Текст книги "Bound to the battle god"
Автор книги: Ruby Dixon
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Текущая страница: 30 (всего у книги 40 страниц)
I think of the bed upstairs, where I’d slept next to Yulenna. Yeah, they’ll definitely have to find somewhere else to sleep. “Maybe there’s another room the others can set up in.”
He grunts. “No need. We’ll be leaving once I get answers from the Spidae. Tomorrow, hopefully.”
“Tomorrow?” I echo, and I’m suddenly exhausted. I don’t want to leave tomorrow. Suddenly, I don’t want to leave, ever. I want to stay right here, in this creepy, spider-infested tower, because it means I’m here with Aron and the outside world is a billion years away…or at least over the other side of the mountains. Here, we can be left alone.
No wonder the Spidae said I’d request time to relax. Right now, that’s what I want more than anything. I stop walking and turn to Aron. “The Spidae told me where we need to go.” I don’t want to withhold the information from him, because that seems wrong. “I know where we need to go, but Aron, can’t we stay here for a while? Rest? Relax? Enjoy ourselves for a few weeks?”
“Here?” He arches an eyebrow, surprised, and those mismatched eyes study me. “Are you that tired?”
“Yes. No. I mean, if I have to, I can keep up. I’m just so tired of racing from one place to another.” I sigh and lean forward, and he pulls me against him so I can cuddle against his chest. “It seems like ever since I met you, we’ve been running from someone or to someone. Can’t we just relax and take a break for a few weeks? Do you have a deadline? Is there a time you have to be back by?”
I can feel the laughter rumble up in his chest. “A deadline? No. There are some gods who never returned from the last Anticipation. Kassam, the lord of the wild, is still missing. And Tadekha remained here in the mortal realm in her Citadel. You met her.”
Oh, I can’t forget good ol’ Tadekha. “I remember. So this doesn’t have to be done soon?” I look up at him. “I don’t care that this tower is weird. I just want to relax and wake up knowing I don’t have to do anything that day except spend time with you. That sounds like paradise.”
“You have an odd idea of paradise,” he murmurs, and strokes my hair. “Very well. If you want to stay for a while, we will stay.”
“Thank you.”
My stomach growls again, interrupting whatever he was going to say next. Aron chuckles, and presses a hand to my stomach. “We had better feed my anchor before she fades away.”
“God, yes, I’m starving.”
“You have eaten nothing since you awoke?” His tone becomes angry.
“Actually, I cleaned out Solat’s lunch. And dinner,” I admit. “And then I went looking for more. The Spidae gave me a pod but…” I glance around, because I must have dropped it at some point. Probably when Aron crashed into me from the other room.
He shakes his head. “You probably don’t want to see what was inside it.”
No, I probably don’t.
“Come,” Aron says. “We will speak to the others and I will have you fed.”
“You make me sound like one of the mounts,” I mutter. Have me fed, indeed.
“If you mean to imply that you will get ridden, then yes,” Aron says slyly, and I blush for what feels like the first time in ages.
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“We’re staying here for a while?” Yulenna echoes, her nose wrinkling slightly as she toys with a bit of meat in her bowl. She’s only picking at her food, which makes me absolutely crazy, because I would totally throw down right about now.
Actually, I am throwing down right about now. Ever since we returned to the others, I’ve been eating. Well, no, first we ushered everyone out of the room so I could quickly clean up with a sponge bath. Once all traces of Aron’s release were washed away, I swiped a fresh cloth over my face and arms, and changed into one of my Novoran gowns.
Then I started eating. I haven’t stopped eating since. The stew bubbling in the fireplace (who knew there was a fireplace? Not me). Hard bread from Novoro. Fruit. Dried meat. Grain cakes. More meat. More fruit. Another helping of stew. I wash it all down with cup after cup of Novoran wine. It seems that while I was recovering-slash-sleeping, the woales and all our supplies were mysteriously retrieved and brought to this side of the lake. That means I don’t have to eat whatever is in the spiderweb-wrapped pods, and for some reason, I’m weirdly thankful for that. So I eat, and eat, while the others pick at their food and listen to Aron’s plans.
