Page 17 of Trial By Fire

“There’s no time for rest,” Malekith replied, his voice low and rough. “Vizra won’t take this setback lightly. We need to be prepared for her next move.”

Aric moved closer, his eyes scanning the maps spread before them. “You think she’ll try to undermine us as we march onward to Drindal proper?”

A humorless smile tugged at Malekith’s lips. “I’d be disappointed if she didn’t. It’s what I would do in her position.”

Malekith’s fingers traced a path along the map, following the route of their planned advance. “She’ll be looking for any weakness, any opportunity to turn this victory against us. We can’t afford to give her one.”

Aric felt a chill run through him, remembering Vizra’s venomous words from earlier. “She suspects me,” he said quietly. “She thinks I’m the key to bringing you down.”

Malekith was silent for a long moment, his fingers drumming a restless rhythm on the table’s edge. “We’ll need to be more careful,” he said at last. “Vizra’s ambitious, but she’s not foolish.If she openly threatens you, it means she believes she has support.”

Aric nodded, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest. “What do we do?”

Malekith’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at Aric. “We do what we’ve been doing. We stay one step ahead. We watch each other’s backs. And we trust no one but ourselves.”

Aric stood rigid as Malekith’s claws traced his jawline, the demon’s touch sending shivers over his flesh. The night’s events bore down on him, the clash of emotions reflected in his stormy gray-blue eyes. Facing his people as their enemy had been agonizing, and he felt their accusing stares crawling over his skin even now.

“It couldn’t have been easy,” Malekith murmured, his voice a low hum as he drew Aric closer. “To see them, to know . . .” He trailed off, his gaze softening with understanding.

Aric’s throat tightened with unshed tears. “I just want to forget,” he rasped, his voice ragged with exhaustion and pent-up emotion. “If only for a little while.”

Malekith’s expression was unreadable, his dark eyes holding a myriad of secrets. “I can help you with that,” he said.

Aric’s breath hitched as Malekith began to undress him, his movements slow and deliberate. The demon’s touch was gentle, nothing like the endless cruelty and savagery of the battlefield. Each caress was a whisper against Aric’s skin, sending shivers of desire through him.

As Malekith kissed the newly exposed skin, Aric closed his eyes, surrendering to the sensations. The demon’s lips were soft and insistent, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. He felt himself being gently guided backward, until the backs of his legs hit the edge of the camp bed. With a gentle push, Malekith urged him to sit, and Aric complied, his body boneless with desire.

Malekith continued his slow seduction, undressing Aric with deliberate care. He kissed each inch of exposed skin, his lips and tongue a source of pleasure so intense it bordered on pain. Aric’s breath quickened, his heart pounding in his chest as he arched into the demon’s touch.

When Aric was completely naked, Malekith paused, taking in the sight of him with dark, smoldering eyes. Then, with a gentle hand, he guided Aric back onto the bed, following him down. Their bodies aligned, skin against skin, and Aric shuddered as he felt the full length of Malekith pressed against him.

Malekith’s hands roamed, possessive and reverent, as if committing every inch of Aric to memory. His lips found Aric’s, their kiss deep and passionate. Aric tasted the heady mix of desire and something akin to desperation, a need that mirrored his own.

As their kisses grew more fevered, Aric’s hands fisted in Malekith’s hair, pulling him closer. He wanted to lose himself in this moment, to forget the horrors of the day and the uncertainty of the future. He wanted to feel alive, to burn with a passion that could consume the darkness that threatened to engulf him.

And Malekith was more than willing to provide the flame. His mouth trailed down Aric’s neck, his teeth nipping gently at the sensitive skin. His hands roamed, exploring every curve and plane of Aric’s body with a tenderness that belied his fearsome reputation.

Aric’s breath caught as Malekith’s lips closed around a nipple, his tongue swirling in lazy circles. He moaned, his head falling back as pleasure shot through him. Malekith’s name escaped his lips in a hoarse whisper, a plea for more.

The demon chuckled, the vibrations tickling Aric’s sensitized skin. “Patience, my love,” he murmured, his hot breath fanning across Aric’s chest. “I intend to take my time with you.”

Aric whimpered, his body thrumming with need. “Please,” he begged, his voice thick with desire. “I need you.”

Malekith’s eyes darkened, his pupils dilating with hunger. “As I need you,” he growled, his voice dropping an octave.

As Malekith penetrated Aric, he moved with a deliberate slowness, his every action designed to heighten Aric’s pleasure, plunging into him in slow, assured thrusts of his hips. He kissed Aric’s face tenderly, his lips brushing against the other man’s eyelids, cheeks, and mouth. His hands roamed Aric’s body, caressing him with a gentleness that belied the fierce passion simmering between them.

Aric moaned, his body arching into Malekith’s touch. The demon’s measured pace was driving him wild with desire, and he found himself begging for more. “Fuck me harder,” he pleaded, his voice hoarse with need.

Malekith smiled, his dark eyes filled with a mixture of desire and tenderness. He complied with Aric’s request, thrusting into him with increasing intensity. At the same time, he reached down and wrapped his hand around Aric’s cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts.

Aric cried out, overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through him. The combination of Malekith’s deep, powerful thrusts and the firm grip on his cock was too much to bear. He felt himself teetering on the edge of release, desperate to fall over the precipice.

Malekith seemed to sense this, and he increased his pace even more, driving into Aric with a primal ferocity that sent shockwaves of pleasure through him. Aric’s fingers dug into Malekith’s shoulders as he felt his orgasm building, coiling tightly within him.

With a final powerful thrust, Malekith pushed them both over the edge. Aric cried out as his release surged through him, his entire body shuddering with the intensity of it. Malekithgrowled, his own climax overtaking him as he spilled himself within Aric.

As their breathing slowed and their hearts stopped pounding in their chests, they remained intertwined, their bodies still joined. Aric felt a wave of contentment wash over him, and for a brief moment, he let himself drift.

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