Chapter 35
Our kiss quickly morphed into more, and it was a good thing Askel had taken it upon himself to return to Signa’s without me.
But that brought another problem to the forefront of my mind.
Askel and I had been sharing the small, one-bedroom cottage, him taking up residence on the couch even though I argued we should take turns with the bed in the only bedroom.
Still, he refused, ensuring he was on the couch each night before I could even think to lay out blankets on it for myself.
Otho already knew, or at least he must have assumed, because as my hands drifted down the hard planes of his chest toward his waistband, he covered them with his own. “Come back with me.”
I fought not to grimace, the memory of how it felt to be there a few days before to collect the book, rising to the forefront of my mind. But one glance around the mill, and the dirt floors with a light dusting of hay, had me relenting.
It was time for me to build new, positive memories in the Ralheim keep.
Otho encased my hand in his, pulling me into his side before guiding us through the dark streets of Ralheim. We’d decided to hold the meeting in the evening, so students in school and parents who worked in shops could also attend.
The streets of Ralheim were quiet, though I could hear a few far-off shouts coming from one of the side streets that housed a few pubs.
I’d never visited—mostly because it was too dangerous to drink with the secrets Milo and I held—but I’d heard stories from other students at the university.
The market square was long empty, and Emmett and Cyr would have returned home already.
The fountain in the center of the square was still bone dry, but I hoped we would be able to replenish it soon, once we read the book with the water magic to everyone in town.
The twin moons were high in the sky, illuminating the stones as our feet clicked against them.
Otho guided me past the open gate of the keep and I turned to him, questions in my gaze.
“I never moved into the palace. I sleep in the barracks most nights,” he whispered, guiding me through the wooden door that had started this journey almost a year ago.
It was still dark in the interior, but unlike the oppressive dark I imagined inhabited the keep, it felt like a peaceful, welcoming dark.
The barracks had saved me from death once before.
We’d barely stepped over the threshold when Otho pushed me up against the wall, his lips finding mine in another heated kiss. “Longest walk of my life,” he breathed into the crook of my neck when he finally pulled away long enough to speak. The evidence of his arousal pressed into my stomach.
We didn’t have to go far—his room was only a few steps from the main entry door, along the wall I vaguely remembered holding Karl’s office when I arrived here during the dead season.
He didn’t bother to light the sconces, or a lamp in his room, guiding me on my back into his bed after pausing to remove both of our shoes.
His hand roamed, pausing to squeeze each of my breasts before gripping the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head.
The sound of more fabric rustling reached my ears and when he pressed against me again, I felt the warmth of his skin on mine and a gasp left his lips. “I missed this so much,” he exhaled. “I missed you so much.”
I didn’t have all the fancy words Otho did, so I spoke with my actions instead, my hands dropping to his waistband, fighting to undo his trousers in the dark.
“Runa—” he started.
“Let me,” I panted. “Let me show you how much I missed you.” I won the battle against his pants, pushing them down his long legs.
I didn’t hesitate, finding his erection with my hand before scooting down the bed to take him into my mouth, my bare chest pressed to his legs.
“Oh, Hel, Runa,” he moaned above me, sending shivers right to my lower belly.
I worked as much of him as I could into my mouth—though it was difficult—using my hand to work the part of him that didn’t fit.
His breathing grew more labored, his hips jerking erratically until he reached down and stopped me.
“I don’t want tonight to be over that fast. My turn.”
Before I could comprehend what he was saying, he was moving me, my legs once again off the bed, and he was kneeling between them.
He made quick work of my pants, gripping one of my ass cheeks in each of his hands, pulling my weight forward until his tongue could delve into my heat.
I lost myself to the sensations he was creating. Though they started where Otho’s nose pressed against my clit, they spread throughout my entire body, a warmth I couldn’t name. It was comfort, safety . . . It was home.
I’d enjoyed having him in my mouth so much that it didn’t take long until I toppled over the edge into bliss, my hips flexing against Otho’s face as I rode out my orgasm.
It wasn’t until I could breathe normally again that I realized I might have suffocated Otho who was still pressed to my sex.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed, attempting to move myself away from his face.
