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He took my clit into his mouth, eating me out until the world came crashing down around us once more. Waning blissfully in and out of consciousness from one orgasm to the next, I lost track of time and reality when I imagined Elias whispering to me through the haze. “I’d give you everything if you’d let me.”
I hummed in contentment, falling asleep to a howling far off in the distance.
CHAPTER 18
Elias
Danni lay next to me, curled against my side with her arm slung over my abdomen. With her breasts pressed to my ribs and her cheek against my chest, I watched as her eyelids fluttered in her dream state.
For almost two days, she’d demanded endless attention. She’d collapse in bouts of exhaustion, napping for a short reprieve before the temperature of her body spiked again, needing more from me to get her through the pain caused by her mate bond. Her lapse in consciousness was enough time for me to take care of my own release before servicing her again, and the gods knew I needed it.
My jaw ached from the hours spent between her legs, my wrists equally sore from overuse. Supernatural powers could barely heal me fast enough. There was almost no downtime, and I kept repeating the damage to my joints, tendons, and muscles. As the last of her desires had been sated, and her body ran the course of the heat, she finally drifted off to a full sleep. Sleep was a recovery for both of us, allowing my abilities to drain the last bit of discomfort away.
She was worth all of it.
Visions replayed over in my mind. Memories of the way she’d tasted. The way she’d come on my face. The way she’d screamed and begged me to fuck her. I wanted nothing more than to give into her demands. Bend her over and take her again and again. But I’d given her my word, and I kept it. Even when my baser instincts had told me not to.
Gazing at the clock on the mantel, I knew I needed to get up. For the duration of her heat, I couldn’t leave her. Blood and Beryl still needed me, and I had no idea what had occurred in my absence. I shifted sideways and out of the bed, tucking her arm over a pillow I’d left in my place.
I couldn’t help but stare. Her silvery-white hair was in absolute shambles, wrecked from hours of twisting and turning her head against the mattress. Lips slightly parted, she breathed through her nose, snoring softly. A sticky sheen of sweat had dried on her skin, leaving a dull shine. Honestly, she looked absolutely brilliant, and I wanted to see her that way time and time again.
The sound of footsteps down the hallway caught my attention. Grabbing a shirt, I pulled it over my head, treading lightly toward the door and opening it. Ysabeau stood on the other side. I brought my index finger to my pursed lips, then looked back to make sure Danni was still asleep. Nova’s ears twitched, and she didn’t move.
Ysa stepped to the side so I could come out, closing the door behind me without a sound. I held my hand out, gesturing for her to walk, and I took my place beside her.
“It’s good to see you’ve survived,” she said, holding her hands behind her back as we strode toward the east wing staircase. The side-eye she gave me would have had more effect had it not been for the slight smirk on her face.
“Barely.” Running my fingers through my hair, I could only imagine what I looked like. “Her hunger was endless.”
Ysa snorted. “Well, I can tell you her screams were heard by everyone and there were no doubts about what was happening behind those closed doors.” She glanced at me, raising her eyebrows knowingly.
Right. Dannika and I had put on a performance that no one could see. Another win for making our supposed status as mates known.
Except it wasn’t supposed to be a show for everyone else. It had been meant for . . . I internally sighed. It had been meant to protect her. There was no other significance behind it, and the reality of that irked me. Questions flooded my brain, firing off left and right.
What would she think of this when she woke up? Would she have any memory of it? Of the things she’d said or done? Of what she’d felt? Had she even felt anything besides relief, or had it all affected her differently? Had there been any emotion behind what we’d just experienced together?
The prospect that it could have all been meaningless to her didn’t sit well with me, and I refused to believe that was the case. We had shared other moments, and it could be easily argued the intimacy of what we had revealed to each other was deeper than several days of heat-induced lust. We’d discussed our families and our losses. Shared things that were painful to talk about. I didn’t open up with just anyone, and I got the impression it was the same for her. I’d found myself seeking more time with her, and it had gone both ways as we’d begun to spend more time together. When we were alone, I stole kisses whenever I got the chance, and she kissed me in return. Passion wasn’t something that could be faked, and when no one was looking, there was no reason to act. The moments in private were the ones that counted, were they not? What we did when no one was looking, that was real.
I was sure of it.
I’d never wanted to accept a forced mate bond, and I’d never wanted to complicate my reign. I hadn’t wanted love. I’d wanted power. I’d wanted justice. Now, everything swirled in a haze, clouding those visions I’d had of the future. When it came down to it . . . fuck it all, I wanted her. A real version of us together, and not the falsehood of one we had originally agreed to.
“Elias?” Ysa asked, her voice rising in question. “Are you listening to me?”
“Hmm?” I shook my head, realizing she’d been speaking to me. “No, sorry. Thinking about some plans I need to make. I need you to do a few things for me.”
“Such as?”
“Send a scout through all our territories that have mountains, cliffs. That kind of terrain. I want a list of locations to take Danni rock climbing. She likes it.” I angled my head to meet Ysa’s gaze. She appeared stunned, her lips separating, but no words escaping. “Oh, and reach out to Empress Asbesta. I imagine there are cliff sides on the ocean that we could scale, if Dannika is up for that sort of thing.”
She exhaled in exasperation, giving me a tight nod.
“What the hell was that sigh for?” I asked, turning to her and stopping our trek.
She halted, crossing her arms. “You’re distracted.”
I lowered my voice to a low whisper. “I’ve been a little busy. What’s your point?”
