Chapter 25 Bechora
It felt like I was being burned alive from the inside out.
After things wound down, Miles left for his dorm, and I went to bed alone.
Now my legs were tangled in my comforter, my pajamas soaked through with sweat and clinging to my oversensitive skin.
The ever-present pull in my chest was fraught with tension as I kicked my legs to free myself and stood from my bed.
I needed to cool off, desperately, before I dissolved into ash from the inferno beneath my skin.
Not bothering with shoes, I made my way from my room, intent on reaching the co-ed bathrooms, so I could stand under the spray of cold water.
A tug in my chest sent my feet in another direction.
My pace quickened as they carried me from Magus House, out to the dark courtyard.
No matter how much I longed to turn back and climb into a cold shower, my body seemed to have other plans.
The familiar buildings and cobblestone paths started to give way to an unfamiliar part of campus.
The pull in my chest only grew more insistent as I walked, practically dragging me to wherever my feet were taking me.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of a heavy wooden door of what appeared to be a small, stone house.
It swung open before my hand could raise to knock.
“Bechora?” Caulder’s voice was thick with sleep and confusion as he looked me over from the doorway. “What are you doing here? Come inside before someone sees you.”
His hand wrapped around my upper arm, sending a jolt through my entire body. He frowned as he ushered me inside and shut the door behind me.
“You’re burning up,” he murmured.
The deep timbre of his voice caused my core to clench with need. I realized it wasn’t the cold shower I wanted. I needed him, and I needed him with the desperation of a woman needing water after being lost in the desert.
“Please,” my voice came out a whine.
Caulder’s nostrils flared, and his grip on my arm tightened as if anchoring himself against the storm raging within me. His eyes, heavy-lidded from sleep, sharpened as they roamed my face, then dropped to the thin sweat-damp fabric clinging to my curves.
“Bechora,” he rasped.
“Please,” I said again. “I need you. I’m done fighting it.”
A low growl rumbled in his throat, his nostrils flaring again as he scented the air before he shook his head as if to clear it. “This isn’t you. It’s… it’s almost like you’re in estrus.”
“Estrus?” I heard myself echo the word.
“It’s what a female dragon, denied her mate, experiences; but you’re not a dragon. It shouldn’t be possible. How long have you had this fever?”
His words didn’t make sense. I needed him to ease the fire burning beneath my skin, and I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t helping me.
“Bechora,” he barked, giving me a gentle shake. “Focus. How long have you had the fever?”
“I woke up with it,” I mumbled, my hand moving to trace the muscles in his chest, hidden beneath his night shirt, growing slick between my thighs with each stroke of my fingers.
His nostrils flared again, another low rumble building in his chest. “Selir, I can smell it on you.” He tilted his head toward the ceiling, jaw clenching so tightly the muscles ticked.
I had the strongest urge to trace the line of them with my tongue.
The hand that wasn’t clutching my arm moved to grip my roaming hand, pressing it flat against his chest. “A bath. We should get you in a bath to break the fever.”
His words barely registered. Not when every nerve in my body was screaming for something else.
“No, no bath,” I mumbled. “I need you. Please.
That low rumble in his chest deepened, his entire body growing taut with restraint. Conflict flashed across his face. “Bechora, you’re not thinking clearly.”
“I am,” I insisted, though my voice wavered under the weight of everything pressing in on me. The heat, the pull. Him.
“No, you’re not. The bond is demanding completion. I don’t know why it’s impacting you as if you’re a dragon, but that’s all this is. You don’t actually want this yet.”
My face scrunched into a frustrated frown. “Not true.” I was practically pouting. “I wanted this in the woods the other day. When you told me about your childhood.”
My words seemed to shock him enough that I was able to pull myself free of his hold on my arm and hand. I grabbed for the hem of his shirt, tugging it up impatiently before he grabbed both of my hands in his and forced them still again.
