Epilogue

Time had lost its meaning. Days, hours, perhaps weeks, they slipped away as if swallowed by the deep. Only warmth, water, and silence remained. The abyss wrapped around me like a velvet cocoon, cradling my thoughts, my body, my very soul. Here, in the dark sanctuary Rynar had created, I felt suspended. Weightless. Drenched in a peace I had never known before.

Light pulsed from the bioluminescent corals along the cavern walls. Their soft glow painted everything in hues of silver and blue. Strange, delicate creatures swayed in the current, their tendrils brushing against me like whispers. I floated in the center of it all, my limbs relaxed, my mind drifting. The abyss had once been a prison, a place where fear gnawed at the edges of my sanity. Now, it was home.

Rynar’s arms encircled me, his body solid and cool, anchoring me in this endless sea. His dark eyes never left mine. That piercing gaze had once terrified me, haunted me. Now, it held me together. His eyes spoke in ways his words couldn’t, of love, regret, and devotion so deep it made my chest ache.

His hand slid over my hip, fingers brushing against my skin, lingering just long enough to leave trails of heat. He traced the curve of my belly, where new life grew. The gentle swell was unmistakable now. A tender secret cradled by the abyss. His claws trembled, his touch reverent, as though he feared he might shatter me.

I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation. His touch was careful, almost hesitant, as if he were still learning how to love without destroying. But beneath that restraint, I felt the desperation: the unrelenting need to prove himself worthy. To show me, again and again, that I was more than his obsession. I was his salvation.

“You’re staring again,” I whispered into his mind.

A small smile tugged at his lips. “I can’t help it.”

His voice rumbled through my mind, low and thick. It settled in my bones, wrapped around my heart. I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze. He leaned in, his lips brushing mine, a whisper of a kiss, hesitant and soft. The water held us, wrapped us in warmth as if it approved of this fragile intimacy.

I deepened the kiss, my fingers sliding into his dark hair. He groaned, the sound vibrating through me. His arms tightened around my waist, pulling me closer. The cool of his skin met the heat of mine, a contrast that sent shivers racing down my spine. The ache in my chest spread lower, turning into a slow burn that curled in my belly.

Effortlessly, he lifted me, his strength tempered with gentleness. The water parted around us, carrying us deeper into our sanctuary. The light dimmed, the corals fading into shadows. Here, in the quiet dark, nothing existed but us. The current stilled, thickening around us, holding us in a liquid embrace.

His claws trailed up my back, each touch leaving a line of fire that seared through my skin. My body arched into him, craving more. His mouth left mine, traveling down to my neck. His lips pressed against my pulse, lingering there, feeling my heartbeat. Slow. Steady. Alive.

“You are everything,” he whispered. “My light, my darkness, my salvation.”

The words sank into me. I tilted my head back, letting him taste the curve of my throat. Each kiss was a promise, a plea, a vow to worship me until the abyss itself ran dry. His hands explored my body, learning every dip, every curve, as though he were discovering me for the first time.

“Rynar,” I breathed, his name falling from my lips like a prayer.

He groaned in response, his grip tightening. He lifted me higher, my legs wrapping around his waist. The water pressed us together, the pressure building, winding tight. His claws grazed my thighs, teasing, deliberate, careful not to break the delicate surface. The reverence in his touch made my chest tighten. He wanted to claim me, all of me, but he feared his own strength. He feared losing me again.

“Let go,” I whispered. “I’m yours.”

The words broke something in him. His restraint melted away. His mouth crashed into mine, all hesitation gone. The kiss was rough, desperate, a collision of teeth and tongues. I drank him in, my fingers digging into his shoulders, anchoring myself to him. He moved us through the water, the current swirling around us like a storm.

He pressed me against a smooth, stone wall, the coral’s glow casting faint shadows over our bodies. His hips pinned me there, his body a solid wall of heat and strength. His mouth devoured mine, each kiss stealing the breath from my lungs. I gasped, my chest heaving, the fire in my belly turning into an inferno.

His claws traced the line of my ribs, his touch possessive. He kissed down my throat, his lips worshiping every inch of exposed skin. My body trembled, the pleasure building in slow, relentless waves. He took his time, savoring me, showing me that I was his universe. His reason for existing.

His mouth moved lower, his tongue tracing patterns that made me shudder. The water rippled, charged with energy. His fingers explored every curve, every hollow, with a tenderness that left me aching. I clutched his head, holding him to me, needing more.

“Rynar, please,” I gasped.

He growled, the sound low and primal. He lifted his head, his eyes burning with desire and something deeper, a need to show me just how much he loved me. Just how deeply he belonged to me.

With a deliberate motion, he slid inside me, slow and steady. My body opened to him, welcomed him, the ache giving way to a pleasure so intense it blurred the edges of my vision. He paused, his forehead resting against mine, his breath ragged.

“You’re everything,” he whispered. “Everything.”

We moved together, our bodies finding a rhythm as old as the abyss itself. The water held us, cushioned us, as if it were a part of us now. Each thrust, each gasp, each kiss brought us closer to something infinite. The tension built, a wave rising higher, ready to crash.

I clung to him, my nails biting into his back. His hands held me firmly, grounding me as pleasure swept through me. The wave crested, then broke. I cried out, my body shattering and reforming in his arms. He followed, his grip tightening, his voice a low groan of surrender.

We drifted together, the world fading into silence. Our breaths slowed, our hearts finding the same steady rhythm. He didn’t let me go. His arms stayed wrapped around me, his claws tracing idle patterns on my back.

I pressed my cheek to his chest, feeling the cool, steady thrum of his heartbeat. My body felt warm, heavy, and sated. I let my hand slide down, resting on my belly.

Rynar’s hand covered mine. His fingers spread over my swollen belly, his touch trembling, hesitant. He stared down at me, his eyes wide, stripped bare of the usual darkness. A tear slipped down his cheek, catching the faint glow that surrounded us.

“We found something beautiful in the wreckage,” I whispered, the words trembling on my lips.

His voice broke, rough with something fragile. “Drenched in peace, let darkness creep, In the abyss, all things sleep. ”

I cupped his face, my thumb wiping away the tear. “But some things don’t,” I murmured. “They endure.”

His forehead touched mine. We weren’t waiting anymore. We were here. Together.

Our hands stayed there, cradling the future growing inside me. The abyss stretched out around us, endless and dark. But here, in this quiet corner of the deep, there was light. There was hope.

No more waiting. No more emptiness.

This was home now.

I belonged to it. I belonged to him. And he belonged to me.