“Faith needs to rest. She is tired and I don’t want to risk my anchor.”
I can feel the gaze of the others on me, but I don’t care. I tear off another hunk of bread. “What? We stayed in Novoro for a few days. Why can’t we stay here for a few weeks?”
“Weeks?” Kerren asks, clearly shocked.
“Why is everyone freaking out?”
“This place is not natural,” Yulenna whispers. “We don’t belong here.”
“I know that. But the Spidae said we can stay for a while, so that means we’re safe here. I’m sure there’s another room you guys can set up and—”
“Two rooms,” Aron says. “Yulenna is not sleeping with Faith any longer.”
“I’m not?” Yulenna echoes, blinking her big eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
A piece of bread lodges in my suddenly dry throat and I cough. Why didn’t I think of this before? Aron and I slept together with Yulenna in the room before, but we weren’t really sleeping together. He was just holding me. Of course she’s going to wonder why things have changed.
“Faith will be sleeping with me,” Aron says firmly, and I blush bright red again. I chug more wine, trying to be cool about things, but everyone stares in my direction. Porn music plays in my head.
“Yeah, we’re doing it,” I admit. Best to get it out in the open. “If you’ve got a problem with that, tough titty.”
Solat laughs. No one else does.
“You are Aron of the Cleaver, Lord of Storms. We serve you in all ways.” Markos bows stiffly. “I will make sure quarters are available for both Yulenna and your remaining men.”
I flinch at that. Is that a jab about Vitar’s death? I haven’t forgotten it. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I take another gulp of wine, sad that the mood is so tense. I watch quietly as the others gather their things and leave the room, and then I’m alone at the small table near the fire, the fluttering web curtains falling over the doorway and giving Aron and me privacy.
“They’re not happy,” I murmur as I set down my cup.
“They do not make the decisions. I do.” Aron paces slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. “If you want to stay here for longer, we shall.”
“Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
“No. It will give me time to think, to plan for when I meet my next Aspect. I tried to think ahead in Novoro, but that foolish Lord Secuban would not stop nattering for a moment.” He gives an irritated shake of his head. “At least here it is quiet.”
“Are we safe?” I finally ask. There are a few pieces of fruit left, and I idly pick one up, toying with it and deciding if I want to eat it. I might save it for later, but I could definitely eat it. I flip the round, orange-red fruit in my hands, back and forth. “Here, I mean? There’s spiders and the Spidae, and that thing in the lake—”
“—all guardians controlled by the Spidae. If they do not mind us staying, then we are quite safe. If they wanted us to go, we would know it.” He glances over at me. “You must intrigue them.”
“Me? I thought they were helping you.”
He snorts. “You have seen their method of helping.”
Ugh, he’s right. Hiding me away for two days just to see how Aron would react. Dicks. I can’t imagine what they’re thinking, other than they just like to toy with us. “They did tell me where we’re supposed to go,” I offer. “You’ll never guess.”
“Yshrem?”
I point at him, taking another sip of my wine. “That’s it.” The fruit in my hands smells heavenly, and I’m still a little hungry. I put down my wine cup and sniff the skin, enjoying the tease. I mean, I’m totally going to eat this, but I’ll give it a little foreplay first. “Yshrem. He said you would meet your destiny there.”
Aron nods thoughtfully. “The Cyclopae are warriors dedicated to me, and they conquered Yshrem years ago. I believe their king rules from there now, so it does not surprise me that I will meet my other Aspects on the field of battle before Castle Yshrem’s gates.”
Field of battle? I don’t like the sound of that. “Is it safe to go there?”
“Do you mean, will the people of Yshrem try to kill me as my own priests did back in Aventine?” His lip curls with the memory. “There is only one way to find out, but the Cyclopae king is an honorable warrior.”
