Seventy-Six
OceanofPDF.com
Dianna
N everra landed outside the palace and placed me on my feet, both of
us swaying with exhaustion. The Irvikuva had chased us through the
building. We’d made it out, and Neverra had shot into the sky. A flurry of wings had followed, the creatures screeching their frustration and hatred as we made our escape.
We entered the main foyer. Samkiel and I had christened each room, leaving a path of destruction in our wake. After we untangled ourselves from each other, we put the house back to rights.
“Thanks for going with me, Neverra. Even if it was a complete waste.”
I plopped on the couch and sighed.
She sat down, angling her body toward me. “I wouldn’t say it was a complete waste,” she said, pulling something from her back pocket.
She handed me a thick stack of folded paper. I gave her a puzzled look but took it from her. She watched as I unwrapped it and scanned the documents, shock hitting me when I saw my family’s name.
“How?” I asked breathlessly.
“I grabbed them as soon as we heard the commotion. I hope some of these are what you need.”
My arms went around her before I realized what I was doing. Her laugh was soft and filled with surprise, but she hugged me back.
“Thank you.” I released her and sank to the floor, spreading out the pages she’d snatched. Neverra joined me, and we searched through the documents. I let out a small cry of victory when I found a bundle that contained my family’s birth records. Neverra leaned close as I read through them, my breath hitching when I came to the lineage.
“What does that mean?” she asked, her brow furrowing as she focused on the records that listed my mother, father, and Gabby but not me. I flipped to the next page and found a separate document used in Eoria and eventually across Onuna—a right of ownership for a child that wasn’t yours. It had my name neatly written across the top.
I placed the pages down, my stomach twisting.
“It means,” I swallowed and sat back, “that Tobias was right. I was
adopted.”
Neverra’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
I sat on the couch , chewing on my thumbnail and staring at the neat stack of papers. Such a small thing to define my life, or was it even my life? I had no idea. A million and one thoughts ran through my mind, all screaming and hateful. One last hurtful barb Tobias had thrown at me.
Neverra had finally left to clean up and check on Logan, but I’d had to force her to go. She hadn’t wanted to leave me alone, but I didn’t want the company. So I did what I always had when something happened. I retreated inward, where I could protect myself behind my impenetrable scales, teeth, and claws. There, I was safe, even if they were only mental right now.
I showered and threw on one of Samkiel’s shirts. It engulfed me, his scent bringing me comfort. Back on the couch, I pulled my thighs to my chest and rested my head on my knees, wrapping my arms around my legs.
Who was I? Mer-Ka wasn’t my name. Dianna wasn’t my name. Who were my real parents, my real family? And why did no one tell me? Gabby looked like me. I knew it, but maybe I was wrong.
The wounds on my heart had just begun to heal, and now it felt like they’d ripped open again. They festered, and that cold, unfeeling rage threatened to overwhelm me again. Pain speared through me, and I struck out, toppling the table and scattering the papers across the floor. Lies. My whole life had been nothing but lies. This was just another one, but it felt so much worse. My chest ached like it was seconds away from caving in on itself.
I heard the now-familiar whistle of a god riding the wind. I had not realized it, but subconsciously I listened for that sound. My gaze snapped to the window, and as I tracked the silver light across the sky, the devastating and destructive rage eased. A cooling calm settled over me, a balm against my aching heart. The beast inside me felt him near, knew we were safe, and decided to rest instead.
My first instinct was to hide the documents, but Samkiel wasn’t Kaden.
He wouldn’t be mad at me. He wouldn’t punish me for seeking this information. Samkiel would never make me feel less than, but he would be upset with me when he found out I’d gone to Onuna without him and ran into the damned Irvikuva.
I took a shuddering breath. In the intimate moments we had spent over the last days, we had made promises to each other, both spoken and unspoken. We had promised to talk and turn to each other in times of need. I picked up the papers and righted the table. Hearing his armored boots against the stone floor, I set the documents on the tabletop and went to meet him.
