Chapter 18 Rhianelle
Icheck myself again and again in the mirror. It makes no sense. We’ve consummated the marriage. The Arawynn bond usually reveals itself instantly. I must have done something wrong.
Svenn sits at the edge of the bed, gazing straight at me.
His expression grows in hunger as he devours me with his dark crimson eyes.
I do a little staring of my own as I study his broad frame and the perfectly sculpted muscle of his body.
My eyes journey further down to his thick erection. He is still stiff, hard as wood.
A wave of shame goes through me. I was so wrapped in my own pleasure that I didn’t check if he was enjoying himself as much as I was.
I run back into his arms. My hands roam over his hard chest with more confidence now that I know he wants me. There’s an odd sense of familiarity I feel with him. It’s like finding a long-lost friend; like finding a missing part of me.
“Let’s give this another go,” I suggest, twining my arms around his neck.
His laughter is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. “You’re insatiable.”
I was dead inside for years after Aerin’s death. But when the vampire—Svenn was chasing me in the woods, I realized something. I want to live. Not just survive.
I want to feel alive.
“This time, just have your way with me. Don’t hold back.” I feel a tingle of butterflies in my stomach over my own challenge.
He holds my gaze for a moment longer. “I thought you wanted ’Svenn’?”
“Now…I just want you,” I say playfully, planting a soft kiss on his jaw. That request seems to be his undoing. There is a predatory glint in his eyes as he pulls me to bed.
“On your hands and knees,” his voice is a low, dark demand.
In a quick motion, he flips me until I’m on all fours on the mattress. The sheets ruffle as he gets off the bed to stand behind me. It’s a little scary knowing how much control I’ve given him. The vulnerability I feel in this position alone should make me back out.
But I feel completely safe with Svenn. Because despite being resurrected from a thousand-year-old slumber, despite his language barrier, he understood when I told him no back in the forest.
I trust him.
It’s the knowing he will stop when it ceases being fun for me. He trails a finger along the groove of my back, kissing each of my shoulder blades with infinite care.
There is no gentle easing into it this time.
He slams into me straight to the hilt. Pleasure ignites every inch of my body, curling my spine down to my toes.
I squirm and writhe from the assault of sensations.
He bends forward and cups my cheeks with his fingers.
I turn my head to him as directed and he kisses me hard.
“Are you with me?” he mutters to my lips.
“Yes,” I reply between gasps. I sink forward to the mattress when he releases me, unable to hold myself up. He grabs me by the hips, pulling me as he thrusts with fast, merciless strokes.
A long moan draws from my chest. Every sound coming from me is so indecent right now.
I am so scared and embarrassed that the others outside may hear it.
But it’s insanity trying to keep it down.
Not when he’s pounding so deep like he’s trying to ingrain himself into me.
I seize the pillow into my hands and turn my face to the side, screaming as the pleasure rolls into my body.
“Oh, gods!” I have no hope of concealing my voice now. Something tells me this is exactly what he wants.
“That’s it,” his voice drops to a purr.
I glance over my shoulder to have a peek at him. His features grow tight, his eyes glaze with lust as his head falls back. The vampire is enraptured in this as much as I am. Our gazes lock and I muster a weak smile.
“More,” I demand, rolling my hips in a slow grind against him.
That spoiled act is punished instantly.
Svenn fists my hair and presses my face against the mattress.
His fingers clench my hips, strong enough to leave a mark.
He is pistoning into me with reckless abandon, unleashing himself on me entirely.
There is no way I can keep up with this chaotic rhythm.
I’m clawing at the sheets, desperate to hold on to anything.
But I can’t escape him.
He lowers his body over mine; his weight crushing over me, his scent wrapping around me. I feel like I am being swallowed by his presence. It’s all consuming and overwhelming. He takes my hand into his, entwining our fingers as he thrusts deeply.
His head presses against my back and the carnal grunt that escapes him throws me into another release. Stars erupt in my vision like fireworks. I come harder than I did before. It sends him tumbling over the edge of bliss with me.
I open my eyes to see Svenn beside me with a vulnerable look on his face. Beads of sweat fall from his chest and I revel in the sight of him. Gods, he is so glorious and mesmerizing.
It takes several heartbeats for me to finally be able to move closer to him and look for our bond. A small moment passes between us when our eyes meet.
“Rhianelle, you’re so goddamn beautiful,” he says, drawing every syllable of my name longer than they should be. “So unreal.”
Unreal?
He’s said that around a million times already. I’m beginning to worry a little. But I have an even bigger problem right now.
There is still not a single marking on our bodies.
It’s so strange. The bond should have materialized the moment we consummated the marriage. A slow chill settles into my bones at the possibility of failing the Aeonian’s demand. I push away any distressing thoughts to focus.
“There’s still time,” I mutter to myself. I run across the room to grab the demon’s gift. Kheirall did say I can use it tonight.
“Nel, come back to me,” Svenn calls for me in his deep voice.
