Page 77 of Claimed By Stone
Magic roared through me.
It wasn't gentle. It surged like wildfire, heat and light flooding every inch of my being. I cried out again, not from pain or pleasure, but from the sheer force of it—of him. Gold light burst behind my eyes, my skin tingled, and I felt it as it settled into every corner of me, this bond, this claim.
This love.
It wasn’t just physical. It was soul-deep, ancient, and sacred. I could feel him—Thavros—threaded through my entire being like a pulse, a tether, a heartbeat that wasn’t mine but somehow always had been.
We collapsed together, still joined, breathless and shaking, utterly undone.
I was his. And he was mine.
Thavros was still inside me, his knot keeping us joined, our bodies locked in this new, sacred unity. He kissed along my shoulder, soft now, gentle, and licked the bite where his teeth had marked me.
“It helps with healing,” he murmured, voice low and reverent, like I was something precious. Sacred. “And it’s tradition.”
I hummed, bliss-drunk and pliant under his touch, letting the warmth of his tongue soothe the aching flesh. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me tight to him, and we lay tangled together in the soft furs.
For the first time since I’d awakened in that cursed statue, I felt at peace.
“You feel different now,” I whispered. “Closer.”
His palm spread over my belly. “That’s the bond. You’ll feel me now. Always. Just like I feel you.”
I turned my face into the crook of his arm, a smile tugging at my lips even as exhaustion pulled at me. “Then we’re really connected?”
“In every way that matters,” he said, his voice rumbling with satisfaction.
His knot finally released, and he slipped free, his release spilling out of me, hot and claiming. He gave a pleased, possessive rumble before running his fingers up my leg, gathering the release and pushing it back inside of me.
"I cannot wait to make you full and round with an orcling," he said, his eyes still gazing at my center covered in his release.
He looked up at me with eyes full of love. "But of course, we have the tea here. It is still your decision if and when we bring a child."
"It is definitely a when," I say with a warm smile. "And I wouldn't be opposed to soon, very soon. I just have a couple of questions first."
"Of course you do, my flame. You like to know all the information as much as I do," He pressed a quick kiss to my lips,
I snuggled closer, ready to slip into sleep wrapped in the comfort of him.
But then something shifted.
A chill crept up my fingers, like icy water slipping over my skin. I flexed them—and felt resistance. A weight. A wrongness.
Frowning, I lifted my hand and turned it toward the low light of the chamber.
My heart stuttered.
No. No, no, no.
The tips of my fingers shimmered with a sheen I knew too well. Pale, glittering, and cold—stone.
“Thavros…” My voice broke, barely more than a whisper. “Something’s wrong.”
He sat up instantly, eyes locked on mine. “What is it?”
I held out my hand, and he stared as the spreading stone caught the firelight.
Fear bloomed in his gaze, twisting with disbelief. “No.”
