He roars, a low, guttural sound of pure, primal dominance that echoes off the cavern walls, and the frenzy begins.
His thrusts are no longer slow or gentle. They become deep, hard, and animalistic. He slams into me, branding me, claiming me over and over against the rock. He is fucking me, a wild, primal rhythm that is all instinct and need. The hot spring water crashes around our hips, a chaotic, sloshing sound that matches the pounding of my heart and the slap of our bodies.
He groans my name, a deep, guttural, agonized chant that is part pleasure, part possession. "Betty! Betty!"
The sound of his voice saying my name as he takes me like this is what shatters me. I scream as my climax explodes, my body convulsing violently around his enormous size, my own voice ripping his name from my throat. "Threk!"
My release triggers his. He roars, his back arching as he buries himself impossibly deeper, pinning me to the wall. A deep, shuddering groan vibrates through the water itself as he spills his hot, thick release into me.
He doesn't let go. His entire, massive body is shaking with exhaustion and the force of his climax. He lifts me from the wall, my legs weak and useless, and carries me out of the pool, his stride unsteady. He collapses into the nest of furs we made, pulling me down on top of him.
He immediately wraps his massive arms around me, shielding me even in this sanctuary, his instinct to protect overwhelming everything. He holds me, our bodies damp and cooling in the warm, green-lit air. I am sprawled on his chest, my head over the slowing, heavy thud of his heart, and I feel completely, terrifyingly, paradoxically safe in the arms of Protheka’s most dangerous monster.
21
THREK
Iam awake.
I do not know when I fell asleep, but I am awake in the warm, dark, steaming cavern. I am lying in the nest of furs, and the fire I built is now a bed of glowing, red embers. The air is still and safe, smelling of sulfur and damp earth and her.
She is a warm, soft weight on my chest, her body fitted to mine, her breathing a slow, even rhythm against my heart. She is mine.
The thought is not a grunt or an instinct anymore. It is a word. It is a truth that settles in my mind, a clear, solid, complete thought. She is mine.
And I love... her.
The word is new. It is huge and strange. It feels heavy in my chest, a good weight, not a bad one. Not the red haze. It is not the suffering from the elves. It is... Betty.
The red haze feels distant, a caged thing in a far corner of my mind. It hates this calm. It hates this new thought. But it is weak. She has made it weak. Her touch, her voice, her body… she has healed me in a way the hot spring cannot.
My mind is… clearer than ever.
I can think. I can remember the Worgs. I remember the elves. I remember the plan I made.
I am not just a beast. I am me.
Betty stirs, her body soft and warm as she wakes. She makes a small sound, a sigh of contentment, before her eyes open. She looks at me, and there is no fear. Her blue eyes are clear and deep in the green light of the cavern.
"Threk," she whispers. Her voice is rough from sleep.
She is sore. I can smell the ache in her, and a new guilt twists in my stomach. I am too big. I hurt her.
But she smiles. A small, slow, true smile. She lifts her hand and touches my face, her fingers tracing the edge of my tusk.
"You're warm," she says. "You're... you. I can... I can see you."
I understand. She sees the red haze has gone.
She sits up, pulling the furs around her naked body. The movement pulls my eyes to her skin, to the pale, soft curve of her shoulder. The need from the water stirs in me, a low, hot ember.
But she is focused. Her face becomes serious. "We are safe here. For now. But we can't... we can't stay. They are still hunting us."
I know.
She crawls to my side, kneeling in the furs. She touches the mangled wound on my thigh. It is clean, but it is raw and red. "We have to keep going, Threk. We have to find a safe space. The Wildspont.”
I growl, a low sound of warning. I really don’t want to leave this den. This den is safe. I do not want to go anymore.
