Page 52 of A Dagger of Twisted Starlight

He responded by sucking harder, his hand stroking mefaster. He cupped my balls, gently squeezing, massaging. It felt so good. So fucking good.

Sooo fuck?—

“I’m going to come,” I warned, my body feeling that rush right before the climax.

He didn’t stop sucking my cock. He bobbed up and down, moaning as my orgasm hit. I dropped my head back, thrusting up, unloading my balls down Blake’s thirsty throat. The room spun. My body felt full of helium, like I was about to float up and hit the ceiling.

Blake lifted his head, smiling as he licked his lips. “Damn,” he said. “That was a lot.”

“And you swallowed it all. You’re already a pro.”

“I try, I try.”

“Clearly,” I said with a light-headed chuckle.

He kissed his way back up my body, his lips finding mine in a tender kiss. “You’re amazing,” I whispered against his lips.

Blake smiled, his eyes filled with warmth and satisfaction. “That was… incredible.”

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close as we caught our breath. “You did so well, Blake.”

He blushed, his cheeks a rosy pink. “Thank you, X. I had a solid teacher.”

We lay there in comfortable silence, our bodies intertwined. I could feel the steady beat of his heart against my chest, and it filled me with a sense of peace that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

After a while, Blake lifted his head and broke the silence. “Is that… is that the door to your horde room?” he asked, nodding toward the ornate door on the other side of the room. It was made of dark mahogany, etched with vines that trailed up and down its length.

I followed his gaze and nodded. There was a brief pause. A moment of quick calculation. I’d never let anyone except my siblings into my horde room. A dragon guarded their hordes like they’d guard their own hearts. They were extensions of our very beings. Being allowed into one was the ultimate sign of trust.

“Yes, it is. Would you like to see inside?”

Blake’s amber eyes lit up. “I’d love to. If that’s alright, of course.”

“It’s more than alright.”

I got up and took his hand, leading him to the door. He went for his clothes, but I waved him off. “You can stay the way you are, it’s okay. I like it.”

“Okay, good, because I wanted you to stay naked too.” He smiled and kissed my neck.

Something had shifted between us. Any kind of wall that had been surrounding Blake was demolished.

“This is a special place for me,” I said as I pushed open the door, revealing the hidden treasure within. The room was like stepping into another world. A beautiful garden stretched out before us, filled with vibrant, rare flowers, mostly a specific kind of orchid, my mother’s favorite. Sunlight streamed down from a seemingly invisible source, casting a warm, golden glow over everything. Large monarch butterflies flitted about, and iridescent hummingbirds hovered in the air, creating a serene, magical atmosphere.

Blake gasped, his eyes wide with wonder. “This is… incredible.”

I smiled, feeling a sense of pride. “I collect rare flowers. Mostly these dawn orchids. They were my mother’s favorite. She always said they were resilient and powerful but still gentle and soft.” I stepped over to a large stone pot that held three dawn orchids. Their petals glistened as if they contained the setting sun inside of them.

Blake wandered around the room, admiring the different flowers while I admired him. “They’re beautiful.”

“They come in different colors and varieties,” I explained. “Dawn orchids never go out of bloom, no matter the season or the weather. I like that permanence. It’s so opposite to the way time normally works, shifting and pulling and tugging things in a forward direction.”

Blake turned to me, his smile as warm as the light that bathed our naked bodies. “Tell me more about your mom.”

I felt a lump in my throat, the familiar ache of loss rising to the surface. I worked hard to bury that emotion, but it was impossible for me to fully let go. “She was an amazing woman. Strong, kind, and incredibly wise. Losing her… it’s a wound that has never quite healed. I was the definition of a momma’s boy. She was my best friend. My closest confidant.”

Blake came over and took my hand. “I’m so sorry, Xavier. I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”

I nodded, feeling a wave of emotion wash over me. “It is. But these flowers… they remind me of her. They give me a sense of connection to her, even though she’s gone.”

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