CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE #2
“I could never condemn you,” he finished against my lips.
“Talon,” I cried out, my legs moving to wrap themselves around his waist.
He caught my mouth in a kiss that tasted of salt and possession, his tongue mirroring the rough rhythm of his lower body. I was a puppet in his hands, my body arching and twisting to meet every brutal drive of his hips. I wanted more. I wanted the weight of him to crush me, to erase the guilt.
My release began to build, a gloriful pressure that coiled in my gut. I felt my inner muscles clench around him, begging for the end. Talon felt it too. His pace shifted, becoming faster, a blurred motion of shadow and friction that left me weeping his name into the dark.
“Stay with me,” he commanded, his voice rough with the approaching edge of his own climax. “Look at me while I take you, little flame.”
I forced my eyes open, staring into the face of the man who would burn the world to ashes just to keep me at his side.
As the first wave of the orgasm shattered through me, he delivered one final, bone-deep thrust. He groaned, as he emptied himself into me, his release flooding me with a warmth that felt like a brand.
I sighed in contentment, my hands gently tracing down the nape of his neck, until they settled on his tensed shoulder blades.
Talon brought his forehead to mine, the tip of his nose brushing mine. “You cannot ever go behind my back again, Kaelia.”
I licked my dry lips and unclasped my legs from his waist. “I know. I will not.”
He tilted his head to look into my eyes, and my heart clenched at the pain written across his features.
“I brought you into my city to help me lead,” he said, his voice a low vibration against my chest. “You must understand that we Veythar are loyal to the bone. If my kin see even a flicker of distrust between us, if they sense a fracture in our foundation, it may be impossible for you to ever take your rightful place by my side.”
Even now, after the way I had deceived him, he did not dwell on the sting of his own wounded pride. His fear was not for himself, but for me. He worried for the possibility of his kin never accepting me, for the shadow my choices might cast over my future in this dark kingdom.
The weight of his selflessness made me squirm against the moss, a restless movement that caused his heavy length to plop from me. His warm release followed, oozing down my inner thigh in a slow trail that sent a burning flush to my cheeks.
“I never intended for this to be the outcome,” I admitted, my voice small as I crossed my arms over my bare chest to ward off the sudden chill. I forced myself to meet the navy starlight of his eyes. “I should have confided in you, Talon.”
His expression tightened, the muscles in his jaw leaping as he fought to keep his features stoic.
“I promise you,” I pleaded, my fingers reaching out to ghost over the ink on his forearm. “I will not fail you again.”
He gave a single, curt nod, though the distance remained in his gaze.
“I will not be with you when you wake. I will be busy throughout the morning working with Bater on solidifying the border surrounding the Thrynn River. We have much to prepare.” He paused, his gaze pinning me to the stone. “I am trusting you to behave.”
My eyes teared up at the quiet dismissal. It was not crude or fueled by a need to hurt me, nor was it undeserved, but the coldness of it hurt.
“Okay,” I whispered, the word catching in my throat.
He leaned back, and the sudden rush of cool air over my sensitized skin made me shiver. I hissed as I sat up, a pulsing ache blooming between my thighs. My hand went to the small of my back, brushing away the grit and debris that had embedded into my skin.
I reached out for him, my fingers seeking the warmth of his skin one last time, but my vision began to blur.
The edges of the cavern fractured, the obsidian walls splintering into jagged shards of light that pierced through the darkness.
A violent dizziness took hold, making my head tilt as the world spun on its axis.
“Talon?” I cried out, my hand grasping at the air where he had been standing.
But there was no solid flesh to meet my touch. All that remained of him were fragments of black smoke, wisping through my fingers like a dying hearth. I collapsed back onto the stone, my eyes screwing shut against the blinding, flashing lights that tore through the dreamscape.
When I finally forced my lids open, the world was silent.
The air was no longer sharp with the scent of the river, but heavy with the musk of our chamber. The only light came from the pale, fungal glow peering through the fractured cavern ceiling above.
I reached out, my hand patting the mattress beside me, but the sheets were as cold as they had been when I first fell asleep. The space was empty, the pillow undisturbed.
A hollow ache settled in the center of my chest.
I pulled the blankets toward me, wrapping myself into a tight cocoon to ward off the lingering chill of the dream. I stared into the shadows, listening to the heavy breathing of Vesuva in the corner, and tried to find the path back to a sleep that would not haunt me.