Hot desire swept through him as they molded their bodies together, tongues tasting, hands exploring. Even if the artifact was manipulating them—even if agodwas manipulating them—Vorik couldn’t bring himself to object. He wanted Syla. Healwayswanted her.
As they kissed and stroked, he guided her toward the wall, as the vision had shown them. Let the gods have exactly what they wanted.
She pushed her hands under his tunic, rubbing the taut muscles of his chest, avoiding the places where he’d been cut, though her expert healing ensured the wounds didn’t hurt much. He slidhishands down her sides to the hem of her dress, lifting it so that he could stroke her bare flesh.
The magical silver light of the shielder washed over them, gleaming on their bodies, as they removed each other’s clothing. Love and lust mingled equally in Vorik as he relished their touches, their kisses, their excited movements.
“I think…” Syla whispered against his lips, “I’ve realized something.”
“My magnificence?”
“I knew aboutthatall along.”
“Good.” Vorik wanted to return to kissing and more, but when she glanced toward the artifact, he made himself pause and ask, “What?”
“Why it wants us to join.”
“For peace.” That had beenherhypothesis, but he was happy to go along with it.
“Yes, but I think there’s only one reason the gods might care about sex.”
“Our intense satisfaction and eternal happiness?”
“That’s whywecare.”
“One of the reasons.” He smiled and cupped her breast.
She leaned into his touch, her lips parting as she looked at his mouth, wanting, he suspected, to return to kissing as much as he did. “Yes, but you should know… I think it means for us, for me to get pregnant.”
“Are you sure? We haven’t before.” The words sounded silly once they came out. Ofcoursehe knew that sex didn’t always lead to babies, but they’d joined often enough that it seemed it could have come about before.
“As I’ve shared with you before, I’m taking a contraceptive.”
“Yes, but is that guaranteed to work against divine influence?”
“It’s notguaranteedto work at all. It’s just… mostly effective.”
“Except in extreme circumstances?”
“Probably except when the gods want you to get pregnant.” Syla’s brow creased as she studied his face. “Would you… I mean, we haven’t even married yet. Would it matter to you?”
“My hand is still holding your breast. What do you think?”
“Your other hand is between my legs. I think you just like to have them on me.”
“I do indeed.” He smirked and kissed her again, not moving his hands except to stroke her, to heighten her pleasure, but, sensing that she wanted a real answer, he added, “I would like to have a baby with you. And to marry you.”
“Not only because your brother suggested it?”
“Despitehim being the one to suggest it.”
She smiled and set her spectacles aside. “Yes. I… even if we’re being manipulated, I want that too. I want a life with you. And I want your hands… right where they are.”
“Perfect,” he murmured.
Ignoring divine influence and everything else for a time, they returned to kissing. Kissing and stroking, and, oh, he loved the feel of her soft, warm skin. And, as she shifted and pushed into his touch, he loved her eagerness for him, that all the machinations of all the beings in the universe didn’t matter to her. She wanted him, whether others were trying to influence them or not. Just as he wanted her. From the beginning, she’d aroused him and impressed him, and he’d been drawn to her. Maybe it had been meant to be. Maybe she was the one for him and always had been.
She grasped him, her hand delicious and stimulating on his shaft, oh, so stimulating. As she guided him toward her core, he groaned, and all thoughts save for the purely physical vanished. With her back against the wall, he hooked her leg over his hip. Her hands shifted to grip his shoulders, and she hung on as she arched toward him. As he slid into her, their eyes met, her gaze as charged with love and lust as his.
