Chapter 33
MALAKAI
The world beyond the window is a frozen wasteland. But inside, the massive stone hearth crackles with a comforting, red-orange fire.
It’s perfect.
I open my eyes to a sight that shifts my entire existence.
Pressed entirely against my chest, sleeping the deep, heavy sleep of a body well-pleasured, is my wife.
Something has broken and rebuilt itself within the marrow of my bones.
There is no doubt in my mind, consummation of our bond has sealed my realm from the Fae threat.
Her magic is no longer a separate entity fighting mine; it’s braided itself directly into my power, humming a contented chord through my mind.
Mine.
The word is no longer a quiet whisper in the dark.
It’s a roar.
I can hear it in every pocket of shadow in the world, every corner, every nook and cranny where darkness sleeps.
I look down at Aveline, and an overwhelming wave of possessiveness slams into me, leaving me breathless.
Her light blonde hair is tangled across my bare chest, lips slightly parted in sleep, her pale skin still flush with the power of our mating.
One of her smooth legs is still hooked tightly over my thigh, anchoring me to her body.
As if I’d want to be anywhere else.
I want to consume her.
I want to tear down the very foundations of this castle and build a fortress of pure darkness around our bed so that no other living creature can ever look upon her face again.
The intensity of the mating fury radiates outward from my body in visible waves of crushing black magic. The living castle feels the shift, the stone floorboards beneath the bed actively vibrating in response to my lawlessness.
It will tell my brothers of the danger.
They must leave.
They are Elder Gods; they know better than to cross the path of one in the throes of a true mating cycle.
Through the stone, I feel Cern and Valen waking, then fleeing. They leave the entire wing in a dead, hollow silence, terrified to breathe too loudly.
Good.
It settles a small part of me that hungers for violence in this moment, for vengeance upon any who would even think of my mate, let alone see her.
Aveline lets out a tiny whimper against my collarbone, her small fingers curling automatically into the hair on my chest.
The slight movement destroys the final threads of my restraint.
I can’t offer her a slow, gentle awakening.
The mating rut can’t be gentle.
Gritting my teeth, I shift my weight, rolling my massive, heavily muscled frame directly over hers, pinning her deep into the velvet mattress.
"Malakai," she gasps, her blue eyes snapping wide, instantly dilated with a sudden, breathless shock as she registers what I want. “Already?”
“Say yes,” I tell her. “If you’re too sore…”
“I want to. Your shadows… um, they cooled me.” Her lashes flutter as she sits up. Sweetly, she cranes her head up, offering me her mouth.
Of course they did. I made them.
I do not let her speak again. I crush my mouth to hers, and drive between her legs, swallowing her moans of pleasure as she grows slick and hot for me.
My hands lock around her hips, lifting her up to meet the thick, demanding drive of my length.
Aveline lets out a ragged cry against my lip. Her hands tangle frantically into my hair as she arches her spine, her body opening completely to match my pace.
Every powerful thrust drives us deeper into the madness of the bond.
Light explodes from her skin in brilliant, shimmering waves that clash and twine with my power.
I take her ruthlessly, over and over, marking her skin with my teeth, claiming every single inch of her sweetness. I let her ride me like the queen she is, as we’re both caught up in the fury of the bonding rut.
We make love for hours, until the bed is a ruined tangle of linen and we are both screaming our release into the roaring heat of the fire.
When the storm in our blood finally slows to a possessive simmer, the reality of her physical limits crashes back down on me.
Aveline lies beneath me, her breathing shallow, her small frame trembling from the exertion. I smooth a hand down her side, and she shudders.
“I was too rough with you. Forgive me, my love.” Regret fills me.
“I was too rough with you,” she retorts, slapping my bare ass and giving me a tired smile. “Is it always going to be like that?”
“Do you want it to be?” I ask her, genuinely curious as I cradle her in my arms.
“If you can handle it,” she says, batting her lashes.
A fierce wave of protective tenderness overrides all my other urges. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against my chest as I call upon my power.
"Let me help you," I murmur, my lips against her damp forehead.
I guide my shadows upward from the stones, weaving them into a cool blanket. I drape it over her flushed skin.
“Rest,” I tell her. “Let my magic take care of you.”
I paint the shadows over her skin, numbing the soreness of her first mating until she lets out a soft, relieved sigh.
Silently, I hoist her into my arms, carrying her bare, still glowing body into the bathroom.
The sunken circular tub already overflows with steaming, lavender-scented water beneath the frosty window. I step into the basin then settle her back against my chest as we sink into the soothing warmth. I take a thick cloth and gently wash her, every touch reverent.
“Life doesn’t exist without you,” I murmur the realization. “My soul has always simply bided time until yours was here again.”
If she hears me, she doesn’t say anything. I rub oils into her shoulders and body for a long a time, until I’m fairly sure she’s been sleeping for a long while. The house keeps the water warm, but before long, I notice her pale skin has pruned.
I start to stand, to lift her from the tub and dry her off, when she stirs against me.
“Did I fall asleep?” she asks.
Aveline leans her head back against my shoulder. I kiss her neck, and she sucks in a breath, the tops of her breasts bobbing on the surface of the water.
I swallow hard.
Her wet lashes flutter as she catches our reflection in the massive, gold-framed mirror lining the opposite wall. The contrast between her delicate beauty and the towering width of my torso in the steam seems to mesmerize her.
“Do you like what you see?” I ask her, running my fingertips along the tender peak of one breast. Her breath catches, and she nods.
The heat in her blue eyes flares back to life.
My cock grows hard against her lower back and the soft flesh of her perfect ass.
A spark of desire cuts through her fatigue as she stares at our reflection.
I feel the shift instantly, feel her body get tight and loose all at once as her eyes dilate.
I lift her out of the steaming water, her wet skin gleaming like polished marble under the amber light of the candles.
Gently, I push her forward until her palms slap against the cold, smooth marble of the vanity, pinning her directly in front of the glass.
"Malakai," she pants, her fingers gripping the edge of the stone as she stares at me through the mirror.
"Look at me, Aveline," I command softly. It’s quiet, but there’s no room for argument.
I step behind her.
I hook my hands around her hips and separate her thighs with my knee. I watch her reflection as I press my cock against her soaking, slick core. With a single stroke, I take her from behind right in front of the mirror.
Aveline lets out a breathless, choked gasp.
“So perfect, Aveline. Look at how you take me.”
Her spine arches beautifully, and she does as I say, watching my massive cock drive deep into her body.
Her eyes never close.
I run one hand over her lower stomach, then lower, through the thicket of blonde curls, until she bends forward, helping guide my hand to her clit.
I move within her with a slow, agonizing possession, my eyes locked onto her changing features through the reflection as she cries out, her head tossing back against my shoulder.
My teeth find her shoulder, and I bite, needing to possess her fully as she comes with a scream.