Chapter 25

"Later," I told him, begrudgingly extracting myself from his embrace. "Right now, there are moss cakes to bake."

He grunted and watched me with tormented eyes as I fussed with the mine carts, hooking each of them together with metal chains. By the time I was through, he still hadn't moved from his spot.

"You know, it's ironic," he said, his voice deep and dark. "I want nothing more than to take you aboveground right now so we can pack a picnic and watch the sunset together. I want to show you exactly how amazing I think you are. But the reason I feel that way is because you aren't going to do that with me right now. You're not choosing yourself. You're choosing your people. And that's what makes me want you so badly."

I flushed, all the way from my cheeks to the growing ache in my core. Every time he complimented me, it felt like the first time. "Just hold on to that thought, because your plan sounds very nice to me."

"We can even take some of your moss cakes, since you like them so much," he said with a grin.

"You can admit you like them. I won't tell anyone."

"They are luminescent," he said. "No one in their right mind would like one of those things."

"Good thing you're not in your right mind." I giggled. "You walked straight into that, you have to admit."

"Hmm. Proud of that one, are you?"

"Very."

"You're lucky you're cute."

Giggling again, I moved to the front mine cart and grabbed the yokes. "How cute, exactly?"

"So cute I could ravish you and never tire of it." As if to punctuate his statement, he leaned in, dragged his teeth across my neck, and nipped my skin. A moan curled from the depths of my throat, and the temptation to drag him into the mine cart was so overwhelming I nearly gave in and did it.

"Later," I said, more to myself than to him. And as we began our trek down the mines, I envisioned exactly what later might feel like.

When we reached the hole in the tunnel floor, I realized how badly my plan had, erm, holes in it, so to speak. We'd had to drag the carts behind us after a while since the tracks didn't lead here. Sweat dampened my forehead, and my muscles ached from use, but we'd made it by taking turns. Dragging five connected carts across an uneven stone ground was no easy feat, but it wasn't an impossible one.

But getting them from here to the bottom of the cavern below most definitely was.

"We need to use the ropes and make a pulley system." I tugged a curved metal piece from my pack and showed it to Tormund. "It'll take a while, but it will get everything down there safely."

Tormund grinned at me. "Smart woman."

"I'd like to say it was my idea, but it wasn't. We use pulley systems like this all the time in the mines to—"

"Astrid," Tormund said. "You're doing it again. You don't need to downplay your smarts or your talents around me."

My chest lifted, then I nodded. "Right. Thank you, then."

Together, we wound the rope through the metal and constructed the pulley. It took well over an hour, perhaps even more, to lower all the mine carts to the bottom cave. By the time we were done, sweat coated every inch of me, seeping into the sleeves of my tunic. My hair had transformed into damp ringlets—without the bells. I'd learned my lesson from last time. Tormund looked like he'd barely broken a sweat. Even though he was a shadow demon, his ability to do pretty much anything just as easily as if he were lounging around eating cake was impressive, to say the least.

"All right, come on. Let's go." I shoved the mine cart across the rocky cave floor.

Tormund followed, grabbing the sides to help me steer it across the uneven surface. We reached the crack in the wall that led to the dragon's lair only a few minutes later. Sighing, I leaned against the cart and wiped a new layer of sweat from my brow.

"This is hard work," I muttered. "Why do you still look like you could run the entire length of this cavern and back a hundred times?"

He frowned and shifted on his feet uneasily. "Shadow demons have a lot of stamina." Then he winked.

I laughed in response, which seemed to erase whatever unease he'd been feeling a moment before. He knelt and peered through the crack we needed to traverse to reach the dragon. But I frowned as I watched him. He hadn't liked my question, which hadn't even been a question at all. More of a joke, really. And yet something about it had put him on edge, like he didn't want me to know the truth of his powers.

Was he keeping something from me?

I didn't want to think it. After everything we'd shared, it felt like all the walls between us had come crashing down. He knew everything about me. And despite holding back the words, I'd given him my heart.

Had I been wrong in thinking he'd given me his?

Tormund backed out of the crack and brushed the dirt off his sleeves. "The dragon's not in there."

I blinked. That was the last thing I'd expected him to say. "Come again?"

"She's not there, but all her gold still is."

