Chapter Twenty-Two

I woke up tangled in silk sheets and silken hair. Smiling, I looked over my shoulder at Rath, who was wrapped around me, his face nestled against my shoulder. I gathered his hair—he'd forgotten to braid it before bed—and slipped it over his slim shoulder. Then I rolled back onto my pillow and stared out the window just a few feet away.

Leaves. That's all I could see. You'd think that would be annoying, that there would be no point to a window if the view was covered. But the view was the tree. The tree and its residents. And I mean those other than us. Currently, a bird was perched outside the window, its exotic plumage vibrant against the deep green background. But even if it hadn't been there, the lushness of all those leaves was beautiful. It made me feel safe and free at the same time.

“Good morning,” Rath said in his sleepy voice.

I turned in his arms and brushed my lips over his. “Good morning. This bed isn't just sturdy, it's also really comfortable.”

He grinned. “I'm glad you like it.” Then he laid back to stretch—that long, lean body getting leaner. The sheet slid down, revealing more of his chest, and I couldn't help stroking a hand over his nipples.

“Don't start that.” Rath grabbed my hand, but then he used it to draw me with him out of bed. “Not yet, at least.”

“Where are we going?” I asked as he led me out of the room and onto the narrow landing that joined the bedrooms at the top of the house.

“Up,” he said and winked.

“I thought we were as far up as we could go.”

“You thought wrong.” He opened a door and revealed a set of sharply angled stairs.

I followed him up and out of a hatch at the top. We emerged above the trees, a sea of rustling green below us and a real sea—or a channel of it, rather—glittering on the horizon. It felt as if we were in the sky, especially with a lack of a railing around the flat roof. It wasn't that large an area, so it couldn't have been the entire roof, just a section of it kept flat for our perching pleasure. And what a pleasure it was.

I could make out other such platforms among the treetops, but they were widely spaced and none of them bore occupants currently. It was probably too early in the day. Speaking of which, the sun had finished its climb in time with us, turning the orange sky blue. Rath slid in from behind and wrapped his arms around me. Together, we watched the world wake up.

But I quickly realized we were still naked. And one of us was very aroused. Which, of course, aroused me.

“I love you,” I said as I turned toward Rath. “Thank you for all of this.”

Grinning, Rath bent his head to kiss me. The crisp morning warmed. Again, it felt as if nature were in harmony with our love, brightening and heating as we did. Rath eased me down onto the roof as we kissed, guiding me to my back. We lay down together, bodies twining, and luxuriated in the decadence of making love in the sky.

Rath's mouth moved down my throat, over my pulse, then along my collarbone as his hand worked my shaft into full hardness. I sighed and let him have his way awhile, just enjoying the pleasure he gave me. But then I needed more. I needed to do some exploring of my own. Needed to taste Rath's skin and feel the heat of it on my lips. So I rolled us, sending him onto his back, and ground our bodies together.

“Ride me,” Rath urged. “I want to see you against a backdrop of bright sky while I'm inside you.”

“Not yet.” I grinned at him. “I need to get you ready.”

“Shit. I forgot to bring the oil.”

“It's all right. We'll do this the old-fashioned way.” I slid between his thighs and bent to my favorite task. “Hello, beautiful,” I said to his cock before gobbling it up.

Rath chuckled, but his amusement soon turned into delight. “Oh, fuck. You can do things with your mouth that amaze me.”

I slipped off him. “Really?”

“Don't stop!”

Laughing, I got back to amazing him. But this time, I wasn't after his pleasure alone. I just needed to get him wet enough to mount. Salivating over his taste and smell helped with that and soon, I was rising again and climbing up his sleek body to straddle his hips. As I got into position, Rath licked his palm, then rubbed my cock with it.

I arched into Rath's grip even as I angled him toward my opening. When I slipped onto him, I cried out from pleasure that came from both front and back. Slowly, I eased further and further down his shaft until I was sitting firmly on my lover, the world literally at our feet.

“This is magical,” I groaned as I began to ride him. “So fucking magical.”

“It certainly is,” Rath said as he stared up at me. “I imagined doing this here when I first saw this perch.”

“I figured you did.” I grinned at him. “You were so quick to bring me up here this morning.” Then I groaned and slid down his length. “It's wondrous. You're wondrous. I never want to stop making love to you.”

“I could make that work.” He grabbed my hips and lifted his hips to meet me. “Anything for my Ember.”

“Yes, because it would be such a sacrifice for you,” I teased.

“Absolutely. You're exhausting, but I love you. So, I will do all I can to make you happy.”

I went still, staring down at Rath, his hair spread out below him and the sky spread around us. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves to froth the green sea while it also cooled my skin. What a glorious place to make love to a glorious man. And this is what my life could be like all the time. I just had to conquer Death.

“Thank you,” I said to Rath again.

Rath's expression went serious and his hands slid over mine. “For what, love?”

“For reminding me what else I'm fighting for. Not just Ara. Not even the rest of the world. I need to remember that I'm fighting for us too. For myself. My happiness. There's a reward waiting, and it's a big one.”

He stared at me softly for a second, then said, “And I can attest to how wonderful rewards are.”

I chuckled and started moving on him again. “Your reward is far from finished.”

“Oh, I know.” Rath sat up suddenly and spun me about, settling me on my hands and knees. “And I'm not waiting for you to give it to me.”

He slammed into me and forced a shriek out of my throat. The beauty before me merged with the beauty inside me to form a majestic picture of love and nature. Oh, yes, and pleasure. So much pleasure.

I pushed back onto Rath's thrusts, my cock ready to explode. But I held it back, wanting to feel him come inside me while I came. Pleasure continued to build, running up and down my spine, but still, I pushed it down. Rath's hands dug into my ass, pulling me to him with every thrust. The erotic sounds of our flesh slapping together drove me mad.

At last, Rath growled, “Are you close?”

“I've been waiting for you,” I said with just as much strain.

“Great fuck, tell me next time. I was waiting too. And I can't wait any longer. Come with me now!” He locked up against me and cried out, “Ember!”

As my name echoed across the top of Dellamar, I shouted Rath's name and put a little of myself into my new home. It felt oddly perfect and absolutely necessary. Maybe even a little childish—like licking a piece of food so no one else would eat it.

Now , this place was mine.