She used the sides of the tub to rise and straddle his hips, bringing her lips close to his. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
His lids grew heavy, and he moved in to kiss her. “Hey, you didn’t grunt when you got into the tub. And your wings are withdrawn!”
He shook his head and raised a brow. “It seems Maiara’s salve worked.”
“Let me see.”
He turned in the water. Between the two crescent-shaped markings that indicated where his wings attached to his body, a white, star-shaped scar painted his back. She ran her fingers along it, marveling that all the symbols that were once there were gone. The ones on the rest of his body were still there, although they were lighter now, silvery. Almost as if all their magic had gone, leaving only a lingering impression in its place. She was totally okay with that.
“Show me your wings,” she whispered.
He unraveled them, their diamond white whole again, although bearing the same starburst pattern as his back. “How’s it look?”
“Perfect. There’s a scar… a starburst… but no permanent damage as far as I can tell. It actually looks…”
“What?”
“Tough.” She laughed. “You look… unyielding.” She ran her fingers along the space between his wings, and he shivered at her touch.
Abruptly, he turned in the water and grabbed her hips, pulling her to straddle him again. She gasped as his hard length pressed between her thighs. “Let’s put that theory to the test.”
She loved that suggestion. Her mouth crashed into his. All the fear, all the love, all the need she’d felt in the past twenty-four hours, all poured into him where their mouths melded. Her mating trill thrummed in her chest. Her hand plunged into the water, wrapped around his cock, and stroked to the base. He moaned.
Electric sparks tingled through her veins, igniting her body with need. From the tips of her breasts to the tips of her wings, she wanted him. Needed him in her. She raised her hips to slide him in, but he wasn’t having it. He lifted her and set her bottom on the edge of the tub. She had to grip the sides with both hands to keep from slipping over.
“Not going to rush this,” he murmured against the space between her breasts. His tongue flicked over her right nipple, hard and taut from cool air on wet skin. Desire shot down her torso to her core. She tipped her head back as he laved and sucked at her breast, then bit, just to the point of pain. Goddess, she might come, and he hadn’t even touched her below the waist yet.
His rough hands shoved against her thighs, spreading her wide. She didn’t resist even though the cold teased her sensitive flesh. His head dipped, and a warm, wet tongue lapped along her folds. She moaned, but she could barely hear it over the deafening thrum of his trill and hers. The music they were creating echoed off the obsidian walls.
He licked at her slowly, focusing his attention on just the right spot. She was so close to orgasm her teeth hurt, and her inner dragon could barely be contained. Talons extended from her knuckles and scraped the sides of the tub. Her wings extended behind her, trembling. Scales danced along her skin and then disappeared under it.
“Marius…” Mountain, the way he looked at her—she wasn’t sure who was enjoying this more.
His tongue dipped inside, and she called out at the intensity. Rhythmically, he sucked and thrust, his trill a heavy vibration against her clit. The orgasm took her hard and fast. She unraveled, giving herself over to the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced. Wave after wave rolled through her until her arms shook and gave out. He caught her, held her through the aftershocks.
She hadn’t even come down all the way before he was in her. He thrust his thick shaft inside, wrapped her legs around his hips. The feeling was so intense she wasn’t sure if she’d had another orgasm or if it was the same one growing stronger again. She ran her hands down the corded muscles of his shoulders, dug her fingers into his pale hair.
His thrusts became wild and feral. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rode his hips, using the opportunity to play with his beautiful white wings. Her breasts rubbed against his chest with every tantalizing thrust. It was all her body could take. She tossed her head back again and cried out at the rush of pleasure.
Her inner muscles pulsed against him. His own release poured hot and wet into her. The feeling cast her over the edge again. Would she ever come down from this? Orgasm melted into orgasm until her thighs trembled and she started to slide back into the tub.
Their trills softened.
Time unraveled as he held her against him, until finally he whispered, “The water’s getting cold.” He helped her from the tub, wrapped a towel around her, and delivered a soft kiss to her nose. She felt full, claimed. Every inch of her… loved.
“Did you ever think it could be this way?” she asked without thinking. It was such an intimate question, a window into her soul. Considering where he’d been psychologically a year ago, maybe it was insensitive to ask. “I’d hoped for it one day, but I never expected it to actually happen.”
He moved around her, picked up a brush from the counter, and started running it through her hair, teasing out the tangles. “I knew what mating was. I’d seen it in other couples. But my mother didn’t have it. She was married to Killian. He was her royal consort. But they were never mated. In fact, it was common knowledge that she chose him for his family’s long history of fruitful men. She needed children because Brynhoff had no interest in taking a mate. He had no interest in anything but himself. And one of them needed to reproduce to hold on to the throne. There was no love involved. Ever.”
“That sounds like a difficult home life.”
“Honestly, it was easy for me. Because I was the eldest, they were the hardest on me when it came to royal expectations but also coddled me. I had to train harder than any other boy my age, but when it came to public matches, I always won. I always won because there were consequences for those who beat me. The only person to ever do it publicly was Xavier, and Killian punished him severely enough he never tried it again.”
“By the Mountain.” Harlow understood that people weren’t black or white but shades of gray. His childhood had both been difficult and formed him into the perfect person he was today. His parents, just like hers, were capable of goodness and equally capable of evil. And wasn’t that how all of them were? Every day was about doing your best to keep the darkness at bay.
“When I was resurrected, I felt sorry for myself. I missed all that I’d lost. And even though I knew I shouldn’t challenge Gabriel for the throne, inside, I felt wronged, robbed of my destiny. Not because Raven and Gabriel ruled, but because I’d died. I’d missed three centuries. I wasn’t special any longer. I wasn’t preordained for greatness. And with all that gone—my looks, my position, my future—I didn’t think I had anything left. I was useless, purposeless.”
“That’s not true.”
