Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

“ H ow are you feeling?” Alaric asks after a moment, his voice soft and low.

I glance down at myself before returning my gaze to his. My skin feels better for washing, the tightness that settled over it from the fire now eased. Thankfully the same goes for my shoulder. My palm still hurts from the burn but is much improved. I don’t think that this is really what he’s asking though. Physically we have been through a lot, but perhaps even more so mentally.

In reality, I should be a quivering mess. While I am overwhelmed by everything, I am remarkably calm, and honestly, that is because of Alaric. I might not understand what this connection is between us, but it is undeniable and beyond all rational comprehension. He makes me want to be vulnerable with him and trust him so deeply that I can tell him anything. I also want to know everything about him, down to the smallest detail.

“I’m fine, thanks to you.” I don’t explain that he healed some part of me that I never even knew was damaged. Everything about me feels different, and that has everything to do with the males surrounding me. I cannot deny that I miss Nyx, and that pull towards Ciaran is still a tight knot in my chest, yet in his presence, those feelings are muted.

“Iris…” He chuckles, shaking his head with amused disbelief. Reaching out, he touches my cheek with the back of his hand, my skin tingling from the touch. His eyes seem to glow with a radiance that makes my heart flutter in my chest. “You are a miracle, Iris. I don’t know what force decided to bring us together, but what I do know…” He pauses and seems to be gathering himself. His tongue flicks out and wets his lips, a nervous gesture I have never seen him do before. He takes a deep breath and continues. “I am falling in love with you.”

My breath catches in my throat. I can’t have heard him right. There is no way that someone like him could love someone like me. It makes no sense. Everything has moved so quickly, yet it feels so perfectly right. My heart speeds up with shocked excitement, and my breaths are short and quiet, as though the action of breathing normally might wake me from this dream.

His eyes are wide as he scans my face for clues as to how I feel, his expression open and raw as he hurries to continue. “I know that our races are supposed to hate each other, and we have only known one another for a handful of days, but…” He shakes his head slowly. “I don’t think I can go back to living my life like I was now that I have met you. You complete a restless part of me.”

Alaric’s entire body is tense as he waits for my response, all except for the gentle hand that still caresses my cheek. I stumble forward, not realising I had been leaning towards him, drawn like a moth to a flame. His hands instantly grip my shoulders, stopping my fall, my own hand now pressed against his chest. He removed his jacket at some point and is now standing before me in his shirt, the thin layer of fabric the only thing keeping up apart.

“Alaric,” I whisper, his name slipping off the tip of my tongue as I gaze into his shimmering green eyes. His declaration fills me with hope, and for the first time, I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

We are beyond speaking now, our bodies communicating in ways our words cannot. The feelings that have been growing in me are almost to the point of a desperate need. I may not know what to do now, but if I give in to my instincts, they will know exactly the right thing to do.

It is scary, terrifying in fact. If I take this step and kiss him, I know things will be different. Our connection and feelings go far deeper than anything I have ever experienced before, and once we take that step, there is no going back. I hesitate, not knowing what to do next, fearful of making a mistake I cannot take back.

When I stare into Alaric’s eyes, all I see is determination. He takes a deep inhale, as if in preparation for something, and instead of saying something like I expect, he leans in and presses his lips against mine.

The world seems to come to a halt around me, my whole universe narrowing down to this moment. It feels like this has been building between us, and we have been working towards this for a lifetime. There is no hesitation in me as I lift up onto my toes and kiss him back, winding my arms around his shoulders.

Groaning into my kiss, he shifts closer, banishing any space that dares to be between us. He holds on to me firmly, but also with gentleness, as if he’s afraid to break me.

His lips are soft, yet his kisses are firm, his tongue gently probing at my lips to seek entrance. His masculine scent surrounds me until it is all I can smell, his taste addictive. My eyes slide closed, my senses needing to focus purely on the feel of him against me. This is the type of kiss that bards write songs about, earth shattering in their intensity and something that I will never forget.

A jolt of elation and desire shoots up my spine, causing me to gasp into his mouth, my back arching at the sensation. The movement causes my nipples to brush against the rough fabric of my dress, stimulating them and making my arousal all the more difficult to ignore.

