Chapter 42 #3
We remained in our camp a second night, but with a routine established, and everyone’s roles understood, we packed up the following morning, making our way north.
We reached Payunmar by nightfall, and easily fell asleep after another exhausting day.
My eyes closed with Rhyan beside me, his arms around me, holding me tight.
A dozen of our human soturi, having done what they could, decided to travel home on the third day.
But not before they all came to me and Rhyan hugging us both and thanking us.
My heart panged as I watched them travel away, but for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t from sadness, or anger, or fear.
It was from hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, change was possible.
And that they’d be okay. That after all the horror they’d faced, there was still a life ahead of them. And a life ahead for us.
We continued to camp in Payunmar through our fourth night, and then we packed up, and began the slow trek to Hartavia, the country bordering southern Glemaria.
Scouts were sent out to the border, and a few Glemarians were assigned to go inside.
All the reports that came back confirmed what Sean had told us.
The arena known as the Pits was being set up for the Alissedari, and there was no sign of Kane or his legion in Glemaria.
They had truly abandoned Devon. Sean also began sending out messengers to alert some of the other rebel groups who stood against the northern Imperator that we were preparing to move.
And more and more soturi were sending word back that they planned to join us, to fight for me and Rhyan.
Making camp the fifth night, I crawled into our tent.
We were two days from attacking. Rhyan pulled me in close, his breathing slow.
I turned around to face him, tracing the shape of his eyebrows, running my finger down the bridge of his nose and to his lips.
He sucked my fingertip into his mouth, then drew me in, rolling me onto my back.
I opened my legs, making room for him. He was hard, and rocking against me.
We hadn’t come together again since that first night.
We’d either been too tired, or we were needed for one meeting or another.
Our rest was interrupted frequently by some decision that had to be made about routes, or meals, or shifting soturi to different troops based on strengths.
But mostly, with everything happening, there just hadn’t been privacy.
We were alone, but our tent was rather close to the others.
Much as I loved that aspect of our relationship, what we really needed was just time to hold each other, to talk, but tonight, something felt different.
Like an undercurrent of magic was stirring between us.
“I want you,” Rhyan rasped in my ear. “I want you so fucking bad.”
I lifted my hips, gasping as he rubbed against me.
“I want you, too.”
His tongue opened my mouth, sliding inside until he was kissing me so deeply, I could barely breathe. I ran my hands up his back, and moaned as he bucked against me.
His hands cupped my cheeks, tangling in my hair, and then ran down my neck as he lowered his mouth, kissing me in the spot where he’d drawn blood as an akadim.
I whimpered as he sucked harder on my skin, my flesh already so sensitive. His hand ran down my chest, pulling on the hem of my sleep shirt.
I reached for the waistband of his pants, loosening his drawstring and slipping my hand inside. He shuddered as I wrapped my fingers around him, already so thick and hard for me.
He growled against my neck, his teeth grazing my skin as I stroked him from base to tip.
“I need to be inside you,” he said, his lips furiously kissing their way back on mine.
I was already shoving his pants down, as he pulled at mine, tugging them to my knees.
I was about to reach down and get them off completely, when Rhyan lifted himself and reached for my waist, flipping me onto my hands and knees.
He gripped my hips, his hand sliding down the curve of my ass, and cupping me.
“Fuck you’re soaked,” he hissed in my ear.
“I’ve been wanting you. For days.” We’d been too busy, too tired. But my body hadn’t seemed to care.
“Me too,” he admitted.
“But you—didn’t—” I whimpered. “I didn’t think you—” He slid his finger inside me.
“Partner,” he breathed. “I always want you.”
“Why didn’t you—ah—” He curled his finger inside, his palm pressing down. I hissed. “Why didn’t you take me before?”
His breathing deepened. “I was afraid.” He started to pump in and out, his thumb circling the apex of my thighs.
Another finger slid in.
I sucked in a breath. “Of what?”
“Me,” he said. “Memories. I’m still—still dreaming about it. Being akadim. What I did to you.”
I turned, angling my neck so I could find his mouth again, one hand reaching up to stroke his face. “I’m not afraid of you. I love you.”
