32. Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kya
H eat enveloped me in the darkness. Ryker’s bare skin came down on my own with blissful connection and molded around me as if our bodies were made to fit each other. He nipped and licked at the column of my throat as I moaned breathlessly, grinding myself against the length of his cock.
He trailed kisses down my neck, my chest, taking in the pink bud of my breast into his mouth greedily and kneading the other in the palm of his hand.
I arched into his touch as his mouth moved lower and lower, feeling his hot breath on my skin.
His hand slowly traced up my thigh, meeting my slickness and pushing a finger into me.
A loud moan escaped my lips.
His heavy gaze watched the pleasure etched across my face, the side of his mouth curved up in a smirk.
He spread me wider, adding another finger and pumping them in and out of me slowly, curling them to hit that spot that had me writhing against him.
He bent his head down and pressed his tongue against me.
My hips bucked against him and my core throbbed as he moved his tongue back and forth, fast enough to bring me close to the edge but slow enough to keep me from toppling over.
“Ryker,” I pleaded.
Except I didn’t say that. I heard it. In my head.
My eyes shot open, and I was alone in my bed, hot with the intensity of the dream. But I could still hear myself moaning his name in thoughts that weren’t my own.
No fucking way.
I ripped the covers off and bolted out of my room to find Ryker still sleeping on the couch, his hardness apparent even from underneath the blanket.
Ayen’s ass. He’s dreaming about me.
And it had seemed so real and detailed. I ached for his touch that wasn’t really there just moments ago.
There was no way I was going to be able to sleep if he kept projecting his fantasies about fucking me.
And even though I wanted it just as badly as he did, I needed him to stop before I made his dreams a reality.
“Ryker!” I whispered sharply.
His eyes flew open and upon seeing me, he shot up into a sitting position. Tendrils of shadows swirled around us instantly.
“What? What is it? What’s wrong?” he said sleepily, eyes frantically looking around.
“Pleasant dreams?” I asked innocently.
“Urm, yes.” His words staggered. His shadows began to dissipate.
I gave a not-so-subtle glance down to his pants. He looked down in confusion before his eyes widened, and he bunched the blanket over his obvious arousal.
“Did I say something?” He asked.
I couldn’t help the grin sliding across my lips at his embarrassment of dreaming about his mate.
“You didn’t tell me that you could project your thoughts to others,” I said.
His face paled. “I did?”
“Yes. With visual, audible, and tactile detail.”
“I can’t do that. Not visual and tactile anyway, just audible. Or at least, I never have before. Not that I know of,” he said, shaking his head.
“Oh, you have.”
“I have? When?”
“The night before I left for Torx. Except I was seeing through your eyes in my dream. You were flying through a storm,” I said.
“I… I didn’t dream that. That actually happened,” he whispered.
I sat on the couch next to him. “And you didn’t know you could do this?”
“Not consciously anyway.” He shook his head.
I hummed in thought.
“It may not be my abilities…” Ryker rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve had this… gift for nearly three hundred years, and I’ve never once mentally projected before. And now that the bond has been enacted, you’re seeing through my mind. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think it’s a part of the bond.”
I contemplated this. It made sense. And not everything was known about the connection that mates had with each other once the bond was sealed, or even before it.
If it was anything like what I had just experienced, they could have thought it was a dream or didn’t tell anyone about it.
I knew I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t have wanted those kinds of details recorded either.
“Well, this should be fun then.” I huffed a humorless laugh.
Ryker stood and started pacing the floor in front of me, running his hand through his hair. “I feel like I’m going crazy. I know it’s mostly the bond, but I can’t stop thinking about you and I want you so badly,” he growled .
Mostly.
My stomach fluttered. Was this more than just the bond to him?
“But we can’t. We can’t risk your people. We can’t risk that the council will find out and force the Raith on us or worse, the Nex.”
I paused for a moment. I hadn’t wanted to say this. It was one thing for me, as I didn’t have much to lose out of it, but Ryker’s entire Nation was on the line. Even though it would have broken me and been the most unbearable experience of my life, I would have done it.
“Do you want to deny the bond? It would solve so many things and—” I whispered.
“No,” he snarled. In the blink of an eye he was bending over me, his nose nearly touching mine and his hands braced against the back of the couch.
