Page 87
The hard planes of his bunched shoulders slip beneath my palms as I massage him, urging him to relax, until his breathing slows, and his grip eases where he holds my thighs.
“Open your eyes,” I whisper. “I’m right here.”
His lids blink open, the lucidity slowly returning to his gaze. “So many nights I dreamed of you on top of me like this,” he says, while he lazily resumes his thrusts in and out of me. “Your beautiful face staring down at me.” Palm cupping my face, his brow twitches as if the memory brings him anguish. “The only reason I’d wake was in the hope I’d see you again.”
The thought of him lying in darkness, uncertain but hopeful, pierces my heart. I turn to kiss the inside of his palm, and I guide his hand from my face to my breast. “This isn’t a dream.”
“It is. My dream.” He leans forward, taking my breast in his mouth, and his fingers dig into my hips, as I roll them back and forth along his shaft.
I tip my head to the sky, tears in my eyes, reveling in the feel of him inside of me, his hands on my skin, his taste in my mouth, and his scent filling my head with the sweet memories of the man I’ve craved for too long. My body rejoices at this man’s touch. His flame rages through me, igniting the embers that have solemnly burned for him in his absence, and I feel wild and reckless. A girl with the power to tame fire. I let it burn through me to smoldering ash and wreckage, glutting myself on his destruction. Sweat beads across my skin, cooled by the regaling breeze that dances around us.
When his eyes meet mine again, there’s a plea trapped in their stormy depths. Intensity and agony. Muscles drawn tight, teeth clenched, brows winged up in a cross between pleasure and pain. A silent imploration that pulls at my womb, and when I thread my fingers through his hair, drawing him into my body, it crashes over me like a tidal wave. I can damn near hear the hiss of steam as I surrender to him. My belly tightens, fingers curled into tight fists, and every breath arrives in shallow pants that leave me dizzy.
Hips bucking beneath me, he crushes me against him, and the thundering sound of his climax echoes around me, through me. Those deep masculine grunts send a tingle up my spine, and light explodes behind my eyes as I cry out, my whole body taut and trembling, contracting around him, while I grind my hips, milking every second of this.
Spent and out of breath, I let him pull me atop of him, as he lies back against the rock, and his arms wrap around me like a cage, from which I never want to escape.
The doubts and fears that’ve torn through me for months relent just enough for me to feel safe again. At home in his arms.
The dark tunnel swallows me, as I pad quietly toward the cage bars. Only a sliver of light shines down from the hatch, illuminating the figure who stands with his back to me.
Head tipped back, Cadmus seems to bask in the single light, before sensing my approach, and when he turns to face me, he’s wearing a frown. “Cali? What are you doing here?”
My heart both aches and soars at the sight of him. “I came back for you.”
“For me?” He lowers his gaze, drawing my attention to the distraction of his hands rubbing together. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I couldn’t leave you alone here.”
A quick glance over his shoulder, and he shakes his head. “It’s dangerous. Those faceless things are down here.”
On a step forward, I curl my fingers around the bar. “I know. I won’t let them hurt you this time, Cadmus. I promise.”
Ice cold fingertips glide down my temple, and he tips his head, his green eyes rapt on my face. “Do you love me, Cali?”
Through a shield of tears, I nod. “I care about you very much.”
“Then, why did you leave me?”
The question stabs my heart, the ache burning in my lungs. “Cadmus, please.”
“Shhh.” His eyes also fill with tears, his jaw hardening, while he brushes his thumb across my lips. “Stay with me,” he whispers. The chill of his skin hits the back of my neck, as he slides his fingers around my nape and tugs me closer. “Please stay with me.”
“I can’t.” With a grip of his arm, I try to pry his hand loose from my neck.
His hold tightens, pressing me hard against the bars of the cage. The sad eyes from before turn cold and dark, brimming with anger. “Stay with me. Stay with me!”
I jolt upright on a gasp, my whole body trembling, chest cold and heavy. Eyes wandering the small, confined space, I search for Cadmus, momentarily confused by the scent of fire and the warmth across my skin. The open sky above me, where stars twinkle beside the crescent moon.
Pressing a palm to my forehead, I choke on a sob, swallowing back the misery of my dream, and snap into focus. Turning to my side shows no sign of Valdys, and a twinge of panic settles over me. I twist around to find a figure hunched against the rock wall behind me, curled into himself, naked and shivering.
With a frown, I push to my feet, cross our small camp that’s set away from the others, and crouch down in front of him.
“Valdys?” Taking caution, I place my hand against his shoulder, and he startles at my touch. A force slams into my chest, knocking me backward, and he scrambles over me, fist drawn back.
Holding my breath, I await the most excruciating pain of my life, one that will surely break my bones, perhaps even kill me. “Valdys!”
Dilated pupils shrink with his dawning clarity, and his brows lift in horror, as he stares down at me. “Cali?” His fist falls away, and he retreats back against the wall, clutching his skull as he pulls his knees up. “Oh, fuck, what am I doing? What did I do?”