Alaric pauses, dropping his face to the crook of my neck, and I realise that he is sniffing me. His low groan is full of want, and as he lifts his head to meet my eyes, I finally figure it out. He can smell my arousal. In the past, embarrassment would have made me hide my face and remove myself from the situation, mortified at being caught out. This feels different though. Instead of shame, seeing how it turns Alaric on more is encouraging, his cock hardening against the front of his trousers.

Sliding one of my hands down his chest, I cup his cock through his trousers, enjoying the heavy feeling of him in my palm—just the thought of it makes my mouth water. My attention is stolen as his tongue sweeps into my mouth, and I desperately seek more of him, biting down on his lower lip possessively to stop him from pulling back. He chuckles into our kiss, and the next thing I know, his shirt has gone and his hands are undoing the belt around my dress. Slipping the sleeves down, he guides the garment off my body until it is a puddle of fabric on the floor. Standing before him in just my underwear, I fight the urge to cover myself. That urge dissipates when his low growl of approval rumbles through his chest. The look in his eyes is positively feline, predatory, and possessive.

My pulse flutters in my veins like a startled bird trying to escape, my breaths short and fast, but it is not fear that is causing this—it’s exhilaration. Under his gaze, I feel like a rare beauty, a treasure that he cannot believe has walked into his life. I take in his abs and the tattoo that covers most of his left pectoral. Placing my hand on it, I trace the tattoo with my finger, examining it closer—a golden crown surrounded by tall, twisting buildings in the trees, the sun resting in the very centre of the image.

“It represents my crown, kingdom, and duty,” he explains, his voice much deeper now.

“It is beautiful.” Dragging my fingers over his heart, I cannot help but notice that is directly where the crown is centred. A coincidence? Either way, the whole thing is gorgeous. “You can tell how much you care for your people.”

I watch with a small smile as his skin pebbles, thankful that his reaction is just as obvious as mine. Expression softening, he reaches out and brushes my cheek, gently pulling my face back to his. This time when his lips touch mine, he kisses me slower. With each move of our lips and swipe of our tongues, we become more passionate, exploring each other’s bodies. He makes seemingly innocent parts of my body ignite with his touch, dragging his fingers across my abdomen and skimming over my hip.

I can’t take this exquisite torture any longer, I need him. When I look back on this, I might think I should have waited until we were somewhere more private, and that Blaise was not in the bathroom while we had this moment, but really, I would have it no other way. This moment is ours, and because of that, we can choose when and where we take it, not being dictated by society’s standards.

Dropping my hands to his waistband, I unbutton his trousers, pushing them down so I can slide into his underwear and cup his manhood. He groans with a mixture of ecstasy and regret.

“I have dreamed of having this moment with you. Just your hand around my cock is almost enough to make me come in my underwear like a youngster.” Hissing through clenched teeth, he pushes his hands through his hair, trying to regain some control in his actions.

I bite my lip as he speaks, the rough need in his voice so thick I can almost feel it myself. Just hearing how much he wants me is driving me wild, making me want to jump into his arms and grind against him.

“But we should stop.”

Wait. What? Have I done something wrong? Perhaps he is disturbed by the fact that his best friend is in the other room with only a flimsy door separating us.

“Why?” I ask, my voice croaking. Releasing his cock, I try to take a step back, but his hands stop me, gripping the tops of my shoulders.

“Do not even think you have done anything wrong. I want you more than anything, Iris, but I don’t want to hurt you.” He stares into my eyes as he speaks, his expression open and honest, letting me see that he means what he said.

Relief floods my body, and my knees feel weak, but I force myself to stay standing. He doesn’t want to hurt me. I suppose he has probably never had sexual relations with a human before, and with their superior strength, it makes sense that he’s concerned about this.

“You won’t,” I assure him with a gentle smile, my instincts telling me that he would never hurt me. This is our moment, and I don’t want it to pass without us.

A glint appears in his eyes, and he gives me a smirk. “Fae don’t do gentle sex, Iris. Our more animalistic, feral natures are difficult to control when we are fucking.”

My core clenches desperately, and I press my legs together in an effort to gain some sort of friction and ease the ache between my thighs.

Sliding my hands down the front of his trousers, I let out a quiet moan as his thick cock fits into my palm. “I accept all of you, Alaric,” I murmur quietly, stroking his cock as I look up at him through my lashes.