Samkiel saw me and stopped. I didn’t know why I was nervous. Maybe it was that I’d never had someone to share anything with besides my sister, and now I was raw knowing she wasn’t truly my sister.
Samkiel’s helmet melted away, revealing the beauty of his face. Gods, I could barely comprehend what I felt for this man. He looked me up and down, curiosity and sparks of silver glinting in his eyes. “It’s yours,” I said, touching the hem of the shirt.
“I see that. I think I might prefer this over the small lacy items you wear, but only slightly.” Samkiel closed the distance between us in two long strides and bent to kiss me. I turned my head, shaking it.
“Hey,” he cupped my chin, turning my face toward him, “don’t do that.
Don’t pull away from me. We are not going back to that. Kiss me, Dianna.”
I pressed my fingers to his lips as he leaned down again, stopping him. I looked up at him through my lashes and whispered, “I did something.”
His brows drew together as he mumbled against my fingers, “What did you do?”
I dropped my hand to his chest and looked down, staring at the bright armor. “You can’t get upset.”
His voice dropped an octave. “I make no promises.”
I sighed and met his gaze. “I went to Onuna again.”
“Dianna.” His eyes flared pure silver as he stood up straighter. “Who took you?”
I waved him off, unfazed by the power display. “It’s not important.”
“We talked about this. Dianna, you could….”
I didn’t know what he saw in my eyes, but his words trailed off, and he fell silent. I held out my hand. “Will you please sit with me?”
The silver in his eyes died, his protective anger dissipating, leaving behind only worry. He nodded and took my hand, his larger one engulfing mine, the metal of his rings and armor cool against my fingers. I led him to the living room, and we sat, angling our bodies toward one another. Samkiel still wore his armor as if he were so comfortable in it that he didn’t notice, or he was so focused on me that it wasn’t a priority.
“I had a dream last night,” I said, picking up the papers that screamed
my reality.
“Oh? Is that why you kicked me?”
My smirk only lasted a moment, disappearing as I placed the documents between us.
“Tobias said something to me in the cavern, but so much had happened that I didn’t pay it any attention, or maybe I buried it. I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t want to believe it, but last night after… well, you know, I slept, really slept. I dreamed I was in this dark place, and then I heard all of these voices. It sounded like many beings chanting.”
“Chanting what?”
I placed the paper right side up and turned it toward him. He leaned forward, scanning it, a hint of confusion tightening the corners of his eyes.
“That she’s not mine. These papers say that she isn’t my sister.”
He picked up the document to better read it. He didn’t say anything, but when he looked up at me, I saw a flicker of anger had returned to his eyes.
Even a week ago, that would have devastated me and sent me scuttling back behind walls to safeguard my heart, but whatever had shifted between us had given me insight into him. Samkiel was not mad at me; he was mad because something had dared to hurt me. He would lock me away and protect me from the world if he could.
“If this is real, if what I’m dreaming is real, then I saw something else.”
Samkiel waited.
“I saw a blood-red moon on a world that wasn’t this one or Onuna. I mean, it could just be my brain because Kaden had the werewolves looking
into lunar cycles. So, of course, why would I not dream of moons? But there was another word whispered. The same word—an equinox.”
“Equinox?”
My shoulders slumped, and I twisted my fingers together. “I don’t know what it means, or even if it is important, but there were these figures in my dream.”
Samkiel went unnaturally still. “How many figures?”
“Three. I couldn’t see their faces, but they wore crowns.” His jaw clenched, and I knew him well enough to see worry darken his features.
“You’ve seen them too.”
“I have and the blood-red moon.”
I didn’t ask why he hadn’t told me, nor was I mad. These last few months had been pure chaos for both of us, but we were united again. We could talk about this stuff again, and that gave me some peace.
“Okay, so we share psychic dreams now, too? Add that to our list of weird.”