“Whereas the prelate was a corrupt asshole looking out for himself. I gotcha.” I nod and nibble on the skin of my fruit. It’s so juicy that a droplet dribbles onto my hand, and I absently lick it up.
Aron watches me, his gaze intent on my actions. For some reason, I immediately think of sex. The way he’s watching me tells me it’s not about the fruit. Not anymore.
Flustered at his intense scrutiny, I try to keep the conversation going. “So you don’t mind staying here until we head out to Yshrem then?”
“Staying in bed with you for a few weeks? It does not seem like such a chore.” He slowly gets to his feet, and his gaze is devouring me.
I feel all fluttery and weak. Does he really want to spend the next few weeks in bed? “You know, for a guy that didn’t want to touch me for the longest time, you’re pretty gung-ho now.”
“I told you.” He stalks toward me, like a predator chasing prey. “I am already lost.”
I watch him, fascinated and breathless. “What are you doing?”
“I find that I need to eat as well,” Aron murmurs.
Confused, I automatically hold out the fruit in my hand. Sure, I’ve taken a bite out of it, but it’s really the only thing left to eat. I’ve cleaned out everything else.
“That’s not what I hunger for, Faith.” And he slides to his knees before my chair, his hands moving to my hips.
I whimper.
With slow, methodical movements, Aron opens the slit of my Novoran wraparound gown and exposes my pussy. He stares down at it for a moment, and I squirm in response. Did I think the way he looked at me before was intense? It’s nothing compared to how he’s looking at me now.
His hands grip my hips and he tugs me forward, ever so slightly. When I remain completely still, he glances up at me, at the uneaten fruit in my hands. “Don’t let me interrupt you. My anchor needs to eat and keep up her strength.”
Oh.
It feels like the world is in slow motion as I put the fruit to my lips and lick away a bead of juice. Even as I do, Aron leans forward, his face moving between my trembling thighs.
And he licks me.
I can’t stop the moan that pours from my throat. This is the first time he’s put his mouth on me, there, and the spark that ripples between us feels like foreplay. I lean back in the chair, panting, as his tongue moves over my folds, dragging over my most sensitive spots, before he sucks lightly on my clit, drawing it into his mouth.
I’m whimpering with full-blown lust and need even as I raise the fruit to my lips and take another small bite. My mouth fills with juice as he works my clit, and it’s the most erotic and insanely filthy thing I’ve ever done.
He strokes a finger deep into my core, and I sink my teeth into the red fruit as he does. Instead of thrusting into me, using his finger like he would his cock, he doesn’t move. I’m confused, and in the next moment, I feel it.
Oh fuck. He’s tickling something deep inside me and oh fuck, it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. My hips surge off the chair and I cry out, the fruit forgotten. It slides out of my grip and slaps wetly on the floor as my hands go to his head. Impatiently, he lifts one of my clamping thighs and pushes it over the arm of the chair, making sure that I remain spread wide for his pleasure.
Because even though this is turning me inside out with ecstasy, I know this is for his pleasure, too. He rubs my G-spot as his mouth moves over my clit, and I’m babbling his name and clutching at his long hair even as he makes me come so hard that it feels like the thunder crashing outside is in my veins. He continues to lick and suck at my clit, finger working inside me as my hips buck with the force of my orgasm. Aron’s determined to wring out every bit of pleasure from me, and it feels like he makes it go on forever, beyond the point of comfort, but he won’t pull away, no matter how many times I tug on his hair or pant his name.
Aron finally listens for my pleas for him to stop, that I can’t possibly come any longer, and lifts his head to give me the most arrogant, most Aron smile ever. “I liked that.”
Oh god. I’m totally going to melt into a puddle at the sight of that smile. “Yeah,” I manage breathlessly. “That was pretty good.”
He arches that scarred eyebrow. “Only pretty good?”
He starts to lower his head again and I squeak, grabbing his hair before he can go down on me again. “W-wait! Wait. I need to catch my breath.”