“As much as I’d love to complete our bond here and now, you’re not thinking clearly.”
“I am,” I stamped my foot in frustration. “Why are you fighting this?”
He let out a heavy sigh as I struggled against his hold. “We need to break this fever. Now!” he snapped.
I opened my mouth to argue further, but was promptly cut off by him shifting to release my hands and throw me over his shoulder.
A giggle broke free of my lips, and my hands slapped against his back before I let them roam over the shifting muscles.
I was so caught up in touching him and exploring what I could of his body that I didn’t realize we’d moved, until the world shifted upright and I was being pelted by the cold spray of a shower.
“What—”
“You need to cool off,” Caulder interjected, hands moving to my biceps to hold me still.
I coughed and sputtered as the water rained down on me, the haze slowly receding as my body cooled. He held me there, my desperate pleas making way for an irritated scowl.
“Caulder,” I said, teeth starting to chatter from the cold. “You can let me out from under the water now.”
He eyed me warily, scanning my face for any hint of deception.
“Caulder, I’m freezing.”
His jaw clenched, and he gave me a tight nod before dropping his hands and stepping back far enough to let me climb out of his shower. He turned and grabbed a towel from the counter behind him before holding it open for me.
“I’m sorry,” he said, gesturing for me to move closer so he could wrap me in it. “You weren’t thinking clearly and needed to cool off so you could.”
I gave him a tight nod, clutching the edges of the towel he’d wrapped around me. “Well, I’m thinking clearly now,” I said, my voice steadier despite the chill clinging to my skin.
“Good. That’s… good.” My dragon seemed suddenly nervous. “Let me get you some dry clothes, and I’ll escort you back to Magus House.”
“Caulder,” I said, before he could race out of the room. “I meant what I said. Whatever the fuck that fever was may have brought me here, but I did already want to complete our bond.”
He went still before scenting the air. It must have confirmed I wasn’t lost to whatever lust-filled haze I’d been in when I arrived because his gaze was molten when it landed on me again.
“I’m coming to realize that maybe, just maybe , fate knows better than I do when it comes to mates,” I said, dropping the wet towel and reaching for the hem of my soaked sleep shirt.
“I was ready to complete our bond before I woke up with my body on fire, and the bond led me here. I was just trying to cling to my human realm sensibilities by denying it. But I’m not human. ”
Caulder’s eyes followed my movements as I slowly pulled my shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor near the towel. I felt my arousal growing under his heated gaze and dropped my hands to the waistband of my pajama shorts.
“I want you. I want this . I’m tired of fighting against it.”
He let out a groan, raking a hand over his face before pinning me with his gaze again. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” I breathed, stepping closer. My hands moved from the waistband of my sleep shorts to trace the sharp line of his jaw with my fingers.
His restraint snapped. With a guttural sound, he pulled me against him, his mouth crashing down on mine.
The kiss was ravenous, demanding, and I met it with equal fervor.
His hands roamed my body, sliding over my bare skin, igniting a trail of fire everywhere he touched.
I arched into him, a silent plea for more, for everything.
He broke the kiss, burying his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. “You smell so incredible,” he rasped against my skin, sending shivers through me. His lips tasted their way along my throat, down to my collarbone, and then his teeth scraped lightly, playfully, against my skin.
A gasp escaped my lips as he nibbled, then sucked.
My fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer, urging him on.
The heat from earlier, the one that had threatened to consume me, seemed to surge again.
I felt the rumble of his chest against mine as his hands found the last barrier of my shorts, his thumbs hooking into the elastic.
Without a word, he nudged them down, and I lifted my hips, letting the damp fabric fall to the floor with a soft whisper.
“Not fair,” I whined. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”
His voice rumbled as he chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t be for long.”
He released my hips, stepping back just enough to tear off his own nightshirt, the soft cotton peeling away to reveal a lean, powerful torso sculpted with muscle.
