51. Intimate Bond
Intimate Bond
ROHEN
The scent of sea salt and sandalwood enveloped me, lulling me from the depths of my dreamscape.
Fingers brushing over his bare skin, a soft groan slipped from my already parted lips.
My lids fluttered open to reveal a muscular olive chest laden with dark hair.
Rising and falling with a steady rhythm, I nuzzled closer, basking in the consistent drum of his heart.
Caspian Vayne.
My Mizani.
My soul tie.
Mine.
I studied his defined jaw, cresting over it to the beard that adorned his features.
Mouth slightly agape, newfound peace painted him with a boyishness I knew he’d never been granted.
All tension had vanished, replaced by the man Sorva had snuffed out—a man who was beyond tender, compassionate, and endearing.
His beauty mirrored the sea, dark and alluring yet just as devastating.
Crafted by the gods with strength, his essence stood in opposition, a clash of forced expectation and desired simplicity.
Where he was capable of decimating kingdoms, he longed to remain an observer. A silent watcher. A protector.
Cupping his face, I swept my thumb over his cheek. “Cas.”
He leaned into my touch and pressed a soft kiss to my palm. “Hmm?”
“How long have you been awake?”
“I’ve been resting my eyes,” he hummed, the gravelly depth of his unused voice going straight to my core.
Lips meeting his neck, I breathed, “That doesn’t answer the question, Captain.”
“You can’t do that.” His actions clashed with his words as he lifted his chin to grant me more access.
My canines ghosted over his pulse point. “What is it that I cannot do?”
Turning onto his side, the arm he’d wrapped around me cinched down before he rolled onto his back once more. His hands moved to my thighs as he positioned me above him, the blankets cascading over my shoulders. “Tease me,” he growled, kissing my temple.
“If I were teasing you”—I pushed myself upright and rolled over his stiffness—“then I would be doing this.”
“Fuuucking hell,” he huffed, massaging my hip. “You can stay like that for as long as you wish, because gods, you are beautiful.”
Warmth crept up my neck. It was the first time I’d ever laid myself bare for a man beyond intercourse, and the way Caspian held me and looked at me as if I were someone worth cherishing, mended some of the fractures Malrik had carved into my soul.
Where I once would’ve recoiled and used the sheets to shield myself, I allowed them to fall.
Crimson irises sweeping over me with nothing but admiration, Caspian mapped every inch of me.
Eyes hungry, he trailed over my minimal curves and the femininity I believed I lacked—the femininity he urged me to embrace.
Lifting his other arm, he withheld touching me as his gaze met mine. “May I?”
“Please,” I whispered.
With my permission, he obliged, fingertips grazing up my sides before moving to do the same along my spine.
“You are stunning beyond definition.” His touch traced my lower back, and his attention didn’t waver.
“While I am unable to do so now, please know that as soon as I take my father’s place, I will divide mountains for you, eradicate all who oppose you, and ensure those devoted to me will kneel at your utterance. ”
Dragging my nails down his torso, I leaned forward until my nose brushed his.
“Just as I told you, Caspian Vayne, you are a treasure, invaluable and irreplaceable. When I considered my essence asphyxiated, you revived it and reminded me why life was worth fighting for. You’ve shown me the beauty in vulnerability and the depth of devotion, and I can say with certainty that there is no other man I wish to stand beside.
While you divide mountains, I will part seas.
Where you promise to eradicate all who oppose me, I will drown those foolish enough to challenge you.
And every soldier who will, by default, serve me will honor you as if they were yours. ”
Caresses remaining light, a languid smile painted his expression.
Basking in the warmth it brought, I melted into his touch as his arms encircled me.
With our bodies flush, I loosed a sigh and nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.
With proximity as my aid, I devoured his scent and the comfort it brought.
My lids fluttered, but before my mind could drift, knuckles drummed against the door.
“The two of you haven’t killed one another, have you?”
Syoran.
“Fuck off, Kao,” Caspian called back, the playfulness in his timbre irrefutable.
A chuckle, and then, “Rohen?”
“I’m good,” I answered, trying to fight off my laughter.
“Oh, good. I’m glad the vengefulness you both wield like a blade didn’t result in a bloodbath, because godsforbid, that would be a fucking nightmare to clean up.”
Groaning, Caspian kissed the crown of my head before posing, “What do you want?”
Syoran whistled. “Damn. I have to want something now to speak with you through a closed door? I remember the days when you used to let me in just to ask me to bend you over your—”
“Syoran.”
“Caspian.”
“Wait, what?” I gasped and slipped away from the captain’s hold to better angle myself toward the thick slab of wood.
“You didn’t tell her?” There was a pause before Syoran added, “Levitte, the man you are likely straddling nude, is the biggest pleasure bottom you will ever meet. Well… power too, I suppose.”
Biting my bottom lip, my gaze met Caspian’s as I answered, “I’m well aware. His whimpers are beautiful.”
“I fucking knew it!” Syoran shouted. “Kael!”
The drum of booted feet faded as he moved away from the door to hunt down the soon-to-be king. As his presence vanished, I cocked a brow at the breathtaking man who stared at me from where he belonged.
Beneath me.
“What is it, Caspian Vayne?”
