30. Kavian

Using my shadow powers, I drag Gorran's body into my estate. My servants are terrified, but when I call them, they come.

"Burn his corpse and be done with him once and for all," I order.

Their faces are solemn, eyes wide with fear, but they obey, trembling as they set to work disposing of the xaphan"s body. I can see the relief on their faces when the flames begin to consume his corpse, erasing all traces of him from our home. I don"t blame them. I feel it, too.

But there is still more to do.

Taking a deep breath, I turn towards Meera. She"s standing in the hallway, her clothes soaked in blood, her eyes wide and vacant. The sight of her shakes something inside of me.

"Come," I say softly, reaching out to her. "Let"s get you cleaned up."

She follows me silently to the nearest bathroom, her steps faltering as if she"s lost control over her body. As the tub fills with warm water, I help her out of her blood-soaked clothes. She winces when I touch her bare skin but makes no sound of protest.

"Easy," I tell her as I guide her into the tub. "I know it hurts. But you did well."

I can tell she doesn"t believe me yet by the look in her eyes—wide and shocked—but that doesn"t matter. She will come to understand it soon enough. She is stronger than she thinks. Nobody else could have done what she did tonight.

As I wash off the dried blood from her skin, I remember once again why it is that I"ve stayed here for so long. Why I"ve put up with everything this world has thrown at me.

It"s because of beings like Meera—resilient and brave, even in the face of unimaginable horrors. And as long as people like her exist, there is still hope for us yet.

I look at her, stripped bare of the blood but not of the shock. Her body is stiff and unyielding under my gentle touch. I take my time cleaning her wounds, ensuring she"s thoroughly rid of any lingering trace of the xaphan"s presence.

"Does it hurt?" I ask as I lightly tap a particularly nasty gash on her shoulder. She flinches but nods, assuring me it"s nothing she can"t handle. That's Meera, unbroken even in her vulnerability.

When every last trace of blood is washed away, I help her out of the tub and wrap her in a towel. I guide her to a chair by the fireplace in my bedroom, where she sits obediently, still silent but no longer trembling.

The flickering flames cast an orange glow on her face, highlighting her sharp cheekbones and the quiet determination in her eyes. It's an image that will be etched into my memory till my last breath.

She looks up at me then, uncertainty in those dark depths. "What now?" she asks.

I feel myself grinning despite everything that happened today. She frowns at me, curiosity getting the best of her.

"What?" she questions quietly.

Without a word, I lean down and kiss her. Her arms wrap around my neck and she pulls me as close as possible. She's eager for my warmth, my comfort, my body. And I aim to give her all of it right here, right now.

I pick her up and place her at the foot of my bed where my mouth roams from hers to her collarbone, tracing the path of her pulse with a whisper of a kiss. She shivers in my grip, her breath hitching as I explore her.

Her fingers tangle into my hair, pulling me closer. She is alive—very much so—and the realization hits me like a punch to the gut. In the face of death, she has survived, and more than that, she has triumphed.

Soon, I find myself lying in bed beside her, allowing my hands to travel the expanse of her body while hers does the same with mine.

Her hands find the hem of my trousers and she pushes them down my hips before wrapping her small, delicate hands around my throbbing cock. I groan as she strokes me, up and down, her touch both tentative and bold. As she gains confidence, her strokes become more insistent.

My fingers dig into her hips, my breath hitching as pleasure races through my veins. Her eyes meet mine, a dark swirl of emotions that has me dizzy with anticipation.

"Meera," I hear myself murmur, my voice husky with longing. She lets out a soft moan of agreement, her lips parting in a small gasp.

"Kavian," she whispers back, the sound reaching deep into my soul. There"s something in the way she says it—in the way she looks at me—that reminds me of our shared battle, of the strength she"s shown tonight. A strength rivaled only by the intensity of our mutual desire in this moment.

She continues to stroke me even as my fingers plunge inside of her. She's soaked with her desire for me, a powerful testament to the raw, unyielding lust between us. I groan at her touch, my body begging for more. I pull away from her lips, my eyes locked onto hers as I swirl my thumb over her sensitive nub.

Her breath hitches and she gasps, her grip on me tightening as pleasure courses through her. Her back arches off the bed, pushing her chest against mine as she rides the wave of pleasure I'm providing.