His lip twisted in amusement, but then he grew thoughtful, rubbing his hand across his chin. “Neverra said that when she was in Yejedin, she had heard mention of a big happening. It could be this equinox. But we have checked, and no rare celestial events are happening anytime soon. Nothing powerful enough to fuel a ritual.”
I exhaled slowly and sat back, trying to remember the details of the dream. They seemed so hazy and far away now. “I don’t know, Samkiel.
Maybe it was just a dream, my mind finally trying to process all that had happened and jumbling up events. But my instincts are telling me there is more to it.”
“I don’t doubt you, Dianna. But the moon could just be a symbol.
Dreams are interpreted as the viewer sees fit. The moon represents change and passage of time. It is a power able to shape the tides. You have experienced a lot of changes and upheavals, important and life-altering ones.”
I placed my hand on my chin as I sighed. “You’re so smart.”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “Flirt.”
“Okay, well, it’s a start, I guess.” I reached for the papers, but his hand
clasped over mine.
“Dianna.”
“Yes?”
“You should have taken me with you.” He glared at me, and I lowered my gaze, staring at the document beneath our hands. “This isn’t something you should learn or have to go through alone.”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t alone. Neverra was there.”
“Neverra took you?” He cocked his head to the side, more curious than angry, but something else was bothering me.
I ignored his question, unable to contain the pain of my doubts. “Does this mean Gabby isn’t my sister? I mean, I know what I’m looking at, and I know what it says, but—”
“This changes nothing. Nothing, Dianna. She still is and will always be your sister. The same one you grew up with, the same one you experienced life with, the same one you died for, lived for, and fought for. Blood is the least of what makes a family. Trust me.”
I did trust him. Samkiel would always tell me the truth. I leaned forward and grabbed the neckline of his armor. Pulling him toward me, I kissed him.
Once. Twice. Three times before I sat back down.
“Now you kiss me?”
“I needed to tell you what I had done before you kissed me. You needed to know because I did not want you to feel deceived or manipulated. I know what that is, and I would not have you feel that at my hands, Samkiel.” I gave him an angelic smile and started to gather the documents. “Plus, you were being nice.”
“Thank you for protecting my heart, Dianna,” he said, his eyes brilliant with an emotion I was afraid to name. “And, I’m always nice. You, on the other hand…”
I glared at him. His returning grin was brilliant and playful. For the first time, I noticed the thin layer of dust on his face. I wiped at my lips, my hand coming away with a gray line smeared across the back.
“Why do you taste terrible?” I asked with a grimace, really looking him over for the first time tonight. Gray dust coated his armor, the only shiny spot, my handprint on his chest, directly over his heart.
“There she is.”
“What happened to you? Are you okay?”
He chuckled, the deep masculine sound resonating in my soul. “Sorry, and yes, I’m fine.”
“Then why are you disgusting?” I asked, arching a single brow.
“I thought that was a quality you favored in me?”
Heat flared, burning away the sadness that had gripped me so viciously.
“Hmm, maybe. I can think of a few others, though.”
The corners of his mouth lifted in an evil grin. “I think you need to show me.”
My stomach flipped every time Samkiel smiled, but the ones he flashed when he thought something filthy were downright devious, and they made my entire body run hot.
“Maybe after you shower. I don’t have my super magical powers, and I refuse to get an infection because you’re gross.”
His laugh reverberated across my skin, my soul. “I’d just heal you.”
“Mm-hmm.” I stood and held out my hand to him. “Come on.”
He took my hand and allowed me to pull him to his feet. He didn’t fight me as we headed upstairs, and he laughed when I shoved him into the bathroom. I started the shower as he stripped behind me. Once the water was warm enough, I stepped out of the way, and he walked in. I turned and grabbed a cloth from the counter. Wetting it, I wiped the dirt from my mouth and face. I watched Samkiel in the bathroom mirror as he rinsed the grime from that beautiful, powerful body.
He caught me looking and smiled. “You know you don’t have to ask.
Come join me,” he said, temptation itself.
