Chapter 6

B reathe.

It was the only thing that she could do. But the closer they got to the Silver Palace, the more her hands shook—the more her fear and anxiety seemed to latch itself onto her, curling around her spine, digging its venom-tipped claws in her stomach.

Kaya swallowed, lifting her eyes from the iridescent runes that marked her wrist and looked at the males riding to her left.

Keegan Aeros was the general of her father's army. And his aura just seemingly emitted a raw, carnal energy that was both terrifying and comforting. It made sense that they were brothers, sired by the same male who had served as her father's advisor since before she was born.

He smiled when he caught her staring at him, a kindness and gentleness to his face that was utterly shocking.

Keegan officiated their mockery of a wedding ceremony the night before, both her and Ilias exchanging rushed vows and a chaste kiss before a couple of Keegan's men arrived with Ilias and Kaya's belongings that'd been left in G'Illach. Even her goats were amongst the caravan—strategically harnessed to her horse as they'd been the day she claimed them as her own.

She thanked the Mother that she'd been able to change into actual clothing before they left the Borderlands because the shocked expressions of the Holidonian soldiers that saw her… scantily clad appearance was enough for her to want to hide her entire body in thick, oversized clothing for the rest of her life.

With a small smile, she looked back down at her wrist, tracing over the markings that entailed their union was blessed by the Mother—a union that had been written in the stars, long before they were a thought in their parents' minds.

Married .

She was a married female now. And though she hadn't the slightest idea as to what her union with Ilias meant, it was not what mattered. What mattered was the panic she felt when she imagined her father's face when they told him their news—if his face would turn red and purple or if he would just look at them with disappointment. She didn't know which would be worse.

And she feared for Ilias, that his position as captain would be ripped from him for being so foolish. Because they were being foolish, weren't they? Eloping late in the night in hopes to keep her from being forced to wed a spineless brute that was keen on killing their people…

It didn't sound foolish to her. Not really.

And Ilias was just as stoic and calm as always, the only telling sign that anything bothered him was in the occasional way he rubbed at that awful, hideous, and absolutely gorgeous beard of his.

"Are you sure you'd want to marry a halfblooded bastard like me, princess?"

She didn't care about his humanity at the time. She didn't care about it now, either. And she wondered, as she watched him exchange a few hushed words with his brother, if it was his humanity that made him such a peculiar creature.

But he was just as much fae as his brother—both of them with that wildness in their eyes, the silver gleam that proved Cadaith's life force ran through their veins.

It didn't matter.

It didn't bother her.

The only thing that haunted her thoughts was that she found herself looking at him more, going over every single word he spoke and hanging on to each word as if they were prophecy. Kaya had been in love before. And she'd given her heart so freely and willingly that she hadn't cared to look for warning signs. She knew the warnings now, but Ilias displayed none of them.

He was gentle. He was just and kind and he followed rules, but he was also impulsive in many ways, like there was a part of him that was just as wild as she was.

Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Feelings. So much that she hadn't realized she was walking into the great hall of her father's palace until she saw her father sitting on his throne, his head knocked to the side as he listened to the whisperings of one of his advisors. Alder Aesa's eyes locked with her own, his strong brow drawing downwards at the center.

He knew. That was for certain.

"I suppose congratulations are in order for the two of you." His voice echoed, splintering through her fractured heart. Because when she looked at him, all she could think about was the fact that he was willing to sell her off to their greatest enemy in exchange for peace.

She once viewed him as the king of all kings—he was a god in her young and naive eyes. And now, looking at him, her throat burned with acid.

Ilias stooped into a bow and waited, breathing slow, until the king signaled for him to raise to his feet. "Mi-lord, I must ask for your forgiveness. Not only for taking your daughters hand without your knowledge, but also going against your orders. I will accept my punishment, as you see fit."

Kaya's teeth could have turned to powder with the force that she ground them, her eyes now narrowed and carving holes in Ilias's face. "And I would like to add," she began, "that he taught me nothing."

" I would like to to add that she made it very difficult for me to teach her anything." Ilias snapped, his face void of emotion.

Alder let out a tired sigh, head dropping into his hand. "Ailikaya. Leave us."

The princess balked, eyes darting back and forth between Ilias and her father. Even now—even as a married female, she was still unworthy. A child, a pawn, a spoiled little princess who was expected to blindly obey. "I am not going anywhere."

"Ailikaya—"

"As my wife, I believe that Princess Ailikaya has just as much right to hear what you are going to say as anyone else in this room." Her breath caught, brow furrowing as she looked at Ilias again. His hand curled around hers, tugging her closer so that their shoulders brushed.

