14. Tahlia

Chapter 14

Tahlia

T ahlia studied Marius's face as she set the dark clothing on the end of the bed. She undid her belt, set it on the ground, then removed Fara's letters from where she'd stashed them—tucked neatly into her trousers. She set the letters on the bedside table near a bowl of water, a candle and flint set, and a stack of clean cloths.

When she glanced back, Marius wasn't looking her way. Something was off. His shoulders were tense and pulled up toward his ears like he was bracing for a strike for which he had no defense.

"It's throwing vegetables, listening to music, acting like fools, and drinking ale. What's not to love?"

"Humans. And it's a fruit, not a vegetable."

Tahlia's heart cinched. "Marius, look at me."

"If you need help with washing your hair, I'm happy to?—"

She tugged at his arm and finally he met her gaze. "Of course I'm enjoying this festival."

"You are enjoying being around humans."

"So? I'm half-human. What do you expect?"

His throat moved in a swallow and he held her gaze. "Full humans are terrible creatures."

Her chest caved, and she set a hand on his tomato-stained tunic. "Marius…"

"I mean," he said, looking away, "generally. Not all of them."

"You still believe that nonsense after choosing a mate with their blood? After working with a queen who is human?"

His lip curled. He turned away, running a hand over the back of his neck. He had tomato bits in his hair that she longed to comb away.

"Tahlia, I, no, I don't think I do believe humans are worse than Fae. Not anymore."

She sagged, leaning her hands on her knees. "That's basically the opposite of what you just said."

She expected him to whirl around and smile, to kiss her and apologize. But instead, he focused on the wall, his silence deafening.

"Marius, what is it?" He had to be thinking of his sister and how human pirates were the ones to end her life. But those humans were bad ones. There were horrible Fae too. He knew that, but his demeanor said he was having a hard time feeling the truth of it.

"I don't know," he replied quietly. "I truly don't know. Seeing you here, among these people, it makes me angry. Maybe I am worried I won't be enough for you. That you might want to leave the Fae realm someday and live among humans. They're more relaxed than us. I know that now."

"They are a blast, honestly. Do you think they'd accept a dragon rider and her scary Seabreak?"

He glanced at her, worry pinching his gaze. Maybe her silliness had been a bad move for this intense moment.

She held up her hands. "I'm joking. Marius, I adore you. I would never, ever leave you. Just because these idiots south of the Veil know how to party doesn't mean I'm planning to make a life here. I love our life at home. I hope you know I'm not that shallow." How could he ever think she would leave?

His head fell back, and he shut his eyes as he exhaled. He opened his eyes and looked at her, then he pulled her into his arms.

She pressed her lips into the hollow at the base of his throat. "You are my home, Marius. Wherever you are, that's where I am happiest."

His mouth was warm on the top of her damp hair. He kissed the crown of her head and gently held her close, his thumb stroking the bottom of her ear and the soft spot beside her jaw. Beneath the tomatoes, he smelled like he always did. And it was wonderful. Familiar and exciting, both.

"I adore you. You are well aware of that," he said quietly. "Perhaps I'm only being overprotective. This is a messy mission. The dangers continue to multiply."

"That makes sense." She pulled back a bit. His eyes had softened and he was almost smiling, the right side of his full lips tugged up a fraction of an inch. "Are we all right now? Can we get out of these terrible clothes and have a bit of merriment while we wait on her?"

She went to the bedside table, took up one of the cloths, and dipped it into the water.

"Merriment?" Marius's tone was lighter now.

Tahlia relaxed. She returned to Marius's side to clean his face. He sighed at her ministrations as she tidied his proud nose and brow, his cheekbones and jawline. She rewet the cloth and wiped down his neck, powerful forearms, and his fingers.

When she finished, he took up a new cloth and did the same for her. He found a wide comb and used it to wet and detangle her hair before tending to his own. She shucked off her boots and stockings. Her tunic's tie was knotted at the back of her neck, and she couldn't get the thing worked loose.

"Here." Marius breathed against the nape of her neck, and warmth traveled over her skin like his breath was sunlight. "Allow me, Lady of the Skies."

His deft fingers undid the knot with no trouble. He smoothed the tunic over her shoulder and peeled it from her, allowing her to step out. He worked the rest of her clothing off, then she took a turn to undress him, savoring the process. The corded muscle in his forearms and stomach. The narrow path between his hipbones. The male scent of him, the warmth of his inner thighs. His delightfully enormous cock. The smoldering look in his stormy eyes. The way his fingers twitched as if he was dying to grab her and do wonderfully naughty things to her.

He brought her to him and kissed her sweetly, his hands cradling her face. "Would my lady order me to my knees or does she have other merriment in mind?"

Rubbing himself slowly against her core, he drew a moan from her. Heat shot through her blood. He licked her breast and toyed with her nipple, sending shivers down her trembling thighs. She couldn't summon a single word. He dropped down and held her arse as she stood before him. His tongue explored her, and pleasure coursed up her center. Her breath came in only gasps now as he drove her mad with flicks, swirls, and thrusts with his mouth and fingers. He kept hold of her arse with one hand, not allowing her to step backward or fall onto the bed. Her desire climbed to an absolute need.

She grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at her. "Bed. Now."

He nodded once, snatched her like she didn't weigh what she did, and then they were on the bed and he was poised at her entrance. The air seemed to shake with the thread of their mate bond. She couldn't see that thread, but she felt it as surely as she felt his body leaning into hers. It was bright, hot, and powerful. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead, then he drove into her with one great thrust. Sparks of pure delight showered over her body, every inch of her linked to him in a way that was invisible to the eye but clear to the soul. Driving forward again and again, he angled himself so that he also pressed against her in exactly the right way. His hand smoothed quickly down her side to lift her leg onto his shoulder. The rightness of their fit had her biting her knuckles to keep from crying out.

"Tell me I am your mate, Tahlia," he said, quietly, his voice a snarl. His hair had fallen in a Fae-white sheet over half his face and he looked like a gorgeous, monstrous dream.

"I am your mate, Marius," she whispered huskily. "Yours. And you are mine."

Her pleasure rose to a point and exploded across her body, sending her into a moan she couldn't hold back as she rode the wave of sensation. Marius held a hand to her mouth and drove harder into her, his gaze pinning her in place as surely as his physical presence. His head fell back and he shuddered, his body spasming.

"My lady. My Lady of the Skies. My Tahlia…"

The way he said her name with such reverence brought her back to another peak of pleasure and she shattered against him as he held still and hard inside her. At the last second, he worked her again and the second peak went on and on. She couldn't breathe for the joy and delight flooding her. He dropped down beside her, took her jaw between his thumb and forefinger, and turned her to face him. Her cheeks were blazing from exertion. He kissed her cheek, chin, and neck.

With each new kiss, he whispered a word of love and dedication. "Mine. My sweet. Perfection. I am yours. Only you see my heart, own my heart, are my heart."

And even though they would be braving unthinkable terrors quite soon, Tahlia fell into a dreamless sleep in her commander's arms.