Chapter 53
VIVIENNE
We’ve been traveling for hours, and the storm has only gotten steadily worse since we left Thornreach castle. Rain pours down in thick, relentless sheets, soaking through our clothes until the fabric clings to our skin.
Lightning splits the sky, followed by a thunderous boom that echoes through the forest.
Dain and his wolf break through the rain ahead of us. “One of the scouts found a cave system ahead,” he says, “not far from here.”
“Lead the way,” Auren replies, his arm tightening around my waist.
The forest thins as we push forward, the ground turning to slick mud beneath Vaelen’s paws. Despite the storm, the sound of rushing water grows louder as we continue, until it fills the air completely.
In the distance, a waterfall crashes down the side of a towering cliff, mist rising thick into the rain. Along the rock face beside it, caves stretch out in a honeycomb pattern, with dozens of openings carved into the stone.
Auren dismounts in one smooth motion when we reach the nearest opening. “Wait here with Vaelen while I check that it’s safe,” he calls over his shoulder as he disappears inside.
His warriors do the same with the caverns on either side.
Auren reappears moments later, striding back toward me through the rain. “It’s clear.”
He reaches up, his hands closing around my waist as he lifts me from Vaelen and carries me into the cave.
Glowing gemstones line the walls and ceiling, providing just enough illumination to see clearly as we move deeper into the cavern. The sounds of the storm become distant, muffled by stone.
The air inside is warm and humid. Up ahead is a smaller waterfall. It pours from the mountain, collecting into a small pool below. Steam rises from the surface. The steady rush of the water replaces the chaos of the rain and thunder outside.
Auren gently sets me on my feet and then dips his hand in the water. “It’s warm,” he muses. “It must be fed by a warm spring.”
Behind us, Vaelen lies just inside the entrance, his head facing out toward the storm, alert for any danger.
“You’re safe here with Vaelen,” he says. “I’m going to speak with Dain and the others. I’ll return shortly.”
I nod and watch as he leaves the cave.
The storm roars outside, wind howling through the trees, rain striking stone in a relentless rhythm.
Thoroughly soaked, I remove my shoes, my heavy cloak, and my dress, leaving me in only my shift as I pull the supplies from our pack. The floor is heated beneath my feet thanks to the warm spring in the back of the cavern. It’s warm enough that I’m not uncomfortable even in my thin, damp gown.
I pull out some dried meat for Vaelen and his tail thumps happily as I offer him a few strips. I stroke his fur for a few minutes before moving back to our supplies and setting out our bedding. As I do, my thoughts drift back to Auren and how I kissed him when we first left the Goblin castle.
My thighs squeeze together as I remember how he whispered in my ear, promising to worship me later. Gods, I don’t know why I was so nervous to tell him what I want. Perhaps it’s because all of this is still so new between us. Even now, my cheeks feel as if they’re on fire as I think about it.
“This is absurd,” I mutter to myself. “We’re husband and wife. I shouldn’t be embarrassed about such things.”
My gaze drifts toward the cave entrance and the rain falling heavily outside. Nervous anticipation moves through me as I glance at our bedrolls. I already pushed them together, but I’m not sure if I should be undressed beneath the blankets when he returns or if I should just wait here.
Or perhaps, he is hungry after the long day’s travel and he’s changed his mind. Maybe he just wants a quick meal and to go to sleep.
Sighing heavily, I rummage through our supplies again, and arrange a small platter of dried meat, cheese, bread, and some fruit.
Movement catches the corner of my eye, and I turn toward it just as Auren steps back into the cave.
His wet tunic clings to his powerful form, outlining the broad span of his shoulders and the hard lines of his chest beneath the fabric. His hair is damp and loose, strands falling across his forehead, dripping slowly.
For a moment, he simply stands there, the storm at his back, before he reaches for the hem of his tunic and pulls it over his head. The fabric peels away from his body and drops to the stone floor with a wet slap.
My lips part as water trails down his chest in slow, deliberate paths, sliding over the thick plane of muscle, down the center of his abdomen, disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants.
Gods help me, I’m completely mesmerized.
I inhale sharply when I realize he’s noticed me staring, and heat floods my face.
“I made a plate.” I gesture vaguely toward the small platter I arranged. His piercing gaze is fixed on mine as he stalks toward me. “If—if you’re hungry.”
“I’m ravenous,” he says, voice low and rough in a way that sends a shiver down my spine.
My breath falters as he closes the distance between us. One hand slides into my hair, fingers curling at the back of my head, while the other wraps around my waist, pulling me flush against him. “But I hunger for something other than food right now.”
He captures my mouth in a claiming kiss. Deep and consuming, his tongue finds mine, curling around it, stealing the breath from my lungs.
I gasp as his hands move down my body, cupping my breasts through the fabric of my nightshift before traveling lower. Gripping my waist, he rips his mouth from mine and lifts me as though I weigh nothing.
I wrap my legs around him and gasp as my back hits the wall. His lips crash against mine as he kisses me like a man possessed, devouring me with his lips and his tongue.
My head spins, my thoughts scattering as he presses his body into mine, solid and unyielding. A soft moan escapes me when he rolls his hips, only a thin barrier of clothing separating his stav from my entrance.
A low sound rumbles in his chest as his lips trail from my mouth to my jaw, to the sensitive spot just below my ear. “I can scent your need, Vivienne.”
He pulls back just enough to look at me and my heart stutters. His eyes are dark and full of hunger. “Is this what you want, my beautiful wife? Is this what you were trying to tell me? That you desire your husband’s touch.”
“Yes,” I whisper, heart pounding. “I want you, Auren.”
Gently, he lowers me back to my feet. Extending his claws, he slices a line down the center of my shift, and it falls away from my body.
His gaze holds mine, full of fire and possession.
“Then you shall have all of me,” he growls.
“But first”—his eyes travel over my bare form, slow and deliberate as he sinks to his knees—“I will worship you.”