Page 157 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
His hand smacked her ass once more, that moan becoming more as she started to clench around his length.
“Say it, Tessa,” he growled.
“I understand,” she gasped out, breathless and completely at his mercy.
“No more sleeping in a fucking armchair. You sleep in a proper bed with me or Theon,” he grunted, his balls drawing up tighter as he came closer and closer to tipping over the edge.
“Yes,” she rasped, and he reached around her, finding her clit. He knew it wouldn’t take much more, and he was right. “Please, Luka,” she moaned again, grinding against his hand.
“You don’t need my permission, baby girl,” he growled. “You take what you want.”
“Gods,” she cried as she fell apart. Her body tightened, a spring ready to snap, and she shuddered as her pleasure ripped through her. Her breathing was erratic as she rode out her orgasm before going limp.
He released her hair, gripping her hips to pound into her, pulling her back into him harder and harder. Then he reached his own release with a final thrust, spilling inside of her as he clutched at her hips, a sheen of sweat on her back.
It took a minute for his own breathing to regulate, but he peppered kisses up her spine as he went, not wanting to pull out of her just yet. Her skin was salty, and she sighed, her fingers finally releasing the comforter. It was only then, with her drowsy and sated beneath him, that he noticed the faint cords between them. A faint midnight blue intertwining with gold so tightly there was no way to tell where one started and the other ended. It flared, hovering between them for a few seconds, before settling into them. Something he felt in the depths of his being. Something his dragon gave a snarled‘mine’over.
They cleaned up before she crawled beneath the blankets, stretching like a cat and rolling onto her side to face him. He was lying on his stomach, hoping Cienna would stop by sometime soon. Turning his head, he found her eyes on him and her teeth worrying her bottom lip.
“You’re okay with this?” she asked. “Me and you and me and him?”
“I knew what I was getting into, Tessa,” he answered. “Theon was the one who needed to get on board.”
She nodded, reaching over to run her fingers through his hair. “I want you to know there’s no pressure. About the Mark. It’s your choice. I never want you to feel trapped.”
It was his turn to nod. He knew she was likely wanting an answer, some sort of enthusiastic commitment, but he couldn’t find the words to give that to her just yet.
“Why us?” he asked, not even sure where the question came from.
Her fingers stilled, brows pinching. “Why us what?”
“Why choose us? When we made your life a godsdamn nightmare?” he pushed. “More so Theon, but I did nothing to stop him.”
She was quiet for so long, he wasn’t sure she was going to answer. But her fingers resumed their movement through his hair, nearly lulling him to sleep. One would think he’d had enough of that after three godsdamn weeks.
It was minutes later when her soft voice drifted to him. “Both of you let me be who I was always meant to be, whether that’s a villain or a saint. You accept me and all my chaos. Some hate the villains, but I joined them and learned how to love and to be loved. And maybe it’s not how the rest of the stars love, but it’s ours.”
She drifted off to sleep, but he didn’t follow her. When her breathing was soft and steady, Luka reached over and ran a finger along the Mark on her wrist.
Villain or saint, she was theirs.
30
THEON
Tessa sighed where she was nestled into him. One of her hands rested on his chest, and he lightly toyed with her hair, waiting for Luka to come back. It was early, but he hadn’t been surprised when Luka had slipped from the bed. He’d always been an early riser, and after sleeping for three weeks, he was restless. Adding on that his wings needed to remain out for a bit yet, and he’d be shocked if he got more than a few hours of sleep. He could only sleep on his stomach, and Theon knew the only reason he’d even come to bed last night was because that was where Tessa was.
The bedroom door pushed open, and Luka walked in, balancing a tray with three mugs, a coffee carafe, a plate of pastries, oranges, and juice. He set it down on the coffee table before picking up two mugs, carrying one to him. Theon was already carefully adjusting to sit up against the headboard while Tessa still slept.
Taking the mug, he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Luka answered, but Theon narrowed his eyes. “I’m fine, Theon,” he said again. “Sore. Annoyed my wings will take so long to heal, but it could have been worse.”
“You mean you could have actually died?” Theon deadpanned.
Luka glared at him, but it quickly morphed into something else. His eyes drifted back to Tessa’s sleeping form. “I thought… I’m pretty sure that dagger Dex used wasn’t meant to killme. Or maybe it was after…” He sighed a deep, shuddering thing. “I felt my dragon dying, Theon. That piece of me. That…”
Theon stared at him, not knowing what to say. Was that possible? To only kill the dragon piece of him? He couldn’t imagine Luka not being able to shift, to fly. And would that take his power too? If his dragon was gone, would he have lost his dragonfire?
