Page 32 of Wrath of the Dragons
I inhale deeply and arch against him, pretending to innocently stretch.
A delicious groan vibrates against my back. “Elowen,” he warns.
“Hmm?” I press my hips back again, and his hard length digs intome. I clutch the blankets and try to focus on keeping my breathing steady.
“All hells,” he hisses into my hair and splays his hand over my stomach. I’ve never craved the touch of anyone else, and it’s impossible to resist him when he’s close. One of the only times my mind quiets is when his arms are around me. Cayden touches me like he laments the moment we’ll be parted and will fight for a few more seconds. He clenches my slip, unintentionally dragging the material up my legs. My thighs press together from featherlight sensation, and the anticipation makes a needy whimper crawl up my throat as someone bangs on the door again.
He uses his other hand to cover my mouth as he grazes his lips along the column of my neck. I tilt my head to grant him more access, and he loosens his grip on my slip to draw slow circles on my skin. “Stay quiet for me, love,” he whispers, and bites down on the most sensitive spot, flicking his tongue over it as he leaves his mark. His hand muffles another moan, and my desperation for more grows impossibly stronger.
The pounding on the door resumes, followed by a frustrated growl. “I’ll be back,” Saskia states before stalking down the hall.
Cayden releases my mouth and nibbles on my earlobe. “Please.” I keep my voice low, so the others won’t hear through the paper-thin walls. “Maybe it’ll be easier to be around each other if we stop denying ourselves.”
His hand travels from my stomach to cup my breast, and the calluses on his fingers make me shiver. His movements are languid as he kneads and brushes his thumb over my nipple. His chuckle is warm and rich like a dollop of chocolate melting on my tongue. “Do you think it’ll be that simple?”
No,but admitting that out loud sounds humiliating. “Yes.”
“Elowen.” My name is caressed by his voice, making each syllable sound like a secret he wishes to keep entirely to himself. “I wouldn’t have fallen into madness craving more of you than I deserve if myfeelings could’ve been erased by a simple touch, but we don’t align on what we want.”
His warmth is ripped away as he sits up and swings his legs over the bed. The morning light illuminates the raised red scars on his back and the smattering of stars that travel down his ribs. His back muscles flex as he stretches and runs a hand through his messy waves.
I clear my throat and press my back into the headboard, trying to ignore the sting of rejection. I just want to forget everything that’s happened for just a few moments. “W-what do you mean? What do you want?”
“I understand why you doubt me. You made it clear last night that I hurt your trust and mending that is my priority.” He looks over his shoulder. “Because I want everything with you, El, and I won’t accept anything less than that, even if it takes years for us to get there.”
“Years?” I echo, blinking slowly, but his face doesn’t change from the unwaveringly serious expression as he nods only once. “You truly mean that.”
He licks his lips and reaches forward to rest his hand against my cheek. “All I ask is that when your mind starts to wage war on you, you give me a place on the front lines.”
A smile tugs my lips up and my eyes soften. I think most men would wish me to keep my thoughts trapped behind my lips, but never Cayden. He hangs on to my every word and emotion like they belong to him alone. “Okay, soldier.”
A dimple deepens in his cheek as his mouth quirks up in one corner, and he leans forward to kiss my forehead before rising from bed. The floor creaks under his weight, and a chair scrapes against the floor in the dining room, followed by the sound of pounding footsteps again.
“Have you spent enough time gazing longingly at each other?” Ryder shouts, and Cayden tilts his head to the ceiling and sighs.
“I’ll find a mirror so you don’t feel left out,” Cayden responds.
Shadows dance as Ryder stops behind the door, but he lowers hisvoice to whisper through the wood. “Please come out. Finnian isn’t awake and Saskia is terrifying when she has a task list she feels behind on.”
Cayden casts me a flat look while tying the drawstring on his pants. “We can sneak out the window.”
I roll my eyes while throwing the covers off. “Oh, today is going to be so fun.”
Chapter
Sixteen
Elowen
A frigid wind whips down fromthe mountain peaks, sprinkling us with a dusting of snow. The treetops sway, their limbs brushing together in an endless, winding labyrinth. Sorin roars, and the lonely sound echoes through the valley.
“Do you think he misses the others?” Finnian asks as we walk arm in arm down the road.
“Most likely. He hasn’t been apart from them since birth.” I recall Saskia’s words from yesterday as I watch Sorin fly in uneasy circles. “Dragons are born from old magic; maybe he can sense whatever god magic remains within the land.”
“I didn’t think you believed in the gods.”
“I don’t worship them, but there is magic in the world.” Before I was born, I’m sure people said the same things about dragons. They were myths lost in legends and tales, creatures that parents would tell their children about while putting them to bed. “The world changes every day, creating new possibilities that others deemed impossible. All it takes is one person to alter reality into something unrecognizable, whether for better or worse.”