His tongue licked his lips, his eyes hooded with desire as he pressed his forehead to mine, his fingers curling until I moaned.
“In my dreams,” he panted, “I wake up confused, like I’m still trapped in that body.
And I have you as my prisoner. Tied up.” He shuddered.
“Scared. Of me.” He exhaled, his chest shaking.
“It’s still like it was that first morning.
I want to tell you to run away from me. To save yourself.
Leave me. But then,” his voice broke, his strokes increasing in speed.
“Then you open your eyes, and you look at me. You see me. And you’re not afraid,” he cried.
“And then I remember. I remember you saved me. And then I just want … fuck. All I want is to hold you. To be with you. Near you. Next to you. On you. In you. But underneath it all, I’m still afraid—afraid I’m not worthy. ”
“Then look at me now,” I commanded, “and hear me. Hear me nice and good.” I met his gaze in the dark. “You are worthy, Rhyan, of everything good in this world. Ani janam ra.”
He shuddered again, and nodded, his chest heaving against my back, “I know you.”
I kissed him, our tongues battling.
“Gods, Lyr,” he breathed against. “Can I fuck you now?”
“Yes. Yes.”
He slid his fingers out, and gripped my hips, and then I felt him at my entrance, the head of his cock sliding against me, coating himself in my arousal.
“Please,” I panted, needing to feel him completely.
“I’m at your command. Always.” And then, he slid in, and in, and in.
I cried out, only for his hand to slide across my mouth, sealing my lips shut, and muffling my groans.
“Shhh, partner,” he crooned in my ear, his pelvis lifting, his cock hitting a spot that made my eyes close. “My army will hear you.”
“Your army?” I bit down on his palm as he started to thrust, remaining buried deep inside me. “I thought you … were at my command.”
He moaned. “Our army.”
“That’s more like it,” I gasped.
“Fuck. I don’t think I’m going to last long,” he said.
“Your fault for waiting all this time.” I pushed back against him. “But me neither.”
“You feel … so … fucking … good.” He tightened his hold against my mouth, just as I started to cry out.
He pumped into me, faster and faster, pushing with so much force, I collapsed onto my elbows.
His hand swept under my knees forcing me down, flat on my belly.
The new position pushed my legs together.
Rhyan’s weight rested fully on top of me, pressing me deep into the blankets.
Then his ankles locked over mine. I could barely move.
Only lay there and take him as he pumped, his movements growing wild and rabid.
He gripped my hair, pulling my head back, his lips on my neck, as he slid in and out, his hips setting a bruising pace. The heat coiled between my legs was rippling and tensing. I couldn’t take much more. It was too good, too intense.
“I’m going to come,” I whined.
“Oh, I know you are.”
I mewled.
He bit down on my earlobe. “Can you come quietly? Hmmm, partner. Can you do that for me?”
“No.” I cried out, shaking my head, burying my face in the blankets.
Every part of my body was in contact with his, and after days without this, with Rhyan only sleeping against me at night doing little more than holding me, I was heady.
He didn’t understand. Just like that first night, he hardly had to do anything to drive me wild.
He was alive. He was alive. That was all I needed.
And again, I knew I could come just from that.
But of course, this was Rhyan. And he knew exactly what to do to make me lose control.
To make me scream. And then I started to, unable to stop.
“Give me that loud mouth of yours, partner. Come on. Give it to me.” His hand wrapped around my face, turning my head and crushing his lips over mine, silencing my cries of pleasure. He breathed into me, his hips jerking. With a groan, I felt him twitch, spilling into me.
That pushed me over the edge. My body tremored, every limb shaking as ripples of pleasure crashed like a tidal wave through my limbs.
Panting, I buried my face in the blanket as Rhyan kissed my cheek, his body still on top of mine. We breathed together like that, his hands reaching up to find mine, our fingers threaded together.
A moment later, I shifted under him, and he slowly pulled out, turning me over and kissing me thoroughly.
His hand slid under my head, holding me close.
Then he got up, rummaging through our bags for a clean towel.
He had a small cantina of water that he poured on top.
Then he knelt before me, a wicked glint in his eyes as he cleaned me.
Then took care of himself, sliding his pants back up. His lips curled.
“What’s that look?” I asked.