Page 41 of A Broken Ember

My answer came quickly and without hesitation.

“I don't care about the Selection. I care for you. No tradition will take that from me. You are mine,” I growled. Claeg didn’t shy away from my possessiveness. He leaned into me, our chests brushing. His violet eyes glinted with mischief.

Now, I couldn't help running my tongue along my lips; his pupils dilated as they flicked to my mouth. I sucked in a breath. My cock throbbed under my tunic, and Claeg’s erection pressed against my thigh. He smirked at me, a knowing look on his face. By the gods, he was beautiful. I needed him. My restraint only extended so far. “Then show me, Prince,” he taunted. I snapped, my lips crashing with his.

He tasted like citrus and rainfall, better than I remembered—my personal ambrosia. Our lips danced. This was where I was meant to be. Claeg flicked his tongue along the seam of my mouth, pleading for entry. My mouth eagerly opened for him, allowing him to consume me—and he was ravenous, his kiss beautifully relentless. I moaned when his teeth took my lip between his, applying that comforting pressure I so often sought.

His hands went to my hair, becoming entangled with the braids. The heat of the rock pressed against my hands as he pulled me to him. After an eternity that was too short, he broke the kiss with a gasp, which I echoed. He didn’t give me a moment to breathe, pressing kisses along my jaw.

“I am going to own you,” he growled, his hands leaving my hair to clutch me all over my body as he made his way down to my neck. He sucked my throat, bringing feeling to the area. It wasn't quite painful, but it was reminiscent of the feeling.

“Eleos, please,” I begged, not even sure what I was asking for but knowing that I wanted every bit of him that he offered. He smirked against my nipple, grinding his erection along my thigh before falling to his knees. He looked up at me through light lashes, licking his lips.

“Brace yourself, Prince,” he warned me a moment before releasing himself upon me. He sucked my cock tightly, bringing me to the back of his throat without hesitation. Pleasure flooded me, burning the numbness away. Thankfully, my hands were already braced upon the mesa, for my knees trembled as Claeg flicked his tongue along my head. He worked me over with his mouth, evoking sensations that I had never felt before.

“Eleos,” I murmured over and over like a prayer. After only a few minutes, my orgasm began building. Just when I was about to lose control, he pulled off as if sensing my predicament. He gave me a cocky smirk, his eyes full of mischief. “Eleos,” I pleaded, my chest heaving. Surely, this was what pain felt like, this desperate need to satiate myself.

Instead of indulging me, Claeg grinned, his hands coming up to lightly tug on my scrotum. I whimpered, and he pinched harder. “By the gods, Eleos, please,” I moaned, but he only responded by nudging my legs apart and sucking on his two fingers. My length twitched at the sight of him before me. When my hips flexed forward, craving that bit of friction, he grinned, chuckling darkly. Claeg brought the fingers out of his mouth with a loud pop. The well-lubricated digits went to my ass, teasing my hole. I sucked in a sharp breath, holding it in. My whole body tensed.

“Is this okay?” he asked, withdrawing slightly. He looked up at me with concern in his eyes. I bit my lip before nodding. He gave me a lazy grin. “Breathe out and relax your muscles, Stas.” The shortened version of my name on his lips made my cock twitch with need. Slowly, I did as he said, and his spit-covered finger gently coaxed me open. I let out a long, low groan as a finger filled me.

“Have you ever touched yourself here, my Prince?” he asked when my vision was swimming and black spots were growing in the corners. I shook my head—no I hadn't, but I wasn't sure why. I rocked back on his finger, and he gave me a dirty grin.

“More,” I demanded, and he quickly obliged, adding a second finger. He flexed them, kneading me. His fingers plunged in and out, crooking them in just the right way that he grazed over a spot within me that made me shudder. Again and again, he worked me to frenzied pants, reduced to a puddle of pleasure. And then his mouth was back on my cock. “Eleos,” I cried as my body spasmed. My orgasm surged until I was once again on the brink. It was too much. Better than anything I had experienced with myself before. There was no time to cry out a warning before I was spilling down my Chosen’s throat. He took me selfishly as I pulsed, pouring my seed into him with bursts of ecstasy. A sound came from my mouth that I think was supposed to be his name, but it came out garbled and incoherent.

