33. Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ryker
E ven though Malina had told me that Kya would be back shortly, she had been gone too long for my liking. I needed to be near her, to have her close. I had left Morah to join her at the blacksmith, curious to see what Riyite weapons I could find for my collection.
I hadn’t gotten far when I felt something through the bond—rage.
Not giving a shit who was near and who saw, I summoned my wings and took to the air.
I relied on the bond to guide me to her.
Reaching for it, I tugged on that glistening tether, caressing it gently, letting her know I would come for her.
She was only one ring away in Ilrek and when I beheld what was happening, my control nearly snapped completely.
Another male laid unwanted hands on my mate.
I landed behind her with a force that caused the ground to rumble beneath me, spreading out my wings with my lips curled in a sneer. I glanced at the male’s hands gripping Kya’s wrists and saw the angry scarlet of burned skin. And I did snap.
I was no longer the Lord of Oryn, no longer a Worthy held to a higher standard. I was a feral male seeing his mate harmed by another.
I ripped his hands off her as I stepped between them, putting my mate behind me.
My hand shot out and gripped his pathetic throat.
He tried to pull it away, using his fire in an attempt to burn me.
But like calls to like, and I couldn’t be burned any more than he could.
His flames singed the fabric around my arms, only pissing me off more.
A low growl emanated deep in my chest, and the male glared at me with malice in his eyes.
“Got yourself a fancy Lord now, huh?” he rasped from beneath my grasp.
I couldn’t hear if she responded or not, the roaring in my head was too loud. The male’s eyes widened and I knew that he could see their glow as I entered his mind.
Repulsive thoughts and intentions, memories of Kya underneath him, bare and writhing for him, flooded my mind before I pulled back.
He wanted her for all the wrong reasons.
I should have killed him right then, and I wanted to, for the vile ideas that plagued his mind. I wouldn’t allow someone to waltz around with such revolting thoughts of my mate.
“You bed this male?” I asked Kya, who hadn’t moved behind me. My voice was low, edging on the tip of lethal.
“Not anymore.” Her voice was cold and harsh.
My blood began to boil, searing its way through my body.
The male in front of me strained a scoff. “Only after she fucked me and got what she wanted.” He spat at her. “A cold-hearted bitch .”
My shadows erupted out of me and snaked over the male, penetrating his nose and mouth.
I released his throat, my shadows had a hold on him.
The male dropped to his knees as he clawed at himself in a desperate attempt to relieve the smothering hold in his lungs.
His eyes bulged from their sockets and pleaded with me to spare him.
I would do no such thing, I was not merciful to his ilk.
I hadn’t noticed Kya beside me until I felt the intense shock of her hands cupping my face, turning my head to look at her. The feel of her hands against my skin settled something in my soul. Those bright green eyes bore into mine and the world fell away.
The simple act of her skin against mine shifted everything inside of me. I wouldn’t look away from her. I couldn’t. At that moment, she was everything to me.
Nothing existed but her.
I hummed a low purr and my breathing slowed, taking in deep breaths. Her lips parted at the guttural sound, and the scent of her arousal wrapped around me.
Without breaking eye contact with Kya, I released Cade from my shadows. “Do not come near my mate again. And if you ever touch her, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death.” Not a warning, but a promise.
“Kya…” the male said cautiously.
I snarled at the sound of her name from his mouth.
Mine .
But my mate didn’t cower, didn’t turn in disgust at my selfish, uncontrollable domination.
She smiled ever so slightly and leaned into me.
My primal need to claim her and mark her as mine, to wrap her in my scent, to bind her soul to me, was damn near overwhelming in the presence of another male threatening that bond to be taken away from me.
“I belong to you Ryker. He will not take me from you.” Her voice was soft, comforting.
I understood what she was doing, but I wasn’t in my right mind. I was the unhinged beast I swore to never become. She was protecting me from killing him—the consequences of killing someone in Riyah was banishment for life. But her words struck me somewhere deep.
My hand reached around and grabbed a fist full of her hair on the back of her head and my other on her slender waist, pushing her roughly against the stone wall, my hand protecting her head.
Her fingers tightened on my face. I could feel the slight scrape of her nails against my skin and I wanted to feel that all over my body as I filled her with pleasure.
One of her hands gripped my arm and I swore she pulled me in further as I pressed my body against hers, my already hardened length against her stomach, shielding her from the male. The bond sang between us. Our heavy breathing and racing hearts matched with each heave and beat.
I leaned in closer, curling over my mate, until our noses touched and I breathed her in, as if I had been drowning and she was my air.
I groaned, holding myself back from ripping her clothes off and impaling her with my cock until she screamed my name.
But I wouldn’t do that to her. Not here at least. Not yet.
“Tell him to leave before I claim you against this wall right in front of him.” I shifted away my wings then.
Her breath hitched and she tensed, the scent of her excitement surged and mixed with a tinge of fear. My eyes pleaded, begging for her to heed my request so I didn’t do something I would possibly regret. Her features softened in understanding.
Kya turned her head and looked at the male over my shoulder, and I growled, tightening my hold on her. She snapped her head back, meeting my longing gaze once again. I didn’t want her glancing at another male, let alone this one, not when our bond was this vulnerable.
“Leave Cade. I don’t want you.” As she articulated each word, my muscles began to relax. Her thumb stroked over my cheek tenderly, a precious smile spread over her mouth. She whispered quietly so that only I could hear, “Our bond is not endangered by this male.”
The shuffling of feet and grumbling of curses let me know that Cade was leaving.
Once he was gone, my shoulders relaxed, but I didn’t relinquish my hold.
We stayed like that, alone and in our own world, and I let myself get lost in her captivating eyes, her sweet scent, her soothing touch.
My hand moved from the back of her head to the side of her face, mimicking hers on mine, as I brushed the pad of my thumb across her cheekbone, she leaned into my touch which only made me want to feel the rest of her body under my skin.
My body vibrated with energy, with the drive of the bond to claim her and truly make her mine. I was losing my control, my vision blurred and my grip tightened.
She said in a low breath, “I am yours.”
I released a sigh of relief, grateful that she remained patient, reassuring me over and over that she would remain—that she was mine.
I was a Lord, a Worthy of Xareus. And this female had more power over me than I ever wanted to admit.
Minutes or hours passed, I didn’t know. Kya grazed her fingertips through my hair, down my neck, across my shoulders, over and over and over, allowing me to ride out my loss of control and rein it back in. She became the calm to my storm.
I finally released her and stepped away, already missing the feel of her against me.
I expected her to berate me, to run back to Morah and lock me out as punishment.
But to my surprise, she took my hand in hers, interlocking our fingers, and led me back to the great library.
I followed her, just as I knew I always would.