“I already showered. You’re the one who got home late.” I placed the cloth down and turned toward him, leaning back against the counter.
Suddenly, every bit of his attention focused on me. He stilled, water flowing over the carved muscles of his chest and thighs.
“What?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Home?” he asked, his voice husky and low, but I heard him.
I hadn’t even thought about it. The word had slipped out easily. I stared into the deep gray of his eyes and realized that he had become my home.
I didn’t bother trying to hide it. I was a terrible liar, anyway. “That’s what it feels like with you.”
He smiled as if I’d just handed him a priceless gift.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, don’t make that face.” His smile widened, joyful and triumphant. “Now it’s your turn.” I folded my arms. “What happened today?”
Samkiel’s smile faltered, and he reached for a bottle of shampoo. “I killed Porphyrion.”
Samkiel had told me about Porphyrion the other night while we ate— the giant they’d found locked up in Yejedin. I pushed from the counter and joined him in the shower, running my hands over his body, looking for wounds this time.
A growl of pleasure rumbled in his chest as my fingers danced over the slick hard ridges and planes of muscles. I put my hands on my hips, ignoring the water soaking my hair and clothes.
“Are you hurt? I told you—”
“You told me what?”
I glared and pinched his side. He jerked away and glared at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and you have no right to take me to task for doing something risky when you traveled back to Onuna while Kaden is hunting you,” he said, rubbing the shampoo into his hair, his biceps flexing.
I pursed my lips and flicked water at him before sitting on the shower bench. “Fair.”
He chuckled and ducked his head, stepping beneath the water to rinse the soap from his hair. I watched the water cascade over his shoulders and down the sleek, powerful lines of his back and—
“He told me about Kaden and who he really is.”
Cool dread crawled over me, replacing the warmth of my desire.
“What?”
He turned toward me and picked up the soap, rubbing it over his
abdomen. “You won’t believe it.”
“Who is he?”
“One of my father’s ex-generals.”
“Your father?”
He nodded as he washed his groin. He handled his cock with brisk practicality, but I still had to glance away from how mouthwatering he looked.
“Yes, along with two others who presumably died in the Gods War.” He lathered one powerful muscled thigh, then the other. “Kaden created the Kings of Yejedin, which is why they were so fiercely loyal to him. It makes sense now why he hates me so much. If there was a falling out with my father, or if he did not support my birth.” He sighed. “Just more ancient enemies, as if I do not have enough.”
“One,” I said, holding up my finger. Samkiel glanced toward me, reaching for his feet. “One powerful enemy left. I killed Tobias and Alistair, so as soon as whatever the fuck is blocking me is gone, I’ll—” I stopped. I wasn’t alone anymore. No. I needed to learn that, too. “We will kill him,
too.”
He grinned. “Flirt.”
I smiled as he stepped under the full spray, a weird sense of relief washing over me. I knew I should care more about Kaden being some overpowered general, but the truth was, I didn’t give a shit about Kaden.
Not anymore. I only cared about this man.
A lock on a door in a house rattled.
“Well,” I said, unable to deal with the strength of my reaction to him right now. “At least we have some answers now.”
“He said something else, though. Of course, he reminded me how my family had lied, but he also talked about me, what I’ve done, what I was trained to do, and who I am. Then I proved him right by ending him. It just makes me feel….” He paused, and I caught the change in his mood.
“Makes you feel like the old you?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I wanted to be Liam after Rashearim fell, but every time I turn around, I am reminded that I am and will always be Samkiel.
The World Ender. Feared among stars and realms. A king. A conqueror. I don’t want to be feared.” He sighed and turned the water off. “I just want to help people.”
“You do. You have.” I stood up and grabbed two towels. Stepping in front of him, I handed him one for his hair and dragged the other towel over his shoulders and arms. “You’re the strongest being I know.” I slid the soft cloth over his chest and abdomen as he rubbed at his hair. “You are truly good, no matter what label the old gods or the world give you.” I dropped to my knees, drying off his thighs, one leg at a time. “You’re never scared of anything.”
