Chapter Twenty-Two
Sven
Pain shot through Sven as he gained altitude. He could feel the poison course through his veins, but he could also feel Bryn’s powers counteracting his wound. Whatever the toxin was, there had been less of it on the arrow this time and she had already healed most of the effects.
They soared through the night while the world beneath them shrunk and disappeared into the darkness. He knew of a place where he could rest and they would be safe. He just hoped he could find it. He flew close to the faces of the mountains and searched for the opening.
Just as he worried that he might not have the strength to continue, he found the ledge that he sought.
They finally reached the sanctuary of a hidden mountain cave, secluded and sheltered from the world.
The entrance was narrow and nearly invisible against the rock face but when he landed, he knew he had found the right spot.
Sven landed gently and his massive claws sank into the stone ledge as he lowered Bryn carefully to the ground. He loved how she kept her hands on him as he moved, and he could feel the healing that emanated from her. He had felt her love surrounding him, but he had also felt her fear.
He urged her inside. I don’t fit in there in this form. I’ll light a fire before I shift. Go stand in the back.
I need to heal you.
You will. I just need a minute to make sure we stay warm.
She moved into the cave. You better hope there aren’t any monsters in here.
We just left the monsters way below us. His fury at seeing her slapped reared up.
He moved away and let out a quick burst of flame.
A pile of brush in the corner near the front lit and illuminated the cave.
He shifted back into his human form, which was bruised and battered but still very much alive.
He wanted to hold on to his anger at the entire situation, but almost losing her quelled that ability.
His view of her being manhandled by the Skelvarns was something that would take him a long time to recover from.
For right now, he needed to focus on her.
He arranged the makeshift campfire and added some other fuel that lay about the cave.
He could feel Bryn watch him, but he needed to make sure she was warm.
The cave was only dimly lit, but he didn’t need to see her face.
He could feel her love even in the darkness, and he never wanted to lose that feeling.
“You need to rest. We need to get you back to the castle for help.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life.” Bryn ran to him and he held her close. Neither of them spoke for long moments.
Bryn finally took a step back but her hands didn’t leave his chest. He gripped them with his own. “What in the hell were you doing down there?”
“I was saving you.”
“Me? I told you to never go to the deep.”
She told him what happened. “After that call, I just reacted. All I could think was that I needed to get to you. I needed to be sure that you were alive.” She suddenly collapsed and sat down hard on the stone floor. “What was I thinking? I had no idea how I was going to save you.”
He sat down next to her. “We survived. Together.” He lifted her chin. “And you saved me. Again.”
Her hand moved to his chest where the wound had been. “Where did the arrow hit you?”
He leaned in and kissed her. “It’s healed. My dragon could heal the wound after you neutralized the toxin.” He rolled his shoulders. “I’m still a little sore, but I’ll be fine.”
“I almost lost you.” Her voice was a mere whisper. “How did you know where to find me?”
“If you hadn’t called Hannah, I could have lost you. Lars and I had just gotten back to the castle when she called frantically trying to tell me that you had gone to get me.”
She told him about the call. “I didn’t even know if she heard me.”
Anger rolled through him again. “They would have hurt you, Bryn, and I couldn’t live if I lost you."
Bryn sidled up close. "You didn’t lose me," she whispered. "You never will." She straightened. “How did I hear you in my head?”
“It’s a gift for mates. You’ll learn how to communicate with me in the same manner.”
“Telekinesis or something like that?”
He chuckled. “Telekinesis is being able to move things with your mind. Telepathy is what we have.”
“It’s a strange thing to experience out of the blue.” She stroked his face. “But it’s a gift I’ll use.”
Her touch made him forget everything and his mouth crushed against hers.
His tongue teased hers as the inferno in his body grew.
His hand slid down and cupped her breast before he yanked at her jacket.
He tossed it down and slid her shirt over her head.
Within seconds he laid her naked body down on the clothes strewn on the ground.
He tweaked her nipple and she pressed against him for more contact.
With a growl, his tongue circled her nipples until they were hard and taut.
He kissed his way up her neck and her little gasps of pleasure urged him on while his hand travelled down between her legs.
She moaned as she spread her legs to give him better access, and he felt the heat waiting for him as he found her clit, already tender and begging for attention.
Bryn bucked her hips as his fingers swirled and stroked passion. He tried to go slow, but she wasn't helping by stroking his cock. Their kisses became more hot and needy and he gave up all pretense of slow and steady when she grabbed his cock gently and guided it to her waiting warmth.
His dragon roared to claim her, and he didn’t have the strength, or desire, to deny his inner beast. This wasn’t just love making. This was pure physical pleasure.
He hovered over her for a brief second before he plunged deep inside her. She raised her hips to him thrust for thrust, and all coherent thought disappeared. She was hot and wet and he didn't waste a second. She moaned as he drove into her over and over.
He groaned as she rotated her hips and ground against him, her body convulsing around him.
He could feel her body tighten around him as pleasure pushed her closer to the edge.
