Page 32 of Crown and Dragon

He glanced at her, worry pinching his gaze. Maybe her silliness had been a bad move for this intense moment.

She held up her hands. “I’m joking. Marius, I adore you. I would never, ever leave you. Just because these idiots south of the Veil know how to party doesn’t mean I’m planning to makea life here. I love our life at home. I hope you know I’m not that shallow.” How could he ever think she would leave?

His head fell back, and he shut his eyes as he exhaled. He opened his eyes and looked at her, then he pulled her into his arms.

She pressed her lips into the hollow at the base of his throat. “You are my home, Marius. Wherever you are, that’s where I am happiest.”

His mouth was warm on the top of her damp hair. He kissed the crown of her head and gently held her close, his thumb stroking the bottom of her ear and the soft spot beside her jaw. Beneath the tomatoes, he smelled like he always did. And it was wonderful. Familiar and exciting, both.

“I adore you. You are well aware of that,” he said quietly. “Perhaps I’m only being overprotective. This is a messy mission. The dangers continue to multiply.”

“That makes sense.” She pulled back a bit. His eyes had softened and he was almost smiling, the right side of his full lips tugged up a fraction of an inch. “Are we all right now? Can we get out of these terrible clothes and have a bit of merriment while we wait on her?”

She went to the bedside table, took up one of the cloths, and dipped it into the water.

“Merriment?” Marius’s tone was lighter now.

Tahlia relaxed. She returned to Marius’s side to clean his face. He sighed at her ministrations as she tidied his proud nose and brow, his cheekbones and jawline. She rewet the cloth and wiped down his neck, powerful forearms, and his fingers.

When she finished, he took up a new cloth and did the same for her. He found a wide comb and used it to wet and detangle her hair before tending to his own. She shucked off her boots and stockings. Her tunic’s tie was knotted at the back of her neck, and she couldn’t get the thing worked loose.

“Here.” Marius breathed against the nape of her neck, and warmth traveled over her skin like his breath was sunlight. “Allow me, Lady of the Skies.”

His deft fingers undid the knot with no trouble. He smoothed the tunic over her shoulder and peeled it from her, allowing her to step out. He worked the rest of her clothing off, then she took a turn to undress him, savoring the process. The corded muscle in his forearms and stomach. The narrow path between his hipbones. The male scent of him, the warmth of his inner thighs. His delightfully enormous cock. The smoldering look in his stormy eyes. The way his fingers twitched as if he was dying to grab her and do wonderfully naughty things to her.

He brought her to him and kissed her sweetly, his hands cradling her face. “Would my lady order me to my knees or does she have other merriment in mind?”

Rubbing himself slowly against her core, he drew a moan from her. Heat shot through her blood. He licked her breast and toyed with her nipple, sending shivers down her trembling thighs. She couldn’t summon a single word. He dropped down and held her arse as she stood before him. His tongue explored her, and pleasure coursed up her center. Her breath came in only gasps now as he drove her mad with flicks, swirls, and thrusts with his mouth and fingers. He kept hold of her arse with one hand, not allowing her to step backward or fall onto the bed. Her desire climbed to an absolute need.

She grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at her. “Bed. Now.”

He nodded once, snatched her like she didn’t weigh what she did, and then they were on the bed and he was poised at her entrance. The air seemed to shake with the thread of their mate bond. She couldn’t see that thread, but she felt it as surely as she felt his body leaning into hers. It was bright, hot, and powerful. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead, thenhe drove into her with one great thrust. Sparks of pure delight showered over her body, every inch of her linked to him in a way that was invisible to the eye but clear to the soul. Driving forward again and again, he angled himself so that he also pressed against her in exactly the right way. His hand smoothed quickly down her side to lift her leg onto his shoulder. The rightness of their fit had her biting her knuckles to keep from crying out.

“Tell me I am your mate, Tahlia,” he said, quietly, his voice a snarl. His hair had fallen in a Fae-white sheet over half his face and he looked like a gorgeous, monstrous dream.

“I am your mate, Marius,” she whispered huskily. “Yours. And you are mine.”

Her pleasure rose to a point and exploded across her body, sending her into a moan she couldn’t hold back as she rode the wave of sensation. Marius held a hand to her mouth and drove harder into her, his gaze pinning her in place as surely as his physical presence. His head fell back and he shuddered, his body spasming.

“My lady. My Lady of the Skies. My Tahlia…”

The way he said her name with such reverence brought her back to another peak of pleasure and she shattered against him as he held still and hard inside her. At the last second, he worked her again and the second peak went on and on. She couldn’t breathe for the joy and delight flooding her. He dropped down beside her, took her jaw between his thumb and forefinger, and turned her to face him. Her cheeks were blazing from exertion. He kissed her cheek, chin, and neck.

With each new kiss, he whispered a word of love and dedication. “Mine. My sweet. Perfection. I am yours. Only you see my heart, own my heart, are my heart.”

And even though they would be braving unthinkable terrors quite soon, Tahlia fell into a dreamless sleep in her commander’s arms.

Chapter 15

Tahlia

Tahlia woke in what felt like the middle of the night, though it was impossible to tell in this windowless room. A nightmare about dark waves and claws had ripped apart the peace she’d felt when she’d fallen asleep in Marius’s arms. Blowing out a shaking breath, she tried to calm her heart. Swallowing her fear, she lit the candle on the bedside table and took one of Fara’s letters. Lying stomach down, Marius snored lightly beside her.

Dearest feral friendwho refuses to have a normal job,

How are things going?I’ll assume you still have both of your eyeballs since you are reading this. That’s good. You must have avoided the human water. Is their wine any good? I doubt it.

Arethey handsy when they drink? I feel like I’ve heard they are. If any of those arseheads say a single thing to you that you don’t like, just keep a list and some descriptions. I’ll visit and undo their good health with great pleasure.

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