Another vine joins the first between her thighs, teasing over her kaelinae.
“Thal’vesin,”I remind her softly as I move to the closet. (Be still.)
She makes a muffled sound of protest.
I return with an armful of furs—thick and soft, covered in my scent. I spread them across the floor in front of the mirror, layering them carefully.
The vines shift, one drags between her lunhae. Her thighs tremble.
“Not yet, Lumi.” I glance at her reflection. “Just a few more minutes.”
Next come the silks. Cool and slippery, a sharp contrast to the warm furs.
A vine curls around her nipple. She arches, desperately reaching for more pressure.
I light the candles slowly, one by one, until the room is bathed in flickering gold light.
“Kai’luvar ves’thral morin,”I murmur, watching her in the mirror. (Your pleasure belongs to me now.)
I step toward her, the vines sense my approach and shift—loosening just enough for me to guide her.
The one across her mouth falls away. She gasps for air, lips parted and swollen.
“Andrik, please?—”
“So patient. So perfect. My beautiful, bound little mate.” I whisper, running a frost-tipped finger along her jaw. “We’re just getting started.”
I guide her forward until she’s kneeling on the furs in front of the glass. The silk beneath her knees is cool against her burning skin.
“Look at yourself,” I command softly.
Her eyes find the mirror. A pink flush spreads from her cheeks to her chest, her pupils are blown wide. The firelight catches on the sweat dripping down her stomach.
She’s never looked more beautiful.
New vines rise, wrapping around her thighs and calves, binding them together so she’s kneeling with her legs folded beneath her, leaving her open for me.
Another set curls around her wrists, pulling them behind her back.
“Velorin ves’thral,” I whisper, kneeling behind her. (Safe in my hold.) My body cages hers, my chest flush against her back, thighs locking hers in.
In the mirror, she can see everything. Her bound body. My hands resting on her hips. The steam rising from where our skin meets.
“Watch yourself, Lumi,” I purr against her ear. “I want you to see how your body begs for mine.”
My hands slide up her sides, leaving little blue ice swirls in their wake.
“Kai’velorin ves thral, Saelûn.” (You’re so beautiful like this, soulbond.)
Her skin is blazing. The Rhavari heat taking hold, burning her from the inside out.
“You’re too hot, lûvenkae,” I rasp, watching her face in the mirror. Her eyes are glazed over and desperate. “Thrae’vesin kai’luvar.” (Your body is pleading for relief.)
I call frost to my fingertips, ice crawling across my skin, turning my hands cold enough to soothe.
“Let me cool you down,” I whisper against her neck.
For a second, I just breathe her in. Her scent is dizzying—honeysuckle and caramel yearning.
