That dream had felt so real. So sharp, so precise, almost like a vision. But it sat wrong in my marrow, because there was no way I’d ever meet the Goddess in corporeal form, especially in our world.
Was it my guilt worming its way into my sleep, telling me that I needed to accept my secondary power and wield it? Heraphia’s begging, all the times she’d sat in her chair and murmured “for Zuriel” to herself before we were forced to See, the death of the less powerful Seers, all of it could have been weighing on me while I wasn’t consciously able to control it.
But our Radiant Mother had said to trust.
And that was not something so easily given. Not when my life had been about running and hiding.
What had she meant about not knowing my own power? That part, above all others, haunted me. Had she been listening, been watching as Vaeron hunted me? Did she witness the thunderclouds gathering day by day as I suffered at the hands of the monarchs who ruled Her people?
Was that what she wanted from me now, to use my Sight to find a way to peace?
Bile rose in my throat. She’d said there would be a cost. A sacrifice. And asked if I was willing to accept the price. But without knowing exactly what that was, how could I make a decision?
Vaeron stirred behind me, halting the spiral of my thoughts. The flex of his muscles dragged me even closer. His lips pressed against my neck, and I sank into his embrace. He lingered there like he was memorizing how our bodies curved together.
“Morning, mate,” he murmured. His erection dug into my backside, insistently awake. “Goddess, it feels so good to wake beside you again.”
“I know,” I whispered, because it was true. I was cracked, shattered in ways my innate healing magic could not touch. As much as Vaeron had hurt me, he was also the only one who could piece me back together.
I battled with myself to let him in fully again. To trust that this time, now that everyone knew of our bond, things would be different.
We were still naked, and so he shifted, his hardness slipping between my already slick thighs. I groaned, unable to help myself. Unable to deny him. Unable to do anything but wriggle my ass against him, encouraging him to continue.
All I wanted was to forget. Forget the upcoming trial. Forgetthat danger lurked around every corner of this palace. Forget that the Koron and Korona wanted to use me as a weapon of war.
His teeth sank into my shoulder, drawing a hiss. And then, he slid inside me. Soreness bloomed, but he worked slowly, loosening my tense inner muscles.
One hand traveled lower, cupping my core. Skillful fingers found my clit and flicked. I gasped, back arching away from him. It wasn’t long before bliss closed in on me.
“Touch your nipples,” he ground into my ear.
My hands flew to my breasts, massaging them. Vaeron nipped at my neck, his pace quickening. “That’s my good girl.”
His praise made my center weep. My breath hitched as he shifted us, changing the depth of his dick. His free hand found my hair, circling around the tangled length, and tugged.
With the hold he had on me, I was utterly at his mercy.
I fucking loved it but loathed myself for letting the leviathan close. Wanting Vaeron would be my fatal mistake.
The edge neared, and I prepared to leap off it. Rolling my nipples between my fingers, I pinched. The bite of pain was all I needed to fall.
“Vaeron,” I gasped, clenching around him.
When I finished coming down from my high, he repositioned us so I was lying on my side, legs stacked and revealing my core.
With a brutal thrust, he entered me again. The darkness in his eyes seared into mine. He smacked my ass, fucking me harder and harder. Our skin slapped from the force of it.
The sting from his next strike made my breath flee.
He sank into me, all the way to the base of his shaft.
Retreated.
Spanked me.
Speared.
The slow pace allowed every moment to land with ruthless precision. Forced me to feel the entirety of each action.
