Heated fire replaced the coldness in his heart. Every color and scent seemed amplified and more vibrant to him, as if he’d opened his eyes for the very first time ever.
As if he’d been reborn into the world.
Her hesitant touches as she removed his clothes and explored each inch of his body echoed through his soul, crashing through every barrier he’d ever erected to protect himself from harm while he lay there scared and trembling like a naked babe on the edge of a cliff.
Never had he felt so exposed. So very vulnerable. Indeed, one word of rejection from her right then could destroy him. Because he was hers.
She pulled his tunic from him, her hands eagerly exploring each dip and curve of his flesh. Nibo closed his eyes, his body burning.
“Do these hurt?” she’d asked as she saw the faint cuts along his ribs where he’d fought his brother and occasionally scraped himself coming through the gates to reach the human realm.
Nibo shook his head, his throat tight. Truthfully, all his wounds, past and present, seemed healed whenever she was near. And for his life, he couldn’t fathom the peace she brought to his heart. “All I feel is you,ma petite, and you could never bring me pain.”
Valynda’s breath faltered at his tender words. She smiled, her body afire with her need for him. No man would ever mean so much. Nor could he ever be such a part of her.
Her head reeled with the masculine sandalwood scent of him. With the gentle pressure of his strong hands roaming over her flesh. Everywhere he touched, hot chills sprang up in their wake. Valynda brushed her lips over the hard stubble of his neck, delighting in the salty taste of his skin. His throaty moan reverberated under her lips and thrilled her.
“I need you, Vala,” he whispered against her cheek as he loosened the stays in her gown and corset.
Valynda pulled him closer. “I will always be here for you.”
She shivered as he pulled her gown from her and heat stole up her cheeks. Deep embarrassment filled her heart. Never before had any man seen her so bare. She felt so incredibly exposed, and completely vulnerable to his gaze, his touch.
Worse, she knew her father would kill her if he ever learned of what she was doing.
And yet she didn’t want to stop. She wanted to share herself with Nibo. Sooner or later, she would have a husband. Better to be with someone she wanted than someone she didn’t.
Honestly, she couldn’t imagine ever wanting anyone else the way she wanted this man. She had never been a fickle woman. Never been the kind to do anything without a lot of thought.
Until now.
But he was special, and she didn’t want to regret not having this with him.
His eyes burned with an intensity that stole her breath as he moved again to claim her lips.
Nibo savored the rich taste of his Vala. Nibbling a path to her throat, he nipped at her tender flesh. She was sweeter than any rum and could make him twice as drunk, thrice as fast. Sharp, pulsing fires burned inside him. It seemed as if he’d waited the whole of his life for this moment, as if the first time with her was his first time all over again.
More experienced than anyone had a right to be, he still found himself shaking from expectation. Nervous almost beyond endurance. The other loas would laugh and mock him if they could see him like this. He acted like some callow youth, not the spirit of fertility.
But he couldn’t help it.
Her lips brushed the flesh just below his ear and he shook from the boiling desire that pitched inside him. “I will always be yours, my brave Nibo,” she whispered, her husky voice urging him further.
He separated her thighs.
Valynda shivered in expectation of the pain she knew would come. Even so, she reveled in the feel of him lying against the entire length of her body. A deep part of her soul was absolutely terrified of this and begged her to shove him away before it was too late.
But she couldn’t do that. She was already gone.
Because the truth was, Nibo was her life, her breath.
Everything. She couldn’t imagine not having him with her.
His body heat reached out to her and she raised her hips to him to let him know that she was ready. With a groan, he buried his face in her neck and slid inside her.
All of a sudden, a horrible, body-wrenching pain tore through her and she buried her nails into his flesh. It seemed as if she were being cleaved in two. Her stomach lurched and burned as she gasped from the agony of it all.
“Are you all right,ma petite?”
