CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
The tunnels beneath Umbral were not meant for courting.
They were carved for defense and escape, winding veins of obsidian that threaded beneath the city in layered spirals. Lanterns were sparse down here, and shadows pooled thick between them, whispering across the walls as Talon guided me forward.
“Where are we going?” I asked for the third time, trying not to trip over the uneven stone beneath my boots.
“If I told you,” he replied calmly, “it would ruin the surprise.”
“A hint?”
“No. You would attempt to guess.”
“I am very good at guessing,” I confirmed.
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes glinting faintly in the low light. “You are very bad at subtlety.”
I gasped softly in mock offense, though my laughter echoed faintly through the tunnel.
We walked deeper than I had ever ventured before.
The air grew cooler, damp against my skin, carrying the faint scent of mineral-rich water and untouched stone.
The hum of the city above faded until only the sound of our footsteps remained, accompanied by the distant rush of something I could not yet see.
“Talon,” I murmured, slowing slightly. “Truly. Where are we going?”
He stopped then, turning to face me fully.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
A small smile touched his mouth. “Then come.”
He tugged me forward again, leading me around a bend where the tunnel narrowed considerably. The walls pressed closer together, the ceiling dipping lower until I had to tilt my head slightly to avoid brushing the rock.
The rushing sound grew louder the deeper we walked.
We rounded one final curve before Talon stopped beside a section of wall that looked no different from the rest—dark obsidian streaked faintly with silver veins.
He released my hand only to brace his palm against a jutting ridge.
“Stay close,” he murmured.
He stepped sideways into what I had assumed was solid stone. I followed, squeezing through a narrow gap between two towering slabs of rock. For a moment, darkness swallowed me—then, a beam of silver light greeted me.
I stumbled forward out of the gap and stopped dead.
Water cascaded from above in a luminous curtain, spilling down in silver streams. The sound was a constant, soothing rush that drowned out the world. I closed my eyes as a fine mist kissed my face.
It was all so familiar.
“Is this—” My voice trailed off as I turned slowly in place.
Behind us, carved naturally into the cliff-side and concealed entirely from the outer world, was a cavern.
His cavern.
Full obsidian walls curved overhead, glistening faintly with moisture.
A cobalt-blue river streamed through its center, glowing softly as it wound between smooth black rock, the water so clear it looked like liquid light.
The surface reflected the lanterns he had already lit along the edges, their golden glow dancing across the ceiling.
It looked untouched.
Exactly as it was the first time he brought me here.
“Did I finally figure a way to quieten you?”
I swatted his chest lightly, unable to contain the grin spreading across my face. “You brought me back.”
“I did,” he confirmed, striding ahead.
I stepped fully into the cavern, boots echoing faintly against the stone.
The river curved lazily past the familiar rock outcropping where I had once sat.
I trailed my fingers along the obsidian wall. It was cool and smooth beneath my touch, reflecting faint hints of blue from the river.
“This place just feels…” I paused, searching for the word.
“Safe?” he supplied.
“Yes.”
He stepped closer, his chest brushing my back lightly. “You are still safe here.”
The space between us dissolved.
His mouth found mine, the kiss deepening almost instantly. The sound of the waterfall swallowed the soft noise that escaped me as his hands slid to my waist, lifting me easily until my back met the cool obsidian wall.
The contrast stole my breath.
Cold stone. Warm skin.
The river cast a faint blue light across his shoulders as he pressed closer, his body fitting between my thighs as though there had never been space for anything else.
My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him nearer as his mouth traced a path from my lips to my throat. Every touch felt amplified within the cavern, the enclosed space holding our warmth, our breath and our sounds.
“Talon,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the water.
He answered by capturing my mouth again, his hands sliding beneath the fabric at my waist, exploring familiar curves with renewed hunger.
The obsidian at my back felt grounding, steady against the intensity of him. The river glowed brighter in my peripheral vision as though responding to the rising heat between us.
I arched into him, my legs tightening around his hips, drawing him closer until there was no space left between us. His breath warmed my skin as his mouth moved lower, reverent and consuming all at once.
His fingers dipped into my undergarments, tracking the slick seam of my core. He growled as his finger collected my arousal and yanked the cotton to the side.
Holding my weight with a single arm, he wrestled with the fastenings of his pants. I heard the snap of fastenings and the rustle of fabric. In a heartbeat, his trousers pooled around his ankles, and it was only then that I realized he had gone without his signature briefs today.
My core clenched at the sight of his engorged length pressed between us. I shifted my hips, guiding him, my breath hitching as he found my entrance. I lowered myself slowly, inch by agonizing inch, feeling the blunt, heavy stretch as he began to fill me.
A moan escaped my lips at the fullness, but the slight sting was quickly eclipsed by my utter want for him.
Talon pressed forward until his pelvis hit mine. He did not move for a long moment, his forehead resting against mine, his chest heaving with choppy breaths.
