41. What’s One More Debt?

forty-one

What’s One More Debt?

Alessia

A cascade of emotions gushes through me. My heart races, pounding with a mix of anticipation and desire. Each forceful beat churns the blood through my veins, feeding Rainer the life force he needs.

He’s alive.

He’s alive!

With each sip from my wrist, his fingers dance along my arm, creating a pleasant tingle that spreads throughout my body. His feverish touch overwhelms me, leaving me in blissful surrender. Our desire for each other is insatiable—he hungers for my blood and flesh, just as I hunger for his heart and soul.

Tears of euphoria stream down my face as his bite reminds me of his miraculous existence.

“I thought I lost you,” I cry. As he drinks, I pepper kisses on the top of his head, running my free hand through his onyx waves. “You scared me.”

“You saved me,” he murmurs against my wrist. His tongue tenderly laps at my minor wounds, and he groans. “You taste… so good. So thirsty.”

“Rainer,” I whisper his name, throwing my head back with a moan.

He shifts between my thighs as he drinks. One of his hands stays on my wrist, holding it against his mouth. The other drops to my thigh and his fingers bite into my exposed skin. My nipples harden beneath his touch. With each caress, a wave of pleasure courses through me, heightening my senses.

It should be inappropriate. It should be wrong.

But it’s never felt more right.

After almost losing him, I can’t risk waiting another moment to give myself to him completely.

“I can’t wait anymore,” I gasp out. “I want the bond. I want you. I need you.”

He chuckles darkly against my skin, his hot breath causing me break out in anticipatory goosebumps. Pressing himself up to all fours, he crawls toward me. His expression is hard as stone, and his hand is firm as it reaches up to cradle my face. He tugs me forward, and our lips find each others with a searing intensity, both of us giving into the emotion.

He shifts onto his haunches, tilting me back as he devours me with a fevered, primal need. My nails rake down his back, drawing blood as I pull him as close as possible. It's as if our kiss can anchor us forever in this moment. The kiss turns salty as tears pour down my face, but we don't stop. We continue to express our feelings with our lips until we're both out of breath.

I pull back, gasping as Rainer studies every corner of my face. His hands roam my body, his fingers memorizing my flesh. His bare chest heaves, and I reach up, tracing the lines on his skin. He shudders, gripping my wrist and pulling my hand to his mouth, where he plants a gentle kiss on each of my fingers .

"I'm not stopping," I whisper breathlessly—it's a warning. A plea.

My shadow explodes upward, stretching and expanding to form a wall around us. It blocks out the rest of the room, giving us an illusion of privacy.

It wants this as much as I do.

He shifts back, leaning down to my inner thigh again, his eyes locked on mine the entire time. His mouth brushes my skin as he says, "Nothing can stop us ever again, Alessia Lírshadow. I give my soul to you—from now until forever."

His teeth press into my skin once more, and my body goes limp with desire. Rainer drinks my blood, pain, and pleasure—it intertwines into an intoxicating blend made just for him. I lose myself to the high, floating in a fog of lust. After a little while, he slips his fangs free of my wrist and tilts his head back to gaze at me. His wavy hair is attractively mussed up, and his beautiful, sharp ears point through. Blood trickles from the corners of his mouth, and my attention lingers on his deadly fangs. The fact he can be so delicate and tender with me even while lost to bloodlust is a testament of its own.

“My little rose,” he mutters. His eyes flicker from cobalt to sky blue before darkening again.

With a growl, he flips himself around and presses his lips to mine, his mouth possessing me with a hunger that mirrors my own. In a rush of passion, he pulls me to his chest and lowers us to the ground, lying me on my back.

His hands release me, moving lower. They find their way back into the slit of my dress to my exposed flesh. His fingers bite into my bare thighs, squeezing, and then they travel upward .

The sound of tearing fabric reaches my ears as he rips off my underwear, leaving a sharp band of pain around my waist. I gasp, propping myself up onto my elbows to watch him.

Greedily, he inhales my panties. As he shoves them into his pocket, his eyes lock with mine, darkening with both a warning and a promise.

A surge of anticipation fills the air as he lowers his face to my inner thigh and sinks his teeth in. Another sharp sting followed by an airy delirium fills my veins. I moan, throwing my head back and reveling in the feel of his fangs deep inside my skin.

He draws more of my essence with each gentle suckle, causing a delicious ache to build in my core. He pulls back, licking the wounds he’s created while staring up at me through his lashes. His tongue dances along my skin, igniting a fire within me. I grow wet with desire as I spread my legs further, begging him to taste me there .

The cool air caresses my intimate bits, and I throb with need.

Slowly, with his eyes locked on mine, he licks a trail from my inner thigh to my apex.

