Chapter 24
Seraphina
Iwatched as Thavros put the books away. I had been distracted ever since I heard him say “mate” last night. I wanted that to be true, but I was still so uncertain of what would happen. Yet, as I watched him work, I knew that I wanted that more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
When I’d heard him mutter the word Wolfrick, the face of a kind but intimidating man popped into my head.
I remembered riding in a wagon with him.
I remembered laughing while he gave me candy, but everything still just came to me in little images and feelings.
At least these feelings weren’t agonizing.
But none of that mattered now as Thavros wound me deeper into the mountain.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked with a slight giggle in my voice. “I thought you were taking me outside somewhere.”
He turned to me with a glint in his eye that I had yet to see before, but one that I would love to see every day. I liked this side of him. “I never said I was taking you out of the mountain.”
His large hand wrapped around mine as he guided me further into the mountain.
“Here we are,” he said as he turned to me.
“Odd, taking me all this way to show me a passageway,” I said as I looked around at the long corridor with nothing but dirt floors, stone walls, and sporadic torches along the way.
A low laugh rumbled from the magnificent orc in front of me. “No, little flame, it is in here.” He motioned to the room just around the corner.
I looked up with questioning eyes, and he gave a little nod, encouraging me forward.
As I turned the corner, the sight before me nearly took my breath away.
There before me was a large cavern. The air was warm and humid as steam wafted off the large expanse of natural springs before us.
There were orcs in the water bathing and others just relaxing, all completely naked.
I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks.
One would think that since I have spent a large portion of my life around orcs, I would be used to their casual attitudes towards bodies, but I was not allowed around them much, and never like this.
“What is this place?” I asked, eyes wide. I’d never seen anything like it in my life.
Then a sound caught my attention. Sighs and grunting, and it sounded like… I turned, and on the far end of the water were two orcs getting very close and personal.
“This is the baths,” he said as he started to shed his outer tunic. “Come,” he said as he led me to a slightly more private part of the room where a large boulder cut off the view of the rest.
Instinctively, I clung to my dress, and his brow furrowed as he cocked his head to the side in confusion. If I weren’t so uncertain, it would have been the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
“Do you not wish to get in?”
“Well…” I did want to get in. All that warm water would feel amazing. “I do, but I’m feeling a little shy.”
“Hmmmm,” he hummed as he let his trousers drop to the ground before walking over and cupping my face. “If you do not wish to enjoy the water, we can leave.”
“No. I don’t want that… I just …”
That was all he needed. He slipped his shift over his head, revealing his hulking naked form, and just the sight of him had me throbbing with need.
“Come,” he said as he helped me out of my gown until I was standing there in my shift. I looked around and confirmed that we were by ourselves over here, and all the other orcs seemed completely unbothered by their casual nakedness.
I could do this. I could be brave enough to be with him in this way. I untied the top of my shift and let it fall over my hips until it pooled at my feet.
A low rumble sounded from Thavros before he came over and swept me off my feet. A squeal escaped my lips as he carried me into the water.
The warm water enveloped me as he sat down on the stone ledge and situated me on his lap. I sighed and leaned back into him. “This is nice.”
“I agree,” he said as he rested his head on the stone wall behind him and cradled me close. “I have not felt this relaxed in a long time.”
As we sat in the water, the stress of all of the past few days fell away, leaving nothing but the growing bond between me and Thavros. It was hard not to believe in fate when I thought about all the moments, wonderful and terrible alike, that had led me here.
As I shifted on his lap, I couldn’t help but notice his hard cock against me. I turned my head and peered up at him.
“Pay it no mind,” he said as he smoothed his hand over my arms.
“What if I want to pay it mind?”
A smirk curled across his lips as he said, “I didn’t think you would be comfortable doing that.”
And of course, as he said it, the couple I had spied before finished the act with a rather loud grand finale for all to hear.
“I’d like to try,” I said as I wrapped my hand around his hard length.
“You truly are perfect,” he said as his head once again dropped back.
He groaned as I took both my hands and dragged them up and down his length. Next thing I knew, his fingers found my slit wet and wanting. He positioned me on his lap to give him access to my sex as I continued to work his cock.
He slipped a finger inside of me, and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my mouth. “Be careful, or they will hear you,” he said with a smirk. But I was finding it hard to care about it as his thumb started to work circles over my clit.
I tried to stay focused on pumping his cock with my hands, but as he added another finger while his thumb never left my clit, I was finding it hard to do anything but feel. Then his hand that had been holding me against him came up and plucked my nipple, and another cry ripped from my throat.
He closed his mouth over mine and plundered me with his tongue as his fingers pumped, his thumb swirled, and his other hand rolled my nipple. I combusted. I was lost in the pleasure he so easily gave.
When I finally came down, he pressed another kiss to my lips. I wanted to return the favor, but he was so large I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle it.
“I want to make you come,” I said, looking up into his dark eyes.
He wrapped his hand over mine and helped me to stroke his cock. “That's it, just like that,” he said as his brow furrowed, and his breath turned to pants.
I looked into the water. While the lighting was dim, I could still see my hands working his cock with his large green hand guiding me.
I could watch it forever. When I looked back up at him, his pupils were blown, revealing large, almost black eyes hooded with desire.
His mouth parted as he grunted. The way his tusks stuck out a little bit undid me for a reason completely foreign to me.
It was a part of him, and I wanted every part of this man. I reached up and licked into his mouth.
He groaned as his other hand rose out of the water and captured the back of my head, holding my mouth to his as his other hand wrapped tighter around my hands, working his cock. The strokes, now firmer, also sped up.
I wanted this orc to fall apart because of me. I wanted to watch it happen.
Then he broke the kiss. His head fell back as a roar ripped from deep inside of him. I watched the water as rope after rope of release spurted out of him. It filled me with a sense of accomplishment. I loved that I was able to bring him this amount of pleasure.
When I looked into his eyes, I was overwhelmed at the emotions I saw. He cupped my face and kissed me, but this wasn’t the deep kiss we shared before. No, this kiss was tender and filled with so much emotion it almost brought tears to my eyes.
He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine. “You are a gift, Seraphina. Meant for only me. You are mine. I will spend my whole life protecting you and trying to deserve you.”
I swallowed down the emotion that clawed at the back of my throat. “Thavros… I love you.”
It was all I knew to say. It was the simple truth.
I know he thought I hadn’t noticed when he called me his mate. And while that thought did still scare me with the unknown, the idea of being his and being mated to him was all I wanted. I wanted to be his just as much as I wanted him to be mine.