His hands were solid anchors on my thighs, his knuckles white as he held me steady against the stone.
He withdrew slowly, almost entirely, before sliding back in with a punishing rhythm that had me yearning for more.
“More,” I gasped.
I clutched his shoulders, my fingers digging into the hard muscle there.
The slick friction of his skin against mine was the only thing I could feel. Each time he pushed forward, the air left my lungs, my forehead dropping to rest against his pulse point. I could feel the erratic beat of his heart.
I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, my legs hooking firmly behind his back to take the full depth of him.
“Yes, Kaelia,” he murmured.
He shifted his grip, one hand moving to the back of my neck to pull me into a kiss that tasted of pure hunger.
My hips moved instinctively to meet him, chasing the blunt force of his weight as the tension in my belly began to coil into something unbearable.
The pace quickened, his movements becoming more urgent, more demanding.
My bare backside scraped against the stone with every thrust, but the pain barely registered. All I could feel was the heat of him inside me, every drive of his hips lighting up a spark in my core.
The pressure built until my muscles trembled. I felt the first wave of release start in my toes and ripple upward, a sudden tension that made me arch my back and gasp into the hollow of his shoulder.
Talon let out a low sound, his movements becoming heavy and uncontrolled as he drove forward roughly.
He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his entire body rigid as he hit his own release. I felt the warmth of him flood me, and sighed in contentment as I came down from my high.
I tightened my arms around his neck as he held me pinned against the wall.
“I love you, little flame,” he whispered.
I withdrew from his neck and gazed into his darkened eyes. “I love you, Talon.”
I pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and relished in his quiet sight. “Thank you for saving me.”
“In every lifetime you will have me by your side,” he said. “Whether you need me or not.”
I swallowed and averted my gaze. “I am fiercely independent, but I have come to realize that even the toughest people need their person.” I looked back to him and smiled. “And I found mine.”
His eyes flared with appreciation. He hoisted me up his body, his length popping out of me. I tightened my hold on him with a squeal as he strode toward the mossy bank.
He lowered us onto the smooth rock near the river’s edge. I settled comfortably on his chest, resting my chin on my folded hands. His fingers traced patterns along my spine that had my skin rising in goose flesh.
I tilted my head to look at him. “You brought me back to where it began.”
“I brought you to where you chose to stay,” he corrected.
Emotion swelled softly within me.
“I would choose it again,” I said. “And again.”
His lips brushed my forehead. “I know.”
A comfortable silence settled between us but was broken by Talon’s sigh.
“We must head back,” he murmured.
I hummed in agreement, but could not find the energy to untangle myself from him.
He gently tugged my undergarments back into place and straightened out my cotton skirt until it was no longer bunched at my waist and wrinkled.
He clasped his trousers and slotted his hands beneath my armpits, lifting me and placing me back on my feet.
Offering me his hand, he led the way out of the cavern.
When we slipped back through the narrow gap in the rock and into the tunnel once more, the city’s distant hum returned gradually.
The upper corridors welcomed us with warm lantern-light and polished obsidian walls that reflected faint impressions of our passing forms. The city above had quieted for the evening.
It was peaceful. But I knew it would not remain this way forever. The High Court had yet to make a move against us—Talon also waiting for the perfect moment—but it was only a matter of time before the city I had come to love so much began to crumble.
As we approached the gate, a cloaked figure paced the length of the fence.
We sped our steps up until we reached Bater’s rigid form. His hand was clutching a thick piece of cream parchment with a bright red wax seal pressed cleanly at its center.
Talon’s hand tightened slightly around mine before releasing it.
“Bater, what is it?” he asked. “You have that look.”
“I do not have a look,” Bater replied automatically, though the faint humor did not fully reach his eyes.
“You do,” I said gently. “It is the one you wear when you are deciding whether to ruin a perfectly good evening.”
A faint breath of amusement escaped him.
“I had hoped to catch you earlier,” he admitted. “But you were… unavailable.”
Heat brushed my cheeks, though I lifted my chin with practiced dignity. “We are available now.”
His gaze flicked briefly between us, assessing, before he stepped forward.
“This was delivered to the outer gate,” he said, holding the envelope in an outstretched hand.
The wax seal bore a crest I recognized. Twin-serpent ouroboros with their fangs interlocked.
My heart stuttered in my chest, my hands failing to reach for the envelope.
“An unbound?” Talon questioned, taking the parchment from him.
Bater nodded, his eyes darting to me nervously.
“Who is it?” I managed to ask.
Bater looked at Talon expectantly, the latter inhaling sharply through his nose.
Talon looked up at me, and for a second, the icy glaciers of his eyes were clouded with a smudge of genuine distaste.
“Talon,” I hissed, my hands growing numb as the panic finally clawed its way up my throat. “Who?”
He held the letter out, the red wax glinting like a fresh wound in the lantern-light.
“Hera Opeas.”