Page 18 of Their War

The light started to fade, being replaced by darkness, her voice sounding faint as she told me, “Be careful, Lightbringer. And listen to your heart. I'll guide you as best as I can, but it's up to you to recognize it for what it is. Have faith, my child, and trust that you are exactly the one who can save us all.”

I knew the instant that she was gone, the darkness swelling to crash over me with the heaviness of before, compounded by the weight that she had just laid on my shoulders.

Chapter Eleven: Rhowyn

Consciousness crept up on me. First, voices reached my ears, but I couldn't make out the words, a sense of déjà vu striking me as I clawed my way out of my slumber. However, the peace that settled over me next told me it was the guys who were speaking, our bond glowing in happiness at having them near.

As I drifted, my mind unable to grasp any thought for too long, I found that my consciousness was sinking deeper into myself. The threads of magic danced around me, the connection to the guys making me happy. However, I soon noticed that two threads were glowing just a little brighter than the other two. My pull to those was stronger and steadier.

Baer and Arryn. Both of their threads called to me, dancing around me, but before I could join them, a light flashed and caught my attention. Sinking further, I approached the ball of darkness that was my magic, the pulsing shadows still present but not as menacing. What had called me were the lines of bright light shimmering through the core of darkness as if a shell had been cracked, yet it was still strong enough to keep the majority of the light inside. That light felt like home, like peace, happiness, and love. Instinctively, I knew it was my own magic, slowly chipping away at the cage that was keeping it contained.

A voice sounded through my mind, a sense of urgency calling me back to reality. I didn't know what it was, unable to grasp much of any thought before it slipped through my fingers, but I followed the pull, slowly sinking back into the darkness.

“Come on, Killer. It's time to wake up. Show me those beautiful eyes of yours again,” a voice pleaded with me, only taking a few seconds for me to recognize that it was Baer. My thoughts were sluggish after drifting for so long, but they were slowly picking back up to normal.

I answered him with a groan, rolling closer to the sound of his voice, my body aching but not in pain. A large hand landed on my forehead and smoothed my hair from my face; the heat from his breath as he leaned in and kissed me on my brow had me curling further into him.

He chuckled deeply. “As cute as you are right now, it's time to get up. You've been out for too long already.”

Peeking out through one eye, I caught him smiling at me indulgently. A smile of my own started to mirror his. His unending happiness and joy as infectious as ever to me. And yet, it wasn’t sickening in its intensity. I had met people who, while they were the sweetest and nicest people you could ever meet, their happiness made you cringe, almost naive in its presentation.

Baer's joy was different. He had a darker edge to his humor and lost the sparkle when the moment called for it. I couldn't help but gravitate to him for fear that my own darkness would consume me. He lifted me up just when I needed it most, giving me something I had sought my entire life.

I raised a weak hand and cupped his jaw, speaking with a scratchy voice. “I've missed you.”

“I've missed you too, Killer,” he told me, leaning back. I started to protest when I realized he was simply getting me a glass of water. Promptly chugging half a glass of it, I sighed with satisfaction.

“How long was I out of it this time?” I asked him.

“Two days,” he said, sorrow crossing his face as he continued, “I was starting to worry about whether or not you'd wake up, but according to Arryn, you were very close to dying on us.” His tone became grave, the memory of how close we had come to being separated eating at us.

“But I didn't,” I reminded him, cupping his cheek and pulling his eyes to mine. “I'm here now. You guys got to me in time, just like I always knew you would.” I gave him a sad smile, kissing him chastely. My kiss a reminder that we were both still alive.

His hand went to the back of my head, fingers intertwining into my hair as he pushed back, deepening the kiss with a hunger that quickly consumed me. Pulling back with a groan, he put his forehead to mine, our breaths mingling as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Don't ever do that to me again, Rhowyn. Don't leave me behind, don't get yourself into that kind of trouble while alone, and don't leave me here without you. I'm all in. Through everything that comes. We love together, fight together, and die together because I can't live this life without you anymore.”

His words caused my breath to hitch, my head swimming with his confession. Somehow, something that had started as fun had quickly consumed me until there was no other choice but to give in to him. I closed my own eyes, kissing him again briefly.

“I love you, Rhowyn,” he whispered, barely audible, before kissing me again.

I pulled back and searched his eyes, finding nothing but the depth and sincerity of those words. I could feel it oozing from him and into me. Placing a hand over his heart, I met his eyes. “I love you too, Baer.”

My voice cracked on the confession, emotion threatening to choke me. Baer lunged for me, kissing me with a hunger I had never experienced with him before, a sense of urgency in his touch as he skimmed his hand up my arm. He pushed me back, his lips never leaving mine as he did his best to devour me until he was hovering over me, leaning on one arm while the other explored my body. His tongue swirled with mine, pulling a moan from my lips. His hand grazed the underside of my breast as I arched into his touch, but it didn't stop to play with my nipple.

Instead, it continued down the line of my body, skimming my stomach as his lips moved to nibble on my jaw, journeying to the spot where my neck met my shoulder. My breath came out in pants as I was overwhelmed by him, needing more and more.

His hand finally reached my waistband, a finger dipping inside to tease all around my entrance, causing me to arch as I tried to get him to touch where I desperately needed him. He continued to tease me, sweeping that finger back and forth as he pulled back to watch me writhe under him.

Just as I was about to get angry with the teasing, needing more from him, he leaned down and found my nipple with his mouth, sucking it through the fabric of my shirt. The contrast of wet heat and coarse cloth had me nearly coming undone. I cried out, unable to contain the fervency that was sweeping through me.

“Baer,” I begged him through ragged breaths. Smiling, he continued his ministrations, his smugness coursing heavily through our bond. A hand moved to my waistband again, this time to remove my pants. I lifted my hips to give him access, his tongue still teasing my nipple as he sucked and tweaked it, never stopping even though his hand was now busy.

A door creaked open, briefly drawing me from the pleasure that Baer was wreaking on my body, and I turned my head, catching sight of Callum. Baer continued pleasuring me as if he hadn't heard the intrusion. Instead, his focus had switched to trailing kisses down my body, heading exactly where I needed him.

As if realizing I wasn’t going to kick him out, Callum stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly and leaning against it, watching as I writhed under Baer's attentions. I had never been into being watched, always self-conscious about things like that, but there was something about being watched by my consorts as their counterparts pleased me. It heightened what I was feeling, sending desire and butterflies to my core.

I tightened my legs at the idea of Callum continuing to watch us, reaching up and removing my shirt completely as Baer pulled my pants from me, finally leaving me fully bared to him. His tongue immediately found my slit, licking a long line before sucking my clit into his mouth. I cried out again, my eyes still glued to Callum's.

He shifted and reached into his pants, his hand cupping his dick, which I could see the outline of. Holy shit, that man was hung. I squeezed my thighs around Baer's head involuntarily, bucking as he hummed and vibrated my clit. His hands were on my ass, lifting me up to him as he continued to feast on my pussy as if it was the best thing he had ever tasted. A finger dipped into my cunt, swirling around the moisture that was dripping from me.

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