“I love you,” he whispers against me, the heat of his words hitting my skin and my heart just right. "From the moment I shared air with you, I knew I'd never be able to breathe on my own again."

Before I can reply, he descends on me, his tongue swirling around my clit. He sheds the tenderness he possessed while drinking from me. Instead, he lets his monster free as he presses his entire mouth against me, sucking and licking like a starved male. His reckless abandon turns me on insanely. I entwine my fingers in his hair, keeping him firmly in place while my hips instinctively move against him, overwhelmed by his passionate attentiveness.

The pressure between my legs builds, reaching a high in record time.

“I’m going…” I cry out his name, gripping his hair as I arch my back.

He pauses, pulling back to sit on his haunches. The wave recedes all too soon, and I groan angrily. There’s a twinkle in his eye as he stares down at me, his irises back to their pale, icy coloring.

“Wha-why?” I gasp.

He smirks, looking like a beautiful nightmare with my blood and juices smeared across his lips. His hands move carefully to his trousers, and he unbuttons them. Gracefully, he slides them down his muscular thighs. They flex as he kicks off his boots. He removes his pants and undergarments, leaving himself entirely bare before me.

My eyes focus on his thick cock. It’s almost painfully hard, and he grips it, tugging it in slow, corkscrew motions. He sucks in a heavy inhale.

“The next time you come, I need to be inside of you, mo róisín,” he says in a low, demanding voice. "I need to feel you squeezing me."

A thousand things flit through my mind, but all I can say is, “ Please .”

Hiking up my dress, I allow my knees to fall open, granting him access.

Swiftly covering me with his body, he hovers over me, propped up on his forearms. My head tilts to the side, taking in the way his veins pop and muscles bulge as he cages me in. I reach up, running my hands over his chest. Tracing one of the swirl tattoos, I follow the ink to his back. I grip him tightly, allowing my fingers to dig into his back.

He groans, and his hips jerk. With the motion, the head of his erection prods against my opening, begging to be let in. But in a show of immaculate self-control, he pauses.

“You are it for me, Alessia,” he whispers against my lips. He pulls back just enough to study my face with a pure, unrestricted expression of love. “I’m done denying myself your love. After the hell we’ve been through, the prices we’ve paid, we deserve something beautiful.”

“I want all of you, Rainer.” I wrap my hands around his neck. “You are mine, and I am yours, from now until the Otherworld.”

He leans forward, kissing gently the corner of my mouth. Nibbling gently, he trails kisses along my Tradeling tattoo up to my temple.

“Without you, my life is filled with fear and nightmares,” he says, voice filled with emotion. “You are my confidence—my heart and soul—my beautiful, sweet dream.”

Emotion clogs my throat, and my eyes tear up. I’m done waiting. The time will never be right, and we will always find excuses if we look hard enough. I almost lost him. I nearly missed my chance to give him my soul.

Reaching between us, I grip him and line him up with my entrance. Rubbing him against me, I ensure it’s nice and slick to accommodate his size.

“Are you sure?” he whispers, body going rigid.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, Rainer.”

He nods, then slowly, gently sinks the tip of his cock into me. As my walls stretch almost painfully around him, stars alight in my vision. My chest flutters with an ethereal joy, my pulse pounding with euphoria.

The weight of the world slips away as he fills me. Once he’s all the way in, he pauses, dropping his head to my shoulder. His body shudders as he groans.

“You feel like a gods' damned dream,” he whispers. “I could happily live here forever, buried inside of you.”

I wiggle my hips, inviting him to move. He lifts his head, using a hand to push the hair off my forehead. Planting a kiss there, he begins to move in and out of me.

I surrender to his touch, taking each of his thrusts with hungry anticipation.

“More,” I plead, tilting my head back and shutting my eyes.

“Look at me,” he demands, his voice husky. “Keep your eyes on me, little rose. Be here with me in this moment.”

My eyes whip back open, connecting with his. An intensity passes between us.

“I am,” I say on an exhale. “I promise—I am.”

Satisfied with my response, he picks up his pace.

“You’re so wet for me,” he mutters, thrusting so hard against me that my body jerks. “So snug and soft.”

He hits me in the right spot, and a tingling sensation builds low in my core. With each plunge, fire shoots through my veins. Every nerve ending awakens, memorializing this moment.

Without delay, the climax builds.

I wrap my legs around him, locking him in place as the wave comes crashing down over me. A scream of pleasure rips from my throat as my orgasm wracks violently through every part of my body. My pussy pulses, spasming on his cock.

He groans, pressing his lips to mine and swallowing the noise. His body jerks against mine, and he pushes deeper. The blissful sounds he makes will be the everlasting melody accompanying my pleasure. He grunts as he spills inside of me, imprinting a piece of his essence into my body, soul, and mind, forever intertwining our fates.

A surge of love and connection expands within me, stretching and expanding the limits of my body.