Alder drew in a deep breath, massaging the vein that was ready to burst at his temple. "Fine." He pinched the bridge of his nose, face flushing ever so slightly as he looked up. "The Credulans have already heard of your union. And they would still like to observe Ailikaya. Whether or not that means they will take her is completely based upon how they feel about her—about the two of you . They're willing to allow you to travel with her if they deem that this marriage is completely legitimate and not merely an attempt at besting them. So," he sighed, "I would expect for the two of you, if this marriage is real , to make it look real."

Kaya's hand was sweating, her mouth going dry as Ilias's grip on her hand loosened and tightened again. " Real?" Kaya repeated. "Have our names not appeared on the temple wall?"

"They have." Alder affirmed. "But things are done differently in Credula. Their standards are not like our own. They believe that a marriage must be consummated in order for it to be legitimate."

"And how would they determine that?" Kaya hissed, her voice raising. "Do they want to be in the room with us while we fuck —"

"Ailikaya!"

Ilias squeezed her hand, giving it a gentle tug. "Your scent , Kaya. That's how they will be able to tell."

Her stomach sank, eyes darting around the room as she let out an incredulous laugh. Her laughter fell flat and as her shoulders slumped, so did her stomach. Not because she was innocent when it came to her sexuality, but because the thought of being intimate with him … it would mean something. Maybe not to Ilias, but it would to her. And she wasn't quite sure if her heart could handle it. Her heart could barely handle that look of shame he wore on his face when he apologized for marrying her. It was enough to make her want to allow the Credulans to take take her anyway—to escape the embarrassing fact that she liked Ilias a lot more than she ever expected to.

She wanted to hide. Run . But even the idea of running and hiding made her want him to chase her.

When the garbled discussions ceased and her father dismissed them, Kaya nearly darted out of the great hall—weaving through a group of guards that were waiting to be called upon. She took to the lesser-known pathways that led to her room, clinging to the shadows in the halls until she reached her door. But before she could reach for the handle, a large hand curled around the silver and turned it for her.

She could feel his breath upon her neck, the warmth of his chest pressing against her back. She shoved the door open, moving quickly in hopes to shut him out, but his palm was pressed flat against it. Ilias's eyes bore into her own, his jaw tight as he watched her back away, moving closer to the window.

She could jump out of it if she had to— anything to escape this torturous feeling that had taken root in her chest. It was blooming quickly, like a weed that just kept coming back no matter how many times she ripped at its stems. And despite the fact that it's consumption of her heart seemed endless and helpless, she reveled in the feeling of it. Delighted in the warmth it brought, the tingle of desire that blossomed at it's ends.

There was no denying it.

All those days that she'd spent ignoring him in G'Illach was not merely for her the fact that she sought his apology, but because she couldn't stop looking for him. She couldn't stop the urge to follow his scent, to touch him, to just know that he was watching her too.

And he did.

He watched her every single day. When she wasn't looking and when she was, he was always there.

"If you touch me, I won't be able to control myself." She breathed. Her heart hammered in her chest, her lungs compressed to their limit as he closed the door. She swallowed. "I mean it."

Ilias walked towards the small sofa at the end of her bed, eyes never leaving hers. "I'm not going to touch you, Kaya." His breaths came quickly, much like her own and she winced at the look of pain on his face as he spoke. Because, of course, the mere idea of him having to touch her probably made his skin crawl. Her stomach sank, swallowing as she moved to turn her back to him. Her face was warm—her whole body was warm to the point that she felt as if she were going to suffocate under the intensity of his gaze. "The last thing I want to do is cross that line with you, but we have to do something to make this believable for them."

She nodded, eyes fixed upon the view of the city down below. She knew that he was right, but there was just too much happening all at once. Kaya had barely a moment to sit and think about everything that transpired in the Borderlands, about what she'd done, what that burned female told her, or what they decided to do to save her from the Credulans.

Married .

And the Credulans expected proof.

She swallowed around the lump in her throat, the heat in her face having spread through her body, coiling like a devious serpent in between her legs. "Do you know what machna ii'loam means?" She asked.

Ilias shook his head, finally taking his seat on the sofa. "What does that have to do with anything?"

With a final quivering breath, she turned to him. She saw him . Saw every moment of his existence, of his nature—his essence , his Core. As if it had been presented to her on a shimmering, golden platter. He was there. And the tension was so strong that one move from either of them would have them launching themselves at the other. A sudden desire so strong that Ilias gripped the arm of the sofa, knuckles white. They peered at one another, both wholly unmoving. Not even breathing, it seemed.

Ilias saw her, too. He saw her and he couldn't stop looking, couldn't draw himself out of the stupor that made him feel just as carnal and crazed as he did the night before. He understood, then, that it wasn't just the drink from the mating ceremony and her heightened pheromones that had him wanting to rip the world to shreds to be able to touch her. It was just her .

Kaya moved first.