"But we…" I gestured at all the sugar, all the baking tins, all the moss. Hours upon hours had gone into preparation for this. We were here to gift the bloomin' dragon with hundreds of cakes, and she wasn't even here to eat them! I am a pretty level-headed person most of the time, but right then, I could have screamed.

"I'm certain she'll be back. A dragon would never leave a pile of gold for longer than a few hours. She's probably out hunting." Tormund scratched the base of his horns, then pointed at the pond in the far corner of the cavern. "We can have a drink and rest until she gets back."

"I don't want to rest," I said. Not that it mattered what I wanted. If the dragon wasn't here, there wasn't much we could do. We could steal the gold, of course, but I had no desire to anger a creature who could melt my skin from my bones. I would rather wait and supply the moss cakes, thank you very much.

I trailed after Tormund, still watching him carefully. He sauntered along no differently than normal. Perhaps I'd read that reaction wrong. It was dark down here, and I was tired, and there really was no reason for him to feel uncomfortable with a comment about his power.

When we reached the pond, I settled onto a flat rock beside it and dipped my fingers into the cool water. I splashed my face, then drank a palm-full, sighing as the water slid down my parched throat. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed this rest.

"We have a long road ahead of us after this," Tormund said. "Feel free to take the opportunity to bathe. If you'd like."

I lifted my gaze to meet his. He was starting at me with a dark, hooded look in his eyes. Shadows whorled around him. "Are you saying I smell?"

"I'm saying I wouldn't mind watching you strip naked and bathe while we're waiting. We don't know how long it will be until we reach another pond like this."

Biting back a smile, I tugged my tunic over my head and dropped it by my feet. We'd likely pass another pond or lake within hours, but the look of utter desire on his face made me want to keep that little fact to myself. Boldly, I unbuttoned my trousers and pushed them down.

Tormund watched my every move with eager eyes.

My belly jiggled as I stepped over the side of the pond and slipped one foot into the water. Its cool embrace soothed my sweat-soaked skin, goosebumps pebbling my arms. A shiver went through me, and my nipples tightened.

Tormund sucked in a breath and stood. "Gods, you're beautiful."

With my eyes locked on his, I slid my other foot into the pond, lowered myself to my chin, then stood back up. Rivulets of water trailed down my skin, streaming across my breasts. A hiss went through Tormund's lips.

"Is there a problem?" I asked him sweetly.

"Come here," he said in a rough voice, pointing at the flat stone.

Heat tightened my core, though the rest of me was cold, my bare skin covered in goosebumps. "If I get out of the pond, I'll have to get dressed. It's not very warm in this cave."

"I'll keep you warm," he said—demanded, really. But when he held out his hand, there was a question in his eyes. And I answered yes by sliding my fingers through his.

Tormund tugged me out of the pond and gently pressed on my shoulders to lower me onto the stone. I sat, sucking in a breath when he knelt between my thighs. With gentle fingers, he nudged my legs wider before him. My core pulsed with a delicious ache.

"Is there something that you'd like?" Tormund asked as he stared up at me through my parted thighs.

I swallowed, my heartbeat thrumming in my neck. "I think so, but I've never done this before. What you're about to do, I mean. I've done other things. Well, you know that, because we did it."

I realized I was rambling nervously, so I shut my mouth.

"Hmm." He murmured it against my skin, the sound sending shockwaves of need through my body. "We must remedy that immediately. Relax against the stone, Astrid. Let me show you what it means to be wanted by a shadow demon."

He brushed his lips against my thigh. I gasped and dug my fingernails into his shoulders. Smiling, he dragged his tongue across my thigh and then stilled just beside my core. And then he licked me. An explosion of pleasure shook through my body. Tormund groaned, as if he liked my reaction, as if my thrill gave him a bolt of pleasure, too.

He licked me again, sliding his tongue across the core of me. Gods, this felt good. I dropped back my head and moaned as he drove his tongue inside me, slipping back and forth across my bud. I shuddered. An intoxicating pleasure built inside me, tightening and tightening and tightening.

And then he flicked his tongue across my bud, and I shattered completely.

I gasped, pulses shaking through me. Chest heaving, I started to move away from him, but Tormund grabbed my legs and held me in place against his mouth. His tongue darted out again, and another round of quakes went through me.

