CHAPTER TWENTY

A shiver runs through Selena, her copper-brown eyes going molten with desire as she looks up at me.

We came so close to losing everything just now. Over the years, I’ve faced death many times, if not happily, then also without much sorrow. Today was different.

Today I hated the thought of a life cut short.

Instead of mourning things lost to the past, I mourned the future I might never see.

I mourned losing long conversations with Selena, watching her quick mind soak up information and make brilliant leaps of deduction that must come from all those years of schooling she told me about.

I mourned the chance to see what she can become as she learns to wield the full power of her magic.

And I mourned getting to taste her, fill her, feel her shatter around my cock, even if only one time.

I’m fucking exhausted with mourning.

Selena may not be mine for long, but she can be mine for now. I’m tired of being selfless.

This amazing woman was so brave, coming back into the deathsleep after me. She saved my life. She wants me—the heat in her eyes speaks this truth—so I will give her what little I have to offer.

Dash pushes to his feet, taking us in with an amused glance. “Well, I’m starving. I’m going to stay here and graze while you two explore the cave .” The words drip with innuendo, and I don’t even mind.

“I can help with the cave,” Bellavesaria says, not picking up on the fact that Selena and I wish to be alone.

“No!” Selena and Dash say it at the same time as me.

“But I can help!” She shifts her wings in agitation. “I can!”

“You stay out here with me,” Dash says. “Another sluagh could come at any time, and you’re our best deterrent.”

“I am, aren’t I?” The feathery crest on top of her head stands up.

Dash turns to Selena and me and rolls his eyes, muttering, “You owe me.” Then he turns back to the dragon, voice raised to normal volume. “You certainly are. ”

“I will stand guard.” A puff of smoke trickles from Bellavesaria’s mouth. “I will burn any soul stealers who dare come near.”

“Good,” I grunt, turning toward the cave.

“Take your things.” Dash’s hoof taps my pack with a laughing whinny. “ Cave exploration needs furs.” There’s that innuendo again.

I stomp back and scoop my packs off the ground, unwilling to admit he’s right—taking my supplies will only make Selena more comfortable, which she well deserves.

Selena hovers by the entrance to the cave, which is a good eight-feet high and twice as wide. The gray stone of the rock face is smooth all around the edge, and her fingers trail over the rounded lip. “I think this might have been a lava tube at some point. Are these mountains still volcanically active?”

“They’ve been dormant for the three hundred years orcs have been in Alarria.” I pull out a glow stone.

“Then they can be dormant for a bit longer.” She grins and hooks her hand into my elbow. “Let’s go explore.”

Her enthusiasm pulls me forward far more than the gentle pressure of her small human muscles tugging on my arm. I strike the glow stone to life and lift it with my free hand as we step inside.

The first cave is a wide but shallow room carved out of the gray stone. Dirt softens the floor, along with a layer of dried rowan leaves carried in by the wind. A tunnel leads from the back right corner, and without even needing to discuss it, we keep going .

The short passage opens onto a deeper cavern with three tunnels radiating off it.

“Which do we try first?” Selena asks, enthusiasm brightening her tone.

“I want to try something,” I say. “Trust me?”

“Always.”

Such a simple word, yet coming from her, it makes my heart leap. She knows how I failed all those long years ago, yet there isn’t the slightest bit of hesitation in her answer.

I strike the glow stone, halting its magic and plunging us into darkness. My eyes adjust quickly, my keen fae night sight kicking in and showing what I hoped to see.

It takes a little longer for Selena, but her surprised gasp lets me know the moment she spots it. “My god, that one’s glowing! Is it the crystals?”

The opening of the tunnel on the right does indeed glow.

“I don’t know. Shall we go see?”

“Yes!” Her tug on my arm makes me smile, her enthusiasm infectious. Will she bring that same enthusiasm into bed? That will prove quite the heady experience.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this excited about anything. Battle always gets my blood up and makes me feel alive, but not like this. This is… a softer anticipation, more positive. It feels good.

Especially when added to the promise I saw in her eyes, the lick of her lips when she saw me naked. My cock stirs at the memory, rising for her now exactly as it had then.

The glow ahead does little to light the tunnel. Even though I can see, Selena stumbles a little at an unexpected unevenness in the ground. I unhook her hand from my elbow and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her firmly to my side. “I’ll guide you.”

“Thanks.”

The happiness in her voice makes my fingers tighten on her. She’s so warm, so full of life I never want to let go.

We round a gentle curve, and a cavern opens up ahead.

A carpet of luminous moss covers the floor, glowing in a mixture of pale pink, lavender, and light green. The pink kind also climbs the walls, lighting the vaulted space overhead. A stream flows from the left, ending in a pool with wisps of steam rising over it. The air is warm and pleasantly humid after the cool, crisp breezes of the mountains.

“Ohhhhh!” Selena sighs. “It’s magical, and I mean that in every sense of the word.” She stretches out her free hand, her brow creasing in concentration. “Can you feel it? It feels… I don’t have the words.”

It takes me a moment to release her, but I finally let go and set down the packs. Then I stand and close my eyes. As one of the Wild Fae, orcs have magic that connects to nature. Even if mine works with leather, I still have some basic awareness of the magic in wood, metal, stone, and plants. The magic here is deep, seeping slowly up through my feet. “It’s a connection to the very heart of Alarria. It comes up through the ground, and it’s in the water and the plants.”

“I think it… feeds them, so they can make light. And then the light each makes feeds the ones around it in a continuous loop.” She looks up at me, awe filling her beautiful eyes. “It’s harmonious and lovely.”

“You’re lovely.” The words slip out without conscious thought, so I attempt to explain. “Not just your physical form, which is beautiful, but the way you see the world. It’s so very lovely.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” She moves to face me and picks up my hand in both of her small ones.

“What you are goes beyond beauty. You are life itself, personified.” I lift my other hand, cupping her cheek. “I feel as if I’ve lived in a dark cave for years, and you’ve burst in, my own magical sunshine, bringing light and color and warmth, so much warmth…”

“Ay!” Her eyes glisten with tears. “That’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me, and if you don’t kiss me now, I’m going to explode.”

One last burst of reason grips me. “I’m too—”

“No. None of whatever you were going to say.” She taps a finger to my chest. “Kiss me now.”

A growl rumbles through me. Pure instinct takes over as I scoop her into my arms and crush her to my chest.

Her mouth tastes sweet, exactly as I imagined. As soon as the tip of her tongue flutters against mine, I’m lost. Nipping at her lips with my tusks, I demand she open for me. The second she does, I groan, diving in, ready to devour.