Chapter 14 Torric
Torric
I’ve been pacing this hallway for the last ten minutes like an idiot.
Pretending to check the wards. Adjusting my weapons belt. Anything to look like I have a reason to be here instead of the truth:
I’m waiting for her.
I felt her leave earlier. Felt the pull of the bond shift when she walked away from the house with Revna. I followed her, then finally walking away when I saw her with Darian. I just can’t. And I’ve been on edge ever since.
Get it together.
I drag a hand through my hair and force myself to breathe.
Then I hear footsteps.
I turn.
Kaia.
Walking toward the house alone, shadows drifting beside her. Calm. Alert. But softer than before.
She looks… gods, she looks healed. Stronger. Changed.
Mouse is at her heels. New shadows follow her—tentative, careful. And there’s something around her edges that wasn’t there this morning.
Softness.
I can’t look away.
Movement catches my eye. Malrik steps out from another hallway, clearly coming from wherever Darian went.
He sees me watching Kaia.
He smirks.
He knows exactly what he’s doing. Probably orchestrated this whole thing.
Kaia comes up the stairs, notices me. Changes direction. Walks toward me.
My chest tightens.
Say something. Anything.
“Hey,” she says.
“Hey.” My voice comes out rougher than I mean it to.
Silence.
I try to look casual. Fail spectacularly.
Heat rolls off me in waves. My fire rune burns against my chest—a sign I’m not controlling my emotions worth a damn.
My jaw locks. I force it to relax.
Just say it.
“I saw you,” I manage. “Ya know. Talking to him.”
She tenses immediately. “Torric, look—”
“You don’t have to explain.” The words come out sharper than I intended. I force myself to soften. “He’s yours… as much as I am.”
I take a breath. Keep going before I lose my nerve.
“You deserve whoever makes you happy. Even if I don’t like it.” My jaw clenches. “Even if it fucking tears at me. I’ll deal with that.”
Because wanting you is mine to deal with, not yours.
She steps closer instead of away.
I freeze.
What—
My breath catches. My hands clench at my sides. Heat flares beneath my skin—my magic responding before I can stop it.
The berserker strength stirs just under the surface. It’s not anger. It’s something deeper, more primal.
Because this woman has gotten under my skin.
Every instinct screams at me to reach for her, pull her close, keep her safe.
But I don’t move.
Can’t move.
“I don’t want you to deal with it alone,” she says softly.
Something in my chest hurts.
No. Don’t do this. Don’t say things like that unless—
“Kaia…” My voice drops. Rough. Desperate. “Please don’t say things like that unless you mean them.”
I can’t take pity. Can’t take her trying to make me feel better if she doesn’t actually want—
“I meant every word.”
She steps even closer.
Close enough that I can feel the warmth of her skin. Close enough that her shadows brush against the heat radiating off me.
Oh gods.
She wants—
She’s choosing—
My restraint cracks.
I raise my hand. Slow. Careful. Touch her cheek with one finger.
She’s soft. Warm. Real.
“I don’t know how gentle I can be,” I whisper.
It’s the truth. I’m terrified. Terrified of being too much. Too rough. Too intense.
Terrified of hurting her when she’s still healing.
Terrified my strength—berserker and fire combined—will break her if I lose control.
She meets my eyes. “I don’t want gentle.”
I break.
I kiss her like I’m starving.
Like I’ve been holding back for months and finally—finally—I don’t have to anymore.
My mouth crashes against hers. Hungry. Desperate. But I brace my hand on the wall above her head because if I don’t anchor myself somewhere I’ll crush her.
She pulls me closer instead. Fingers tangling in my hair. Body pressed against mine.
I groan into her mouth and the sound is wrecked.
Heat floods through me. Not just desire. My magic flaring in response to her.
The bond hums.
Her shadows wrap around me like they’re steadying me. My fire pulses in answer—controlled, but barely.
She’s choosing me.
We stumble backward. Still kissing. Breathless.
I reach past her, shove her door open, and we fall through together.
My hands are everywhere—her waist, her back, tangling in her hair—but I’m careful. So fucking careful.
She’s still healing. Her ribs are still bruised. I can’t—
She tugs at my shirt.