"Kavian," she moans again, the sound sends a jolt down my spine, making me throb painfully against her hand.

I quicken my pace, both my fingers inside of her and my thumb on her bud moving faster now. She writhes beneath me, a whimpering mess of desire and pleasure.

"Are you close?" I ask her breathlessly.

"Yes," she pants out, her eyes squeezed tight with pleasure.

I can feel her walls tightening around my fingers, an indication of what's to come. I press down harder on her nub and she cries out as an intense climax hits her.

As she comes down from the high of it all—panting and flushed—I take a moment to admire the sight of her. Sated, beautiful, and powerful in ways not all women are.

I love watching her cum undone under my touch and now that she has, I pull away from her touch, wanting to release myself inside her tight body. I position my hips between her shaking thighs and enter her slowly, savoring the feel of her warmth encasing me. She gasps, her fingers digging into the skin of my back as I push deeper and deeper into her.

"Kavian," she moans into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. My name on her lips sounds like a prayer, a plea, and a victory cry all at once.

I pull back only to thrust back in again, setting a slow and steady rhythm. With every stroke, I can feel her body responding to mine—her muscles constricting around me in waves that send electric pulses through every nerve in my body. The wet sound of our bodies joining and the scent of our mutual arousal fills the room—it"s intoxicating.

Her nails scrape down my back, adding an edge of pain to the pleasure coursing through me. It"s too much, and not enough all at once. I want to stay in this moment forever—with her beneath me, her body entwined with mine... But I also need more. I need to see her under me, undone by the same pleasure she"s giving me.

With a growl of her name, I increase my pace. My thrusts become harder and deeper until she cries out in pleasure beneath me. I lean down to capture a hardened nipple in my mouth. I want to savor every inch of her body.

My tongue swirls around her sensitive peak, drawing a keen gasp from her lips as she clutches at my hair. The sensation of her nails scraping gently against my scalp sends another jolt of pleasure cascading down my spine.

"Meera," I groan into her skin, the taste of her intoxicating me. Her moans grow louder as I continue to thrust into her, pushing us both towards the edge.

I can feel her body tightening around me and can sense the way she"s clenching in anticipation. Her breath comes in short pants as she buries her face into my shoulder, muffling her cries of pleasure. Everything about this moment is raw and visceral, powerful in its intensity.

"Kavian," she moans out, her breath hitching in her throat. "Please..."

The plea only drives me further and ignites something primal within me that craves her completion as much as my own. I groan in response, my fingertips digging into the flesh of her hips as I guide myself deeper into her with each thrust. She arches beneath me, meeting every stroke with a desperation that matches my own.

With one final thrust, I push us both over the edge. Pleasure shatters through me like a wave crashing onto the shore, ripping a growl from deep within my chest.

Meera"s body follows suit moments later, clenching around me as she cries out in pleasure. The sight of her beneath me, bathed in the soft glow of satisfaction and flushed from our shared climax is exquisitely beautiful. A sight reserved only for me.

Slowly, I pull myself from her warmth and collapse beside her on the bed, my chest heaving with exertion. She reaches out to run a shaky hand along my torso, tracing the lines of sweat that glisten on my skin.

"That was..." she starts but doesn"t finish. How could words describe such an experience? They couldn"t possibly capture the rawness and intimacy of this moment.

"Yes," I agree quietly, pulling her close so that her head rests against my chest. We lay there silently for several moments, entwined in each other"s arms and reveling in the afterglow.

As the adrenaline slowly fades and the reality of our situation begins to settle in, I pull my gaze toward Meera's face. Her eyes are dewy and radiant, her lips swollen from our kisses.

Every inch of her screams strength—an image that I'll always remember. This woman, who fought beside me, faced death with me, and now lays satiated in my arms… She's more than just a lover. She's a warrior, a partner.

"Meera," I whisper, running my fingers through her messy hair. She hums contentedly in response, a soft smile on her face.

"Kavian," she breathes out, the sound filling the silence of the room. There"s something about hearing my name on her lips that sends a shiver down my spine every time.

"I want you to remember this moment," I say quietly. She looks at me curiously but doesn't question me. Instead, she just nods and closes her eyes, leaning into me for comfort.

I hope that when the morning comes and the harsh realities of our world come crashing down on us again, we'll still have this moment—this raw and beautiful connection between two warriors who found solace in each other"s arms amidst the chaos.