“If it’s any consolation, I’m here now. As much as I can be, anyway,” I admit.
His red, puffy eyes finally meet mine. The fresh tears sparkle in the moonlight. My powers surge beneath my fingertips, once again fighting to break free and reach out to him. And then it hits me, leaving me wondering why I hadn’t thought of it sooner. My powers could touch him, surround him, comfort him, ease his mind in a way. But would he feel appreciated or violated?
My eyes fall to the boulder I shattered with my powers several days ago after Rami had left me. I know it won’t be so destructive with Rami. Despite being out of practice with much of my magic, I feel drawn to the young man and would never willingly hurt him.
Rami wipes the tears away with the backs of his hands. “It means more than you could probably understand,” he mumbles, which breaks my resolve.
The golden aether spreads out from my fingertips as I swirl it around to form a powerful sigil for love. Words are unnecessary because the most powerful spells come from your emotions.
I can tell when Rami feels the caress of my powers as his eyes widen and then become half-lidded, his pupils increasing and darkening his lovely blue gaze.
“I understand more than you know.” My voice drops an octave, sounding more sultry than I realize I am capable of.
Slowly, Rami steps closer and closer to me, finally ending my torture. Once he’s within arm's reach, I latch onto the soft shirt covering his chest and yank him toward me. He crashes into me with a softoof.
“Wh-What was that?” His breath blows against my face as he lifts his chin to stare at me. His eyes blown wide, nearly blocking the beautiful blue tint from my view.
“It was my magic.” With my free hand, I run it along the soft tresses of his blonde hair, loving the silkiness against my roughened fingers. “Did you like it?” I purr.
He nods, barely missing touching the peak of skin on my chest with his chin. But I don’t flinch away. “I find it easier to think out there,” he whispers, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. “In here, it’s filled with your essence, and it makes me want things I can’t have.”
Slowly, I back him toward a nearby tree. I refuse to put any further space between us, needing to maintain our contact as I crowd in closely. “What makes you think you can’t have it?” I ask as I press his back into the rough bark of the tree. With our bodies aligned, our engorged cocks rub against each other, and stars burst through my vision. Rami releases the most delicious moan, encouraging me to press myself against him harder.
“When you were out of reach,” I begin, rocking our dicks together again. “It was pure torture. I find myself drawn to you, sweet Rami. When you’re gone, I think of only you.”
The fabric trapping our members away from each other’s is constrictive and a hindrance. Skin on skin is what I crave, but cannot stand. My need is so great, though, that I’d risk insurmountable pain just to touch him for real.
Rami rocks his hips against me, drawing my attention to the sweet man in my clutches. I move my thigh between his legs andallow him to seek his pleasure against me. Closing my eyes, I envision the way his hole would stretch to fit my cock. How he might mewl beneath me as I take him under the stars. I want to paint the inside of his body while he paints my outside, as we claim each other as one in front of the gods.
When I open my eyes, Rami is staring up at me with his mouth open in a silent moan. I slowly lower my face until there’s barely room for a breath between us. As we breathe in the other’s breath. The sensations go straight to my head, forcing my powers to surge around us in a maelstrom of gold, heightening our pleasure until we’re both crying out our finish together.
Neither of us breaks apart, our chests rising and falling rapidly, and our lips nearly touching. “You finish so beautifully,” I whisper. “I wish I could show you real pleasure.” Shame floods through my system as I step away, instantly hating the distance.
Rami closes the space again, placing his palm over my heart. “That was real pleasure, Adriel. More than I’ve felt in a really long time. This relationship may not be conventional, but it is ours, and that’s all that matters.”
I nod, lower my forehead until we’re nearly touching, and close my eyes. Breathing in this smart, sweet man. “You are right. I’m sorry. I did not mean to diminish what we did. It was more pleasure than I’ve ever known. I wish I could give you more.”
A soft chuckle has me opening my eyes and seeing the sparkle of delight in Rami’s blue gaze. “It may take some trial and error, but you’re worth it, Adriel.”
I’m worth it?
His words make me giddy. He’s right, of course. I can’t focus on what we can’t do or what I can’t offer him, but on what we do have.
Chapter 23
Rami's POV
I’m sprinting down a darkened road, running from something. Though I don’t know what. The street lights behind me begin to darken, one by one; each making a loudclunkas it shuts off.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up straight, warning me that I’m in danger. When I reach for the strand of crystals from Yasmine, my hand comes up empty.
I glance down at my bare chest to find it covered in scratches. At first, I assume they’re from brambles and branches caused by my retreat. But their uniformity in width, the depth of each cut, and the fact that they’re in a pattern of four scratches make me think it’s from a hand.
The jagged and bloody marks cause the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. And I know I have to get the fuck out of here. And fast.
My heart thunders in my ears, and I pump my legs even harder. Anything capable of making such deep wounds is not something I would like to meet. Especially not in the dark.
When the tension in the air lessens around me, I risk slowing down like the world’s worst horror movie character. Bracing my hands on my knees, I pant heavily in a sad attempt to catch my breath. It also gives me a second to take in my surroundings.
