36. Aryn #3
My tail thrusts deeper inside him as his body loosens.
The glow from the moonlight paints every stunning line of his face—the slack of his jaw, the flutter of his lashes, the way his mouth falls open on a broken sound.
Warm water sloshes gently around us with every movement, droplets sliding over our skin and catching the light like scattered stars.
Every tremor that runs through him echoes through me as well, and every pulse of heat where we’re joined makes me want to sink deeper.
I want to keep him right here until neither of us can remember what it felt like to be apart.
Cato’s eyes squeeze shut, his voice cracking. “I’m gonna come… I can’t hold it anymore—”
I lean forward and steal his words with a deep kiss. “Then come inside me,” I whisper against his mouth. “Mark me as yours.”
A series of the most beautiful, broken sounds leave him. His hips stutter, head falling back against the stone as his whole body arches and trembles. My tail sinks deeper, savoring the way he clenches around it as he comes with my name on his lips.
“That’s it,” I breathe, snapping my hips faster and chasing my release until the pleasure gets to be too much.
“Open your mouth,” I command softly. “I need to come inside you.”
Cato’s eyes are so damn trusting as his jaw drops open.
I climb off him, fisting his damp hair and guiding him forward as I sink my cock into the wet heat of his mouth.
He moans around me, tongue swirling over my tendrils as they stiffen.
There’s nothing for them to lock onto, but they flare anyway, seeking purchase as I give one final, shuddering thrust.
My release crashes over me so intensely my legs nearly give out.
I call out his name, sinking deeper as he takes everything I give him.
He moans softly around me, tongue working as my cum slides down his throat.
I pant through the aftershocks with my eyes closed, savoring the warmth of his mouth and the cold night air on my skin.
I relax my tendrils and pull out, then look down to find him staring up at me with hazy, adoring eyes. Warmth floods my chest as I sink back into the water and settle onto his lap once more, leaning in to kiss him deeply. I taste myself on his tongue, and the intimacy of it steals my breath.
“You did so well,” I whisper against his mouth.
His hands circle my waist, tugging me tightly against him. It sends a sharp twinge through my injured ribs, but I don’t mind. I let him hold me close, burying my face in the crook of his neck as steam from the hot springs curls around us like a veil.
I had forgotten what this felt like.
Tears burn at the corners of my eyes, but the steam and sweat hide them from him. For a long while, we simply stay like that—tangled together and breathing each other in.
“Are you hungry?” I finally ask.
“Starving,” he answers, his eyes locking onto the abandoned basket.
I drift to the edge, then carry over a piece of meat to offer him. It’s cooled, but Cato groans happily as he lets me feed him. We make a mess as we eat, then once we’ve all but licked the crumbs away, we slip deeper into the water to rinse ourselves clean.
Cato settles back on the rocks and tucks me under his arm, pressing a soft kiss to my temple, then another to my jaw. “Thank you for this.”
“Is it different?” I ask. “Knowing I’ll be with you when you wake? Knowing you’re mine?”
He nods with a deep, contented sigh. “It is.”
“A good different, I hope.”
“Eh,” he drawls, the corner of his mouth twitching. “We’ll see in the morning.”
I gasp and swat at his chest. “Cato!”
His laughter rumbles through him, warm and deep and unburdened, before he tips my face up to his. “It’s the best different,” he murmurs. “I could get used to being yours.”
“No regrets?”
“All or nothing,” he confirms softly, then draws me into another deep, claiming kiss.
We stay in the water until the night air grows too sharp against our skin.
We climb out and dry ourselves, then redress, but when I try to lead us back toward the village, Cato pulls away.
He walks over to the dirdira tree, grabs a small knife from his belt, and shoots me a mischievous grin as he begins carving into the trunk.
“Cato,” I start, half-laughing, but he just shrugs.
“What? No matter what happens, no matter where we end up, this stays here forever. You and me. Proof we were here.” He steps back to admire his work, running his thumb over the fresh marks. “A little piece of us that the worlds can’t take away.”
My chest tightens with a rush of affection so fierce it almost hurts. Does he not understand what it means to have him claim me so openly? So easily?
Something deep inside me settles and burns at the same time as I stare at the carving.
A + C.
“I adore you,” I whisper, fighting tears once more as he wraps his arm around me.
“Yeah, I’m pretty fond of you, too,” he murmurs with a kiss to my hair.
We walk back to the village beneath the three moons, and I send a silent prayer to the Fates. It’s no longer a desperate plea for the impossible. For the first time in as long as I can remember, it’s simple gratitude—for the gifts they’ve granted me, and for a future that no longer feels bleak.