My mind goes blissfully blank as a finger slips inside. I gasp, locking my legs behind his, my body flushing with the heat of my power.Shit.He doesn’t hesitate to cool me, flooding my system with soothing water.
“Your Bond, love,” he says musically, kissing my jaw. I gasp when his finger hooks inside, sending a hot thrill of pleasure through me, all the way to my toes.
My Bond floods my mind, escaping every wall and gate I’ve tried to contain it in, and now, the only thing I can do is slam an iron wall down. The Bond crashes against it, but doesn’t escape. Ryker praises me, “Good job,” before picking up the pace. His finger teases and twists, his thumb presses over the bundle of nerves at my apex.
“Please, Ryker,” I cry out. The intensity of sensation is almost too much to bear. He clucks his tongue, and the wolfish grin he’s giving me makes this feel nearly impossible.
“You can take it.”
My eyes water as I shake my head. I don’t think I can actually, but I do. Gods, somehow I do. My legs begin to tremble.
His mouth meets mine again, his free hand groping my breast, the other blurring my consciousness with blissful heat. “Let go, Soraea. I’ve got you.”
I surrender. I give in to the building energy, and when that second finger pushes inside, I collapse.
My nails dig into his bare shoulders as he continues to stroke me over the edge. Colors and warmth flood my mind, body, and soul, and I find myself lost in it. Falling and falling. It’s never-ending, but as I succumb to the blissful peace, he removes his fingers, and an emptiness replaces that fullness I felt.
“So beautiful,” he murmurs, kissing me deeply, my satiated body and mind completely at peace.
I want to forgo all our plans and just stay in bed with him for the rest of the day. He chuckles, shifting off me as my eyes flutter closed, and I stretch out on the cool sheets. A cool breeze, too concentrated to be anything other than him, dries my sweat-slicked skin. The bed shifts, and I hear a faucet turn on from another room. I roll over, resting on a pillow, when the bed dips again, this time behind me, and he pulls me to his chest.
Remembering his own need, I reach behind, letting my palm slide over his pants. He groans, deep and guttural, but pulls my hand away, interlacing our fingers as he tucks our hands to my chest.
“Not right now.” He pulls me tighter against him. “Later. For now, I just want to stay like this. I’ll make sure we’re ready in time.”
“So, how is Professor Ainslyn doing?” King Osiris asks from Ryker’s other side.
We’re seated at a formal table set at the head of the room while their court is at tables stretched out before us. The tables are laden with platters of cooked meats, hummus, figs, and dates coated insugar, vegetables of bright colors, and flatbreads…so much flatbread. The air is much cooler now that the sun has set.
“Well,” Ryker responds. "He’s our favorite professor.”
I nod in agreement.
Queen Meganna leans forward, her heavy gold earrings swaying beneath her long, dark hair. “What is your Bond like? You say it’s strong. How do you know?” Her accent is thick as she says, “I’d like to understand why you would risk it so close to The Ceremony.” She looks at both of us expectantly.
I answer, “The Lumos Bond—we noticed it on the first day of school. It’s bright iridescent white and soft pastels, but it’s the energy that is exchanged each time we touch that alerted us at first."
“There’s something deeper as well.” Ryker takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles. The public display has my cheeks heating. His words play in my mind.I love you. A human lifespan, or an immortal one, I will always love you.“I’ve been drawn to her for years, but this year, I can’t not be around her. It’s like a magnet.”
I smile softly at him. “No matter how hard I fought it,” I’m speaking to her, but keep my attention on him, “I couldn’t stay away. I knew early on he was it for me. He would be my husband.”
I don’t say Bonded because I don’t think the Lumos Bond holds any real power, not anymore.Mate. He was chosen for me long before the Lumos Bond was even created. It’s not a flimsy Bond to power the veil, that’s for sure.
“Wow,” Queen Meganna says. I look her way to find her beaming. “How godsblessed you both are. I look forward to witnessing your story unfold. You two will be powerful leaders.”
We eat and exchange stories for the rest of the evening, the air thick with the scent of Mori spices and quiet conversations. When the tables are cleared, Queen Meganna pulls Ryker and me onto the dance floor, and the music swells around us. She guides my movements with a warm smile, her own gold bangles chiming softly with each graceful twist. King Osiris, meanwhile, laughs as he demonstrates steps to Ryker, their shared amusement echoing across the hall.
It’s a performance for the court, a public affirmation of ourburgeoning ‘love story,’ yet beneath the watchful eyes of their kingdom, something genuine blooms—a friendship. Ryker and I move together, our steps improvised, our laughter blending with the traditional music, earning warm smiles from the King and Queen. Seeing their own deep, enduring love, so evident in their intertwined steps and tender glances, fills me with a quiet hope for our own future. That night, as I drift to sleep, I thank Astor and Calia, and the Primordials, for choosing Ry to be mine.
We’re exploring Hiekka Torg, one of the underground colonies on Soren. The entire colony is an intricate network of tunnels and caverns, housing four distinct bustling cities. Vibrant markets draw in visitors yearly with goods that can’t be found anywhere else in the system.
The colony houses hundreds of thousands of residents and just as many visitors, hidden beneath a vast and deadly landscape. On the surface, there’s nothing for hundreds of miles except for sand dunes, deadly snakes and creatures, and the occasional shifting sand trap. If you didn’t know where to look, you’d never realize it was there.
The King and Queen stayed on Zayla, as they needed to attend meetings, but sent a royal caravan with us. They’ve been instructed to remain out of sight so we can go about our business. Ryker and I are both dressed in traditional Mori garb, and I’ve included a headpiece that covers both my hair and face, leaving only an opening for my eyes. He has a cloth covering his mouth and nose. Hopefully, we can find some information on Elison’s whereabouts. We’ve narrowed it down to Soren, but we haven’t heard anything more yet. He’s sure making it difficult to locate him.
A small transport carries us, along with Rune and Ezra, into a crevice in the landscape that conceals the entire cavern system below. It docks, allowing us to blend with the crowded market. Kuron isalready here, somewhere, along with a few members of the Regils who are undercover.
Pathways, some cobbled and others smoothed by countless footsteps, wind through an intricate labyrinth of stalls and shops. The air hums with the lively chatter of merchants bartering their wares, the enticing aromas of exotic spices mingling with the damp scent of the cavern.