The sight took my breath away—broad shoulders, a ridged abdomen, and the faint, intriguing scars that spoke of a life I was only just beginning to understand.
My gaze drifted lower, past the taut expanse of his belly, to the dark fabric of his pajama bottoms, which quickly followed the shirt to the floor.
Now, it was his turn to approach, every step deliberate, radiating a raw, untamed power that made my knees tremble.
He reached for me, his large hands settling on my waist, pulling me firmly against his naked length.
The sudden contact of skin on skin, the warmth of him, sent a shockwave through me, igniting every nerve ending.
My fingers curled into the hard planes of his chest, nails lightly scraping against his skin.
He leaned down, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that was deeper, more possessive than before.
His tongue tangled with mine, a dance of pure hunger.
My hips instinctively arched against his, seeking, pressing, yearning for more.
He groaned, a low, guttural sound that vibrated through my core, and then he was lifting me, my legs wrapping easily around his waist.
I gasped as he carried me, his strong arms supporting my weight, our bodies grinding together with each powerful stride.
He didn’t stop until he reached the bed, where he lowered me gently onto the cool sheets, never breaking our kiss.
The pillows cushioned my head as he settled between my spread thighs, his erection a fierce brand against my most sensitive flesh.
My hands roamed eagerly over his back, feeling the ripple of muscles, the heat radiating from him. He moved slowly at first, teasing, circling, the friction building an unbearable tension within me. I whimpered, a desperate sound of need, urging him closer.
“Please, Caulder,” I pleaded, my voice hoarse.
His eyes, dark and heavy-lidded, met mine. “Tell me you want this, Bechora,” he rasped, his voice rough with control, even as his hips flexed, pressing flush against mine.
“I want this,” I panted, my body trembling with the effort to hold back, to savor the exquisite torment. “I want you .”
What little was left of his control shattered.
He plunged into me, a magnificent, consuming thrust that made me cry out, a moan of pure pleasure torn from my throat.
I arched against him, wrapping my legs tighter around his waist as I took all of him.
He stilled, giving me a moment to adjust to the stretch that bordered on painful, and gently traced my jaw with one hand while he supported his weight with the other.
I clung to him, my fingers digging into the hard muscle of his shoulders.
My hips rose, a silent plea for him to move.
A low growl vibrated in his chest, a primal sound that sent shivers of anticipation through me.
He began to move, slowly at first, a deep, rhythmic slide that felt impossibly good.
Each withdrawal and thrust sent ripples of pleasure through me, pooling low in my belly.
My breathing grew ragged, matching his own.
The world outside the soft shadows of his room ceased to exist. There was only the feel of his skin against mine, the scent of him, the intoxicating taste of desire on our shared breaths.
I watched his face, contorted in an effort at self-control, and the raw power in his eyes.
He picked up the pace, each thrust more urgent, more demanding.
I met him, thrust for thrust, my body responding to his every command, every inflection of his movements.
The pressure built, an exquisite tension coiling tighter and tighter within me, spreading outwards until every nerve ending sang.
My head tossed on the pillow, my nails scraping light trails down his back as I neared my peak.
A gasp tore from my throat as the wave crested, a blinding, all-consuming release that shattered through me, shaking my entire body.
My legs clenched around his waist, pulling him even deeper as I cried out his name.
Caulder leaned his head down to graze his teeth against the juncture of my neck before biting down.
It should have hurt, but pleasure crashed over me instead, throwing me over the edge of release as I shattered completely.
He groaned, his teeth still buried in my flesh, and thrusted into me once more.
His body shuddered with his release, echoing the tremors still wracking mine.
He pulled back slowly, eyes hazy with satisfaction as he looked down at the mating mark he’d left on my skin. He licked a lazy trail from the mark up to my ear, sending another shiver through me.
"Mine," he whispered, the word a deep-throated growl that vibrated through my very bones.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling his head back down for a soft, lingering kiss. “Yours.”