“No one will take you from me,” he snarled as he pounded savagely into me.
“Not if I can help it,” I panted. “Now, let go of your control for me. Come inside me and let the whole damn palace hear it.”
Verin bucked and growled like a wild thing. His hands went to my hips and dug in. There was more water outside of the tub than in it but neither of us cared. The pleasure built and his grip on me tightened. The slap of flesh on flesh quickened.
“Do it!” I demanded.
“Not without you,” he groaned. One of his hands slipped down to my sex and started frantically rubbing me. “I won't go without you.”
My body went rigid, then started to tremble as ecstasy burst within me. I moaned my way into a scream. Verin held out until I was well into my climax, then gave one last powerful thrust and emptied inside me. His roar was loud enough to drown out my cries. Loud enough to deafen my ears and shake the stone around us. So loud and deep and triumphant that it probably echoed through the entire ocean.
Then Verin fell back, taking me with him. I collapsed onto his chest with a satisfied smile on my face.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When we finally emerged from the bathroom, it was to find Verin's bedroom in pristine condition—even the scorch marks were gone—and Verin's mother waiting for us in the sitting area. She closed the book she'd been reading and set it aside as we stepped out, wearing only bathrobes.
“Mother,” Verin greeted her warily. “I hope you haven't been waiting long.”
“Is that your way of asking if I overheard your lovemaking?” Savassa smirked at us.
“On that note, I'm off to put some clothes on.” I pulled my silk robe more firmly shut and fled to the dressing room.
I left the door open as I changed. Even with the Oriental screen in the way, I could still hear their voices. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Frankly, I wasn't expecting them to say anything juicy in the few minutes it would take me to dress. But when I heard the topic of conversation, I couldn't help but listen in.
“You're happy?” Savassa asked Verin.
Verin grunted—happily.
“You sounded happy,” her voice smirked.
“Mother,” Verin growled.
“I'm just saying that I am happy as well. It's about time you found your match.”
“You truly don't mind that she isn't Lóng?”
“There are no Lóng women like Elaria. She will open your eyes, Son.Let her.”
“What does that mean?”
“Go where she leads. Take what she offers. See what she has to show you.”
“You are sounding like an oracle,” he grumbled.
“There is more to the world than water, Verin. Elaria can show you that. She can take you to other realms. You're drowning here, beneath the sea, ever unchanging.”
Verin grunted irritably.
“I'm not being dramatic,” she chided.
I snickered as I slipped into a pair of short boots. Of course, she'd be able to understand his way of non-speaking; she's his mother.
“Do you realize that I haven't seen you smile in over a century?” Savassa asked him gently. “When you first spoke her name to me, you smiled.” Her voice broke. “I knew then that she was the woman you needed—the one who could save you from this nonexistence.”
I froze. Suddenly, I felt guilty for listening. I was dressed but I couldn't go out there now. What to do? Should I just wait until the conversation became more mundane?
“You can come out, Elaria,” Savassa called to me. “I know you can hear us.”
