Page 31 of Bound By Blood
I push into her slowly, feeling her body stretch to accommodate mine. She gasps, her nails digging into my shoulders, but she doesn't look away. She keeps her eyes locked on mine, her trust absolute.
The sensation is overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and pain, of connection and surrender. I feel her heartbeat, her breath, her very soul. It's as if we're no longer two separate beings, but one entity, one spirit, one flesh.
I move slowly at first, then faster, deeper. She matches my rhythm, her hips lifting to meet mine, her body moving in perfect sync with mine. The Kheval markings on our skin pulse with light, casting shadows over the cavern walls.
Her breath comes in ragged gasps, her moans echoing off the stone. I can feel her pleasure building, can feel the tension in her muscles, the heat of her skin. I lean down, capturing her lips in a fierce kiss, swallowing her cries as she comes undone beneath me.
Her release triggers my own, a wave of pleasure so intense it leaves me breathless. I pour myself into her, my body shaking with the force of it, my heart pounding in my chest.
We collapse together, our bodies slick with sweat, our breaths coming in ragged gasps. The Kheval markings on ourskin fade, leaving behind a warm glow that seems to pulse in time with our heartbeats.
I roll onto my side, pulling her into my arms. She nestles against me, her head resting on my chest, her breath warm against my skin. Her heart hammers, steady and strong, a mirror of my own.
"Eirian," I murmur, my voice barely a whisper. "You are mine. And I am yours."
She looks up at me with wide eyes soft with emotion. "Yes," she says simply. "I am yours. And you are mine."
The words are a vow, a promise, a sacred bond that transcends culture, transcends species, transcends everything we've ever known. We are no longer just Drokhan and Eirian, Chief of the Stoneborn and Lady of House Thorne. We are something more, something deeper, something that defies definition.
We are one.
Dawn finds us wrapped in each other's arms, our bodies entwined, our hearts beating in sync. The moonlight has faded, replaced by the soft glow of morning light filtering through the cavern's opening. The steam from the spring has dissipated, leaving behind a cool, damp air that smells of stone and sage.
I stir, feeling the warmth of Eirian's body against mine, the softness of her breath against my skin. She murmurs in her sleep, her hand tightening around mine, as if even in her dreams she fears letting go.
I press a kiss to her forehead, feeling a surge of protectiveness so fierce it's almost painful. This woman, this fragile, strong, beautiful woman, is mine to protect, mine to cherish, mine to love.
The thought sends a jolt of fear through me. Love. It's a word I've never associated with myself, a concept I've never allowedmyself to consider. Love is a weakness, a vulnerability, a chink in the armour that enemies could exploit.
But as I look down at Eirian, her face soft with sleep, her body curled against mine, I know I'm already lost. I'm already vulnerable, already exposed, already irrevocably changed by this woman who has burrowed her way into my heart.
"Drokhan?" Her voice is soft, sleepy, her eyes fluttering open to meet mine.
"I'm here," I murmur, tightening my arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere."
She smiles, a soft, sweet smile that lights up her face. "Good," she says. "Because neither am I."
The words are a promise, a vow, a sacred bond that transcends everything we've ever known. We are no longer just Drokhan and Eirian, Chief of the Stoneborn and Lady of House Thorne. We are something more, something deeper, something that defies definition.
We are one.
And as the morning light filters through the cavern's opening. I know nothing will ever be the same again. We are irrevocably changed, irrevocably bound, irrevocably one.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
7
EIRIAN
The whispers start before I've even dressed.
I wake to hushed voices drifting through the grotto's entrance, guttural Orcish syllables that slice through the morning air like thrown knives. My body still hums from Drokhan's touch, every nerve ending alive with memory, but the sounds beyond our sanctuary drag me back to harsh reality.
Kheval-tash.The word repeats like a chant. Bond-sworn. Blood-mixed.
Drokhan stirs beside me, his amber eyes snapping open with the alertness of a born warrior. Even in sleep, he never fully surrenders to vulnerability. His massive hand finds my waist, fingers move over the curve of my hip with possessive tenderness.
"They know." His voice conatians no surprise, only resignation tinged with something darker.
