Page 74 of Oath of War
‘I need the beast. Take me. If it hurts, so be it, but I need you, all of you,’ I murmured before grasping his short beard and pulling him into a brutal kiss. ‘Fuck me as hard as you love me ...’
Orm liked to be gentle with me, acutely aware of his own strength, but I didn’t need his gentleness tonight. When I bit his lip, he growled again, pulling away.
‘You’re playing a dangerous game, Nivale,’ he said in a voice so low and deep it sent shivers down my spine. ‘My control has its limits, and I will hurt you if I ... Fuck, Annika ... I can’t. I will rip you apart,’ he cursed, his hips bucking when I grabbed his cock, aiming it at my entrance.
It slipped from my grasp when Ormond roared, lifting me and slamming me back onto the desk. Papers scattered, falling tothe floor, but I didn’t care. My gaze was focused on him as he stood over me, panting harshly before he grasped my thighs and spread them open.
‘Remember you asked for this.’ His voice was a tense grunt as he slammed inside me in one harsh thrust. The move was so forceful that it pushed me back on the desk, but he locked his hand around my throat, drawing me back in and impaling me on his cock.
I groaned, half-throttled, as he slammed into me again. His harsh, punishing rhythm forced another cry from my lips. My control fractured, and strands of aether shimmered in the air, floating towards him. Orm snarled as our magic mixed, shredding the last of his control.
‘More,’ I groaned, wrapping my legs around his hips and pulling him farther into me.
His pleasure burned through the Anchor bond, fuelling my own; Orm was aroused by the searing heat of my primal power, so I let it flow. His eyes blazed brighter than any fire, wild magic roaring through the beast he’d unleashed.
I didn’t care that the vortex of power roiling around us rattled the windows, shredding the scattered reports he’d been reading in the aethereal storm. Nothing mattered but him: my berserker, wrenching pleasure from my soul as he chased the darkness away.
‘Mine,’ Orm howled as the aether lit his skin from within with each punishing thrust.
Pleasure built in my core, washing away the stench of the funeral pyre and the feeling of failure, all eclipsed by his brutal touch. Suddenly, I was moving, held aloft by the sheer strength of his battle-hardened muscles.
‘I love you,’ I rasped, scratching his back. He roared, pressing my body into the mattress as he threw me on the bed, groping my breasts so hard I was sure I would have bruises tomorrow.My pleasure crested, and my world became overwhelmed by the absolute love radiating through our bond.
I felt him lose himself in the sensation, my body pulsing around him, gripping his shaft when he erupted deep inside me. I whimpered and held him close, stroking his back as his body shuddered, beautiful golden eyes dimming when the beast retreated, calmed by our joining.
When our breathing evened out, he rolled us to the side, wrapping his arms around me. ‘I didn’t hurt you, did I?’
Orm had just given me exactly what I needed, yet he worried it was too much. I felt the dam I’d built around my heart over the last few days burst. A short sob escaped me as I pulled away, panting to hold my tears at bay.
‘I’m sorry, it’s not your fault,’ I said, feeling like I needed to run away, but Orm grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close.
‘I know, and you are not leaving. You said you needed me, and now I need you to stay with me,’ he murmured into my neck. I jerked my head back, shocked by the pain in his voice. ‘I’m not forcing you. I will let you go if you truly desire it, but I need you. Please stay.’
‘I can’t, Orm. I’m afraid that if I crack, I’ll break ... Too many people are counting on me to be strong. I can’t fall apart, so please, let me be. It hurts too fucking much.’
He caught my hand, pressing it to his chest before caging me in his embrace. Ormond was inhumanly strong, and without my magic, I couldn’t break free, but nor did I actually want to.
‘Will it hurt less if you let this guilt and doubt fester? Cry, my love,’ he said. ‘I know how much you love Ari. I know how angry you feel, how scared ... I know because I feel it, too.’
Orm kissed the top of my head, stroking me gently. ‘The night you slept in Vahin’s lair, Ari gave himself to me. I’ve never felt that way before. It’s different from what you and I share, but noless meaningful. When he told me he had interrogated Ihrain and needed to leave, I thought I’d done something wrong ... but I didn’t.’
He sighed, gently lifting my chin until I looked into his eyes. He brushed away the hair that was plastered to my forehead and smiled. ‘Ari made a difficult choice, maybe the wrong one, but it washischoice, and we must respect it. No one’s at fault, and only Cahyon’s to blame for Zalesie.’
He looked down, tracing a finger over the Anchor mark on my chest. Within a dark, slowly swirling circle was a dragon, a sword, and a thorny vine, all entwined together in perfect harmony.
With a tender smile, Orm bent down and kissed each aspect of my mark. ‘I never considered what it’s like to be a conduit mage. How deeply you must feel the souls entwined with your own,’ he whispered, his breath raising goosebumps on my skin. ‘If I lost you, I would drown this world in blood and dragon fire, and yet you were able to let Alaric go. I could never be that strong.’
His calm words and soft caresses eased my trembling body, and I embraced him, pressing my face hard against his muscled chest. ‘I shouldn’t have come looking for you, but I’m glad I did. I don’t deserve you.’
A low growl vibrated through Orm’s chest. ‘If you hadn’t, I would have come to you. I need you, Annika,’ he said, crushing me to his body. ‘Promise me one thing, Nivale. Rage, scream, lash me with your words or your magic, but never turn away from our bond. If you love me, never let me feel so alone again.’ His arms tightened around me with bruising force. ‘Promise me, Annika.’
His last words were barely audible, but the love that surged through our bond was unmistakable.
‘I promise,’ I answered, returning his hug. As we drifted to sleep, I knew the darkness in my soul hadn’t vanished, but thepain had lifted, just a little. Still, if I was going to get my fae back and ensure no one else shared the fate of Zalesie, I needed to be stronger, and the source of my strength was now snoring into my hair.
Angry voices and a loud banging dragged me from a deep slumber. I groaned, unable to remember the last time I got to sleep in. Muscular arms tightened around me, and my hairy, musk-scented pillow shifted, muttering curses. ‘Spectrae’d better be attacking, or the gods have mercy on whoever is pounding on the door!’ he shouted.
The door burst open to reveal Bryna leading the charge, followed by Tomma, who was trying to hold Katja back as my friend fought like a mountain lioness to get into the room. I could even spot Ian’s scarred face peeking from around them in the corridor.