After a few ragged breaths, my body came down from its high, and Claeg pulled himself off me and removed his fingers, licking at my head to greedily consume every last drop. My heart hammered against my chest as my hands went to pull him up so I could return the favor, but he pushed my hands away. “What—”

“This was about you.” He stood up with my hands caught in his.

“I want to please you,” I protested.

“You just did.” He gave me a lopsided grin, his eyes sparkling and chest heaving.

“You know what I mean.” I thrashed against his grip, but he didn't release me, holding me so firmly I could feel the outline of his scars on my wrists.

“When I am your Chosen, you shall have all of me, I promise,” he answered and let go. Before I could protest further, he was twisting out from against the mesa as if he had never truly been trapped there. My heart pounded against my chest as I looked at the shredded remains of my tunic. A grin teased my lips. I would have him. Claeg would be mine.

Chapter 41: Claeg

I led Anastasius into the cave—our cave—chest heaving, my body's desires heightened. The Ruptor craved the prince, craved to feed on his light. I wanted more than just his body: the Ruptor wanted to claim his soul. All of him. Never before had I craved someone like I craved Anastasius. The remnants of the fire Anastasius had made were scattered across the floor, staining the rock with soot. I swallowed, thinking about that night. Being with him felt natural, right. If Anastasius pushed, I wasn't sure I could resist him, but I needed to, for my clan... My restraint was stretched far too thin. He was my insatiable need I had indulged too much in.

Our union had been passionate and full of fervor, but now my heart was slowly returning to its steady rhythm despite my cock’s longing. The memory of exploring his mouth with my tongue was burned into my memory. He tasted exactly as he smelled—spice and summer.

"Eleos." The sound of that name from him made my hair stand on end. I didn't deserve it. I was the opposite of merciful. When I returned with the De Vita secrets… the betrayal would cut deeply if I didn’t stop this now.

“I’ve hunted the weak most of my life. Helped exterminate them, Stas. Yet you call me merciful. Why?” A lump formed in my throat when the question emerged, and I flipped around to face him, a frightful anger subsiding my lingering lust. The prince held my eye for a moment. He swallowed, obviously debating whether to trust me with something.

“You remember the De Vita draconis whose Circle you completed?” he asked softly. I wanted to protest. I hadn’t completed her Circle. She was already dying when I found her, but perhaps that wasn’t the point. So, I nodded slowly, my brows pinching. “She wanted to die. She had been suffering for a long time, but De Vita never let their dead die. The plan was for me to release her from her suffering. But when the time came, I was too late. Instead you were there at her side as she breathed her last breath. I failed her.” His eyes became misty, and a stray tear fell down his cheek. I wiped it away with the pad of my thumb and swore internally. This was supposed to push us apart, not bring us together. “I will never forgive myself for that.”

My heart ached for the prince, but I understood. The prince had more Circulus in him than he would like to admit. Had he Selected me because he saw a piece of himself in me? I ground my teeth. He was making this so hard. Why couldn’t he be cruel like his father? That would make weakening De Vita easier. I could steal his magic and leave. But every day, the thought of leaving him was becoming harder to fathom. I hated myself for allowing my weakness to continue.

We didn't speak anymore after that. Eventually, we fell asleep in each other's arms,exhausted from the dancing and sex.

"Will you get in trouble for our coupling last night, my Prince?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair. He winced, and that was enough to answer my question.

"I can handle it," he replied. At some point in the night we had switched positions, so now Anastasius was in my arms. We lounged on the cave floor, my eyes unable to resist admiring his lithe body. Even the scars were beautiful in a strange way. The way we had fit together last night, the way he had moaned his name for me, was the greatest pleasure I had ever experienced. I hadn't known sex could be so . . . sweet. With Sivert, things had always been rough, and I liked that, but what I did to Anastasius made my toes curl just recalling it. Only the thoughts of my upcoming betrayal prevented my cock from swelling and making my desire known to the prince in my arms.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone how you cried my name as your body shuddered and expelled your pleasure inside me. That part of you is only mine," I assured him, my heart racing as I spoke, because I felt the truth of the proclamation. Whatever we had between us may only be temporary, but what I felt was real. I would treasure it until the moment the Circulus completed my Circle . . . which would likely be shortly after my duty compelled me to return.

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