Page 72 of Realms of Swords and Storms
The knowledge shattered the last of my control. I roared, a sound that was more beast than man, and drove into her with a frantic, punishing pace. Sirrax moved forward, his mouth claiming hers, his hand slipping down to circle her clit, driving her faster and faster to the edge together.
This was what it meant to be Talfen. This was what it meant to be mated. It was a beautiful, brutal dance of dominance and surrender, of pain and pleasure so intertwined they became one. Her release crashed over her again, her inner muscles convulsing around me, milking me, pulling my own climax from the depths of my soul. "Mine," I snarled against her sweaty back as I spilled myself into her, not just seed but spirit, branding herwith my very essence. I was no longer just Tarshi. I was theirs. And they were mine.
19
The night air was cool against my flushed skin as Tarshi and I made our way back toward the academy. My body still hummed with pleasure, the memory of our encounter in the olive grove sending delicious aftershocks through me with each step. I could still feel the impression of Tarshi's teeth where he had marked my shoulder, claiming me as his mate in the Talfen way — a mark of possession that sent a thrill through me each time I thought of it. The bite had broken my skin, and would scar just as Sirrax’s bite had, though Tarshi had soothed the wound with his tongue, I would definitely need some kind of dressing before training tomorrow.
Beside me, Tarshi walked in silence, his face thoughtful in the moonlight. We had left Sirrax back at the dragon stables, both of us reluctant to part from him but aware of the necessity. If he were discovered missing, questions would be asked that none of us were prepared to answer.
"I hate leaving him there," Tarshi said suddenly, his voice low and fierce. "Caged like an animal when he's more than most humans could ever hope to be."
I squeezed his hand. "I know. I hate it too. But we don't have another option right now."
"We could free him. Take him far from here, somewhere the Empire couldn't find him."
"And go where?" I asked gently. "The Empire's reach is vast, and Sirrax is... distinctive. They would hunt us to the ends of the earth."
Tarshi's jaw tightened. "Then we fight. Now that I know what I am, what I can do—"
"One newly-awakened Talfen and one ancient one against the entire Imperial army?" I shook my head. "That's not a fight, it's suicide. And Sirrax understands that. He's playing the long game, Tarshi. Waiting for the right moment."
He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I know. You're right. It's just..." He glanced back toward the academy, toward the stables where Sirrax was once again wearing the collar that prevented his transformation. "I understand now what that collar means. What it takes from him. It's torture."
"It is," I agreed, the familiar guilt washing over me. "But he endures it because he believes in what we're trying to accomplish. He has faith that things will change."
Tarshi fell silent again as we continued walking. Something was troubling him beyond concern for Sirrax. I could see it in the tension of his shoulders, the slight furrow between his brows, the way his eyes wouldn't quite meet mine.
"What is it?" I asked finally, as we reached the small garden behind the sleeping quarters. "You've been quiet since we left the grove. Do you... regret what happened?"
His head snapped up, eyes widening. "No! Gods, no. How could I regret that? It was..." He trailed off, searching for words.
"Transcendent?" I offered with a small smile, remembering the intensity of our connection.
"Yes." His expression softened momentarily before the worry crept back in. "But there's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you before, but I was afraid."
My heart stuttered in my chest. "Afraid of what?"
He guided me to a stone bench beneath a flowering arbour, the sweet scent of night blooms surrounding us. Taking both my hands in his, he finally met my gaze directly.
"Now that we're bonded—truly bonded as mates—I can't keep secrets from you. It wouldn't be right."
I steeled myself for whatever revelation was coming. "There's nothing you could tell me that would change how I feel about you, Tarshi. Nothing."
He drew a deep breath. "I've been sleeping with Septimus."
For a moment, the words didn't register. When they did, I blinked, surprise rather than anger being my first reaction. "Septimus?" I repeated. "Our Septimus?"
Tarshi nodded, watching my face carefully, clearly braced for rejection.
"How long?" I asked, my mind racing to fit this new information into what I knew of both men.
"Since before you and I... before we became intimate." He swallowed hard. "It started about three months ago. After Varin… after I… Something just... ignited between us."
I processed this, turning it over in my mind. Septimus and Tarshi. It made a strange kind of sense, though I would never have guessed it. Their personalities were so different, their backgrounds worlds apart. Yet they were both warriors, both men of deep passion and conviction.
"And it's continued? Even though Septimus hates Talfen?”
He nodded, shame flashing across his features. "I should have told you. I know that. But I was afraid of how you'd react, andthen things between us became so intense, so important to me, and I was terrified of losing you."
