faint growl from him, but his face retains the cool, calm mask. He hooks one of my legs over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I failed to catch your name,” I burst out because I’m getting nervous.
“It’s fine. I like Svenn,” he mutters darkly. “Now, scream it when you come for me.”
The building ache inside of me peaks to a crescendo the moment he dips his head in between my thighs.
I gasp loudly as he devours me, one tortuous lick after another.
My head falls back, hitting the mattress.
An incredible rush of pleasure courses through me in pulsing waves.
This is different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.
I’m squirming against the sheets, trying to crawl away from him. He grips my hips in place with his hands, keeping me close to his face.
“Svenn!” I cry in a breathy whimper.
A smile tugs at his lips as our eyes meet from between my thighs. I see the fire burning in them. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Svenn continues to feast on me like it’s not for my own pleasure but his.
I surrender to his relentless onslaught, burying my fingers in his hair.
The sensation is so exquisite, it’s almost too much.
I am still gasping, trying to control my breathing when he latches his mouth straight to my core, sucking hard.
The graze of his teeth over my clit has my body levitating right off the bed.
I’m certain part of my soul actually left me and ascended to heaven.
I squeeze my eyes shut as pleasure floods through every inch of my body.
His fingers start teasing me and I lose all sense of who I am. I think I might have been weeping when he finally kisses his way back up to me, his lips leaving shivers in their wake.
“Please,” I say with stuttering breaths, fighting the little tremors working through my body. “I need you now.”
He makes quick work of the black breeches, casting them aside.
My mouth goes dry as I take in the sight of him.
Kheirall and Ragnar had been impressive, but Svenn is downright massive.
I pretend not to be intimidated by the imposing thickness and length of him.
He drapes his body over mine, his hips settling between my thighs.
“Tell me again that you want this,” he says, reading the lines in my face. It’s actually sweet that he asked me again after he blew my mind with his fingers and tongue.
“I want this,” I say without a hint of doubt.
Perhaps that sounded too eager because a low chuckle vibrates through him.
His enchanting eyes never leave mine as he eases himself slowly into me, inch by inch.
A sudden flutter of sensation goes through me, and I bite back a whimper.
I can barely draw air into my lungs. Shivers and tremors greet my body over each shallow thrust. He leans down to claim my lips.
It’s barely enough to distract me from the building ache throbbing down below.
“You’re doing great,” he mutters in the dimness.
“I am?” I hardly recognize the sound of my own voice.
I like that he kisses me every time he plunges deeper to calm me down. His tongue slides into my mouth, dueling with mine. He tastes like fire, steel, and the night itself.
“Breathe, Rhianelle,” he whispers against my mouth. “Let me in. Just a little further.”
There’s more? A gush of heat fills me at the mere thought.
With one long thrust, he is deeply seated inside me.
I gasp for breath at the overwhelming fullness.
My body suddenly feels weightless like a butterfly.
I throw my hands to his back instinctively as the pleasure slams into my body, lighting up every nerve.
His mouth captures mine, swallowing my cries.
I can’t stop my legs from twitching at the sudden waves of sensations.
His lips brush my ear. “That’s it. Such a good girl.”
I might start coming again with his praises alone. My thighs tighten hard around him.
A low groan escapes from his throat through clenched teeth. “Fuck, you feel so good.”
The muscle of his jaw twitches with the effort to hold himself back. A wave of pride settles in my heart knowing I have this effect on him.
“I’m ready,” I tell him because I know he needs to hear that. I make sure to look into his eyes as I say it. Pure wildfire blazes in his returning gaze.
When he starts moving against me, everything else in the world drowns out.
I forget about the threat. I forget about the bond.
I forget my own name. I don’t want to think about anything else except the delicious stretch as he takes me.
My hips rise on their own, meeting his thrust. I arch my back to take him deeper.
“Damn it,” he grunts through clenched teeth.
Whatever control he had left finally snaps.
His thrusts grow harder and faster. So much for him holding back.
I’m still sensitive from earlier and the release comes fast and fierce this time.
It slams into me like a tidal wave, wrecking everything in its wake.
I know when I piece myself together, I will no longer be the same person.
His body tenses on top of mine until he groans with one final powerful stroke. The bellowing roar of his rapture shatters the calmness of the tent. He doesn’t pull away until the last waves of my bliss fade. I stare at the heavens in a daze.
“Nel? Are you with me?” His chest is still heaving in ragged gasps.
I’m a shaking mess, unable to form words from the pleasure ricocheting through my body. It all feels so intense; I need a little time to recover. I curl closer to him, not quite ready to move. He holds me in his arms as small shudders of my release go through me.
“I’m all right,” I answer as I press myself to him, breathing in his warm scent. I feel his rough, calloused hand stroking my back over and over.
Even though I am entirely spent, I’m still hungry for his touch. I guide his hand from my back to my rear and whisper, “More.”
He responds with a rough laughter and kisses the top of my head. “I never want to stop playing with you.” His voice is so soothing as it rumbles in my ear. It’s hard to hide my smile when he holds me tightly against his chest. I don’t remember why I was afraid in the first place.
I want to stay in this bed with him forever, but I have to check if the Arawynn bond has formed. I leave his warm embrace and carry my trembling legs to the mirror, swaying a little in my steps.
But there is no Arawynn tattoo marring my body nor his.