“Debatable.” Samkiel’s voice had dropped an octave. His cock twitched, and I smiled up at him, happy to see those storm-colored eyes sparking with desire rather than swimming in pain.
I stood and moved around him. I dried the water from his broad shoulders and back. “You are brave and sweet, and you have saved my life more than once. You risk your life for others with no regard for what happens to you.” I pulled on his arm, turning him to face me. “I’ve heard
the stories. Gods, I’ve seen half of them in the blooddreams.” I wrapped the towel around him and tugged him closer. “You are both equal parts your mother and father. Strong and resilient like him. Kind and compassionate like her. You’re a protector, a guardian, and,” I reached up and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me as I went to my tiptoes, “my best friend.”
A smile lit his face, chasing the shadows from his eyes. I ran my thumb against his jaw. “I liked everything until that last part,” he said.
It took a moment for it to register. “Oh, gods, the friend word? Still?” I pushed playfully at his face.
He shrugged one of those powerful shoulders and slid his hand down my back to pull me closer. “Call me something else.”
“Hmm. Egotistical? Self-righteous. Demanding?” His eyes narrowed.
“Don’t look at me like that. Who else will keep you humble?” I smiled widely, tapping his cheek and turning from him.
I didn’t feel the air move, but I felt the sting when he popped my ass.
The noise I let out wasn’t in pain. I rubbed my butt and turned around to flip him off.
He lifted a single brow as if in challenge, and I ran, nearly slipping on the floor. I had barely cleared the bathroom door when I felt his arms go around me, lifting me off my feet. I squealed as he tossed me onto the bed and jumped on top of me. He gripped my hands and pulled them above my head when I tried to push him away. He settled over me with a wide grin. I glared up at him even as bubbles of happiness burst within me. “Cheater.”
I tasted his laughter as his mouth claimed mine in a fiery kiss. I was panting when he pulled back.
“Is my kiss better now?” he asked, raising on his elbow.
“Could be better,” I said, my words belied by the shakiness of my voice and the way I writhed beneath him.
Samkiel chuckled and released my wrists. His fingers feathered across my skin as he brushed the hair from my face. He said nothing for a long moment as he just looked at me. Sometimes the way he touched and held me was more intimate than sex.
“There is something else I want to talk to you about.”
My eyes narrowed. “I know that face.”
“What face?”
“The Samkiel plotting face. It’s the deep scowl of an ancient battle- worn king, and it looks like this.” I forced my brows together, drawing another laugh from him. “It usually means someone said something you didn’t like. Given the giant you visited, I assume it’s him. You have another face where your eyes kind of gloss over, and you go off to wherever in that head of yours. Usually, that one means I can get away with anything.”
He chuckled. “Fair.”
“Yup, there is also your thinking face. It’s similar to the one you have now, which probably means one of two things. Either you have a plan that will likely upset me, or you’re annoyed and want to be anywhere but here.
Given that lovely third appendage currently hard and pressed against my stomach, I will call you a liar if you tell me you don’t want to be here.”
“You would be right. I am perfectly happy right here.” He pressed his cock against me. “You truly pay that much attention to me?”
I slid my hands over his chest. “I notice everything about you.”
Samkiel brushed a light kiss against my lips, and I felt the emotion in it.
I licked at his lower lip, eager to taste it as well. I sighed and whispered against his mouth, “So, I’m not going to like this, am I?”
He shook his head. “I am afraid not, my Dianna.”
My humor died, replaced by worry. “What is it?”
“There were things that Porphyrion said in Yejedin, things I need to know the truth of. I am growing tired of hearing rumors of family secrets that I know nothing about. There is a deity related to the Formless Ones I can visit, but it is not without risk. It’s out of the physical realm, the entrance safeguarded in the council halls.”
I tipped my head. “How can you get to them if the realms are sealed?”