“Great to see the two of you have hit it off,” he said, rubbing his hands over my stomach. “I mean, for you, of course. Certainly not for my sanity, considering the teasing will never stop.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“Stop,” he breathed, thumbs ghosting over my waist. “There is no reason to apologize. Every godsdamned person on this ship is well aware of the man I am. I mean, hell, the entire continent might be as well, considering how fast word travels. Pirates never know how to shut their fucking mouths.”
His reassurance provided relief, and I smiled. “Ironic coming from one.”
“Yes, which is why I like mine stuffed. With cunt or cock, I’ve never had a preference.”
Choking on my saliva, the reply I uttered came out raspy. “Gods above.”
“What? Surprised?”
“No. I mean, not really,” I admitted. “I’ve just… I’ve never met a man so transparent, one so confident with his sexuality and fluidity between masculinity and femininity.”
His tongue swept over his bottom lip. “Oh, darling, you haven’t seen anything yet. When I’m clad in a skirt and corset, then we can talk. Maybe I’ll add a splash of kohl to really blow your mind.”
Gently swatting his chest, I fought the building temptation to rub my thighs against each other. The mental image of free-flowing fabric descending his thighs and rigid material cinching his waist was nearly enough to make me implode. But actually witnessing it?
May Elaros greet me with a gracious end.
“Thoughts busy?” Caspian teased, though a tinge of concern laced each syllable.
Brushing my hand over his muscled chest in a way I hope provided reassurance, I met his thoughtful gaze. “Yes, with the idea of you on your knees dressed so beautifully for me.”
His worry dissipated, that stunning smile returning tenfold. “It is an idea that I can—“
Another knock infiltrated the space. “Hate to tell you two to get out of one another, depending on what’s currently happening,” Syoran started before adding, “but we are encroaching on Serevalen. We’re not far from the port, and I think… I think you guys may want to see this.”
“Give us a minute,” Caspian said, and then, without even looking at one another, both of us moved.
Hunting for the clothes I’d strewn throughout the room, curses tumbled from me as I slid into my trousers.
I fiddled with the buttons before bending down to grab my top, but a hand stopped me in my tracks.
Attention lifting, I found a nearly-clothed Caspian with his arm extended, one of his shirts dangling from it.
“Here,” he practically hummed, the corners of his mouth curling upward with what appeared to be a hint of bashfulness.
“I’ve paid attention to the way you relax around me, specifically when I cradle you.
And while we cannot linger here tangled with one another, I can at least provide something that will blanket you with my scent—something to aid in calming your nerves. ”
I reached for his offering, the fabric's quality undoubtedly regal. “Cas, this is nice. I can wear something else—”
“Absolutely the fuck not,” he interrupted. “I wish to see you wrapped in the finest silks and adorned with the most expensive jewels. Now, get dressed. In my shirt.”
Hiding my grin, I slipped the green material over my frame and tied its excess at my navel.
Immediately, his smell greeted me, and I clung to every drop, memorizing its undertones and the faint scent of musk that lingered.
He was addictive in a way I knew was dangerous, but there wasn’t an ounce of me that cared—not when I’d already had a taste, only for him to grant me far more.
Corset unnecessary due to my minimal assets, I turned, but the sight that welcomed me nearly forced me to my knees.
Etched across Caspian’s bare back were seven letters, each nauseating me more than the last. Tendrils of black dripped from each inked line, further polluting his essence beyond what her bind had.
Branded.
Wrath clouded my senses, my desire for vengeance beyond anything I sought for myself.
I would kill her. I would fucking butcher her, tear her limb from limb, and feast on the blood of those who so willingly devoted themselves to her.
I didn’t give a fuck if they were human or bore the title of falsified divinity; they would all fall, and I would see to it that nothing else was accomplished before they did.
“Sorva did that to you, didn’t she?” I whispered, though there was nothing gentle about it.
Caspian paused, glancing over his shoulder in shock. Almost as if he had never wished for me to know. “Ro, I—”
“No, that”—I pointed at yet another piece of him she’d violated—“is not your fucking fault, nor is my rage directed at you. But she did it, didn’t she?”
He nodded, crimson gaze meeting the floor. Attention drifting, he scratched his chest as if he were peeling something from his skin. It was a level of dissociation I was far too familiar with, one I slipped into whenever Malrik, or whoever he’d handed me off to, was having their way with me.
Closing the small gap between us, I caressed the side of his face. “Hey. Hey, I’m right here, Cas. You’re right here, with me.”
Lids fluttering twice, he lifted his chin to meet my stare. “I… I’m sorry.”
“What was it you just finished telling me?” I questioned calmly, keeping the billowing animosity within me contained. “Something along the lines of not apologizing when it is unnecessary.”
The light that’d dimmed in the shadows of whatever recollection haunted him returned. “I suppose you have me there.”
Offering him a smile I knew didn’t reach my eyes, I brushed over his cheek. “Just as you have me, I have you. If you need anything—comfort, reassurance, release—tell me. Okay?”
What had she fucking done to my Mizani?
“Okay,” Caspian agreed, the infamous lines marking both sides of his mouth returning.
Hand traveling down his arm, I grabbed his hand and squeezed.
The feel of his calluses molded to my memory, every hill and valley of his body chiseled alongside it.
He was perfect for me in all the ways my mother promised he was, and I would do anything to ensure he experienced the happiness he deserved.
The same joy he brought me.
If that meant giving that cunt a taste of her own medicine, then I would serve it on a silver platter just as chilled as my essence, and watch as she choked on it.