When they finally subsided, I collapsed onto the stone, feeling more content and more relaxed than I'd ever felt in my life.

And then Tormund lowered his body on top of mine, desire flickering in the depths of his midnight eyes. My core tightened again in anticipation, sooner than I would have thought possible. He dropped his mouth to mine and kissed me with a ravenous hunger that made my toes curl.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm not finished with you just yet," he purred.

I took his hand in mine and put it between my thighs. "Do I feel like I mind?"

"You feel soaking wet, love." His teeth skimmed my neck, and a delicious heat sparked in their wake. "Tell me you want me."

I reached up and stroked his horn. "I want you."

I gasped when he took my leg, lifted it over his shoulder, and hooked it behind his neck. Then he slid inside me, his eyes locked on mine. Everything else dropped away. The only thing in this cave was him and me and the delicious heat building between us.

Tormund pushed into me. I arched against him, crying out when his length hit the very back of me. With an encouraging grunt, he grabbed my other leg and put it on his shoulder. Thrusting inside me once again, he consumed every part of me.

Then his pace slowed. He worked himself inside me in low, sensual strokes, his body moving against the delicate bud he'd only just licked. It was almost too much to bear. My moans filled the cavernous space, echoing all around us. Every time he thrust, I bucked against the rock. All control of my body was gone. I was putty in his hands.

Suddenly, Tormund pulled back and flipped me around. He stood behind me and lifted my arse in the air. Angling his length, he grasped my thighs and slammed into my pussy from behind.

"Oh my gods," I managed to eke out, stars dotting my eyes. This felt even better than the other position, and that had felt pretty bloomin' good.

Tormund dug his fingers into my hips, his thumb caressing my arse. He tugged me into him just as he pounded inside me once more. Overwhelming pleasure crashed through me.

He slid himself out, pushed his finger inside me, wetting his finger. Reaching around to my front, he slid his finger across my aching bud and thrust inside me. The combined pleasure lit up in the backs of my eyes.

"That's right," he murmured. "Come close to the edge, love."

He drove into me again and stroked me. I shuddered, my hands curling against the stone. Holding me in place, he quickened, his thrusts faster and harder now. I lifted my arse higher, desperate for release.

"You take me so good, Astrid. Everything you do is perfect."

At the sound of my name on his tongue, I careened over the edge. Pleasure tore through my core, throbbing so hard I thought I might shatter into pieces. I panted and gripped the stone, my heart racing, my body shaking as hard as my quakes.

Tormund held still while I finished, groaning every time my walls tightened around his cock. When my orgasm was over, he gripped my hips again, gently moving in and out. "I don't want to push you too hard. Is this all right?"

In answer, I lifted my arse even higher. With an appreciative growl, he thrust into me. A new wave of sparks filled my eyes.

"You can go faster," I breathed. "I want you to come, Tormund."

"I will do anything you want me to do." He thrust again. "I will take you, again and again, until you are fully satisfied." He thrust harder. "I will explore your pussy with my tongue. I will lick up every last drop." He slammed into me, all the way to the hilt. "And I will relish every inch of your beautiful body. I've served no gods before, but I will gladly serve you."

I gasped. No one had ever spoken to me this way. And while I knew some of this must be his lust talking, I didn't care. I leaned forward and pulled away from him, then lay onto my back and pulled him to me. I wanted to see his face.

His heated eyes locked on mine. Spreading my legs, he pushed back inside me. He moved slowly at first, staring into the very heart of me. My heart thundered with every sensual thrust, and I moved my hips in time with his, like we were in a dance of our own making.

When he began to shudder, I reached up and dragged both my hands up his horns, lingering at the tips. Tormund's pace quickened. A raw animalistic need tore through his eyes, and the growl he emitted resounded through the cave.

As the wild look in his eye got even wilder, so did my need to give him as much pleasure as he'd given me. I arched my back, grinding against his hips. I dragged my hands up and down his horns—faster, harder—until he gripped my hips and exploded inside of me.

Tormund roared. The ground shook. Rocks tumbled down from the walls, crashing into the pond and spraying water into my face. His shadows pulsed against my skin, faster and faster until—everything exploded.

Darkness took my mind.