The appearance of the Riven and a Skywhisperer simultaneously in the city does not bode well.
"You act as though you know him," she said. "Rö…"
He frowned at her use of his name again. "I know theRiven. I fought beside him, once."
"But…are the Gliders not a Matriarchy? Males are not warriors. They tend the nest. Raise children."
"Not the Riven. He stands apart."
"Why? Is he stronger than the others?"
His frustration mounted, but he did not voice it. Without another word, he slid back against the cushions, pulling her into his lap in one swift, decisive movement.
"Starlight, if your eyes seek out new horizons, I will never hold you prisoner against my shore. But not this one. He is dangerous, more than you could imagine."
"Kail…" She pushed against his chest. "What are you saying? I never meant—"
His hand settled between her shoulder blades. "I am saying that I do not like his name upon your lips."
He took her hand, guiding it to his chest. Beneath her fingers, his heart raced. No longer steady. No longer quiet.
"Kail…"
He terrified me. Those wings. Those talons. I thought he would cleave me in half. And you speak of shores and horizons…
Kailorien stilled. An expression crossed his features. A shadow brightening into helplessness. He pulled her closer. Gently, now. Ever so gently.
Forgive me. I am a brute,he said through the Bond.As always.
Auryn couldn't help the relieved laugh that left her chest. She shifted, running the pads of her fingers against his emerald earring.
But you are mine, regardless.
Only yours, he swore just as his mouth found hers, the melding of their lips deep from the first touch. The Bond lit, a low thrum resonating through her chest, the first faint thread of mana slipping into her like the promise of a sunrise.
I can taste that strange golden light in you,he breathed between kisses.
Her fingers twisted into his shirt. A distraction, she recognized, but one she gladly allowed.
I want more.
The low groan that rumbled against her mouth was half pleasure, half warning.You know what you’re asking for.
“I always do,” she whispered aloud.
His hands slid beneath the edges of her robe, spreading it aside until only the thin barrier of her clothes separated his palms from her skin.
“Off,” he said, voice rough.
She didn’t know if he meant the cloak, the shirt, or her hesitation—but she obeyed on all three counts. The air caught in her lungs when his bare chest pressed to hers, heat radiating from him like a furnace. He leaned them both down onto the cushions, caging her beneath the solid weight of him. The Bond pulsed with azure light, then deepened—thickened—until the edges bled into molten gold.
Her fingers threaded into his hair as his breath whispered into her mouth, down into her lungs, until every nerve lit with heat. It wasn’t just mana. It washim—the essence of her Silari pouring through her in a seamless, unbroken Weave. Hands traced the runes at his ribs, each one flaring under her touch. His hips pressed into hers in a slow, deliberate rhythm, each movement synced to the inhale-exhale of the Breathweave.
His voice inside her head spread like mist, enveloping her as sure as his arms.Take all of me. Every drop. Until you’re burning again.
She arched beneath him, not sure if the heat pooling low in her belly was from the mana or the man. Likely both. The kiss turned molten, his tongue stroking into her mouth even as the mana flowed harder, faster. His hands gripped her hips, rolling her up into him in a rhythm that left no space, no air between them.
By the time the Weave peaked, she was shaking, every breath shared, every pulse of her heart syncing perfectly to his. The gold and blue light between them flared bright enough to paint the walls, then sank back into her skin, leaving her flushed and trembling.
