She placed breathless kisses down his neck. The groan rumbling in his throat sent a pulse of tension through her center, and she brushed her legs together, desperate for any release from the tension building there.
“Fuck, Tethys don’t stop,” he growled between heavy breaths. Her hand quickened its movement, pumping him to his tip.
His cock pulsing against her palm made her ravenous.
“I need you inside me, Araes,” she whispered. He jerked under her touch again.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Tethys tested herself for a moment, and although a dull ache settled in her lower back, her legs were stable.“Yes,” she breathed.
“As you wish it then, Goddess.” He wrapped his hands around her waist, collecting her shift in his hands. The scratch of linen against her skin sent jolts of lust through her veins.
Araes’s hand traced her soaked underclothes, building tension in her low belly.
“Fuck, you’re so ready for me already,” Araes groaned, sliding a thumb over her slit. Slick heat dripped between her legs as he lifted her, positioning his thighs against hers.
Araes took her full weight, guiding her onto his cock. She groaned as he filled her—stretchedher around himself. His steadying grip on her waist directed her movements as she rode his length, soaking his unlaced, open trousers.
“If you need, we can stop. Just say the word,” he said through strained breaths. Sweat beaded on his brow and she realized then that he held himself back.
“I’m okay, Lieutenant, please,” she moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Fuck me like youloveme.”
He gazed at her, his eyes scanning hers for any trace of caution, but her body felt strong, feltpowerful, for the first time since awaking.
She offered a reassuring nod. “I’m okay.”
He sucked in a breath and Tethys swore his amber eyes glittered with savage lust.
Then, Araes didn’t withhold.
Araes lifted her again and again, filling her and withdrawing. He bit his lip, his eyes never leaving hers as Tethys’s pleasure soared, sending her higher and higher andhigherinto the cosmos.
She searched for love in nearly every relationship she’d ever have—in her friendships, in her family, even in the occasional midnight stranger, but nothing compared to what she felt for him—what tethered their souls and bodies together.
“Gods, it’s like you were made for me,” Araes’s growled. A breathy groan escaped his lips, and Tethys supposed he, too, felt this connection that far surpassed sex.
She clung to him, nails digging into the back of his neck as they danced beside one another at pleasure’s edge. Breathless and unraveled, they climbed higher and higher until everything outside of their intertwined bodies ceased to exist.
Araes squeezed her hips once more, thrusting himself deeper, up to her very core. Her body clenched around his twitching cock as she shattered for him—his name a raspy cry on her lips.
They found release together through panting breaths and sweat glazed brows, and as she descended from her climax, Tethys realized she’d never be alone again.
Chapter 59
The healer, Nora, was a short woman with sleek, black hair clipped above her earlobes. Just as she had countless times before, Tethys outstretched her palms and wiggled each finger consecutively. Nora nodded as Tethys returned her arms to her sides and repeated the motion three more times.
Earlier that morning, Altair left for Ursae. By nightfall, Tethys hoped he’d return with their sister. She knew Polaris would need some convincing, just as Altair did, but her conversation with the summer king set fire to her heart. There was a plan in motion, and finally Tethys was the driving force.
“Well, your motor skills are definitely improving. I’d like to do a quick pelvic exam, just to ensure there aren’t any internal injuries we may have overlooked. If you would undress from the waist down, Goddess,” Nora said, retrieving a device from her medical bag. Tethys’s jaw clamped shut as the healer placed the instrument on a clean washing cloth beside her. She couldn’t bring herself to glance atthe lieutenant, silent and still as marble, keeping guard by the door.
“Is that truly necessary?” Tethys asked. She was no stranger to the near-torturous devices used in female health, but she declined regular exams from even her own healers back at the manor.
“I’m sorry, Goddess, but you sustained a major injury to the pelvis during your fall. I don’t carry out these kinds of exams without my patient’s consent, and we’ve been focused on mobility for the last few weeks. My practice requires a thorough exam to officially clear you, my lady,” Nora said, offering a comforting smile.
Tethys sighed and nodded to the healer. The room was too small, the air too stale. If five minutes of routine discomfort meant one step closer to bringing the Venian children home and resealing the gate, then she’d deal with it.
“Everyone out, including you, Lieutenant. Allow the goddess some privacy, please,” Nora said, adjusting the device to its proper settings. Araes grimaced, but Tethys refused to face him.