“The physical ones are, but not the mental ones. This one requires extreme focus and power, a level above meditation to visit. It may take a few days or even a week. To leave is as delicate a task as it is to go in. You could rip the mind doing it improperly. I’m not sure how long it will take, but I promise to return as quickly as possible.”
I didn’t ask why we hadn’t used this said deity before. As soon as we’d left Roccurem’s, everything had changed.
“Okay.” I sighed. “So just be careful and don’t rush. I understand if it takes a while. Just don’t overdo it and promise to come back to me.”
“Promise.” He twirled a strand of my hair between his fingers.
“That wasn’t so bad. Why were you nervous?”
“Well,” he paused, “we have agreed not to lie or keep things from one another, but I am also aware of your protectiveness of me.”
I squinted at him, my suspicions rising. “Okay…”
“There was a brief previous relation with said deity. Let’s just remember that I was a very lonely being before I met you.”
I smacked him on his shoulder. “You could have led with that.”
“Volatile.” He laughed before grabbing my face and crushing his lips against mine. The kiss was hard, demanding, and brief. He pulled back to whisper against my lips, “Why does it excite me so when you get jealous?”
“Because you’re insane, and you like pain.” I bit his bottom lip to prove my point, which made him chuckle even as his cock twitched against my stomach.
“Okay, so you’re going to see an ex-girlfriend in a mental realm where I can’t reach you. Sounds fun.”
“Not an ex-girlfriend. The deity has no sex, really. They can be any and everything you desire. Besides, it was merely one time.”
I reached between us, grabbed his cock, and squeezed. “Oh, even better.”
“Jealous.” He groaned and nipped the tip of my nose.
“Yes, but I have no right to be. I did a lot of things to make you hate me before we actually got to be together. Plus, you’re over a thousand years old, Samkiel. I can’t kill all your past lovers. Even if I want to.”
“You want to?”
I nodded. I had decided not to hide any part of myself from him. Not anymore. I stroked him, loving the feel of silk over steel, throbbing and hot.
“Yes.”
His chest rumbled with a small laugh that ended in a hiss. “See what I mean? So sexy.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Why didn’t we use these guys before?”
He shook his head. “You’re not helping me concentrate.”
I twisted my hand on a downward stroke. “Try.”
He groaned even as his hips thrust, pushing his cock further into my hand. “Roccurem speaks in riddles half the time, and the Higher One usually asks for something in return. If I want answers, I will have to pay
the price, and it varies.”
My hand stopped. “What price?”
“I don’t know.” He swallowed, taking a shuddering breath. “But if the price is too high, I’ll leave, but there are too many secrets, Dianna, too many things my father kept from me.”
“Okay. I just wish I had my powers. Maybe I could go with you and incinerate them if they try to keep you.”
Samkiel reached between us and pulled my hand away from his cock.
He pressed my palm to the center of his chest. “You’re always with me.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned.
“You’re so mean to me.” He laughed.
“Call it a lesson in humility,” I said, but I kept my hand on his chest, feeling that slow rhythmic beat within my soul. I gave him a wry smile and said with all honesty, “I can’t give you pretty words. I don’t know how anymore.”
His expression softened, and he placed his hand over mine. “I know.”
“I want to be honest with you, too, because that does not mean I care
any less for you.”
“I know.”
I shifted my hips and lifted a single leg, pressing my knee against his chest. He glanced down right before I pushed with enough force to flip him onto his back. A soft gasp left his lips as I straddled him. “But I can show you in my own way every day if you let me.”
“Dangerous woman.” A wicked smile curved his lips, his abs flexing as he started to sit up.
My hand splayed on his chest, stopping him, his mouth a few inches from mine. I pressed him back onto the bed.
“Stay.”
“Is that an order?”
“Yes,” I said haughtily.
His chest vibrated as he chuckled, and I knew he remembered the words he had spoken to me weeks ago. That egotistical grin didn’t leave his lips as he folded his arms behind his head, the muscles of his biceps bunched as if he had to struggle to keep himself from disobeying.
