How was I supposed to handle this pleasure? The surge of my power? Fire in my belly?
My toes curled as my fingers dug into a new part of the table, and I knew I was close. Again.
Fuck's sake, I really wasn't a warrior when it came to sex, with zero discipline in drawing out my orgasms. My vision went dark as the explosion I'd been anticipating slammed into me. Long mewling sounds escaped before I could stop them, and even though they’d been quiet, everyone on this ship had amazing hearing.
Luckily, I was past giving a fuck.
Reece lifted me higher, thrusting full lengths into me as I rode out the last of my orgasm, and I started to pray that this arrangement between us didn’t end after the Delfora. There was no way I could give this up once we left the Desert Lands. Reece was the only male I'd been with, and it went against every instinct I possessed to even think of giving myself to another in the same way. Would I have to wait centuries again to be ready to move on? Could I ever move on?
Surely, since even in his anger he’d never been with another, he felt the same way too.
Before I could get lost in hazy worries, Reece slowed, his body rolling now rather than thrusting, giving me a moment to catch my breath. It felt so good... amazing... destructive... heartbreaking.
He groaned as he came, slow and deep thrusts sending literal tingles down my spine. He turned me then, our eyes meeting as he lifted me higher until my legs were wrapped around his waist. With his hands on my ass, he moved us to the wall.
The ship had been relatively stable during our first round of sex, but our luck ran out as a huge surge in the sand had us nearly keeling over. Reece stayed standing purely through his own strength and powers, and he didn't miss a beat, thrusting into me once more, his cock as hard as ever, despite his orgasm.
"No more heavy thoughts," he murmured near my ear, sensing the darkness hovering around me.
Before I could respond, his lips landed on mine, and I was groaning into his mouth, tasting his strength and power in that kiss. Our mouths never parted again, not in all the time he thrust in and out of me, until I lost all sense of time and space.
When I came again, eyes closed, Reece absorbed my cries with his mouth, his groans joining mine as he dragged out releases for us both. When I collapsed against him, he used his energy to clean us up before he carried me to the top deck where he’d been sleeping. Tonight, for maybe the first time since I’d arrived in this damn world with all its ghosts, I was going to truly rest and not be alone. I prayed this wasn’t the last chance I had to experience the sort of peace I only felt around Reece.
No matter what else happened, this could not die in the Delfora.
40
I'd never stepped foot on the sands of the Guardians’ territory. It was close to the Delfora and Rohami, so I'd sailed past it, but this was my first time entering their rich, midnight sands.
When our ship entered the docks, I was one of the first to rush down the plank and onto solid land. Time was running out, and the call of the sacred lands was growing harder to ignore. It thrummed inside my chest, competing with the bonds and power that filled my well. As I stepped closer to the village, where we would meet Darin and the others, a surge of energy almost slammed me to my knees. Reece caught me a moment before I would have hit the deck.
“I feel it too,” he murmured, pulling me up. “But I’m used to the Delfora’s call. You need to adjust your power.”
It took only a few seconds for me to throw up some blocks to ensure I could handle the whirls of unease rocking the underbelly of the desert’s power.
“It’s not just the Delfora,” Shadow said, pressing in behind us, Mera at his side. “That spell sent out by Tsuma is colliding with the impending power moon. The swelling of power is set on a path of destruction.”
It would not stop until it destroyed the wards in the Delfora and gave its creator a pumped-up power to raise the gods. It all boiled down to one truth: We were running out of time.
“I’m going to talk with the sentinels,” Reece said, quickly, his fingers grazing across my skin—deliberately, of course—as he released me. “They may know a more specific time of arrival for their princeps.”
No one could have missed the intensity of his gaze as it held mine or the brush of his thumb across my cheek. But not one of them blinked an eye or showed any surprise. Probably thanks to the sex show we gave them all last night in the boat—no matter how quiet we’d attempted to be, their hearing was beyond exceptional.
That was how you knew you had amazing and loyal friends. They understood that Reece and I were too volatile for teasing, at this stage anyway, so they were following our lead. When we were ready to discuss the relationship, then they’d chime in.
Reece left, walking toward the black-and-bronze gates, which were made of sand and glass in a combination strong enough to withstand an attack. Beyond that was a city in the same dark tones of the land but without an ominous feel. Maybe it was the glow of power or the gently curving design of their homes, but the Guardians’ land was quite homey.
As Reece pressed a hand to the huge double gates, they eased open, and four males stepped out, clad in black tunics. My focus didn’t waver until it was clear that they were friendly, then I could turn back to the group. Just as I did, another surge of energy slammed into the land. This time I was blocking, so it only jolted me an inch, but Mera almost lost her balance completely. Shadow got her in time, of course, so she was just left a little shocked and breathless.
“I hope Darin is a Desertlandian of his word,” she gasped, shaking her head. “You all need to refuel and get the hell to the Delfora before this world is rocked off its axis.”
“It’s time to leave, Sunshine,” Shadow said, pulling her more firmly into his hold. “The dangers are growing too strong to ignore.”
She opened her mouth, no doubt to argue, but this time I was backing the snarly beast. “He’s right, Meers.”
Her head jerked toward me, and despite being safely cradled in her mate's embrace, she looked devastated. "The dangers have increased since last moon, haven’t they?”
I could only answer that honestly. "I feel it deep in my energy, and these warning shots are just the beginning."