I love the rumble of his laughter. He merely kisses the inside of my thigh, slides my legs together, and gets to his feet. He takes my hand and pulls me to my feet, then tugs me into his arms and kisses me so hard that I’m left dazed. The taste of my orgasm is all over his mouth, and I find it strangely erotic to taste myself on his tongue. I cling to him as his mouth lazily explores mine, lost in the play of our lips.
Aron caresses my head, his fingers in my hair, and then nips lightly at my mouth. “Shall we climb into bed?”
Bed? I nod, dazed. I’m tired, but more than that, I want him to hold me. Bed sounds like a very good idea right about now.
He slips an arm behind my thighs and lifts me into his arms and carries me to the bed like a bride on our wedding night. In a way, I guess this kind of feels like one. I feel as if Aron and I are starting a new life together. Instead of just anchor and Aspect, we’re man and woman, together.
I won’t think about the future. Not right now. Not until we leave this tower. It can wait. It can all wait.
Aron’s gaze is locked on me as he gently pulls the buckles free of my wide belt and then slowly removes my long gown. When I’m naked on the bed, he straightens and begins to undress. I always forget just how powerful Aron’s body is. There’s not an inch of fat on him, and he’s all corded muscle and obliques. His six-pack ripples down his abdomen, and he’s no longer as pale as he was when I met him, as if he’s gained color—and life—simply by being in this world. Scars cover practically every inch of his skin, though, and I forget just how many he has until he undresses and shows me again. The long-healed gashes show red and sometimes white against his skin, some smaller and rougher, others large and long and deadly. The one on his face that crisscrosses over his green eye is the one I’m most familiar with, and I look up at him, worried. So many scars. So many brutal battles. Seeing him like this can get a little overwhelming, and every mark of a blade on him is a reminder that we might not win.
“You’re frowning. Do you not like my scars?” Aron asks, and there’s amusement in his voice as he stands over the edge of the bed, looming in that arrogant way of his. Of course he’s arrogant. He’s a god, but more than that, he’s fucking amazing and he knows it. I no longer see his arrogance as irritating, more just a quirk of who he is. And I love all of him. “Do you want to know the stories behind each wound? All of them have a tale behind them.”
I shake my head and raise a hand to him. “I just want to hold you, actually. Can we do that?”
“I can withhold no request from you,” he says, and climbs into bed next to me. We’re naked together, flesh pressed to flesh for the first time, and this feels way more intimate than anything we’ve ever done before.
Tentatively, I put my hand on his stomach. We’re facing each other, inches apart, and his hand goes possessively to my hip, as if he has to touch me at all times. “This is the first time I’m getting to touch you, do you realize that?”
“You’ve grabbed me before. I distinctly remember several times in which I had to pry your eager hands off of my cock.”
I laugh, because I remember that, too. “So are you going to push my hands away again today?” And I slide one down to his dick, just to test that theory.
“Never again,” he says solemnly. “I am yours to claim, just as you are mine.”
I am totally going to test that theory. I sit up in bed, gazing down at him as he rolls onto his back and tucks a hand behind his head, the most casual of men. As if we’ve done this a dozen times already. Truth is, I’m itching to touch him. I remember each furtive touch I gave him in the past and how he pulled me away. The realization that he won’t do that again is a heady one.
And the man is stinking beautiful. It doesn’t matter that his body is covered in scars. There’s no part of him that isn’t perfection. I trace a finger down one long, jagged red mark that crosses his belly and arches over to his hip. His pectorals are hard and flat, his shoulders broad, his hips narrow.
His dick is just as enormous as I remember from those furtive touches and our time earlier in the hall. I knew he was well equipped. I mean, no god is going to have a teeny weenie. And when we made love a short time ago? He was so big that it felt life-changing. Looking at him now, I see that it wasn’t just my imagination. His cock is long and thick, the head prominent. Veins trace up and down his shaft, leading down to a lightly furred ball sac that can only be described as thick. Every inch of him is thick and meaty and my mouth waters at the sight. I think of all the times that he made me lose control, and I want to do the same to him.
