Chapter 18
Made for Him
River tasted like everything Nikhail had been missing in his life. Sweet and a little salty from her chips and entirely his. The moment their lips met, he groaned and reached for her, drawing her closer and relishing the feeling of her breasts pressed against his chest.
This.
This was exactly what Nikhail needed after the day he’d had.
The Pit was exhausting on the best of days, and today certainly hadn’t been that.
It had taken Nikhail hours to convince Elodie Valois to even look at the document, and even more for her to translate it.
In the end, the offer of blood and upgraded living conditions had been the key to getting her to work with him.
Thank the gods, Nikhail’s efforts hadn’t been in vain. The document had contained new information about the rebels and several locations where they might be hiding. Not only that, but Elodie’s translations would provide them with a key to translate other important files on the device.
They were one step closer to putting an end to these threats altogether. One step closer to normalcy.
By the time Nikhail left The Pit, the Chancellor had dispatched teams to raid three of the locations, hoping to root out the rebels. If all went well, they’d locate the Black Night’s leader tonight and capture them before any more attacks could take place.
None of that mattered right now, though.
River was here, dressed in a worn grey T-shirt that left most of her legs visible. His cock had hardened the moment he first saw her tasting chips in the pantry, but he’d told himself he would keep his distance.
But then, she’d kissed him.
And gods fucking help him, but this wasn’t just a peck on the cheek. Even calling it a kiss felt wrong.
It was an exploration. A journey they had embarked on together, with only one goal: to get as close to each other as possible.
Everything, from the feel of her lips on his, to the low moans he swallowed with his mouth, to the brush of her hardened nipples against his chest, was amplified.
Perhaps it was because they were no longer hiding what was between them, or it could have been because she needed him as much as he needed her, but this kiss felt different.
Passionate and desperate and urgent in a way that nothing had before.
River moaned and tangled her fists in his shirt, drawing him closer. He threw out an arm behind her to stabilize himself, and his hand slammed into the shelf.
Gods, he’d almost forgotten where they were.
He tugged River out of the pantry and placed her on the counter, stepping between her legs. She was breathtakingly exquisite, this water fae of his, and he couldn’t bear to be apart from her any longer than necessary.
Their lips crashed back together. Nikhail moaned. He couldn’t help it; he needed River like he needed to speak to the wind. There was an intrinsic part of him that only felt complete when they were touching.
She rocked against him, clinging to him as if she were afraid he would leave. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
“What do you want, Princess?” He kissed her, because how in the gods’ names could he not? “Tell me.” Another kiss, this one to the corner of her lips. “If it’s in my power, I’ll give it to you.”
She peered up at him, her eyes dark and lips plump. “I want you, Nik,” she breathed.
His chest constricted. He’d yearned to hear those words for so long, his mind was having trouble comprehending that she was saying them now.
He choked out. “You mean—”
“All of you.” She released his shirt, her hand wandering lower and lower, until there was no mistaking her meaning.
Her fingers traced his length, her touch teasing but firm. She stroked him, and his cock jumped to attention.
Nikhail bit back a groan, suddenly very aware that they were standing in Atlas’s kitchen. The earth fae could wake up and walk in on them at any moment, and yet, Nikhail didn’t care.
“Please,” River whispered.
As if she had to ask him to take care of her in such a way. As if this wasn’t exactly what he’d been dreaming about for years.
Still, Nikhail had to hear her say it. “You’re sure, River?”
He would understand if this was too much for her right now.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” River stroked him again.
He groaned, his fingers digging into the countertop. It was taking everything he had not to come in his pants.
“I want you, Nik. You’re the one who has been with me through everything. You’ve been my rock.” She drew her bottom lip into her mouth. “Unless you don’t feel the same way?”
How could she ever think that?
“Fuck, little storm, of course, I want you.”
He had desired to make her his from the very first moment he glimpsed her. Back when he couldn’t touch her, when he had to keep his distance.
“You do?”
“Absolutely.”
Nikhail picked River up, and her legs hooked around his waist. Nikhail reclaimed her lips, kissing her passionately as he strode towards the room he’d claimed as his.
“I knew you were meant to be mine when I first saw you standing on the staircase at Waterborn House, looking down at me,” he murmured against her lips as he opened the door to his bedroom and stepped inside.
Shutting the door behind them, he turned the lock and tapped the lamp on the desk. It turned on, a muted glow that provided just enough light for him to see River.
He observed her appreciatively. “You are a goddess, and I want to show you exactly how much I have yearned for you.”
River gasped into his mouth, her tongue tangling with his, as he gently leaned over the bed. The mattress dipped as he placed her on it.
Stepping back, Nikhail tugged off his tie and studied River. She was divine, this water fae of his. Truly spectacular in every way. He drank in the sight of her, from the necklace he’d given her to the braid hanging over her shoulder and the black panties peeking out from beneath her nightgown.
He groaned. He wasn’t sure he’d survive this, but he would do his best.
Nikhail undid his buttons, peeling off his shirt, then his pants. He stood in front of the bed, cock straining against his boxers.
“Are you wet for me, little storm?” he asked.
River’s pupils dilated, but her hand traveled between her legs. She grazed her panties and whimpered, dipping her chin.
“Words,” he reminded her.
“Y-yes,” she breathed, her cheeks flushing. “I am.”
“Good.”
Nikhail wanted nothing more than to sink into River’s warmth, but he was a patient man. He’d already waited so long for her; he could hold out a little while longer, making sure he looked after her, as well.
He removed his boxers, standing bare before her.
