“Look at me,” he said, and Zorvut glanced up to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked on each other’s, Taegan reached back and pressed the head of Zorvut’s cock against his entrance already soaked with slick and lowered himself onto it. Arousal burst white-hot through the bond as they both gasped and Taegan sank down to bury Zorvut to the hilt inside him.
“Gods, Taegan,” Zorvut groaned, his head falling back against their pillows. “You feel so good.”
“Show me,” Taegan begged, squeezing his eyes shut at the sudden overwhelming fullness deep within him. His mouth fell open with a cry of pleasure as Zorvut moved inside him, sending his vision alight with stars as his body was opened up. It was a slow, decadent movement, relishing in every tiny touch of friction, not at all the frantic and needy coupling they had indulged in earlier, after having spent so long apart. Taegan could feel the heat of Zorvut’s gaze on him, watching the space where their bodies joined with an unwavering intensity—he could feel the concentration through the bond underneath the physical sensation flooding through it, as if he were committing the moment to memory as much as he possibly could.
Zorvut’s hands had settled on his hips for a moment, but after a few long, slow thrusts his hands began to wander again, running smoothly down his thighs only to trail back up his torso, rubbing hard against his nipples that elicited a gasp of surprise. Then one hand lowered to touch his cock, the other still tweaking one nipple, and he moaned at the sudden overstimulation. His whole body felt alight with radiating heat, and even though Zorvut moved so slowly inside him he could already tell he was close.
“I’m—I’m—” he panted, but his words dissolved into a shuddering gasp as he came.
“See how good you feel?” Zorvut growled, his voice thick with heat as he squeezed and milked every drop of come out of him.
“How goodyoumake me feel,” Taegan replied when he could speak again, panting for breath. Zorvut shifted under him, and suddenly he was laying on the bed with the half-orc on top of him. Instinctively Taegan wrapped his legs around Zorvut’s waist, his hands coming up to his shoulders and trailing along his back, feeling the hard muscle and raised skin where his body was scarred from past battles and wounds.
“You’re so beautiful,” Zorvut murmured, his eyes running up and down Taegan’s body. He paused for a moment to look at him, and Taegan glanced away, feeling suddenly—shy? embarrassed?—under the intensity of his gaze. “You are. I’ve been so lucky. I’m so lucky you’re mine.” His hips moved again, thrusting into Taegan faster now.
“I’m yours,” Taegan agreed, nodding his head. Pleasure cascaded through the bond as if it were his own cock being squeezed and stroked again. He could hardly catch his breath for how intense every sensation felt, how every nerve in his body tingled with heat, with energy. One of Zorvut’s hands grabbed his hip, bracing him against his body as his pace quickened, fucking him hard and fast.
“Fuck,” Zorvut groaned against Taegan’s shoulder, and he could feel how close he was. Taegan clenched as hard as he could around Zorvut’s cock and they both cried aloud at the sensation, Zorvut giving only a few more hard thrusts before he was coming. Taegan moaned faintly as he could feel himself being filled with hot, thick liquid as Zorvut panted and gasped against his neck. “Gods, I wish I could fuck you forever.”
For one brief instant Taegan wished desperately he was in heat, that when Zorvut had filled him with his seed he could carry a piece of him forever, no matter how things turned out—and his thought must have been clear through the bond as Zorvut suddenly burst into a ragged sob, pressing his face into Taegan’s shoulder.
“I want that too,” he murmured, and his tremulous voice was the closest to a frightened whimper Taegan had ever heard from him. He squeezed his eyes shut against his own tears as his arms tightened around Zorvut’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “I want to stay with you, I want to have children with you. I don’t want to die. I don’t—Taegan, I don’t want to die.”
“You won’t die,” Taegan replied, his voice breaking. “You won’t. I won’t let you. You’re going to win, just like you did before, and we’re going to unite our kingdoms and you’re going to grow old and see your children and grandchildren grow up too. I promise. I promise.”
He could feel Zorvut tremble in his arms, tears dripping from the half-orc’s face and wetting the skin of his neck and shoulders. Had he ever been so vulnerable before? The absolute anguish pouring from the bond was like a flayed nerve against the cold air, and he squeezed his eyes shut against his own tears that burned against his eyelids. He wouldn’t let Zorvut die. He couldn’t. He may have promised Zorvut he would protect himself, but it wouldn’t stop him from doing everything he could to protect Zorvut first.
“I’m sorry,” Zorvut breathed after a long moment, pushing himself up to look down at Taegan. Even in the dark he could see the half-orc’s eyes were puffy and his face flushed. “I didn’t mean to… to have things end like that.”
“Don’t apologize,” Taegan replied quickly, cupping Zorvut’s face in one hand. “You’re my husband. Don’t ever apologize to me for your emotions.”
“My husband,” Zorvut repeated softly, his eyelids closing as he pressed his face into Taegan’s hand. “My husband.”
They remained in tender silence for a long moment, both unmoving and unwilling to break the contact, until finally Zorvut took in a long, shuddering breath and pulled Taegan to the edge of the bed. Slowly he eased his softened cock out of Taegan’s body—Taegan let out a sharp hiss as they separated and a stream of still-warm come and slick spilled out of him.
When they had cleaned up, Zorvut took Taegan into his arms again and carried him back to bed, despite the elf’s playful protests.
“I want to hold you,” he murmured as they settled into bed, cradling Taegan against his chest. “Even if I don’t sleep. I want to hold you all night.”
Taegan hesitated, then nodded. He shifted until he was comfortable, laying atop Zorvut’s torso with his face pressed into the crook of his shoulder, Zorvut’s arms draped loosely around his waist.
“I love you,” he whispered as he closed his eyes, and it repeated in his head with every slow, even breath he took until he fell asleep.I love you. I love you. I love you.
15
Taegan
Taegan was quite sure neither he nor Zorvut truly slept that night, at least not long enough to matter. He dozed on and off through the night, but each time he opened his eyes or shifted against Zorvut, the half-orc’s golden eyes were gleaming down at him and he could feel a hard knot of anxiety in the back of his head. Eventually the sun was beginning to come through the window when he opened his eyes again, which was when Zorvut finally moved, gently releasing him from his arms and shifting him onto the blankets before getting out of bed with a sigh. Taegan tried to sleep a bit longer, but it was a futile effort, and before long he too stumbled out of bed.
Zorvut was downstairs in their small kitchen, blankly looking out the window with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. He gave a slight start at the sound of Taegan coming down the stone stairs. His eyes were bleary and sunken when he glanced over at Taegan—if he had any doubt before, now he was certain the poor man hadn’t slept at all. For an instant he wondered, sadly, if he had been so afraid the morning he was set to arrive in Drol Kuggradh to face Hrul, barely even a week ago.
“Coffee?” Zorvut offered, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat, offering the mug toward Taegan, who shook his head.
“No, thank you,” he replied softly, and came to stand next to him. They stood silently and looked out the window to watch as the first rays of morning light spread over the city. The knot of nerves in the back of his head relaxed gradually into a soft contentment.
But, eventually, the quiet moment came to an end. They dressed—Taegan wavered between his normal clothes and his armor for a long while, eventually donning his armor after helping Zorvut put on a breastplate. He slung his bow and quiver across his back and followed the half-orc out of the tower, into the misty morning.
Despite their nerves and the anxious quiet that seemed to permeate the city and all its residents, it was an uneventful morning. But that was almost worse, Taegan thought—it only made the morning feel longer, the uncertainty more excruciating.
