“Don’t stop,” she panted as I slowed. She grabbed my hair and pulled me to her when I tried to lay back, gripping it at the back of my head.
“I told you what I wanted, Cali.”
She nibbled at my mouth. “Say it again.”
“I told—”
“No, my name.”
I smiled against her lips. “Cali.”
She groaned as I thrust into her. “I love it.”
“Cali.”
Head tilted back, she moaned again. Her fingers gripped the back of my neck as she started to move her hips.
“What is my name?” I asked, slipping my fingers between us and rubbing her as she rode me.
She bucked against me and cried out, “Roth.”
My mouth crashed against hers, one hand building her higher, the other grabbing the pendant. I opened up all my senses, found the magic trapped within the stone, and unleashed it. Power surged around us, lifting all the fine hairs on my body. It coursed over my skin as if to say “Hello again” before encircling Calista. Her eyes flew open, fear reflecting in their glassy depths, and latched onto mine.
“Keep your eyes on mine.”
She nodded frantically.
“Do not orgasm until I tell you.”
They grew wider.
The magic penetrated my chest, zipping along all the threads of my tapestry on the search for the main string all the others were connected to. I focused on my life source, illuminating its thread, and called to the magic. Power burst along the cord like wildfire, unraveling it to form two strings. I kept my attention on Calista and gritted through the pain so she wouldn’t see how difficult this was for me. Maybe Mergle was right. If I killed myself doing this, Calista would be trapped here in my place.
“Roth?” Her fingers dug into my tense jaws as her concerned gaze flitted back and forth.
I focused on her, gripped her hips, and moved her on me in a soothing rhythm to distract me from the chaos raging inside. She kept the pace, worry etched into the lines of her face. Thepain eased some, and I took a breath as the thread finished separating. I closed my eyes and went inward. Twin strings thrummed to the same vibration. They seemed to echo each other. A continuous feeding cycle.
“Roth!” Calista ran frantic hands over my face and down to my chest. Her palm stopped over my pounding heart.
I covered it with my own and laced our fingers together. “I’m okay.” She let out a relieved breath as the magic swirled around us, waiting for its cue. “Ready?”
She shook her head and squeezed my hand. “I’m scared.”
I turned my magic toward her and opened my eyes. Her grip relaxed as she stared into my swirling gaze. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know.”
My heart raced from her words. I wrapped an arm around her waist, gripping her bottom, and rested my forehead to hers as she lost herself inside their depths. When the euphoria finally peaked, she ground her hips against me and moaned. I couldn’t wait for this to be done so I could feel her emotions while I was buried inside her.
I tugged on the frayed thread and gave it over to the magic. It swooped in and collected the loose end, pulling it through my chest. It glowed in my peripheral as it stretched between us and touched the skin over her heart.
Her chin dipped, and I gripped it to keep eye contact. “Ride me.”
She pulled my mouth to hers and did exactly that. The magic pierced her chest, taking the cord along with it. On the flesh of her heart was the stitch I left behind when we were younger. The day I ended her life and brought her back with my magic. It sizzled when the cord connected, branding the muscled wall where the stick had impaled her. I could feel her heartbeat as if it were my own. It thudded erratically as my life force wrappedaround it. She ripped her lips from mine and cried out when the power tore through her.
“Almost done, love,” I panted. “Don’t stop.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. I wished I could take the pain away, bear it for her, but I couldn’t. Magic surged along the cord between us. Every time it entered me, I felt more of her. Her pain, her confusion, her arousal. I grounded myself, hoping what she felt from me would bring her peace and security, until, finally, it slowed and made its final stitch.
