“The ecstasy you make me feel, sweetheart, lasts with me long after the night is over,” he would say. “It feeds my soul and keeps my mind safe from the dragon.”
All his tendrils emerged now, connecting to three of the six rosettes of myleilathaharness. His presence filled my senses.
Normally, a connection with someone felt like opening the door to my emotions. I didn’t mind inviting guests to my inner world. Most of the time, it felt like a pleasant visit that energized me at first but left me a little worn at the end, just like having houseguests did.
When Timur connected to me, however, it felt like a loved one had returned home. His feelings seemed to blend with mine, making me feel complete and bringing peace to any emptiness or turmoil I might have inside me.
“You take my breath away,” he whispered, lifting his head to look deep into my eyes. “It astonishes and elates me to know it’s me who makes you feel so much joy.”
“Only you…” Sinking my fingers into the hair on the back of his head, I brought him closer to me for a kiss.
I sensed his presence beyond the physical touch. When he kissed me, when he glided his hands over my naked skin, when he finally entered me, I felt him with body and soul.
As he moved over me in deliciously slow thrusts that made my toes curl and my heart sing, my feelings were no longer just my own. The tenderness in my heart grew beyond what my chest could contain.
And when my climax rocked through me, igniting all my senses with fireworks of bliss, it was twice as bright and wonderful because Timur joined me, falling over the edge with me.
He left his tendrils connected to me as he peppered my skin with light, tender kisses, guiding me down from the precipice of pleasure.
“It’s going to be a wonderful four days,” I murmured, luxuriating in his caresses.
He placed a sweet kiss on my lips before drawing the cover over our flushed, naked bodies.
“Would you want it to always be like this from now on?” he asked, lying on his side to face me.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean no more clients, no more appointments, no more sneaking out at the most deserted hour, no more looking over your shoulder, expecting an attack at any moment. Just you and me. Together and safe.”
Together and safe.
It sounded wonderful. But could that really be our reality one day?
I rose on my elbow. “Do you think it’s possible?”
Laying on his side, he rested his head on his bicep. “We can make it possible. We can leave here, find a place of our own, somewhere where I can take care of you in peace.”
His words flowed freely, painting a picture of a magical dream, beautiful but hardly real.
“Is there such a place?” I wondered.
He lifted a strand of my hair on his claw, then gently moved it behind my ear.
“Every big city has plenty of places to hide. I knew many of such places while growing up in Kalmena. Normally, the biggest challenge is to get past the guards and through the gates intothe city, but…” He smiled. It was a confident, cheeky smile that reflected cheerful humor normally inaccessible for shadow fae. “We don’t need to go through the gates now, do we? I have wings that can take us over the walls warded by magic.”
“You want to sneak in?” I sat up, immediately captivated by the idea. “If no one knows that we’re there, no one would be trying to attack us.”
“Exactly. We can get a house on the outskirts of the city, with a balcony where you can sit in the sun when the city is asleep during the day. I can arrange for food to be delivered?—”
“I can cook,” I interrupted, enthusiasm bursting through my heart. “And bake. I love baking.”
“And if we absolutely need to go out for anything, we’ll just wear cloaks. People in a large city like Kalmena are used to ignoring strangers and minding their own business. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd.”
I worried my bottom lip between my teeth, pondering the details.
“Does it have to be Kalmena?” I asked.
“Kalmena is just the city that I know the best. But we can go anywhere you want. Do you want to go to Teneris?” he guessed.
