The tip of his tail rubbed my clit.
I fell apart, and my release triggered Xaniban’s.He pulled me down onto his chest and enveloped me in his wings, every shudder of ecstasy shared between us.He held me to him with all he had, as if I were the most precious thing in his world.
I fell asleep to the warmth of his embrace and the strong beat of his heart.
– 26 –
Amid the Clouds
Next time Xaniban woke me up, it was with a kiss on my upper lips.His intentions were innocent: he wanted me to see the sunrise overourhomecloud.
We watched it through the balcony door while sitting on the lush carpet, my back to his chest and my legs outstretched between his.It was a magnificent view–both that of the sunrise outside and of the muscular blue thighs inside.I gazed at the former and caressed the latter.Mmm.
The fire-red color of the clouds above the city–which, as I had learned, served to keep the homecloud hidden from enemy eyes while also providing a stable, favorable climate–reminded me of blood.
I know: what normal person thinks of blood in such a romantic setting?But three days in heaven couldn’t make me forgetthe situation on the ground.While I thrived in the safety and comfort of this magical world and its king’s embrace, my community was still in the nightmarish reality.It was high time I did something about that.
“Xan, can I ask you something?…Somethings?”I hugged my knees to my chest and turned until I could see his face.
He had a languid smile on.“Anything andanythings.”
His tail went around my waist and his arms pulled me closer until I was as snug as a bug against his chest but could still see his face.He must have felt I was nervous to talk.As always, his body radiated such heat that I didn’t need anything on my naked skin but him.
“You killing the flesh eaters’ king… It’s a huge victory.You succeeded where your ancestors failed, despite the fact that they weren’t facing a full-blown zombie apocalypse.”
“That is true.”He patted my hip.“But it is not a question.”
I took a deep breath.“What happens next?”
The tips of his wings rose in a shrug.“We celebrate.”Then he specified with a fangy smile, “We feast.”After he got from me the blush he had most certainly intended, Xaniban added, “The head of the king will be added to my ancestors’ trophy room, right next to the head of the blood suckers’ king.Have you explored that part of the palace yet?Or were you too busy reading certain scrolls in the library?”
I rolled my eyes and poked him in the pec.“Stop teasing me, Your Majesty.It’s not like you don’t benefit from my reading preferences.”
He grinned and flapped his wings once.
“Luckily, I missed the trophy room during my stroll yesterday.”Imagine biting into a cheese slice a moment before you come face to head with taxidermied Dracula.I preferred the fridge magnet version, thank you very much.“I meant what happens now, as in the grand scale of things?”
Xaniban brushed his knuckle along my jawline.“You are mymate.You do not deny that anymore.”
I nodded.My scientific brain demanded more evidence that such a thing as a mate bond existed, but there was no denying my feelings for the gargoyle I had yet to get to know, but felt as if I already did.In his arms, I was protected, happy, loved.Home.
“You are also my queen,” he added.“You are no longer denying that either.”
I made a face.The moment I had shown up among Xaniban’s subjects in diamond-covered nipples, I had sealed my fate.Not that I knew what being a queen up here entailed, but that was a topic for another conversation.
“Then you know what awaits us, little blessing.”He cupped my face to ensure I met his gaze.Those midnight-blue eyes, so beautiful in their alienness, shone with love.“I will care for you, keep you safe, and cherish you until my last breath.Afterward, I will wait for your soul in the Great Beyond so that we truly become one, beyond the death of our mortal bodies.”
My breath faltered.Xaniban’s words might sound cheesy, but I knew he meant every word.I felt it with every fiber of my being.
I placed my palm over his heart.“I’ll love you right back,animar.”
His wings fluttered and his tail tightened around me.“Will you give me manypips, too, when you are ready?”
I raised a brow at him.“Do I actually have a say in the matter?”His tone suggested he was not asking a question but stating a fact.
“Of course.You determine when you are ready for the firstpipand at what number to stop after the thirdpip.”
My eyebrows reached my hairline.