“Don’t be.” He chuckled. “If I died this way, it would still be the happiest day of my life.” I playfully slapped at one of his hands which still rested on my ass.
“Now, crawl back up on the bed so I can take what’s mine.” His growl of direction left me speechless, but my body obeyed, his hands guiding me the entire way.
He climbed back on top of me, using his elbows to keep his weight off me as he ground his hard cock against my throbbing clit.
I moaned at the sensation.
“That’s it. That’s my Runa,” he hissed before lining himself up and thrusting inside me.
Even though we’d been together like this before, it still felt just as amazing as the first time, and my legs came up to wrap around his backside, urging him deeper.
“You like that?” he asked in a low tone.
I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me. “Yes,” my voice wavered, which only spurred him to thrust faster.
“Hel, Runa, do you feel what you do to me?” He reached for my hand, pressing it to his chest, where I could feel his heart racing, like it was trying to pound right out of his ribcage.
“You do the same to me,” I replied, moving our joined hands to my chest.
His mouth went to my nipple then, sucking, as his hand delved between us, pressing against my clit.
The combination of sensations was enough for me to find my second orgasm, and I came with a shout, my walls gripping him as he increased the pace of his thrusts.
“Runa!” Otho yelled as he found his own release, his sweaty hair brushing my face as we both panted and his cock twitched inside of me.
He gently extracted himself, pulling me into his chest. He was silent for a while, so quiet I would have thought he’d fallen asleep if it weren’t for his uneven breaths.
“I’m afraid this means you’re going to have to sever the bond again.” I could hear the hurt in his voice, but I didn’t feel it brushing against my gift.
“Did you start taking belladonna?” I asked, avoiding the other topic for now.
“No, why?”
“I can’t feel your emotions. I haven’t been able to for a while.”
“Well . . .” He paused, probably running his hands through his hair.
“I worked to build a wall around the bond. I didn’t want you to feel compelled to be with me when we were around.
I love you, Runa, but I realized I only want you to want me of your own free will.
Not because a magical bond is forcing you. ”
My chest warmed and my eyes prickled with unshed tears. “I still felt something when I saw you—the other day, I mean. Not your emotions, but not nothing either.”
“Me too.” His hand gripped mine. “The weighted bond is a strong one, even behind a wall.”
“You can say that again.” I yawned, and Otho rose from the bed, moving about the room. A random thought bubbled up in my mind. “Do I have to call you ‘my Prince’ now?”
Otho chuckled from across the room, “No, that’s never been my title. Just Otho is fine.” Then he was back with a cloth, cleaning us both up. I moved to help him, but he stopped me. “Sleep now, Runa.”
And I did.
I woke the next day with a groan, the room still pitch black, thanks to the fact that it had no windows. “Otho?” I asked, my hand reaching for him only to find his side of the bed cold.
I wondered if I would ever manage to wake before him.
Rising from bed, I debated trying to feel for a source of light, but in the end, I decided my time was better spent searching for my clothes. I had no idea how much of the day I’d slept away, and I knew Askel, Emmett, and Cyr would be missing my help in the garden.
The door creaked open, tossing a sliver of light in the room from the sconces in the hall. “Look who’s finally awake.”
“Don’t remind me.” I groaned. “Askel will have my hide if I miss too much of the gardening today.”
There was shuffling, then Otho lit a candle on a table, sliding a glass over it to cast the light brighter.
There hadn’t been time—or light—to take in the room the night before, so I did now, taking notice of the military precision with which Otho stored everything.
His uniforms hung equal distances apart on the wardrobe beam mounted on the wall, and the wooden desk where the candle rested only featured an inkwell, single plume, and one parchment.
The only other thing in the room was the bed I was reclining on, the book he had given me last night resting on the floor with my clothes.
And Otho, with a breakfast tray held in his hands.
I squinted at what it contained.
“Eggs and bacon and fruit,” he explained, sitting down next to me and placing the tray over our collective laps. “I had to go to the palace for it. The barrack’s cook left during the war.”
While I hoped there would never be a war again, I still worried about the idea of an empty barracks, especially considering the fact that I’d basically declared war on my cousin. “What will happen if someone . . . attacks?”