Seth winces again. “It was an unsanctioned obwom death. I r-ripped his soul out,” he shifts nervously before continuing, “and then siphoned it off to save someone else.” His shoulders slump, and he takes a hesitant step toward me. “I promise I’m not crazy, Ryn. I’ve never done anything like this before! I swear I’m not likethem,you have to believe me."
Swirling orbs brighten with emotion, and he pleads, "Please, baby. He almost killed my friends. I-I didn’t think, but I swear, I promise—” Seth falters, and his orbs flash, clearly exposing the rawness of his nerves. My eyes drop to his slightly outstretched hand, which is still shaking.
It's obvious that he's sincere, and the longer he talks, the more I realize that I'm just relieved he's okay. I mean, I am still pretty concerned about the homicide; we’ve only been an official couple for like—two days? And he murdered someone!
Still, his explanation confuses me as much as it somehow makes me feel better, and I'd really love to get to the point where I can feel better without guilt that I'm enabling a crazy person.
Squeezing my eyes shut against all the noise in my head, I whisper, “Not like who?”
“The Unseelie’s,” his orbs are so bright they’re almost sparking now, “I don’t fuck up like this normally, I promise. I-I know you don’t want to be around this kind of like, treacherous shit. But I didn’t mean…” He pauses and shakes his head slowly as his hands drop in defeat. The swirling colors slow as his orbs dim with resignation. “No, I'm sorry, Ryn. I know you probably want me to tell you it was completely out of character and I'll never do it again, but I can't lie. I meant it. And I’d do it again. To save them—to saveanyonewho matters to me, I'd do it again.”
There’s a shift in the air as my feet compel me forward. I’m still not really sure I understand everything, and we will most assuredly need to have a longer and more enlightening chat later about all the events since we were parted, but I do know that he’s right. He’s not like them. They wouldn’t apologize or feel guilt, or even care. And if he’snotbeing detained, if the Guild gave him probation, then obviously they believe what he did was justified in some way.
That realization and the look on his pathetic, adorable face means I don’t really care about the details as much as I probably should. About any of it. Which should alarm me a little more than it does, but with the day I’ve had…With the thrum of nerves and built-up energy running like a current under my skin, all I really want is to hold on to him and ground myself.
He grabs me into his arms as soon as I walk within range, and it seems like maybe this is exactly what he needs, too.
His spiced opium scent envelopes me, and I sink into him, breathing him deep into my lungs. His hand wraps around the base of my throat as he pulls me closer, his other arm a powerful band around my waist, anchoring me to his solid form. I can feel the shakiness in his limbs, and it bleeds into me, heightening the buzzing feeling under my skin. My heart is pounding as he claims my mouth in a possessive kiss.
I moan into him, and he deepens the kiss, his tongue lashing out hungrily. My hands fist his shirt, knuckles white, and I can feel the hard length of him as it grows against my stomach where our bodies are pressed tight.
Heat blooms in my gut as I grind against his sex, seeking friction. Seth groans into my mouth as I roll my hips again.
He breaks the kiss suddenly and rasps out, “Do you trust me?”
I can feel tremors of anticipation, but I’m not sure if they’re coming from him or me, or maybe both of us.
I force myself to look at his face; his steady but incredibly bright orbs shine in earnest as he pants, waiting for my answer. “Yes.”
His orbs darken, both in hue and brightness, and he moans as he dives back into our kiss. The hand around my throat squeezes slightly, and I gasp as I feel his other arm move toward the button on my pants.
I unclench my fists from the fabric of his shirt and drop them to his hem, quickly pushing it up. Seth releases my throat and slides warm hands into the waist of my pants, grabbing my ass cheeks into his palms roughly before kneading them. I lean back, breaking the kiss again and pressing his hard length into my front, giving me some delicious pressure on my throbbing clit.
My hands scramble to lift his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor quickly before I pull off my own shirt, adding it to the pile. Shadows leak out of Seth like rolling waves of pitch-black sea. As I make quick work of my bra, the shadows reach waist height, ascending steadily. It’s not like the semi-transparent shadow cloak from the sidewalk; this is thick and all-consuming. My eyes widen slightly as I drop my bra, then run my hands up Seth’s bare chest.
“Seth?” There’s a hint of alarm in my voice as I watch the shadows climb, as Ifeelthem rising against my bare skin.
He lets go of my backside and vanishes the rest of our clothes, keeping a hand on my waist to anchor me.
“Don’t worry, love. I’ve got you. Trust me?” He’s breathing heavily, and his orbs are swirling so impossibly fast that it’s almost hypnotic. I swallow thickly as the shadows reach our necks, my heart hammering like a bird against my ribcage. Suddenly, they stop rising, and he tilts his head, waiting.
I take a shaky breath and lick my lips, trying to assess how likely I am to panic if they keep rising. The darkness around me feels like light pressure. The sensation is so bizarre because Icanfeel it, but at the same time, I feel nothing. I sink my hand slowly down into the shadow and wave it around, but I can’t see it. Seth runs a finger down my side, and I gasp. My eyes dart to his in question, as if to make sure it’s really him, even though I know we’re the only ones here. But not being able to see what’s happening somehow disconnects me from expectation, and I feel breathless at the realization. His hand suddenly presses hot against my chilled skin as he traces a line of heated desire down my stomach toward my core.
“It’s like sensory deprivation. Ev-everything heightened…” Seth's words come out raspy, and the sheerneedin them makes me clench around nothing.
My pupils dilate as his hand cups my sex, and he slides a finger through my soaked folds to circle my clit. Moaning against the onslaught of bliss and the sudden ache in my nipples, I blink down to realize they've formed stiff peaks. My head falls back as I grind on his hand and whisper frantically, “Yes. Do it. Please!”
Seth growls, and the primal edge to his tone sends shivers cascading over my body as his shadows quickly overtake us. Just as my vision cuts off, he sinks a finger into my heat, and I keen.
My body suddenly feels light, as if floating, and my head spins as I acclimate to this new, total darkness. I would normally panic at how exposed I feel, but the throbbing need coursing through me and Seth’s skilled fingers sinking in and out of my heat as he circles my clit with his thumb have every ounce of my attention. Carefully, I lift my head and turn my face searching for him. His lips press against my cheek softly before he nuzzles my neck and sucks my skin into his hot mouth.
His cock is grinding into my side, slick against my skin from his pre-cum. The electrical current under my skin is equal parts calmed and agitated by the sensory deprivation, almost as if it’s abandoning my flesh to permeate the air.
Seth trails kisses down to my breasts, and my core flutters lightly as he pulls a nipple into his mouth and sucks hard. I cry out, ready to crash over the mounting wall of pleasure, but just before I find release, he pulls his hand away.
My indignant gasp fills the void, and I open my mouth to hiss at him as his deep voice rasps, “Be good for me, love.”
Shivers rush through me at the decadence of his voice, and as he trails kisses down my stomach, I bite my lip and decide to keep silent. I may not be used to giving up control quite like this, but I’m not fucking stupid either.