In a flurry of black hair and gray dressing gowns, she was on him. She slid into his lap with such ease that it made it seem as if she belonged there all along. And when she kissed him, gods , when she kissed him, it felt just as mesmerizing and just as breathtaking as it had when she tried tricking the Credulan foot soldier on the top of the mountain.

It was a dance of tongues and scraping teeth, lips moving against each other with such desperation and fear that there was barely room to breathe. His hands gripped at the air around them, hesitant to touch her. In feeling his hesitation, Kaya pulled back just slightly, resting her forehead against his.

"I trust you, Ilias."

He swallowed. "That's wonderful, Kaya, but I don't think I trust myself right now. I don't know where to touch you."

She smirked, heart pounding as she grabbed his hand and brought it to her breast. "Then I'll show you."

Ilias groaned, his spare hand coming up to tangle in her mess of black hair. He brought her lips back to his, his cock twitching against her leg when she let out the slightest satisfied whimper. She arched into his palm, his fingers squeezing at her breast before he allowed his thumb to brush over her peaked nipple. His lips made a trail down the slope of her chin to her neck, her breath catching in her throat when his teeth brushed over the sensitive flesh.

"Is this alright?" He asked.

Kaya hummed, eyes fluttering as she pressed him closer, urging him to continue. And he did, gladly.

She could hardly remember why she was so scared of this—why she denied herself the satisfaction of having him close. Because with each touch, with each kiss that had her rocking her hips against him, she couldn't even remember why she was so scared in the first place.

Ilias was not Prim. He was not any of the other males that used her body to satiate their cravings, only to pretend as if she didn't exist the next day.

Nothing and no one had ever felt like this.

Ilias's hands made a map of every curve and dip of her body as if he already knew where to touch, as if he'd designed her desires, himself. And she molded into him, relishing in each pass those hands made.

She gasped as he suckled at the swell of her breast, her gowns making her feel far too clothed. She wanted to feel the heat of him on her, his callouses rough against her flesh. She wanted him everywhere. And as in tune as he was with her mind and her body, he was peeling away the upper half of her dress, exposing her breasts to the bitter chill of the room.

Another shortened, sharp breath was sucked into her throat when his mouth closed over the delicate bud—a swirl of pleasure pulsing through her body and heightening the agonizing throb between her legs. Her fingers tightened in his thick, brown curls, legs spreading wider. She rolled her hips against him, moaning at the length that was straining against the fabric of his pants. His hands moved to her hips, guiding her against him as he welcomed her kiss.

She grunted against his lips, feeling the pleasure begin to heighten with each movement.

And while she wouldn't have minded him stripping her bare and having his way with her, Kaya knew that she would regret it in the morning. But she did want him.

Her tongue felt heavy, her mouth watering as she pulled away from him. When she slid off of his lap, Ilias's stomach sank. His eyes filled with worry—with fear that he may have crossed a line and scared her away. He rose to his feet, but every formulated apology died at the tip of his tongue when he watched her kneel before him. And he could have died, himself, as he watched her pop the buttons on the front of his pants.

Kaya shoved them down his thighs just enough to reveal him. She took in his length, mouth going dry at the size. "Just so we are at an understanding," she began, eyes lifting to meet his.

Ilias's already thin patience was withering away, but he tucked his hands behind him, gripping each wrist to restrain himself. Because seeing her there, on the floor in front of him, with his cock so dangerously close to those kiss-bitten lips was enough to cross a line he was already toeing.

She wrapped her hand around his shaft, thumb brushing over the the slit that glistened with his excitement. "I'm never getting on my knees for anyone else." She continued. His hips jerked forward into her grasp, his nails digging into the skin of his forearm. "You're the last one, so let's make it good."

Before he could concede to her statement, before he could even brace himself, she took him into her mouth. His hands grappled at the posts of her bed, head lolling back to reveal bulging veins as she took him deeper…

Deeper …

He cursed through a strained breath, cursed himself for wanting to fist her hair and fuck her mouth in the most degrading way possible—cursed the gods for even landing him in this position. Because there was no fighting it.

Mother above, she was a Blessing.

Good gods, she was a blessing.

And with each bob of her head, with each swirl of her tongue and stroke of her hand, it drove him closer and closer to eternal damnation.

Kaya grabbed his wrist, guiding his hand to the back of her head. She pushed his fingers into her hair and he moaned loudly, the look in her eyes causing his stomach to hollow out.

In spite of it all, he gripped her hair, thrusting forward into her mouth. He went still and watched, waiting for her consent to continue. And when she scraped her nails down the plains of his stomach and braced them upon his thighs, he snapped.

He watched her take as much of him as she could. She did it so perfectly, so sinfully that he wanted to pluck her right off the ground and claim every inch of her body. But he was getting too close to that peak. His thrusts became jerky, more erratic, and he could feel the building of his climax.