Out in the hall? That was the first time I ever saw Aron lose his shit. When he pushed me against the wall and fucked me as if he would die if he wasn’t inside me in the next moment. That was heady stuff, and I want to see it happen again. I want him to lose his mind with pleasure.
Which means figuring out what he likes.
Which means I get to play with his cock. I smile, feeling a bit like a cat that licked the cream, and lean over him. He’s a god, and so he’s probably done everything a million times before. I don’t want to think about that, so I’m going to focus on enjoying him myself. On pleasing me with his body, because that’s all I have to offer in this equation—me.
So I lean over him and let my long hair tease his thighs, tilting my head to the side as I study him. I make sure not to block his view, because I suspect he wants to watch. His gaze is on me, and I can feel his body tensing ever so slightly. It makes me feel powerful.
I’m the first mortal he’s wanted in forever. Me. That gives me all kinds of power over this strong, sexy god. He might be the lord of storms, but I’m the one he lost control with. I’m the one he was so desperate to fuck that he pushed me against a wall and plowed into me where anyone could see.
Smiling, I slowly wrap my hand around his cock, testing his girth. He’s so thick that my fingers don’t meet, and I shiver a little at the memory of how he’d felt deep inside me. I lazily squeeze the base of him, liking the intake of breath that he makes, and then release him so I can glide one finger along a vein, tracing it to the prominent head of his cock, where it disappears underneath the edge of the crown.
He growls, all impatience, and as I watch, a bead of pre-cum appears on the head of his cock, swiftly followed by another.
“What does a god taste like?” I murmur, moving forward so I’m leaning over his cock, my hair falling around my shoulders.
“See for yourself,” he rasps, and the look in his eyes is intense. How did I ever think this man wasn’t affected by me? I know at some point I’m going to tease and he’s going to break, and then he’s going to fuck me hard again, just because he won’t be able to help himself.
My thighs squeeze with excitement at the thought, and that hollow ache in my belly returns. I want that. I want to make him break with lust. I love that thought.
I lean in and use the tip of my tongue to lap up each salty drop, cleaning his cock. He tastes good, but I’m probably biased and it has nothing to do with him being a god and god-cum somehow being tastier. I just love everything about Aron—even his arrogance. “It’s just all right,” I tease.
He scowls. “My seed tastes better than any other seed and you know it. Taste me again.” And his hand goes to my hair, as if he’ll guide me down.
I shrug, leaning in to the game, and give his cock-head another swipe with my tongue. “Not bad.”
Aron’s breath hisses out. “Woman—”
“I’m just saying, I’ve had better.”
“No, you haven’t.” He gives me another one of those smug grins, then pushes my head down again. “You must not have tasted it right. Take more of it into your mouth.”
I feign ignorance. “You think I should?”
“Absolutely.”
An erotic thrill charges through me as he gently tugs my head downward. It makes me feel sexy, and I’m squirming with need, wiggling my hips as I lean down and grip his cock again, then take him into my mouth. He’s so big that he stretches my lips, and it’s hard to tongue him properly. I glide him as deep as I can, and then ease him back once more, giving the head a lick.
“Well?” He’s breathing harder.
“I need to taste again, just to be sure,” I murmur, then pull him into my mouth again, working the base of his cock with my hand. I keep my mouth wet, coating his big cock with my saliva, and take him a little deeper this time, and then deeper still when I work his shaft back into my mouth, gliding him along my tongue. I take him so deep that he hits the back of my throat and then I rise up, biting back the choked sound that threatens to erupt. And I look up at him.
His eyes are slits of pleasure, the hand in my hair loose, and there’s such a blatantly erotic look to him that I’m breathless with need.
“Do you know how beautiful you are when you do that?” he murmurs.
“You’re just saying that so I’ll go down on you again.”
“You’ll do it anyhow,” Aron says, his fingers gliding to stroke my chin. “Because you get aroused from pleasuring me.”
