A calm contentedness wrapped itself around me in a profound sense of home. I smiled as my eyes drifted closed. I knew who I was, and I knew where I belonged. Home was not always a place.
An owl cooed from its roost high above, and a small tendril of wind wrapped itself around a loose curl of hair that hung between us. Joy swelled in my chest, and I fought the tears rising behind my eyes as his wind flipped it over my shoulder.
Kellan placed a kiss upon my forehead before our linked hands fell between us. We continued meandering through the midnight glade, the peace of our promises falling gracefully on our shoulders.
A warm light glowed from the small window in the little cottage at the center of the willow forest, a place Kellan came to be alone. We climbed the stone steps, and Kellan dropped my hand as he reached for the dusty blue door. My stomach jumped as Kellan’s arm appeared behind my knees, and my legs buckled as he swept me up into his arms, shouldering open the door and stepping into the small room.
The crackle of a fire popped in the corner, and I took a deep inhale of the cedar wood lining the walls and the leather hide stretched over the cushioned chairs as he slid me back to the ground. A myriad of weapons lined the far wall of the cozy room, blue light from the late moon glinting off the sharpened blade of a harpoon.
This placewasKellan.
An open door led to a small bedroom, where a simple bed lay strewn with a thick, knitted blanket. Kellan’s hands slipped around my waist and his chest pressed into my back as he kissed the crook of my neck. My skin pebbled in his wake, and a line of heat skirted down my abdomen.
“I will always love you, Bonscaíh,” he breathed against my skin, before leaving a trail of his lips’ prints along my neck.
“To Hell and back,” he continued, his breath hot against my hair now, little strands sticking to his lips as he moved to the other side. “Beyond the Abyss, and whatever awaits us in the dark.”
The Obscura purred in response to his words, and I shoved the darkness deep below the surface as I slid a hand behind me, slipping my fingers into Kellan’s hair. His hand pressed against the front of my bodice, my core tightening against his touch.
The lacy, ivory frock fit perfectly, the quiet, simple fabric gentle against the black ribbons of magic living beneath my olive skin. Two thin, loose straps hung over my shoulders, cradling the muscles that had formed over the past two years.
Kellan’s body pressed against mine as he inhaled against my hair, his fingers clenching against the inner bone casing hugging my waist. I pressed my ass back, the long length of him hardening against me as a soft growl escaped his lips.
I twisted in his grasp until my chest was flush as he pulled me against him, and I gripped the smooth fabric of his lapels, tugging them over his shoulders. His lips met mine in a smooth, unhurried union as he shrugged out of his coat. His tongue drew a soft line against my closed mouth in a quiet invitation, and my lips greedily obliged. His tongue slid against mine as his fingers tugged against the thin line of laces up my back.
Kellan’s hands drifted to my shoulders as he peeled my dress off, the soft fabric falling in a sigh at my feet. He drew his head back, sliding his eyes down the strappy, lacy bits offabric Isla had procured for me. My breasts peeked beneath the soft lavender lace, the sheer fabric doing nothing to hide the darkness of my nipples.
Kellan ran a thumb over the top of the rosy bud, his eyes darkening before sliding to the small triangle of fabric where the straps met at the center of my legs.
“Do you like it?” I breathed. My blood surged as his pulse seemed to leap beneath the snaking tattoos up his neck.
“I think I’d like it better on the floor,” he growled softly, but his gaze lingered on the line of fabric stretching over the cut between my hip bone and abdomen.
He dragged his dark eyes up to mine beneath hooded lids, his mouth parting as I slowly popped the buttons of his clean shirt. My fingers brushed the pebbled Marisarma brand at the center of his chest. I tugged his shirt off, and my head tilted as my fingers traced the long, vertical scars on his pecs. I rested my hands on the side of his ribs as I gently leaned forward, draping a kiss on each painful memory.
Kellan pulled my head up with a finger beneath my chin. One hand slid into my loose waves while the other slipped beneath my ass as he hoisted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my lips finding his as he tugged me against him. The fabric between my legs rubbed against me as he strode slowly into the small bedroom, the friction driving hot need to my core.
He dropped a hand, supporting me with one arm, and the slip of his laces reached my ears between the huffs of hot breath that escaped our joined mouths. Need raced to the center of my legs, and the rush of wet heat pooled against his bare chest. He twisted toward the bed, sliding me against him and wrenching a whimper from my lips. A restrained groan rose up Kellan’s throat, and I caught the sound in my mouth.
My breasts bounced beneath the light fabric as my back hit the mattress. Kellan’s mouth moved from my lips to my neck ashis hands slid to my thighs. He tugged the sheer fabric covering my breasts aside, wrapping his mouth around my nipple and sucking. His tongue drew a quick circle around the hard tip. I bit my lip at the sensation, my hips pressing upward, but his hands pinned my thighs down.
He moved slowly from my chest, taking his time pulling the delicate straps to the side, kissing every inch of me until he reached the small triangle of fabric at the apex of my thighs. He paused there, his fingers hard against the round muscles of my legs as he stared at the fabric standing between himself and the desperate need forming beneath it.
He slipped a single finger beneath the small bit of fabric, gently pulling it up for me to see.
I glanced down, noting the darkened, soaked silk, before I dragged my gaze back to him. Kellan had stilled, and he slid heavy eyes to mine.
“I am yours,” he said, voice low and thick, the sound itself setting me ablaze as his thumb ran over the wet fabric. “And you aremine.”
I forced a slow breath from my lips to keep from coming undone as his words settled into the marrow of my bones.
“I am yours,” I promised, nodding desperately and trying to arch my hips against his hand.
The corner of his lip twitched, and he forced my hips down.
“Please,” I whispered in a low, husky breath.
Kellan let the fabric snap back softly, and I twitched as it hit my clit. He moved swiftly. His head ducked between my legs as he pulled the fabric to the side, and his tongue made one long sweep over my center. Pleasure radiated through my core as he sucked my clit between his lips, pressing my thighs wide. He ran his tongue around my entrance, groaning at the taste of me, before he plunged in two fingers.