I pull back just long enough to yank it over my head. Her eyes go wide for half a second—taking in my chest, the fire rune glowing faintly over my heart, pulsing with my heartbeat—before I’m kissing her again.
Her shirt follows. My hands slide up her ribs—gentle, checking—and she gasps when my thumb brushes the edge of the bruise.
I freeze. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She grabs my face. Pulls me back. “Don’t stop.”
Gods help me.
We fall onto the bed together.
I hover over her, chest heaving, trying to hold onto the last threads of my control.
The rune pulses brighter. My jaw locks again—fighting the urge to just take what I want.
Then I stop.
Cup her jaw.
“Tell me you want this,” I say quietly. Seriously. “Tell me it’s you choosing me. Not the bond. Not the day. You.”
I need to hear it. Need to know this is real.
She reaches up. Touches my face.
“I want you, Torric.”
My breath shudders out of me.
“Then gods help me… I’m yours.”
I move slowly at first.
Deliberately.
My mouth trails down her neck, pausing to scrape my teeth along her pulse. She arches into me with a broken sound and I nearly lose it right there.
Control. Keep control.
I keep going. Down her collarbone. Over the swell of her breast.
When my mouth closes over her nipple, she cries out.
I cover her mouth with my hand—not silencing, just muffling—and look up at her through my lashes.
“Quiet, sunshine,” I murmur. “Unless you want the whole house to hear.”
She bites her lip.
Good girl.
I reward her by sucking harder, teeth grazing sensitive skin, and she arches off the bed with a whimper that goes straight to my cock.
Fuck.
My free hand slides down her stomach. Hooks into her waistband.
“Can I?”
“Yes. Gods, yes.”
I strip her pants off in one motion, taking her underwear with them.
I go still.
Just… stare.
She’s perfect. Every inch of her laid bare for me to see. Curves and soft skin and strength.
Heat flares beneath my skin—my magic responding to the sight of her, the scent of her.
“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur. “You have no idea.”
She flushes. “Torric—”
“I mean it.” My hand skims up her thigh. Stops just short of where I can smell how wet she is. “I’ve wanted this. Wanted you. For so long.”
She reaches for me. Pulls me down. “Then take me.”
I kiss her again—deep, consuming—while my hand finally moves higher.
When my fingers brush between her thighs, she gasps into my mouth.
“Fuck, Kaia,” I breathe. “You’re soaked.”
She can’t respond. Can’t do anything but whimper as I move—slow, deliberate circles that make her hips jerk.
“Is this okay?”
“More,” she manages. “Please, Torric—”
I slide one finger inside.
She moans—loud, broken—and I cover her mouth again.
“That’s it, sunshine,” I murmur against her ear. “Let me feel you.”
I add a second finger. Curl them just right. My thumb finds her clit and she clenches around me so tight I nearly lose my mind.
“Gods, you’re perfect,” I growl. “Give me more.”
She’s close. I can feel it. The way her body tightens. The way her breath comes faster.
But not yet.
Not until I’m inside her.
“Torric—” Her nails dig into my shoulders. “I need—”
“I know.” I kiss her. Pull my hand away and she whimpers at the loss. “I know what you need, sunshine. Let me give it to you.”
I strip off the rest of my clothes.
Kaia’s eyes go wide when she sees me fully bare.
Her gaze drops. Lingers.
I smirk despite myself. “Eyes up here.”
She drags her gaze back to my face.
Flushed. Breathless. Wanting.
Gods, she’s perfect.
I settle between her thighs.
The smirk fades.
This is real. This is happening.
“Tell me if it’s too much,” I say quietly. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
She nods.
I line myself up. Push inside slowly.
So slowly I want to scream.
The heat. The tightness. The way she gasps and clenches around me.
Control. Don’t lose control.
I’m too strong. Even without fully triggering the berserker, my strength is too much. If I slip—if I lose focus for even a second—
When I’m finally seated fully, we both freeze.
Breathing hard. Trembling.
“Kaia?”
“Don’t stop,” she breathes. “Please don’t stop.”
I exhale shakily and start to move.
Slow at first.
Controlled.
Every thrust deliberate. Deep. Careful.
But it’s killing me.
Every instinct I have is screaming at me to move faster. Harder. To claim her completely.
The berserker strength surges just beneath my skin—not anger, but raw, primal need.