He’s right, the arrogant jerk. Right now my pussy is totally wet and sensitive, aching with need. I love touching him, his hot skin, his big cock, and I love that he’s turned on, too. Just knowing I can do this to him makes me crazy with need. I just smile and take him deep again, working him with my mouth, with my tongue, with everything I can because I want to see him lose control.
The low groan he lets out makes my pussy clench. I redouble my efforts, licking the length of his cock from base to tip, teasing his sac, doing everything I can to make him snap. I’ve barely taken the head of his cock into my mouth again when he rocks his hips lightly, thrusting, fucking my mouth. He shuttles his cock in and out, using my face as he breathes my name. I love it, and with my free hand, I slip my fingers between my thighs so I can touch myself. I’m so aroused I can’t wait for more. I need to come just as badly as he does.
“No,” he grits out, and then gives my hair a tug, just enough to make me lift my head off his cock. “That’s mine.”
“What’s yours?” I pant, breathless.
“That pussy.” His eyes flare with heat.
“I need more.” I squirm, rubbing my fingers through my soaking folds. “Is that so bad? Touching you gets me worked up—”
“You’ll wait,” he says, all arrogance.
I groan at his words, because as dickish as it is, it also makes me hot. Is this going to be a contest between us then? Because I can play that game, too. I pretend to acquiesce, moving my hand back to the bed, and take his cock with my other hand. I lean in, letting my breath fan over the wet head and hovering over it, teasing him.
“Faith,” he breathes, his gaze utterly fascinated as he watches me. “Take me into your mouth again.”
I look over at him and give him a sultry little smile. “You’ll wait.”
Laughter barks out of him, and in the next moment, he’s got us reversed. Suddenly I’m on my back and he’s the one over me. His hair slides over his shoulder and he grins down at me, full of lust and amusement. “You’re the only mortal who thinks she can go toe to toe with a god, aren’t you?”
I suck in an eager breath as his hands go to my body, jerking my thighs apart and sliding them around his hips. “Maybe I just like giving you a taste of your own medicine.”
“Or maybe you just like it when I take you hard and rough,” he murmurs, then leans in and claims my mouth with a punishing, possessive kiss. That’s the only warning I get before he thrusts into me, taking me just as hard and rough as he promised.
And oh god, it’s so good.
My hands go to his head, cradling him as he kisses me, sinking into the sensation as he pumps into me again and again, claiming me as his. I don’t care that his movements are a little rough, or that every stroke feels as if he’s pounding deep inside me. It means I can let loose, too. I grab his shoulders and dig my nails into his skin, and I arch when he thrusts. When he kisses me, I bite down on his lip, and that only makes him wilder. The bed shakes, pushing against the wall with a shivering noise like hay rustling, and it’s barely audible over the thunder crashing outside.
When I come, my entire body clenches and I cry out, shocked at how intense everything feels. Aron covers my breast with his hand, sending another shockwave through my body, and keeps taking me, wringing another orgasm through his hard, rocking thrusts. By the time he comes, I’m whimpering with the aftermath of the intense climax, and I clutch his sweaty body against mine as he collapses atop me.
I feel so at peace. So…happy.
I think of Yshrem, where Aron will “meet his destiny” and I squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t want to think about that today. I’ll just think about the man sprawled atop me, who feels so good I never want him to move.
“Tell me you love me,” I whisper, stroking his hair back from his face as he sits up.
Aron frowns, gazing down at me. He touches my cheek, caressing my face, and then shakes his head. “I am a god, Faith. We do not love.”
Strangely enough, that response doesn’t bother me, because I’m pretty sure he’s wrong. “You’d miss me if I died, though, wouldn’t you?”
His brows draw together, and thunder snaps overhead. “Why would you die?”
“I’m just saying—”
Aron shakes his head slowly. “You are not allowed to die, Faith. Do you understand me?” His jaw is clenched, and there’s a wild look in his eyes I haven’t seen before. “I forbid it.”
I nod, and when he leans in to kiss me again, I fight back a smile. Yeah, dude’s totally in love with me.
He just won’t admit it to himself.
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