Chapter 16 Senna
SENNA
Iwake to pleasure rolling through me in waves, disorienting and overwhelming and perfect.
My hands are already tangled in dark hair, fingers tightening reflexively as heat coils low in my belly. It takes my sleep-fogged brain a moment to catch up—to register the broad shoulders between my thighs, the clever mouth working against me, the large hands gripping my hips to hold me steady.
"Lorenth—" His name breaks on a moan.
He doesn't stop. Just hums against me, the vibration making my back arch off the mattress. The bond thrums in my chest, feeding his pleasure back to me in an endless loop—he's enjoying this as much as I am, relishing every sound I make, every tremor that runs through my body.
This is so different from mornings with Darian. Those were rushed, cold. I'd wake before dawn, slip out of bed before he could grab me, before he could demand something I didn't want to give. I learned to be silent. Invisible. To make myself small enough that he'd forget I existed.
But Lorenth—gods, Lorenth makes me want to be loud.
His tongue does something that short-circuits my brain and I cry out, my thighs trying to close around his head.
He just spreads them wider, pinning them open with those powerful hands, and the dominance of it—the way he holds me exactly where he wants me—sends another wave of heat crashing through me.
"Let me hear you," he murmurs against my skin, his voice rough with desire. "Want to know how good I'm making you feel."
I couldn't stay quiet if I tried.
The pressure builds and builds, winding tighter until I'm shaking with it. My fingers tighten in his hair, tugging hard enough that it has to hurt, but he just groans like he likes it. Like every desperate sound I make, every helpless movement, is exactly what he wants.
"Please—" I don't even know what I'm begging for. More? Less? Everything?
He knows, though. Somehow he always knows.
He focuses his attention right where I need it most, tongue working in firm, steady strokes that push me right to the edge and hold me there. The bond pulses between us, our pleasure tangling together until I can't tell where mine ends and his begins. It's too much. Not enough. Perfect.
I shatter.
The orgasm crashes over me like a tidal wave, dragging me under and leaving me gasping.
My whole body goes taut, then liquid, pleasure flooding every nerve until I'm nothing but sensation.
Lorenth doesn't let up, working me through it until I'm trembling and oversensitive and pushing weakly at his shoulders.
Only then does he pull back.
He looks up at me from between my thighs, golden-ringed eyes dark with satisfaction, and grins. "Good morning."
I can't form words yet. Can barely breathe. Just stare at him with what I'm sure is a completely dazed expression while my heart hammers against my ribs.
He crawls up my body, all predatory grace, and captures my mouth in a kiss that tastes like me. "I was dying for a taste," he murmurs against my lips. "Woke up with you pressed against me and couldn't help myself."
"I'm not complaining." My voice comes out breathy, wrecked.
His grin widens. "Good."
He settles his weight over me, one hand sliding up to cup my breast while the other braces beside my head. I can feel how hard he is through the thin fabric of his sleep pants, can feel the barely leashed desire humming through the bond.
This is what mornings should be like. Lazy and warm and safe. Not rushing to escape before someone hurts me. Not tiptoeing around eggshells and bracing for impact.
With Lorenth, I don't have to hide. Don't have to shrink myself down or swallow my voice or pretend I don't want this. He looks at me like I'm precious. Like I'm his.
And I am. The bond settled in my chest yesterday, a constant warm presence that whispers mine, mine, mine every time I look at him.
I never thought I could have this. Never thought anyone would touch me with gentleness instead of cruelty. That someone would care about my pleasure, would want to make me feel good just because they could.
Darian never—
I push the thought away before it can take root. I won't let him ruin this. Won't let the memory of his hands on me, his voice in my ear, poison what I have with Lorenth.
This is mine. This happiness, this safety, this bond—it's all mine, and I'm going to hold onto it with both hands.
Lorenth leans down, trailing kisses along my jaw. "What are you thinking about?"
"How different this is." I run my fingers through his hair, marveling at how soft it is. "How you make me feel."
"How's that?"
"Cherished." The word slips out before I can stop it, vulnerable and raw.
His eyes soften. "You are. You're my mate, Senna. My everything. And I'm going to spend every day proving—"
A shout from downstairs cuts him off.
We both freeze.
"LORENTH! I know you're home, don't you dare ignore me!"
The voice is female, bright and musical and completely unbothered by the early hour. I scramble backward, grabbing for the sheet to cover myself, my heart suddenly hammering for entirely different reasons.
Who is that?