Whether it’s my words or actions, something changes about him, his muscles seeming to grow and his aura becoming… more —more fae, more powerful, more impossibly handsome, the list goes on—but beneath it all is still the Alaric I am coming to love.

“If we start, I cannot stop,” he warns, his sharp teeth making an appearance as he flicks his tongue over his bottom lip. I trace the movement with my eyes, knowing exactly how he feels. The connection within us is tight and pulling us towards each other with an urgency that is impossible to ignore.

“Good,” I whisper, ready to take everything he has to offer.

Something snaps in him, the thin grasp of control he had disappearing. Suddenly, I am in his arms, and in the blink of an eye, I am pressed against the wall. His kisses are savage, and his touch is fevered as his hands find my nipples, tweaking them until he draws gasps from me.

My hands are pinned against his chest, stopping me from exploring his body like I want to, but as I try to move them, he grumbles into our kiss and presses against me tighter. My legs wrap around his waist, only my underwear covering my most intimate parts from him. As though our thoughts are connected, his hand comes up to cup me, and he makes a noise of annoyance at finding a barrier between us. With a flip of his wrist, he rips my underwear clean from my body, reminding me just how strong he is. Although I know he wouldn’t hurt me, it adds an element of danger, only making this whole experience more intense.

His fingers finally touch between my legs, and my eyes roll into the back of my head simply from the feel of him alone. Chuckling deeply, Alaric coats his fingers in the slick that has gathered there, evidence of how much I want him. His thumb finds my clit, circling the bundle of nerves and pushing a finger inside me.

A wanton moan slips from my lips, my body moving in a rhythm of its own as he makes appreciative noises and pushes a second, then third finger inside. There will be time for us to explore each other properly, but right now the two of us need this. I feel his cock pressing against me, begging for attention, and I cannot wait a moment longer. He is holding himself back in an effort not to hurt me, but he doesn’t need to. I want all of him. I need him.

“Stop holding back,” I murmur against his lips. “I’m not a doll.”

Growling low at the challenge in my voice, he readjusts his cock so it presses against my entrance, and with a fast thrust, he fills me with his cock.

“No, but you are mine .” Pushing deeper to emphasise his comment, he fills me completely.

The shock of the sensation, of stretching, of being so fucking full makes my back bow, giving him better access to my breasts and neck which are still receiving his attention. It hurts a little, his movements deep and getting faster with each thrust, but I relish the pain, as it makes this moment all the more real. My walls clamp down on him as he thrusts in and out of me, making me his.

Our ragged breathing, grunts, and moans fill the room with the unique music of our love. It’s rough, claiming, and perfect. Neither of us speak, focused fully on each other’s bodies. My arousal is building low in my abdomen, and I know I am not far from climax. Given the heavy breaths and bucking of his thrusts, I would say it’s the same for Alaric.

The light scrape of his teeth against my neck is the only warning I get before I feel the sharp pinch of his bite. Crying out in both pleasure and pain, I fall over the edge, and my orgasm comes crashing down on me. Pleasure like I have never known floods my system, every cell in my body alert. Blinded by it, all I can see is a glowing light in my mind, and as I reach towards it, I realise that it is my and Alaric’s connection. What was just a concept is now something visceral and whole, connecting us together.

I feel the moment Alaric finds his release, his final jerking thrust within me as my walls press against him, encouraging his cum to fill me.

Opening my eyes, I find his face only a hairsbreadth away from mine, his eyes locked on me with that predatory focus despite his chest heaving like he just ran several miles. One hand is braced against the wall behind me, and with the other, he holds me up. I’m sure I look just as exhausted as he does, and I don’t even want to acknowledge that we just fucked with Blaise in the bathroom. He probably heard us, which is mortifying. However, I cannot take my gaze off Alaric, feeling the strange urge to stay wrapped around him forever.

“Mate.”

I freeze. Did Alaric really just call me his mate? My heart thumps in my chest, unsure what this will mean for us. With how strong the connection feels, I would guess that it’s a strong possibility.

“About fucking time!” Blaise shouts from the bathroom, sounding both amused and pissed off at the same time.

Yes, he definitely heard us.