Chapter 38
Esiree
We would not be able to keep the facade up much longer.
Mina spread word throughout the city that I was on the mend, and soon we would be making our grand return.
Despite the extra meals, I could not ward off the exhaustion of the persistent blood donations the Parcaetes demanded.
Vastion sat with me through each of them.
Most of the time I simply stared at him in silence, studying his face and the new lines that age would continue to etch into his skin.
Wondering to myself what he’d look like when he was as old as Tyber.
His hand clasped mine, the warmth of his touch still foreign.
Even watching him eat had become some strange phenomenon at which I stared curiously.
The last few days felt utterly surreal. From the attack to his cure, the discovery of its origin and now settling into the fact that Vastion was human in every way.
Yet, I still watched him with a nagging concern that this was all temporary.
I found myself bracing against the fragments of hope that sought to take root within me.
I considered, maybe I was imagining all of this; maybe the injury from the Forlorn had sent me into a permanent slumber from which I could not wake, and this was all an illusion.
The night before our anticipated return, we held each other in our bed. The heat of our bodies pressed together was a constant reminder of his new mortality.
“I am terrified,” he whispered.
“Why?”
“Because I swore to protect you. And I am no longer the man who spoke those vows. I am weak, my time is dwindling, and the kingdom is teetering on a precipice. I feel I’ve been stripped of my ability to be their king…or your husband.”
I ran my hand softly along his bare arm.
“You were willing to give me eternity, Vastion. A gift of endless, frozen time. Now, we must instead give each other a forever that breathes.” I paused, searching his face in the dim light, tracing the fragile, beautiful mortality in his eyes.
“Tell me... Will a single lifetime be forever enough for you?”
He pressed his lips to mine, then pulled away just enough to look into my eyes before saying softly, “I love you. I choose you. And I will follow you into the darkness when the Gods decide that this world is no longer worthy of you. My mortal heart would not survive being parted from you.”
I trailed my fingers down Vastion’s abdomen, delighting at the texture of goosebumps along his skin for the first time.
He cupped his palm behind my ear and brushed his thumb gently along my cheek before pressing his lips to mine once more, claiming a passionate kiss that felt like the kind someone bestows when they fear it might be their last. My husband rested his forehead against mine, our hot breath hovering between us as though begging for one of us to claim the other.
“I want to make love to you, but…”
“But what?” he asked, lifting a hand in concern.
I grabbed it and returned it to my thigh, which was draped over his leg, not willing to lose his touch. “I do not think it wise when we are about to be on the run.”
Vastion pulled away, the shadowed light masking his expression.
“Are you really going to make me say it?” I said, my irritation building.
“You’ve lost me,” he replied, still puzzled.
“I do not want to end up with child—least not anytime soon…”
I heard the sharp inhale of breath from Vastion’s surprise.
Had he really not thought of this? Gods, I had thought of this along with a whole slew of other things when I realized he really was human.
There was no risk in our intimacy before, but now I couldn’t be certain.
All of this was new, and none of us had any idea if every part of his humanity had returned. “I’m sorr—”
Vastion interrupted me, “You really think it’s possible, Es? You think I could father children?”
The excitement in his voice was unlike anything I’d ever heard him express, and I hated that I could be getting his hopes up. The only certainty for us was uncertainty.
“I don’t know. Truly. But I do know we better not risk it. Can you find that old Vampyr control?” I asked, a seductive hint to my question.
Vastion grinned wide and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “What if I lose all control?” Suddenly, he bit down gently on my neck, playfully nibbling, making me squirm beneath his ticklish grasp.
“You know, I was thinking…” I teased. “This could be our last night as king and queen. It might be a very long time before we can return to the Heart, if ever.”
“Yes, I’m acutely aware of our unfortunate circumstances…”
“Well, don’t you think we should surrender our titles in royal fashion?”
“What do you have in mind?” Vastion questioned, finally realizing that my intentions were always more devious than he’d bargained for.
Dressed only in our night robes, I led Vastion to the atrium where the Privy Council convened. Before us, the red glow of the magical tree illuminated the small area surrounding it. I looked up at my husband and cocked my head to say, “Tell me you never even considered it.”
Vastion let out a deep laugh. “No, My Queen, I hadn’t considered it, but I should not be shocked that you have, and it is your incurable ability to keep me on my toes that’s made me want to ravish you since the day we met.”
The moonlight reflected off the glass ceiling above us. We slid our robes off, our bare skin matching the rosy hue of the ethereal tree. Vastion moved slowly, corralling me against it, his length hardening with each step forward.
“Perhaps I will finally outlast you,” I taunted, knowing this would be the first time he took me as merely a man.
He crooned into the side of my neck, “When my cock weeps, my fingers will not tire. When my hand steadies, my tongue will worship fervently until I take you once more.”
“I do love a challenge,” I said between gasps, as his rigid fingers swiped along my sex.
Vastion turned me to face the tree, the aura of its light filling my vision as he pressed his body flush with my back.
He used his foot to spread my feet, and I leaned forward, arching my back to angle my rear in an inviting position.
He stroked his cock a few times before running it along my slick opening, teasing my entrance.
His strong hands grasped both of my hips, and he guided himself in with one firm thrust.
“Gods, Esiree,” he rasped, his breath hot against my neck. “I am drowning in the feel of you. Every nerve is a live wire. It’s too much. It’s everything.”
He moved in and out of me. One hand reached up to cup my breast while the other rocked my hip back-and-forth, his pace picking up speed.
The friction felt utterly delectable, and I pushed my rear back further, forcing him to take me to the hilt each time.
Having felt the effects of exertion for the first time with me, he slowed his movements.
When he did, I punished him by tightening my muscles all around him in short pulses, sending him into a frenzy of rapid thrusts.
“Are you tiring, my love?” I provoked him while listening to the sound of his panting.
“Never,” he answered through exasperated breaths.
“Brave. Little. Liar,” I challenged, causing him to thrust harder.
When his hand reached around to stimulate my clit in concert with his cock pounding into me from behind, I felt myself begin the climb.
My hands grasped the glowing tree and my vision became a sight of sparkling red stars.
Vastion’s pace did not relent as my moans echoed off the high ceilings all around us.
His body felt so good against mine, his muscles strong but human, tensed and strained with each stroke.
Our bodies, like one. No fear nor imbalance of power.
Both our hearts pounded; both our pulses raced towards climax.
Just as I screamed my pleasure into the crimson night, Vastion pulled away, leaving me aching and wanton, as he too came undone.
In that breathless silence, I finally understood the truth he had carried for centuries: eternity was a hollow promise, but a single lifetime spent in his arms would be everything.