Page 12 of Claimed By the Forest Reaper

I can feel it building, a pressure deep inside. Each thrust ratchets it higher, tighter. I'm going to explode. I'm going to—

The orgasm hits like a thunderclap. My body convulses, clenching around him. I scream his name, nails digging into his shoulders. Waves of pleasure crash over me, drowning me. I'm lost, adrift, tethered only by him.

He roars, throwing his head back. His cock jerks inside me, filling me with heat. The knot pulses, locking us tighter. His orgasm triggers another in me, smaller but no less intense. We ride it out together, clinging to each other like survivors of a storm.

When the waves finally recede, we collapse in a tangle of limbs. His knot is still inside me, pulsing gently. It's a strange sensation, but not unpleasant. Comforting, even. Like a promise.

He brushes a kiss against my temple, murmuring something in a language I don't understand. It sounds old, ancient. A blessing, perhaps. Or a vow.

I look up at him, tracing the lines of his face. His eyes are soft now, the wildness replaced by something deeper, more profound. He looks… content. At peace.

"Again?" I ask, half-joking.

His eyes flare, and I feel a twitch against my inner walls. Oh. Not joking, then.

I smile, stretching beneath him. "Take me, monster. I'm yours."

And he does. Again. And again. Until the cavern echoes with our cries, until the shadows dance with our pleasure. Until there's nothing left but him, and me, and the bond that ties us together. Forever.

THE BOND DEEPENS

Iwake up crying.

Not the soft, quiet kind. These are ugly sobs, ragged and painful, clawing their way up my throat. I press my face into the moss, trying to muffle the sound. My shoulders shake, my eyes burn. I can't stop. I can't—

A warm hand touches my back. I flinch, then realize it's Kaelith. He's behind me, his body curled protectively around mine. His breath tickles the nape of my neck, steady and calm.

He doesn't say anything. Just strokes my spine, his fingers tracing the line of my vertebrae. Slowly, the tension in my muscles eases. The sobs subside, leaving me hiccupping and damp.

I turn to face him. His eyes are soft, concerned. He reaches out, brushing a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

He tilts his head, questioning.

"I don't know why I'm crying." My voice cracks. "It's just... a lot. This. You. Us."

He nods, understanding. His hand cups my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. It's gentle, soothing. But there's an intensity in his gaze, a hunger. Not for sex—at least, not just for sex. For connection. For closeness.

"You haven't..." I start, then stop. I'm not sure I want to know the answer. "You haven't been with anyone in a long time, have you?"

He hesitates, then shakes his head. He holds up three fingers, then makes a circle with his hands—zero. Three hundred years.

My heart aches. Three hundred years of solitude, of loneliness. Three hundred years without touch. Without love.

"And before that?" I ask.

He shakes his head again. Never.

Oh, god. The weight of that hits me like a punch to the gut. He's never had this. Never felt this. Never known the touch of a lover, the warmth of a shared bed.

I reach for him, pulling him into a hug. He goes stiff for a second, then melts into me. His arms wrap around me, holding me tight. His face buries in my neck, his breath warm on my skin.

"We'll figure this out," I murmur into his hair. "Together."

---

I teach him to kiss.