Page 80 of Galadon
He took her hand and led her toward Aidan and Bailey, who stood nearby. “I will take her to my room to wash and change first.”
“Good idea,” Aidan agreed. “After that, bring her to my living quarters. We’re holding our midday meal so you can dine with us there.”
Galadon paused in his march to get them inside. “That’s very generous of you, pendragon.”
“I insisted,” Bailey said, giving Rayna a sympathetic smile. “The last thing a slayer needs after a long hunt is to have half the fortress staring at her in the great hall while she tries to eat. It gives bad indigestion.”
She had to choke back a laugh.
Galadon nodded. “We will see you shortly.”
“Please get a quickie first, so you’re not too impatient to get through the meal,” Bailey called to their retreating backs. “I’d like to have time to talk to my friend.”
Rayna blushed at the slayer’s words, but Galadon was pulling her at breakneck speed toward the castle. All the keep shops passed in a blur, and she nearly stumbled on the front steps. The great hall was full of shifters eating. They paused to stare at them as they speed-walked past the rows of tables, heading toward the back where the stairs led to the second-floor quarters.
In no time, she found herself in a nice castle room. It was dimly lit with a lantern on the nightstand, but she could make out a large bed in the center of the space. Galadon pressed her into a stone wall and melded his mouth with hers. Rayna’s body lit with instant lust. She barely noticed when he sent theirclothes to shiggara, glad to have any barriers between them removed. He lifted her up, pulling her legs around him, and buried himself inside of her a moment later. She moaned at how intensely good he felt and didn’t care that there’d been no foreplay because she was already wet for him.
They didn’t speak because no words were needed. For the first few strokes, he moved slowly to give her time to adjust, but then he began driving hard into her. The pleasure was so intense that she burst from it in moments, clawing at his back as her orgasm overcame her.
As soon as the last tremors faded, Galadon moved her to the bed and set her on her hands and knees. He gripped her hips and plowed into her once more. Rayna thought he’d moved fast before, but now he drove into her as if demons were chasing him. She looked back and saw the intense need all over his face, along with the desperation. He needed a release as well, but he also wanted to stay inside his mate as long as possible. How she knew this, she couldn’t say.
Galadon wrapped an arm around her torso and pulled her back into his chest, kissing her neck as his movements slowed with the changed position. His hands found her breasts and kneaded them. Rayna’s desire was building once more. When he moved to rub his fingers between her thighs, she gasped.
“I don’t ever want to be away from you that long again,” Galadon said.
She moaned. “Me, either.”
“You’re mine.” He expertly played with her clit. “Say it.”
“I’m yours,” she breathed.
He pulled out of her and flipped her onto her back. “Don’t let yourself go until I do.”
“Please,” she begged, spreading her thighs wide. “I need you inside me.”
The flames of desire in his eyes flared at her confession. “Good, slayer, because I need you, too.”
He pulled her hips up and filled her to the hilt. Rayna screamed at the pleasure as he ground into her for a moment between each stroke, building her higher and higher. Then his body stiffened, and he shouted as he jerked and exploded within her. She went with him as blue and white electric currents ran over their bodies, lighting the room with their hues.
When they finished, Galadon collapsed next to her and pulled her naked, sweaty body close to his. He nuzzled her neck. “I never knew it was possible to love a woman this much.”
Her heart melted at the hardened shifter’s confession. Rayna lifted a hand to caress the line of his jaw. “I love you, too.”
“Thank you for fighting for us even when I made it impossible,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead before moving back to stare into her eyes. “I promise I will never take you for granted again.”
His words were so solemn that her eyes teared up at hearing them. He leaned down and gave her a sweet, tender kiss that melted her heart even further. Suddenly, all the pain and anguish she’d felt since their first meeting last summer fell away. It was worth it to lead them to this moment. Perhaps the seer had been right all along, though the journey had been even more difficult than she could have ever anticipated.
They quickly washed themselves and got dressed. He had a fresh set of camrium clothes for her, so at least she didn’t have to wear the filthy ones from her hunt. She brushed her hair out so it fell in soft waves just past her shoulders. Galadon prowled toward her and ran his fingers through the strands, wonder lighting his eyes.
“Do you know how many times over the last months I dreamed of touching your hair like this?” he asked.
Rayna shook her head, mesmerized by him. “No. I never would have guessed.”
“Probably because it only made me angrier that I had to resist it.” He gave her a rueful smile. “But sometimes, as I lay in my bed, I’d let myself imagine it for a little while. I’d see you spread naked on my blanket where I could freely touch all of you as much as I wanted. Once we’ve vanquished the Kandoran nest, and I take you home, I will do exactly that for days until you beg me for a break.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “Then you’re going to be working at it for a while.”
“Good,” Galadon said, slowly drawing his arm away. “But we should hurry. I’d hate to keep a pregnant slayer waiting long to eat.”