An invisible rope tangles our souls, and I can no longer distinguish where I end and he begins. In a split second, my sensations become more intense, as if confirming the presence of magic.

Suddenly, the brightness of the overhead lights makes me wince. The strong scent of copper, sweat, and salt overwhelms my nose—a potent mix representing life and death, pain and love. The weight of Rainer’s body pressing down on me causes every nerve to come alive, and combined with the warmth of our connection, it’s deliciously asphyxiating.

And then my senses settle, coming down from the euphoric high and leaving me in a state of deep contentment. It’s not merely a moment of pleasure but a sensation of finality that transcends satisfaction. Rather than an end, it’s a beginning.

As our eyes lock, a rush of emotions crash into my chest, and I gasp for breath. The blood rushes to my cheeks, spreading warmth across my face and betraying the intensity of my feelings. The vulnerability and awe in Rainer’s pale eyes as he gazes at me tell me he feels the same way. It’s as if he has the power to unravel me with just a look .

Time seems to slow down, stretching each moment into eternity as we share breaths. Our unspoken connection transcends words, allowing our shared emotions to communicate the depths of our love.

“I love you,” he whispers breathlessly, although I can feel his love within me now. With a trembling hand, he reaches between us, grips himself, and slowly slides out.

Instantly, I mourn the loss of him.

The warmth of his seed slips from me, coating my inner thighs.

My legs tremble as I lie there shell-shocked, simultaneously ruined and repaired by our consummation. The intensity of my love for him is palpable, as my heart seems to expand physically, pulsating with amplified emotion.

Rainer runs his fingers along my arm, watching me with tender curiosity. After a moment of comfortable silence, he reaches for his pants, balling them up and using them to wipe me dry. The entire time, he keeps his eyes locked on me. Briefly, I fear he might lock up and push away—afraid of the strength of our love—but his expression remains open. There’s a lightness to him, a softness to his lips that’s not always there.

Unfazed by our pleasure staining his pants, he slips them on. Then, he kneels and slips his boots on, quickly lacing them without breaking our stare. His top is long abandoned, ruined entirely.

My eyes drop down his torso, stained with dark brown blood, finding the spot where he was injured. Air catches in my lungs as I take in only a faint hint of a minor, jagged reminder of what almost killed him.

My vision goes blurry with tears, and I blink rapidly to hold them back.

“I don’t normally cry this much,” I say hoarsely. “It’s just… a lot.”

He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, then clamps his mouth shut and shakes his head. Reaching for me, he helps pull me to my feet. I wobble to the side, and his arm shoots out, wrapping around my waist.

“That was…” My head spins, not knowing how to put it into words.

“Everything,” he whispers.

I glance up at him, cupping his cheek. “Everything.”

“Do you feel it?” he asks quietly.

Nodding, I know immediately what he’s asking because I do. A part of his essence courses through my veins, as if his very being has merged with mine, creating a connection that transcends the physical realm.

His pleasure intertwines with mine, amplifying the sensations coursing through me. And though I’m trying not to focus on it in this beautiful moment, I share his pain, feeling every ounce that lives in his heart as if it’s my own.

Which means he can feel mine, too.

I’m so full I can’t fathom how my shadow will find space to squeeze back in.

The dark, shadowy wall around us begins to thin out as if it can hear me. The darkness merges into a tendril, shooting back toward me and slithering beneath my skin.

Rainer jerks, his eyes widening a fraction. I chuckle.

“Does it always feel like that?” he asks.

My laughter grows, brightening, until the scene around me registers. All the happiness dies away as my heart stops for a moment.

“Look at me ,” Rainer growls, placing his hands on either side of my head. “Come on. Let’s get cleaned up and find the others.”

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. We’re not done yet. We still have to get the iron from the mines in Illynor, hopefully before word of what happened here today spreads. If the soldiers find out their queen is dead and fae are in their realm, they will strike against us.

We need to get ahead of them.

“I need to get out of here so I can thoroughly ravage you again, little rose,” Rainer says.

“Oh, it’s a need ?”

“I need you more than I need air and blood.” He flashes his dimple, winking at me.

This lighthearted, thoroughly satisfied Rainer makes my stomach flip. Just like that, the weight slides off my shoulders, allowing me to breathe again.

I can do anything with him by my side—and in a part of my soul.

“You know,” he says as we exit the ballroom and stride toward the bathrooms. “They say when you share your joy, it’s doubled, but when you share your pain, it’s halved. Thank you —for trusting me with both your joy and your pain.” Jerking to a stop, he tugs me to his chest and leans down to kiss me. “Thank you.”

“You’re not supposed to thank the fae,” I tease with my own smile.

“Does it look like I give a feck?” He chuckles. “I already owe you everything, Alessia. What’s one more debt?”