Page 34 of The Scattered Bones

The way he speaks makes me wonder if there’s another reason he promised to return Kaid to me. He sought me out a cycle ago when devastation crippled me. I clung to his oath out of sheer survival, but now I question his motives. Why is my faith so significant? Why am I so important to this stranger?

“Rest.” He takes the water skin from me. “When you are well, you’ll find his bones, and we shall leave this edge of the world behind us.”

“There’s truly nothing up here, is there?” I ask as I lay down.

“It would seem that way.”

“How disappointing.” I yawn. “I’d hoped this climb would be worth it.”

And it is, in the end. I rest for three more days, and then, on aching legs, I wander the shrouded plateau, The Stranger never far behind me, until I find his thigh. I hug what used to be an impressively powerful part of his body to my chest as The Stranger makes me swear to remain among the clouds until I can make the descent alone. Now that I have his severed limb, my dark protector cannot aid me, and so he leaves me with a full waterskin, his pack of dried meat and nuts, and a fire burning in the mist. I stay atop the edge of the world for as long as my supplies allow, and then with a leg that may ache forever, I scale the Verdens Kant, the descent more excruciating than the climb.

The Vows

SEASON OF THE HARVEST, CYCLE 78920

Kaid raised his arms, letting me peel the shirt from his body, and the second his skin was bare, the air fled my lungs. He was perfect in his imperfection, and my fingers traced his chest down to his chiseled abs. It was as if the gods had sculpted him themselves, and I would never tire of looking at him.

“I love your face when you study me,” Kaid said with an unsteady voice. “This must be how the gods feel when worshiped.”

I lifted my eyes to his and then lowered my lips to his chest, seductively kissing his smooth skin. “Because it is worship.”

“My wife.” Kaid gripped my hair and yanked my mouth up to his, devouring me with a hunger I’d never experienced from him. He’d called me by many names over our time together. Friend. Sellah. Goddess. But Wife? Wife was my favorite.

Kaid’s tongue licked the seam of my mouth, and I opened, granting him access to every part of me. His groan sent a shock of electric desire to my core, and my fingers dug into his chest.

“Husband,” I moaned, his kiss swallowing the word. “Please.”

A feral need consumed Kaid at my plea, and he ripped my dress from my body, the delicate fabric shredding at his strength. He threw the ruined garment behind me and laid me down on it, his movements rough and desperate yet impossibly gentle. His lips never left mine as he pressed our bare skin together, and I kissed him with urgency, desire building in my chest.

“Eyes on me, wife.” He kicked his pants free, and my feet wrapped around his legs to help push them off. “I want to watch your face as we make our final vows.”

His name escaped on my breath as I met his hungry gaze. Everything in me broke apart and reformed, new and whole, at his expression, and when he pressed against my entrance, I gasped with pleasure, my back arching against the roof.

“Gods, Sellah.” Kaid pushed into me slowly, inch by delicious inch.

“Please.” I was all greed and love and happiness.

“Patience, goddess.” He gripped my chin roughly, forcing my gaze to his. “I want to savor this moment as I make you mine. I want to watch your face; feel every ounce of pleasure you take from me.” He thrust hard as his voice died, and unlike our first time, where the sting distracted from my enjoyment, this was nothing but pure bliss. It was the most delicious sensation to grace my body, and every part of me came alive.

My legs locked around his hips, forcing him further, and I moaned, thankful that the whistling wind hid my screams. I could shout at the top of my lungs, and not a soul would be the wiser. Yes, it seemed Elsker had blessed our union.

“I can barely control myself, wife,” Kaid growled into my mouth. His grip tightened on my jaw in a possessiveness I would never tire of, and he thrust harder, letting me know who I belonged to.

“Then don’t.” My legs already caged him against my body, but I slid my hands down his muscled back to his ass, severing his restraint.

“Gods, Sellah.” He seized my waist and rolled to his back, hoisting me on top of him, and the unbridled desire in his eyes almost pushed me over the edge, my arousal coursing through me like a forest fire.

“More,” I moaned into the wind, letting the wed gods witness our vows. “I want more.”

“And I want to watch you.” He lifted my chest off his, guiding my movements as he reveled in the sight of my moon-kissed skin. “Do what you will to me, wife. I am yours.”

Our gazes met, and his eyes revealed every emotion in his heart. He worshiped me as he studied my face, my breasts, my belly, and then where we were joined, and I glanced to where he stared. The sight was more than I could bear, and I gripped his chest, leaning forward so that I could watch our bodies pledge our marriage vows. We became one as my hands clutched the muscles containing his thundering heart. Neither of us spoke, our heaving breaths words enough, and Kaid covered my hand over his heart with his broad palm as he lifted his other to cover my heartbeat. We moved together, savoring the vision of our joining, feeling the power of two hearts beating as one. We were married. I was no longer a vessel for the Pure One. I was Kaid’s wife.

“I can’t hold on much longer,” Kaid groaned. “Please let me feel you.”

My gaze lifted to his face, loving how I ruined him, and I leaned forward to capture his jaw. I kissed him as he wrapped me in a powerful embrace, joining every inch of our skin together. We were slick with sweat. Our breaths were erratic, the bliss flowing between us almost unbearable. We moved faster, our rhythm so perfect, so in tune, that it was as if our bodies had memorized a choreographed dance. The sensations were too much, my body more fire than flesh, and by Kaid’s grip on my waist, I knew he intended to keep his promise. He would give me a family, and the realization that he might gift me a child on our wedding night undid me.

I screamed, unable to contain my voice. My vision blurred, my heart exploded, my blood burned, and it did not end. It rolled endlessly through me; the wind carrying away my ecstasy so that we remained hidden.

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