A smile tugs my lips over my short nickname. I quickly return and jump into his lap. It’s a bold move for a person I barely know. Any shame fades when he starts peppering my neck with kisses. Everything with him feels so good, so right.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he mutters against my skin. His mouth travels to my collarbone and I can hardly focus on unwrapping the box. I open the lid and blink at the nylon strand inside.
Heavens help me.
Kheirall’s wedding gift is a bondage rope. I should have known it’d be something like this. I curse the Demon Lord silently. But my brain suddenly rolls to the painting in his castle.
The Nightwalker Court.
Heat flares over my face at the very thought of the vampire generals and their sadistic sexual rituals. I lower my gaze subtly to Svenn’s crotch. His aching arousal is still hard against my leg. Whatever I offered to him must not have been enough. It takes a moment for me to gather my courage.
“You can use this on me…” I swallow nervously.
Confusion spreads across that handsome face. “You want to be tied?”
I nod fervently.
He seems conflicted with the idea as he looks at the item. There is even an instruction in the box.
Stupid Kheirall.
I really hate him. Svenn starts reading the manual without words. After a few pages, he takes a deep breath and closes the book. I’m a little worried he’ll decide to hang me like the woman in the painting—or worse, he might not want to continue this.
I exhale a breath of relief when he finally set the ropes around my wrist. He even shows me how to undo the knot.
“Got it,” I say quickly to save time.
He slips my bonded hands around his neck. I giggle when he suddenly rises and lifts my thighs to wrap around his waist. This is actually nice. It feels like I’m hugging him. I rest and nuzzle my head on his chest as he carries me.
“You’re adorable, Nel. But are you sure about this?” he whispers with dark lust.
“Yes,” I say.
“Brace yourself then,” Svenn breathes in my ear, just at the pointed tip. It sends shivers all over me. Full-blown anxiety hits me when he aligns his erection in between my legs. He teases me with shallow thrusts before slamming down hard.
The sound that leaves my throat is part scream and part cry.
I hold on to him for dear life. Svenn sets a brutal pace, pounding over and over.
This is almost unbearable and way too intense.
I can’t quite adjust my position to escape the sweet torment either.
He does whatever he wants and all I can do is moan.
For the first time tonight, I truly feel like a sacrifice to a dark god.
If I make it to morning, I will kill Kheirall Balthazar.
Echoes of him going in and out of me fill the room together with my shameless moans. Every time he nudges that perfect spot in me, it sends my body tingling with a light orgasm. I don’t know when one ends and the next one comes rolling in.
At this rate, I might actually pass out. A devilish side of me is enthralled at the fulfillment that would bring and wishes to welcome the darkness.
“Too much…” I feel like I’m floating in the sky in a daze the moment his heavy thrusts bring me closer towards another release. I don’t think I’ll ever come down from this high. I don’t think I want to. My mind is airy as I reach my breaking point.
Another deep thrust and he explodes inside of me. He drops his head to my neck, the intensity of his own release shuddering through him. That same rough stroke sends me hurtling to heaven once again. It destroys any rational thought I have left. I’ve finally lost it.
“Feels so good…I’m melting…” I can’t make out the things that are spewing out of my mouth right now. Oh gods, I can’t feel my legs…
“I’m turning into a snail.” These are not the words of a sane person.
Svenn’s eyes go wide over my incoherent ramblings. That is the last thing I see before my surroundings fade. I can feel him setting my whimpering body on the mattress. I feel completely boneless, still reeling from the aftershocks of pleasure.
It takes longer for me to recover this time. He slashes the rope and lifts my chin to look at him.
“A snail…?” Horror flashes across his face. He looks like someone who has just awoken from a nightmare. “Wait…you’re real?”
“Of course, I’m real, Svenn,” I manage to squeeze out a little laugh. He studies me closely, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Has the bond formed yet?” I ask in a breathless murmur, slowly collecting myself. My eyes start to hunt for the Arawynn marking on my body.
“What are you looking for?” he asks, despite his newfound confusion.
“A marking. Like a tattoo,” I reply, barely keeping the tremor from my voice when I find none. “It’s not here…”
No. This can’t be true. I have never heard of any elves being unable to form the Arawynn bond. Generations have gone through it with success, every temple maiden, every couple. It’s still dark outside but the light from the Sangail Lunae has faded. Dawn is approaching fast. My head whirls to Svenn.
“Were you satisfied?” Heat creeps to my cheeks over the question, but I’m desperate.
He merely lowers his gaze at the evidence on the bed, over my thighs, inside me. The weight on my shoulder grows heavier. My body goes rigid as I sink to the bed.
“I don’t understand…” Tears begin streaming down my eyes in an uncontrollable flow. I have done everything that is required. I curl my body around the pillow, feeling so lost and afraid.
“It’s not working,” I choke on the words. “I have failed.”
Now everyone I care about will pay the consequence.