“You belong to me. And I will have you. As my mate, as my wife, as my Lady.” My heart skipped a beat.
His voice softened, “I’ve got you and as I already promised you, I will not allow anyone, or any threat, to take away what is mine. ”
His possessive demands shouldn’t have excited me the way that they did. I belonged to him—he belonged to me.
I had to keep my door shut until morning to keep the temptation to seal the bond at bay for the both of us. I didn’t sleep much after that. I couldn’t stop thinking about his words.
As my mate, as my wife, as my Lady.
Wife? Lady? I knew the whole mate part, but wife and Lady were things we hadn’t discussed.
To be wed by a Sage through the Spirits wasn’t always customary for mates, sealing not only the bond that the Gods gifted but also by binding your soul on a spiritual level as well, as most mates didn’t love each other and were driven solely by primal lust.
And I had never heard of both a Lord and a Lady ruling a Nation.
While a Lord could have a wife, that did not make her a Lady.
Only a Worthy, someone powerful enough to protect their Nation, could be Lord or Lady.
Which I technically was. Except I wasn’t chosen by his God.
I was chosen by Kleio, whose Nation was practically non-existent.
Ryker wasn’t threatened by me taking his Nation, he wanted me to rule it with him.
I didn’t know how to feel about that. Part of me was excited, while another part was terrified by the idea.
Not to mention, if I were to be Lady of his Nation, could I still be Lady of Atara and bring my people back? That’s what Kleio meant, wasn’t it?
I shook the thoughts from my head and settled in the bed.
I had finally fallen asleep for a few hours, but woke before dawn and everything came rushing right back as I lay there staring at my ceiling. I needed to talk about it, sort out my thoughts out loud, that always helped me.
I placed my bare feet on the ground and concentrated on the vibrations.
Sure enough, I could feel Malina moving about in her rooms, she was usually up before daybreak.
I quietly but hurriedly got dressed, remaining barefoot, and tip-toed out of my bedchamber into the sitting area.
Thankfully, Ryker was sound asleep, and I silently made my way out of my rooms and down the hall to Malina’s.
I gently knocked on her door and she opened it moments later, looking behind me before stepping aside and letting me in.
We lounged in her sitting area, sipping hot tea, as I told her everything.
From the council and the Sage’s threat, to the dream, and what Ryker had said after.
She remained quiet for the most part, only interrupting to ask a question here or there.
“But you want this? You want the mating bond with him?” she asked softly.
“Yes? But I don’t trust him fully, and it seems like it’s too much trouble to deal with the consequences.” I released an exasperated sigh.
“And if you two can somehow figure all of this out, get past the trial of your bond, and solve the Glaev as your God instructed of you—all while resisting fucking each others brain’s out—he wants to make you Lady of Oryn?”
“Pretty much.”
She shrugged. “Sounds simple enough. Though can you be Lady of Oryn?”
“Which part of this is simple, Mal? And yes, I believe that technically I could be Lady of Oryn.”
“I said it was simple, not easy,” she said from the rim of her cup. She took a sip and set it down. “Wait… Kya, if you became Lady, that means that you could bring them back. Just like Kleio said.”
“Yeah, I thought of that too. But that would only put them in harm’s way, wouldn’t it? Taking them from the Drift Islands and bringing them to a Nation that could also be destroyed by the Glaev. There wouldn’t be anyone left of our people if I did that.”
“Which is why you need to figure out how to stop the Glaev so that the main threat to everyone would be eliminated,” she said.
“Working on it,” I murmured. “But then there’s still the issue of the panel for the mating trial. If we go against their ruling and mate, they’ll likely issue the Nex. Or force us to endure the Raith, which would take away our magic, and then we can’t protect the people anyway.”
It’s all just so messed up.
“If they find you.” She winked. But I wasn’t in the mood for that. Her smile faltered. “What are you going to do?”
“Try to find the truth of the Glaev right now. Then worry about the rest later. I can’t do much until then.”
“What about the Sage female? How did she know?”
“Vicria. Ryker isn’t sure but he said he’s having people look into it. If I could just get my hands on her then I could get the information,” I said.
We remained quiet for several moments.
