Clove felt the dragon-man stiffening from the inside.Felt the long shaft swell against his walls, pushing his whole passage wide again.
He wrapped his limbs around his captor in mute surrender, and Sobell picked him up from the shelf, carrying him—cock inside, lips locked—through the water and up out of the pool, cradling Clove effortlessly against him, as if he weighed nothing at all, all the way to the entryway and past it to the bed.
Epilogue
With Clove laid out beneath him, cushioned by fine silks and furs, Sobell carried on their lovemaking without ceasing.Not a moment passed without Clove gasping in pleasure, shuddering at each clever touch and lick.Gone was the beast who had ravished him.Now, there was only Sobell.
Not frenzied, not crude.
Sobell the lover.
And Clove had never felt so loved in his life.
Sometimes kissing, sometimes breaking to pant and moan and cling to each other desperately, they carried on for what seemed like only minutes, but was in actuality hours.The progression of the shadows as they stretched across the room was all that gave the passage of time away.
How many times Sobell came in him, Clove didn’t know.
How many times he reached his own limit and spilled across his belly, he lost count.
All he knew was that when it was over, he was a sticky mess.
But still, he yearned for more.
Having withdrawn from him with a dissatisfied groan, Sobell dropped onto the space on the bed next to him and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes.Like this, so close and in the light, not obscured by the pond or any other means, Clove was able to look at him in full for the first time, and what he saw was nothing short of ethereal.It was like Sobell had sprung forth from some nobleman’s prized painting.His hair was dark, long, and lustrous, his body lean and defined.His was the kind of handsome beauty that would linger in the minds of those he crossed on the street, and the source of distraction to any who wished to keep his company.
Yet somehow, this man had chosen Clove.
LovedClove, if his words were to be believed.
And despite everything, Clove did not think him a liar.Not anymore.Sobell was clearly in possession of great magic, but this change of heart had not come about by any spell; there was something in Clove’s own soul that told him Sobell was not the beast he had seemed.He was something—someone—else.
Someone inexplicably familiar.
Lying there with him, Clove felt the weight of some old knowledge settling heavy over the bed, over their bodies.Heknew, somehow, that here was the right place.That this was the right person.
That with him, Clove was safe.
“Do you feel it?”Sobell asked quietly, not bothering to speak with any volume more than was strictly necessary for Clove to clearly hear him.“The stirring?The return?”
Clove’s brow furrowed.“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I suppose that is to be expected.”Sobell drew in another deep breath—in grounding, not exasperation—and opened his eyes, turning his head to the side to observe Clove fully.“You were not given a kind start, although I’m sure that was by your own design.It was never what I would have wanted for you, but you have always been stubborn.I’m glad to see that has persisted from one life to the next.”
The implications of what Sobell said left Clove frowning, unable to believe something so fantastical, though Sobell sounded so certain of it.Clove’s frown deepened into a controlled scowl.“You make it sound like I’m some divine being,” he fired back.“Only the strongest magic users are capable of undoing their own deaths, and I have never been capable of even the most basic spell.You must be mistaken.I’m not who you think I am.”
Sobell’s lips curved lazily into a smile.“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, I suppose I’ve made quite a fool of myself, then.My apologies.”Sobell rose up onto his arm and leaned over Clove, closing much of the distance between their lips.His hair dangled down, blocking off the rest of the bedroom like a curtain.The effect was as instant as it was intimate.Clove’s heart began to race.“Forget I said anything.”
Clove had already forgotten.
Cheeks burning, he lifted himself up onto his elbows and brought their lips together, unable to resist the temptation of Sobell’s lips.
* * *
Clove woke more rested and relaxed than he had been in his entire life.It was such a deeply peaceful feeling that he could barely find the will to open his eyes, but when he did, he was rewarded.The comfort of familiarity swept through him.The sight of the canopy overhead, the feel of the blankets, and the subtle floral scent in the air—he knew this place.