Did Lorenth have someone before we met? Someone who thinks they still have a claim on him?
The bond twists anxiously in my chest and Lorenth must feel it because he sits up with a heavy sigh, running both hands through his mussed hair. "Fuck."
That doesn't help.
"Who—"
"My sister." He swings his legs out of bed, grabbing a pair of pants from the floor. "I should've known she'd show up eventually. She's got shit timing."
Relief floods through me so fast I feel dizzy. His sister. Of course. I knew he had one—he mentioned her yesterday—but hearing that unfamiliar female voice made my stomach drop straight through the floor.
Old habits. Old fears.
"Stay here," Lorenth says, pulling the pants on. "I'll get rid of her."
"LORENTH VARYON, if you make me wait down here I'm coming up!"
He grimaces. "Or not. Give me two minutes."
He disappears out the door, wings tucked tight to fit through the frame, and I hear his footsteps on the stairs. Then that bright voice again, closer now that he's downstairs.
"There you are! I've been calling your name for—oh my gods, are those fresh marks on your neck?"
"Lora—"
"You bonded! You actually did it!" A squeal that makes me wince. "I knew you'd find her at the Masquerade. I knew it!"
I should get dressed. Should make myself presentable before—
"Where is she? I want to meet her!"
My stomach drops again.
I scramble out of bed, grabbing the wine-red dress from yesterday and pulling it on with shaking hands. The fabric tangles around my legs and I nearly trip trying to step into it. Deep breaths. His sister. Just his sister who probably wants to make sure I'm not some—
"She's upstairs and you're not barging in on her." Lorenth's voice carries up the stairs, exasperated but fond. "Gods, can you not—"
"I'm not barging, I'm visiting. There's a difference."
"You broke into my house."
"The door was unlocked!"
I edge toward the stairs, trying to be quiet, trying to hear without being heard. The girl—Lora—sounds excited rather than angry. Not like she's here to throw me out or tell me I'm not good enough for her brother.
Still. My hands won't stop shaking.
"Besides," Lora continues, and I can hear the grin in her voice, "I'm your sister.
I have every right to meet the woman who finally got you to settle down.
You've been impossible for years, you know.
Turning down every introduction, avoiding every festival, acting like the idea of a mate was some kind of prison sentence—"
"It wasn't that bad—"
"It was exactly that bad. You once told me you'd rather fight a rono barehanded than attend another bonding ceremony."
"That's still true."
She laughs, bright and warm. "Well, too bad. Because you're bonded now and I want to meet her. So where—"
"Lora." His voice drops, serious now. "She's been through a lot. Don't... just be gentle, alright?"
A pause. When Lora speaks again, her voice has lost some of its manic energy. "What happened?"
"Not my story to tell. Just—give her space. Let her come to you."
I take a breath and force my feet to move. Down the stairs, one at a time, gripping the railing like it's the only thing keeping me upright.
They're in the main room. Lorenth stands with his arms crossed, still shirtless, his wings partially spread in what I'm starting to recognize as a defensive posture. And beside him—
She's beautiful.
Tall and elegant, with silver-black hair that falls in loose waves past her shoulders. Light blue wings edged with pale tips catch the morning light streaming through the windows. Her eyes are the same gold-ringed teal as Lorenth's, but warmer somehow. Less guarded..
Those sharp eyes find me immediately and her whole face lights up. "Oh! You must be Senna."
I nod, not trusting my voice yet.
Lorenth turns, his expression softening when he sees me. He crosses the room in three strides and pulls me against his side, one arm wrapping around my waist. Claiming. Protecting.
"Senna, this is my sister, Loraeleth. Lora, this is Senna. My mate."
Pride. I can hear it in his voice, feel it through the bond. Like he's showing off something precious.
Lora beams. "I'm so happy to meet you. I've been telling Lorenth for years that he needed to find someone, and now—" She clasps her hands together. "Now he has! And you're bonded! This is perfect."
I glance up at Lorenth, uncertain, but he just shrugs. "Told you she'd be excited."
"Excited?" Lora scoffs. "I'm ecstatic. Do you know how worried I've been? Watching him mope around the city for weeks, refusing to tell me what was wrong—"
"I wasn't moping—"
"You were absolutely moping. Don't even try to deny it." She turns back to me, eyes sparkling. "So, Senna. I'm taking you to lunch."
I blink. "What?"
"Lunch. You and me. Girl time." She waves a hand. "Lorenth can go brood at his bakeries or whatever it is he does all day, and we can get to know each other properly."