Page 135 of To Bleed A Kingdom

Just now realizing that the bed is angled at a slant, I reluctantly lift my head from the crook of her neck and pass my gaze over the room, wincing at the destruction. “That's not all I broke.”

“No, but I hoped we could’ve at least spared her bed,” she says, playing with the ends of my hair. “She's going to be pissed.”

“At me or at you?”

She grins. “Definitely you.” Raising her head, she peers around me. “We’ll have to use your chambers next time.” She pulls me down for a kiss, giggling against my lips. “I can’t wait to see the look on your mother’s face when she sees the wreckage you cause from a good fuck.”

A laugh bursts from me and I press my lips to hers. “Next time, then,” I say, both of us laughing between kisses. “Next time.”

Smiling from ear to ear, I rest my chin between her breasts, holding her gaze as she watches me with a warm smile, running her fingers along the scruff of my jaw.

“Say it,” I demand in a guttural voice, needing to hear the words again, desperate to know it wasn't spoken only in the throes of lust.

Her smile falls and my heart thuds against my chest in dread, anticipation, and hope, vibrating against her as she searches my gaze. Lifting her hands, she cups my cheeks between her palms and pulls me down into a fleeting, yet heartbreakingly tender kiss.

“Yours,” she whispers, pressing her forehead against mine. “Only yours.”

Something in me breaks in that moment. That casing around my heart as strong as stone, as impenetrable as a ward, crumbles into rubble and tumbles into the abyss, revealing the person I've sequestered beneath. The child who always hoped for a mother's affection. The adult who wished for a companion. The male who desired a lover. The person who needed someone to stand by him and him alone, to accept him as he is, vowing to forever be loyal, honest, and loving only to him. And the way Lena is looking at me now, so warm and affectionate, like I’m the single most important person to her in this cruel, fucked-up world, she makes me believe she could be that person for me.

Emotions clogging my throat, I raise a trembling hand to caress her cheek and lower my head to place a soft kiss on her lips. She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly to her chest. Cock hardening once again, I slowly rock into her. Not rough or aggressive, but affectionate. Loving the way we share more than just our bodies, melding our very souls.

I rotate my hips, angling myself to hit deeper in the way I’ve learned she likes. Lips parting, she moans, sharing her breath with mine as I sweep my hands over her, touching everywhere. Her throat, her thighs, her breasts, loving every inch of golden, silky skin. Our breathing becomes more labored, our chests rising and falling in sync with one another, but neither of us breaks our kiss. Not even when she moans and I groan do we separate. Not until her pussy slickens even more as she contracts around me and we shout in unison. Both our climaxes rumble through us as I crash into the most powerful orgasm I've ever felt, blinding me in its intensity and forever altering me.

Arms trembling and breaths heaving, I stare down at this stunning creature, mesmerized by the way her rippled raven locks are splayed out beneath her. The dewy sweat coating her skin. Her kiss-swollen lips slightly parted, and her amethyst eyes glazed over in contentment. Awed by not only her beauty, but by the extraordinary soul within. I'll never be able to be with another after this. It’s doubtful I’ll be able to look at another woman or female, let alone touch them. Not after experiencing what it feels like to be inside her, finally feeling that sense of completion that I long ago convinced myself I would never find. In one explosive, life changing act, Lena has damned us both, shackling me to her for eternity with irrevocable binds. A sentence I’m just nowrealizing I'll gladly endure.

Lena smiles up at me and places a palm to my cheek. I open my mouth to speak the three words I vowed never to say to another, but then she suddenly stiffens and cries out, clutching her head.

“Lena?” I ask, confusion marring my brow.

She bolts upright, forcing me to scramble off her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shakes her head, moaning in the same instant her agony streams down the bond. Fear tightens my chest and I grip the tops of her arms.

“Lena… what is it?” I shake her. “Lena!”

The agony cuts off and her eyes suddenly snap open. “They're here, Darius. The Soulless are here.”

Chapter 29

Darius

Sword …Sword… Sword

“Where’s my sword?”

Lena snaps her vest over her head and tugs her hair free, pointing at the floor. “Over there.”

Ripping back the rumpled sheets, I snatch up my scabbard and strap it to my back. “Stay here.” Stalking towards the door, I open it. “I'll come get you when it's safe.”

“Wait!” she calls out, shimmying into her fighting leathers. “Let me just find...” She trails off, peering beneath the bed to pull out her boots.

As I step over the threshold, I glance at Lena over my shoulder, something making me hesitate. An instinctive feeling nags at me that this isn't how women send their males off to battle. I don’t expect her to sob and beg me not to go. That's not the type of person she is. But I would think she would show her concern in some way. Or at the very least, send me off with a goodbye kiss. Yet, she does none of that. She's calm and focused, preparing.

“What am I waiting for?” I ask, already knowing the answer, but dreading it all the same.

Sitting on a trunk, she pauses slipping on her boots, her black brows pinched. “I’m coming with you.”

Like hell you are.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

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