River scanned him, starting at his lips, to the scars that littered his chest, and lower. It was a miracle he remained upright, with all the blood that had rushed to his dick at the lust he saw in her gaze.
“Touch yourself, River,” he commanded softly. “Show me what I’m missing.”
Her lips parted, but she didn’t object. She rucked her shirt up to her hips and slid off her panties. Her knees fell open, and he let out a soft curse at the sight of her.
River grazed her clit, her eyes fluttering shut as her back arched. She moaned.
Gods above, Nikhail had never heard such a lovely sound. His fingers curled around the edges of the dresser behind him. “Look at me, Princess. I want you to know who is here with you when you touch that pretty pussy.”
She obeyed immediately, sending a flush of warmth through him.
“Good,” he rumbled. “Does that feel nice?”
“Yes,” she moaned, slipping a finger inside herself. “But Nik, it’s not… I want…”
“I know.” He released the dresser, wrapping his hand around his cock and stroking firmly.
How many times had he fucked his hand, picturing River in his mind while he did so?
He’d lost count.
“I fucking know,” he added. He wanted her more than he could articulate. More than he’d ever wanted anyone in his life. “But I want to see how radiant you are when you come. I want to watch you break apart and know it’s just for me. Will you be a good girl and show me?”
She slipped another finger into her channel. The sound of her fingers sliding through her slick heat, along with the soft whimpers she made as she brought herself closer to the edge, swirled through the room.
“There you go,” he whispered hoarsely. “You’re close, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Her eyes glazed over as she picked up speed.
Releasing his cock, Nikhail stepped towards the bed. He kneeled beside River, the mattress sinking to accommodate his weight.
“Come for me,” he commanded.
And she did, with a cry that he quickly muffled with his own lips. He swallowed the sound of her pleasure until she was limp beneath him.
“You did so well,” he praised. “So fucking well.”
River rolled out from under him, her cheeks flushed. She pushed herself onto her elbows and pulled her shirt over her head, revealing the rest of her glorious body.
“Gods, you’re gorgeous,” Nikhail groaned.
Every part of her, from her flushed cheeks to her hardened nipples and the curls between her legs, was fucking remarkable.
River moved onto all fours. Looking over her shoulder, she held his gaze.
“Nikhail,” she breathed, and he’d never heard a better sound. Never seen a better sight than his water fae, naked and ready for him. “I need you to fuck me. Right now.”
Had he thought her saying his name in that breathy way of hers was the best sound he’d ever heard? He’d been wrong.
That demand was even better.
Nikhail positioned himself behind River, notching his cock at her soaked entrance. His tip slid in, and he froze.
“Fuck,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “Condom.”
How could he have forgotten that? They’d already talked about sexually transmitted diseases on the night of the bonding, but this was different. He should’ve remembered this.
River shook her head. “No need. I’m on the pill.” Thank the gods, because an accidental pregnancy was the last thing they needed. “I’ve never had anyone like this, and I… I would like to feel you, Nik. Please.”
His lips pulled up. “I love hearing you beg for my cock, little storm.”
His fingers dug into her hips, but for a long moment, he didn’t move. He held himself there, awe welling inside him as he drank in the sight of River before him.
She was everything he’d ever wanted.
“Please, Nik,” River moaned, wiggling her ass. His crown sank in deeper, her channel welcoming him.
They both groaned, and gods. Nikhail had never felt like this before. As if he’d always been meant to find his way to River. She was made for him.
It was that thought that had Nikhail tightening his grip and slamming into her warmth. Her heat enveloped him, and they both cried out as he filled her to the hilt.
“Are you okay?” he asked breathlessly.
She glanced over her shoulder, cheeks flushed. “Yeah. I’m amazing. Don’t stop.”
He would sooner give up his magic for all eternity than do that.
Nikhail pulled out, nearly all the way, before thrusting into her again. And again. And again.
Moans mingled with the sound of flesh meeting flesh. The symphony they created was as old as time itself, and if it was the last sound Nikhail ever heard, he would die a happy man.
He had fantasized about this moment hundreds of times before, but none of them came close to the reality. River’s braid dangled over her shoulder, taunting him. One day, he’d wrap it around his wrist and hold her to him as he fucked her hard and fast.
A fantasy to fulfill at another time.
It wasn’t long before their movements grew frantic. River’s fingers grappled at the sheets, and she moaned. She was babbling, begging him to keep going, to never stop, to let her come.
“I’m so close,” she whimpered. “Please.”
“Me, too.” His words were barely more than a gasp.
Nikhail released her hip, reaching around to her front. He circled her clit, quickly learning what touches made her cry out for him.
River arched her back, rising on her knees. Their bodies aligned. Her back rested against his chest, and he kneeled and thrust up into her.
The new angle gave him perfect access to her neck. He grazed his sharp canines over her throat, giving in to his primal urge to taste her. Claim her.
Nikhail wanted River to be his in every way.
She whimpered and, gods. His controlled, careful movements grew frantic. Hurried.
“More,” she moaned. Begged.
And that was the best sound he’d ever heard.
“Come for me,” he commanded.
River did, with a shuddering cry that Nikhail felt throughout his whole body. That connection within him that had been there for years burned brighter as she squeezed him.
He came a moment later, spilling his release inside her. A rightness swept through him. That flame was a bonfire, and in that moment, he knew that nothing would ever douse it.
It was as if everything in his life had been leading up to this moment.
That feeling of rightness remained inside Nikhail long after he and River made their way under the covers. They continued to explore each other well into the early morning, until the sky was a painting of pastels. And as River fell asleep, her head resting in the crook of Nikhail’s arm, he beamed.
He’d waited years for River, and it had been worth it.