No matter how much he wished for it to last longer, he had absolutely no control over the pleasure that flooded his senses. With the smell of her arousal filling his nostrils and the soft, muffled whimpers that vibrated through his cock, he was spilling himself into her within seconds.

And she took it.

Without breaking eye contact, without pulling away from the salty tang of his seed, she swallowed. Kaya pulled away, cheeks hollowed out so that when he fell from her mouth, it made a resounding pop that filled the room.

Ilias was too stunned, too numb and his limbs too weak for him to react to her raising onto her feet. He just watched her, eyes hooded with lust and jaw slack as she stepped towards him. She curled her fingers around his cock once again, a hiss escaping his lips at how sensitive he felt, but she stroked him anyway—milking a few drops of himself onto her hand.

He thought that he was spent—that his body was far too tired to do anything else, but the moment she brought his semen up to her chest and began rubbing his very essence onto the pinkened skin of her neck, that animalistic instinct took over once again .

Kaya gasped when her head hit the pillow, eyes going wide as she watched him lifting the skirt of her gown. He pushed it up so that the fabric bunched around her waist, her sex and the fact that she wore no undergarments now completely on display. But Ilias made no indication that he even questioned it because he was on her in moments, spreading her legs and moving into the opening with such fluid grace that her head spun.

He spread her apart with his fingers, lightly prodding her drenched entrance as he leaned forward. "How do you want it, princess? Slow and easy or fast and rough?" His voice was a low growl, his nose and lips making a trail up the side of her neck before he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

Kaya grit her teeth, hips bucking as the pad of his thumb brushed over her peak. She could barely remember her own name, let alone remember how to talk. But she found her voice, hidden under the shaky breaths that escaped her lungs with each taunting swirl of his thumb. " Rough ." She gasped, eyes dropping to where his fingers began teasing at her again.

Ilias inhaled, a low rumble sounding in his chest that had her whimpering, attempting to push herself down onto his fingers. He splayed one hand across her stomach, pinning her in place as he finally—thank gods —slid two fingers into her.

She'd felt so empty, so achingly empty that the girth and length of his fingers had her toes curling.

She moaned loudly, hands fisting the sheets above her head as he began pumping them in and out of her. Slowly, at first, too slow to be satisfactory. But as much as she would have loved to move with him—guide him at the pace she craved, she was under the force of his hand.

" Faster." The word was clipped, a desperate plea and her brow crumpled, lips parting. Her mouth was suddenly consumed by another desperate and sensual kiss. She welcomed it. She took it, but it was still not enough. In her frustration, she groaned against his mouth. Another plea gone unanswered and unfulfilled.

"So spoiled that you've forgotten how to say ‘ please '?" Ilias crooned. His cock was hard again, veins throbbing and begging to fill her. He was surprised at his own restraint, at his ability to be patient. Because he had an idea—a fear —that the wait would be so, so worth it.

Kaya growled, sharp incisors gleaming in the dim light of the moon. "You either take me as I am or not at all."

He would be a fool to object.

So he obliged.

Rough, fast, and just as she had asked for, he slid his fingers in and out of her. Her walls convulsed against his appendages, slicking them with her desire and her need.

Ilias moved his hand off of her stomach, claiming her lips and swallowing, lapping at, and devouring each moan and gasp that sounded from her lips. She hooked her arms around his neck, fingers curling into the hairs at the back of his head as he pushed another finger into her. He continued his relentless pace, fighting himself with each arch of her back and open-mouthed cry she dispelled.

He extended his thumb once again, strategic in its placement so that each thrust of his fingers rubbed against her bundle of nerves. She cried out—walls clamping down around him, but his pace didn't slow.

He drove her closer to the edge, shuddering with delight as he watched her frantic unraveling.

Stars burst behind her closed lids.

Kaya threw her head back, her body arching into the explosion of pleasure that rocketed through her system. Ilias murmured praises into her chest, inhaling his scent on her. He fisted his cock, stroking just as hard and fast as the movement of his fingers until he found himself spilling onto her thigh.

The room was filled with an echoing silence. Their panted breaths the only sound, but it was not near enough for either of them to be distracted by the realization of what they'd just done.

There was no regret. No shame. Just so many questions.

"Do you think we smell convincing enough?" Kaya asked, still panting. She arched her brow, a satiated grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Ilias loosened a breathless laugh, pulling himself up so that he was looking down at her. "I'd say we do, princess. Now all you have to do is be obscenely rude and obnoxious to scare them away. "

"Oh, I can definitely do that. One of my many talents, as I'm sure you're aware."

He was. But as much as he was aware of her ability to piss people off, he was also overtly aware of the fact that he wanted her to save all of her smiles for him .