50. Council
CHAPTER FIFTY
Council
Inside the Grand Hall, the headless bodies lay where they had fallen.
Robed forms littered the entrance and led up to the throne.
Their positions told the story of where Cassiel felled them.
Cassiel had gathered the council near the throne.
Based on their positioning, they had tried to run away as Cassiel slaughtered them.
Blue splattered across the stone walls. It seeped between the cracks and ran down the length of the Hall.
I stepped onto the rug of fleurlets, the fabric squelching under my weight.
Each step brought me closer to the throne.
Cassiel was hunched over a dying council member, feeding.
No sign of weakness or withering on him.
Not once did he look up. As I neared, all I could hear was the sound of his grunts as he fed and droplets of blood falling to the polished surface.
I climbed the steps, avoiding the decapitated body lying broken. The empty spot in my chest was no more, his proximity setting things to right.
“Cassiel?” I touched his shoulder.
He snarled, turning to me with a hiss, blue staining his mouth.
His wild eyes rested on me as his nostrils flared. He lunged for me, slamming me against the throne, fingertips digging into my bottom.
Bloodlust had a hold of him. He inhaled and shoved his face into my throat. My teeth rattled at the force. He sank his fangs into me. I yelped at the sting of his bite, pleasure and pain becoming one.
“Cassiel!” I dug my fingers into his hair.
His grip on my arms tightened. He dragged a gulp of blood and pulled away with a gasp, red on his lips.
“Amara,” he choked out, his eyes close to being overtaken by the pulsing red around his pupils. “Leave.”
Grief, anger, sadness—all of it flooded across his face. Flitting one after the other.
“I do not want to hurt you.”
He seemed so lost. So angry, so lacking in control—the way he had been after I Awakened.
The grimoire categorized bloodlust as need so severe it caused uncontrollable reactions within a Warlord.
There was no fixed time when bloodlust would take them, unlike Heats, which only assaulted redbloods once an annum.
His hands trembled on my arms.
“I am here,” I whispered, gripping the ends of his hair.
His face tensed. He bared his teeth into a sneer and turned me, yanking my gown up. A gasp stuck in my throat when he slid his length inside me, moving at his alarmingly fast speed. I jolted forward with an exhale.
His hand grasped the back of my neck, lowering my head and forcing my belly into the throne.
Harsh, punishing thrusts that slapped his skin against my thighs began. He fed his knot into me, the frantic thrusts so fast that I was already falling off the pinnacle. I screamed, tears dripping from the corners of my eyes. Cassiel did not cease.
He fucked me.
Hard and encompassing. A sort of claiming that showed me how much strength he always held back. Each ram slapped his testicles against my thighs, sending the thud echoing across the Grand Hall to mingle with my cries.
I sank my nails into the fabric covering the seat. My fingers turned white from how I clutched it.
Bliss rippled down my spine with his incessant plunging, my channel yielding to him.
Moisture dampened between my thighs. I was terribly lost in his claiming.
With every hard demand, I met it and took it.
My hip pinched, but the pleasure overwhelmed the discomfort.
His knot popped free and entered in rapid succession.
I could no longer think.
My arms gave out, and I fell onto my forearms. Cassiel pulled my hips higher until my cheek pressed against the cushion.
His knot swelled, the pressure amplifying as he stopped. My shout wove with his, my sex clamping onto his length. Everything ceased to have meaning. All that existed was us. Cassiel and Amara. Stripped bare of all titles.
I slumped forward, boneless.
Cassiel collected me before my forehead met the other armrest of the throne. He pulled me up against his chest and sat on the throne.
His arms wound around my waist, pulling the bottom of my gown around my legs. I leaned against his faintly moving chest. Cassiel stroked my arm, moving up and down in gentle caresses.
I was unsure how long we sat panting in each other’s arms. His knot softened and our need dripped down my legs. He grabbed my knees and tucked me across his lap.
“You are not supposed to be here,” he rumbled in a hoarse tone.
I glared at him. “It took convincing.”
“Of course it did,” he grunted. “You have a way with words.”
“It’s best you remember.”
His lips twitched, and he turned serious. “You are not angry?”
“I am,” I retorted. He tensed, and I let the words hover between us. “But I also understand this was your vengeance to mete out.”
In the silence, he closed his eyes.
“I finished it,” he breathed. When he met my eyes, he cupped my face. His eyes were wide and searching. “I finished it.” His voice cracked.
“You did, Cassiel,” I croaked, cupping his jaw.
His eyebrow furrowed and he leaned into my touch. He rested his forehead against mine, arms around my waist, and shuddered.
I wished we could fall into each other. That we could escape, but I told that woman I would fetch her.
“I have a few things I must do.”
One was to see where Al had gone. He had caused far too much damage to leave him free in the realm.