Page 80 of Vows Forged in Blood

“Alaric!” I cry as I careen over the cliff into another endless pool of ecstasy. He grips my hips and bucks his own up once, twice, three times before roaring my name and coming hard. I collapse onto his chest, panting and blinking the stars away from my vision.

“Gods, will this ever ebb?” I ask. “This…intensity? This constant need?” No matter how many times we’re together, no matter how many climaxes rip through my body until I can literally no longer stand or move, it’s never enough.

“I don’t know,” he says between gasping breaths. “I don’t think so.” He strokes my spine and my heart slowly begins to return to a normal rhythm. “It’s a common, ah, trait of matehood.”

I laugh lightly, and then harder, shoulders shaking beneath his hands. He pulls me upright so he can look at me in confusion.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just…a trait of matehood is to fuck like rabbits??” His lips curl into a slow, sexy grin.

“I suppose that’s one way to put it, yes.” And then he’s laughing with me, the two of us sprawled across the bed, laughing until my sides hurt. A knock at the door finally pulls us from our hysterics and once we’re sufficiently covered in a silk sheet, Alaric calls for whoever it is to enter.

It’s Livia, one of the humans who works for Alaric. I smile and wave and she gives me a tentative smile in return. She’s young, maybe seventeen, and a little shy, but I’ve been trying to put her at ease. I think she took this job with the understanding that she would basically never be around the prince, so our arrival sent her into a bit of a spiral. She’s coming around though, and I hope that we’ll be friends.

She bows her head. “I’m sorry to interrupt you sir, but…” She cuts her eyes quickly to me, lips curling before she looks back to Alaric. “The, uh,package, is nearly here. Perhaps thirty minutes or so.”

“Excellent, thank you.” She ducks her head and scurries from the room.

“Package?” I ask with a quirk of my brow, but Alaric is already off the bed and tugging me with him. “What are you doing?” I exclaim, but erupt into a fit of squeals and giggles when he tosses me over his shoulder and smacks my ass playfully.

“We need to shower and then I have a surprise for you.”

My eyes light up. “A surprise??”

“Yes, a surprise, but one you cannot receive naked and smelling of sex, you little harlot.”

“Harlot?? Oooh, you’ll pay for that one, your highness…”

“I look forward to it,” he says sensually as he slowly slides me down his body in front of the shower. “But for now—bathe,” he says sternly.

Chapter 40

ALARIC

I’m…nervous? No, that can’t possibly be right…but, yes, that’s what this buzzing feeling in my chest is. We wait in the foyer—bathed and fully clothed, unfortunately, though I know this will be worth it.

“What are we waiting for?” Dahlia asks for the tenth time, bouncing from foot to foot, but I’m resolute in my determination that this will be a true surprise.

“Patience, Keeva,” I say yet again and she scowls. Elias grins and winks at me encouragingly. It had been his idea, after all, and a damn good one. I surely should have thought of it myself, but I’ve been…distracted, to say the least. Sometimes Dahlia and I spend days at a time in bed, forgetting nearly everything and everyone else in the world. The others have been entirely understanding and have managed to entertain themselves about the castle and the sea below. Nova, Wesley, Takara and Dahlia’s guard had taken one of my smaller ships out to the islands not far off the coast a few days ago and they’ve been very liberal with my stores of wine and whisky. Bastian and Fiona left for Astoria’s Keep to work on spreading the news of my new mate to the others and addressing any issues that come up.

“I don’t like being patient,” she grumbles. I lean down low and plant a soft kiss just below her ear, grinning when she shivers.

In a low whisper I say, “I have ways to teach you patience, Dahlia…they involve you tied to our bed and me bringing you just to the brink over and over and over, but never quite letting you fall…” She inhales sharply and I laugh before nipping at the shell of her ear and straightening.

“You are truly evil,” Elias mutters from beside us.

Dahlia swallows hard and smooths her hair, trying to act nonchalant but her pulse is racing. She clears her throat lightly and, without looking at me, says, “I would like to learn, I think…”

I clench my jaw and a low growl rumbles in the back of my throat. The thought is enough to make me hard as stone and I have to shift my stance and adjust myself. Elias barks out a laugh beside me, not even attempting to hide it with a cough.

“Bastard,” I grumble but then he and I both straighten when we hear steps outside. Dahlia can’t hear them, but notices our shift and watches the door like a hawk.

“I’ll go get the others,” Elias says quietly, clapping me on the shoulder and heading down one of the hallways leading from the entry. Alora hurries to the door and with a look to me for approval, pulls it open.

Dahlia makes a sound that is somewhere between a gasp and a sob, flying to the door as her sister and father step through.

“Enid!!” she cries, flinging her arms around the girl and hugging her so tightly I fear she might bruise her. I can feel the love and elation pulsing from my mate and it warms me to the core of my soul. I knew she missed her family of course, but I hadn’t fathomed the depths of her loss and aching heart until this moment. I will find ways to make these visits more frequent if it makes Dahlia happy.

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