But I can’t. She’s still healing. I’m too strong. If I lose control—
She shifts her hips. Pulls me deeper.
I groan—low and broken. “Fuck, Kaia—”
“More,” she whispers. “I can take it. I promise.”
Her hand comes up. Touches my jaw. Soft. Trusting.
“I know you’re holding back,” she whispers. “You don’t have to. Not with me.”
“Kaia—” Her name breaks on my lips. Wrecked.
She’s going to kill me.
My control fractures.
I shift my grip. Hands on her hips—firm but careful.
My rhythm changes.
Still controlled. Still watching her face for every reaction.
But intense now.
Deep. Consuming. Every thrust hitting exactly where she needs me.
She arches into me. Nails raking down my forearms enough to sting.
The pain grounds me. Keeps me from losing myself completely.
“You feel so good,” I lean down to murmur against her ear. “So perfect. Like you were made for me.”
She pulls me closer. Wraps her legs around my waist.
Gods.
The angle shifts and I hit deeper. My hands grip her hips—guiding, adjusting—lifting her slightly so I can drive in exactly where she needs me.
She cries out and I swallow the sound with a kiss, still moving, keeping the rhythm steady even though every muscle in my body is screaming at me to let go.
Heat builds between us—literal heat, my fire magic responding to hers, to the bond, to everything we are together.
Her shadows pulse around us—soft, rippling, alive. My magic flares in answer—controlled, but barely.
The rune burns bright against my chest.
The bond hums between us—louder now, insistent, alive.
“Torric—” Her breath catches. “I’m close—”
“I know,” I growl against her throat. “I want to feel it, Kaia. Let me feel you come around me.”
I shift slightly. My hand slides between us, thumb finding her clit.
I press down. Circle. Match the rhythm of my thrusts.
“Kaia—” I groan her name against her throat, voice breaking. “Gods, Kaia—”
She shatters.
Her entire body shakes. She cries out my name and I kiss her through it, still moving, dragging it out until she’s trembling and gasping beneath me.
Her shadows flare—a soft, brilliant pulse that ripples through the room.
I follow a heartbeat later.
Buried deep. Her name on my lips like a prayer.
Heat floods through me—my magic, the bond, everything—and for one perfect moment we’re completely aligned.
I collapse on top of her, trembling, forehead pressed to hers.
Careful not to crush her even now.
She chose me.
For a long moment, we just breathe.
Then I shift carefully, pulling out. Roll onto my side and bring her with me.
I wrap my arms around her. Not trapping. Just… holding.
Safe.
My fire magic settles. Her shadows curl close but calm.
I press my forehead to hers.
“You can have all of us,” I say softly. “But this… this part of you? The part that chooses me? I won’t take it for granted.”
She reaches up. Touches my face.
“You didn’t take anything,” she whispers. “I gave it.”
Something in me shatters.
I glance up—and freeze.
Lined up along the headboard—perfectly spaced, eyes (If you can call them that) wide—are Bob, Patricia, Finnick, Carl, Linda, and Steve.
Just… watching.
“Um… Kaia?”
She stirs slightly, follows my gaze, and goes completely still.
Bob’s posture is stiff, like he’s pretending he didn’t just witness the whole thing.
Patricia’s notebook flickers in her smoky little hands.
Finnick does a slow, approving nod. Carl looks confused.
Linda’s expression is somewhere between maternal approval and mild exasperation. Steve is upside-down.
For a long moment, neither of us moves.
Then Kaia starts laughing.
Not a polite laugh. A full, breathless, uncontrollable laugh that shakes her entire body.
I can’t help it. I start laughing too.
“Oh my gods,” she gasps, covering her face with her hands. “You all are terrible!”
Bob salutes.
Finnick bows.
Patricia’s notebook flares brighter—probably adding an appendix.
Kaia groans and buries her face in my chest, still laughing. “I can’t believe them.”
I grin, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “They’ve been here the whole time, haven’t they?”
“Probably,” she mutters.
The shadows finally drift down from the headboard, settling around us.
They around us like a blanket. My heat wraps around her like a shield.
Chosen.
She falls asleep against me.
I stay awake for a long time—holding her like she might disappear if I let go.
Just before sleep takes me, I whisper:
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I mean it with every part of me.