Then he and his shadow-selfmoved.
Alora convulsed between them. He plowed into her, relishing in the sight of her body yielding to him as they fed on pure ecstasy. Her sweet cries were a song, a crescendo that carried them to another plane as they broke against the tide of pleasure.
Alora fell apart in his hands and shadows.
Rune’s world lit with her. He drank in the sight of her shaking, soaked in her cries, and let the bond sear every flicker of her pleasure into his soul as he spilled into her with a roar.
They collapsed in a tangled mess of limbs on the sheets, breathless and spent. He cradled her against chest with a gentleness that didn’t match the frenzy he unleashed on her small body, feeling her racing heartbeat against his.
Alora lay limp, half-dazed, body still trembling. He carefully cleaned the mess he’d made, then wrapped her in the sheets.
“Are you conscious, shadow darling?” His magic wove into her, searching for any internal damage.
There never was, but he always checked.
A lazy smile played on her lips. “Hardly.”
It was all the reassurance Rune needed and he relaxed. “Next time, perhaps you will think twice before teasing a god.”
He pressed against her thigh, ready to go again.
“Most certainly,” Alora laughed tiredly. “But I can only endure the consequences once tonight. I will need my strength once I return to the Mortal Realm tomorrow.”
Rune tried not to react to the reminder. They had a few more hours until dawn. Until duty arrived to separate them.
“I hate that you must leave me.” He meant it as a common statement but couldn’t disguise the hitch in his voice.
Alora’s expression saddened. “I wish I didn’t have to…”
But it was the consequences they lived with.
Rune laid back, carefully shielding his end of the bond. He had done well to practice honesty, but at times it was difficult to expose those poisonous thoughts that secretly dug into him like barbs whenever spring came.
“How fares Argyle?” Rune asked, changing the subject. He stroked patterns on her back, kissing her shoulder.
Alora snuggled close. “It is flourishing, and the land is healing. Now that Rihan is eighteen, he will be crowned soon. Oh, and Theia has finished writing her book about the Sleeping Curse.”
His eyes narrowed, amused.“Oh?”
“Though she’s embellishing, of course. In her version, the princess is trapped in eternal sleep by an evil dragon who has spread his darkness over the land. A brave, handsome prince then arrives to break the curse and win her heart.”
Rune scoffed, knowing who the handsome prince was inspired by. “Drivel.”
The truth was far darker and far more wicked.
“Agreed. I think she can do without a prince to save her.”
He chuckled and took Alora’s hand, kissing her scarred fingertip. “In this tale of the cursed princess and the dragon, is there a happy ending?”
Alora studied him a moment, and the bond went quiet on her end as well. There came no answer as she slipped from bed, getting dressed. “Come with me.”
Rune sat up warily. “Where to?”
A flicker of worry wormed its way in his chest, but he fought it back. He summoned his trousers and plates of armor. Taking his hand, Alora’s shadow light carried them away.
They arrived within the crater of spider lilies, their sweet scent filling the air. The glowing blooms billowed beneath the branches of the Azure Tree.
Rune wasn’t sure how he felt about this place.
