Page 39 of Chains of Love

"I'm that beautiful, am I?" she teases, continuing on.

The mountain path stretches endlessly before us, each step taking us closer to breaking this bond. My chest tightens at the thought. What kind of spell has she woven over me beyond the binding? The proud warrior in me rebels against these feelings, but they persist, growing stronger with each passing moment.

"We're out of food," Lirien announces, patting the empty satchel at her hip. "Serra's provisions are gone."

Thank the gods for the distraction. "I'll handle dinner." The words come out rougher than intended, my warrior's pride surging forward.

"Oh?" Lirien stops walking, turning to face me with that knowing smile that makes my blood rush south. "And how exactly do you plan to do that? You don't know these mountains or what game might be here. Or if there is any game at all, for that matter."

I close the distance between us in two long strides, my hands finding her waist. The fabric of her robes is thin enough that I can feel her warmth beneath. She tilts her head back to maintain eye contact, that challenging smirk still playing on her lips.

"I could always..." I lean down, my teeth grazing the sensitive spot just below her ear. Her breath catches. "...devour you instead."

"Darak!" She squirms in my grasp, but I feel her pulse quicken beneath my lips.

"You taste better than anything Serra packed anyway." I nip at her neck again, harder this time, drawing a gasp from her throat.

"What's gotten into you?" Lirien's breath catches as I trail kisses down her neck, savoring the sweet taste of her skin.

"I'm looking at her," I growl against her throat, feeling her pulse quicken beneath my lips. My hands slide down her sides, pulling her closer.

She reaches up, her delicate fingers tracing the hard angles of my face. The gentle touch sends electricity through my body. Her fingers are impossibly soft against my battle-weathered skin, and I lean into her caress like a starved man.

Our eyes meet, and for a moment, the mountain air crackles with something deeper than desire. Her green eyes shine with an emotion I'm afraid to name.

"We should probably find actual food," she whispers, though she doesn't pull away.

"Already handled." I smirk, keeping one arm around her waist. "Been tracking a herd of mountain goats since dawn. Their tracks lead northwest, toward that ridge."

Her eyes widen. "You've been tracking this whole time?"

"Some of us have skills beyond magic, little demon."

She pushes against my chest playfully. "I might make a man out of you yet." The way her hips sway as she continues up the path sets my blood on fire.

I watch her walk ahead, silver hair catching the sunlight, and something settles in my chest. This - her teasing smile, the mountain air, the freedom to simply exist - this is what life should be. Not endless battles or hollow victories, but moments like these.

My grin turns predatory as I stride after her. Perhaps I'll save the goat hunting for later. I have a different appetite to satisfy first.

"Darak,if you don't stop you'll make me lose my concentration," Lirien scolds, a smile playing at her lips.

It didn't take much persuasion to convince Lirien to stop and make camp for the night. She's proving to be far less stubborn now that she has that sexy, feline look in her eye when she gazes at me. And for all the protesting she's doing now, she seems rather inclined to rub her ass back on me.

My body is pressed right up against her back, hands on her waist as she makes another attempt at building a stone oven with the slabs of fallen rock she collected when we decided this on this spot. Comparatively, we're still at the bottom of the mountains—and she doesn't blame me for the lack of today's progress.

"I'm only trying to help." My hands slide lower on her hips as she attempts to position another stone. "See? Supporting you."

"Supporting me right into dropping this rock on my foot." Lirien's laugh vibrates through her back against my chest. "And your 'help' is making these stones more crooked than a merchant's ledger."

I nip at her neck, savoring the way she shivers. "My hands are quite steady."

"Mhm. Steady at everything except helping me build this oven." She bumps her shoulder back into my chest. "If you want to be useful, go get that goat you're so proud of catching. Before it spoils."

"You seemed impressed enough when I brought it back." I graze my teeth along her ear, drinking in her soft gasp.

"Yes, yes, you're very impressive with your hunting skills." She tries to sound dismissive, but I catch the breathiness in her voice. "Now go prove how impressive you are at preparing it."

"As my lady commands." I release her with a final nibble to her earlobe, chuckling at her frustrated groan as another stone topples over.

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