He held her still as he buried himself deep into her core, and when she squeezed her muscles around his cock, he thought he was going to orgasm right then.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders and the kisses became feverish. He groaned again as pleasure filtered out every other aspect of the moment. She was just as desperate as he was to climb a mountain as high as the one they were on.
He needed to slow down so he buried himself deep.
Her legs wrapped around his hips and held him tight while his lips trailed along her jawline to her neck sucking and nipping.
Their labored breathing made kisses all but impossible, and the sensations on his cock made holding still impossible.
Her whimpers ruined his intentions, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to last long.
Primal urges stoked the desire as their bodies moved together. Sven could feel his orgasm roaring to let go, and he could feel Bryn tighten in anticipation. He plunged deeper, each stroke fanning the flames.
Loud moans escape her. "Y-you're...I’m going to... oh my God..."
Her panting pushed him closer to his breaking point. “Cum for me, baby. I’m right there with you.”
Sven shifted his hips to a new angle and within seconds, Bryn lost control and came undone. When she stiffened and cried out, her muscles gripped him tighter than ever and he lost the ability to hold off.
His own stifling cry echoed as he followed close behind her and came so hard that he thought he'd pass out from the pleasure..
Afterwards, they lay on the cold floor, wrapped in each other’s arms, with Bryn's head on his shoulder.
He stroked her hair while she drew little circles on his chest with her finger.
Despite the fact that the floor was really uncomfortable, he never wanted to move.
In that cave, at that moment, it was just the two of them and nothing else mattered.
She stirred and stretched. And then he felt her shiver.
Reality replaced the passion of moments before.
“Come on. We need to get dressed before we freeze to death.” He stood and grabbed her jacket that he’d been laying on. “Here. Put this on.”
“Let me get my clothes on first.” She tripped while she tried to put her jeans on. “It was hot in here just a little bit ago.”
His body stirred at the thought, but he pushed the sensations from his mind. They had to get back to the castle.
Bryn looked at him while she slid into her coat. “Where is Lars? I was worried they had both of you.”
Sven kicked at the embers to extinguish them. There was just enough moonlight to provide them the ability to see in the cave. “He’s at the castle trying to figure out who is betraying us.”
“Whoever it is has my phone number so they’re close by,” Bryn advised with a dry tone. “And they knew you weren’t at the castle.”
“Speaking of, how did you manage to slip out again with no one seeing you?” He had his suspicions but needed to hear it from her. “I should have asked you that before. We have double guards at all the gates.”
She snorted and told him the story about climbing the fence. “Not my most elegant moment, I’m sure. I just hope no one saw me.”
He knew she meant the words flippantly, but they just made him angry. “That’s the whole point. Someone should have seen you. Someone should have been at that door.”
“It makes no sense. How could anyone, ill intent or not, have known what door I was going to go out? I had to wander and sneak around until I found it.”
“You answered your own question. Whoever it is only had to leave one door clear. He, or they, knew that you’d find it eventually.” What scared him the most was what their backup plan could have been if she hadn’t attempted to escape the castle.
She laid her head against his shoulder. “Does Lars even know where you are?”
He stiffened but didn’t answer.
“I guess not. I wondered why he would let you go to the deep by yourself.” Bryn let out a low whistle. “Dude, you are in so much trouble.”
“Tell me about it,” he growled. “Twice I go alone and I get shot both times.” He hugged her. “Maybe we can just not tell him about this time.”
She pushed on his chest. “Oh no. He’s going to find out. I can’t have any husband of mine sneaking around and getting himself shot, especially if I’m not around to save his ass.”
His lips crushed hers. He didn’t dare tell her how much he loved the word husband. She responded and the kiss deepened. He finally pulled away.
“We have to go. Much more of that and we’re never leaving this cave.”
She giggled and rubbed her arms. “Much more of this cold and we’re going to have to make love twenty-four seven just to survive.”
He kissed her nose. “I could live with that.”
“Not for long,” came her retort.
He grinned in the dark. “But what a way to go.”
She pushed on his arm. “Oh shut up and get us out of here. I need coffee. Really hot coffee.”
He quickly shifted and lowered his wing so she could climb on his back.
He waited until she secured her jacket and hood to block the wind before he launched off the edge and took to the sky.
He stayed high to avoid any interference from below.
He had no idea who hunted them, but he wasn’t going to give them a target.
Sven could feel Bryn’s excitement as they soared toward the castle. Any qualms he had about her being frightened of his dragon form vanished, and his huge body shuddered with pleasure that she accepted all of him.
He landed in a remote part of the castle kept specifically for this reason. Bryn instantly threw her arms around him when he shifted back to two legs.
“That is absolutely the only way to fly!”
He loved her enthusiasm. “Better than a plane?”
“Oh, absolutely. Landing is much easier and much less terrifying.”
He kissed her soundly. “Come on. Let’s go see what Lars has found.”
Hand in hand, they walked toward the lights of the castle. Sven’s skin prickled that something sinister had poisoned the sanctity of their home.