“Well, you’re not fixing all of this right now. But I know what can make you feel better.” She rose to a stand and I followed suit.
“And what would that be?” I asked, setting down my tea.
“Hot, fresh pastries from Penny’s.”
I smiled brightly. “Yes! I haven’t been there in ages.”
Penny’s bakery was a staple of Ilrek. Nikan used to wake up Malina and I early before training and drag us down there, but we hadn’t done that in quite some time.
“Come on. Let’s get there before all the good stuff is gone.” She waved as we left her rooms and entered the common area.
I didn’t bother with shoes, I preferred to have bare feet so I could feel. I had done it so often that my feet were calloused and the gravel paths didn’t phase me. Satisfied that I didn’t feel Ryker moving around in my rooms, we left Morah, down the streets of Ilrek to the outer ring to Penny’s.
Malina and I meandered down the empty street, stuffing our faces with tarts and sweet bread.
I nearly moaned as the taste flooded my mouth and coated my tongue with the delectable sugary topping.
I giggled as Malina dripped sticky goo down her face and tried to lick it away.
We took our time strolling around the outer ring watching the sun rise over the horizon, turning the sky from a soft pink to a warm orange tone, having already finished our delightful treats.
Shops began to open and people began to emerge from their homes.
“I need to head to the blacksmith before Ryker and I leave to Dusan. I’ll meet you back at Morah later after I get more arrows and replace my daggers,” I said, eyeing the blacksmith down the way.
“Yeah, I need to get back anyway to meet with the Scholars then go to the healer. But don’t take too long or your protective pigeon boy will come looking for you,” she joked.
I rolled my eyes and waved her off as she left the outer ring back to Morah.
I talked with Fyn, the blacksmith, and picked out my preferred arrows as he added hilts to my choice of metal for the daggers that were lost during the Trial—the ones I left in the Nagasai’s head.
I wondered about Njall, if he had survived would he still be a blacksmith?
I didn’t want to think about him, not wanting to dredge up those emotions.
I waited while Fyn worked. It took him some time, but once he was finished I paid him, then left.
The streets were bustling with people and traders, and I kept my hood down, thankful that I grabbed Malina’s spare cloak before leaving. I had made it to the secondary ring of Ilrek when an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me into an alley between two stone buildings.
I whipped around and shoved Cade off me. I hadn’t been paying attention to my terbis, distracted with thinking of preparations for my journey to Dusan.
“What do you want, Cade?” I said sternly.
“How about ‘Hi, good to see you,’” he scoffed.
“I prefer not to lie.”
“Don’t be like that. I haven’t seen you since the Trial. I heard you’re Worthy.”
“Yep. Now have a nice day,” I said coldly.
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I looked down at his hand, contemplating cutting it off, before slowly dragging my eyes back up to his .
“Kya, wait. Please.” He rubbed his thumb over my wrist in soothing circles.
“What?” I sighed.
“Look, I’ve thought so much about that night. I was a complete ass. Can we just talk for a minute?” he said with soft eyes.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Come on. I made a mistake. But you and I are good for each other. You know that. And you know you miss the relief that I can give you. I can see the tension.” He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers softly stroking against my face. “Let me help.”
“No.” I pushed his hand away slowly.
It was nice to be touched, but I was done with him.
“Why? You’re a powerful Worthy with no Nation.
We could go anywhere. We don’t have to stay in this place anymore.
Think of it, you could be powerful enough to take your own Nation if you wanted to.
” I stepped back and gaped at him. “You can take whatever you want. And I could be by your side when you do.” He stepped closer.
I knew he had regretted leaving Gaol and coming here, but I hadn’t realized just how badly he wanted out.
“You’ve completely lost your mind. I don’t want that. I don’t want to take over a Nation. I don’t want to overrule a standing Worthy. And I certainly don’t want you ,” I seethed at him.
I started to turn, but he gripped both of my wrists, preventing me from grabbing my daggers. I shoved my knee in his stomach, causing him to grunt but he didn’t let go.
“Stop,” he ordered. I felt my wrists burning in his touch and I hissed.
I stopped struggling when I felt a tug. That unmistakable feeling deep inside and the shadow that would always find me. A malicious grin crossed my lips when the ground shook as he landed behind me, shadowing us with his spread wings.
My mate.