I lifted my hands to the buttons of the shirt I wore, undoing them one by one. Samkiel’s eyes followed every movement I made as if he was memorizing each inch of skin I bared. I reached the last button and let the damp shirt slip from my shoulders.
My hair fell in waves around me, covering my breasts. Samkiel reached up to move my hair out of the way, but I playfully slapped his hand.
“No. You don’t touch me until I say so.”
I watched his eyes go molten silver and his tongue shift behind his teeth as he smirked. He was new to being told what to do. I blamed it on his crown more than anything, but I was in control right now, and he seemed to enjoy it. I felt him throb and harden even more beneath me.
I reached between us, stroking at his length. He groaned as my thumb ran along the sensitive underside and swept over the head, spreading the bead of moisture that gathered at the tip. His cock jerked in my hand.
“I haven’t even really touched you yet, and you’re already throbbing for me.”
“You don’t have to touch me for that. Everything about you is enticing.”
The smile I flashed him was downright devious before I slid down his body and lowered my head. I lapped at the head of his cock, tasting the drops of moisture that gathered there, but I did not take him into my mouth.
“Fuck,” he hissed, his hips jerking and his hand fisting in the comforter.
“Please, Dianna.”
I denied him, my tongue swirling over the thick crown again. He growled and thrust against my mouth. I teased him, licking and kissing at every inch of him, up and down the heavy shaft, exploring the thick vein that pulsed against my lips while never taking him fully in my mouth. I grew hotter and slicker with every hushed moan and curse that slipped past his lips.
His eyes fixated on me, hot and predatory, and I looked up at him through the veil of my lashes, smiling as I took another long lick from base to tip. I dipped low again, my tongue sliding over his balls in a long, slow, luxurious lick. His cock twitched in my hand.
“You’re such a fucking tease.” He groaned and fisted the sheets with one hand, draping his other arm over his face.
“Yeah?” I asked, lapping up the shaft. I swirled my tongue over the head before placing a kiss to the tip and then another against the sensitive underside.
He jerked beneath me, every muscle in his arms, abdomen, and legs
tight and straining.
“Suck me, Dianna.”
I smiled, his cock resting against my lips. “No.”
His groan sent molten heat to my core. “Please.”
I ignored him, flicking my tongue once more.
“Do you wish for me to beg? I’ll beg.” Samkiel panted.
My hand stroked him idly, continuing my torture.
“Kings don’t beg.”
His hips thrust helplessly. “I will for you.”
“Yeah?” I asked. My grip tightened at the base of his cock, flicking my
tongue teasingly against his shaft.
“Yes,” Samkiel hissed.
“Tempting, but no.”
He groaned, his arms flexing as he practically wrapped them around his head, trying to keep himself from touching me.
“I think I could make you come like this.”
He nodded, his storm-colored eyes burning bright silver.
Another slow, agonizing lick and I saw the lines beneath his skin flare and flicker. Control he had, but it was slipping.
“Do you want to?”
He shook his head.
I gave the head of his cock one last kiss and pushed up, sliding along his body until I straddled him. He dropped his arm from his face, and I leaned in to claim his mouth. His resolve broke as he cupped my face, damn near devouring my mouth. I moaned into the kiss, his tongue sweeping across mine before sucking on it in a rhythm we’d memorized these last few days.
Reaching between us, I rubbed the head of his cock against my sex, letting him feel just how wet I was before positioning him at my entrance. I sank down on him inch by inch, the sound that left me not quite mortal.
“Dianna,” he groaned as I fully sheathed him inside me, my body clenching around him in sweet welcome.
I braced my hands on either side of his head and lifted, dragging the hot grip of my pussy along his cock before slamming back down, ripping a harsh moan from both of us.
“I’ll never get used to how good this feels,” I panted.
“Good.” His head falls back against the pillows as I pick up my pace.
His hands gripped my sides, steadying me, but never moved lower as if he wanted me to take every bit of him for myself. I wanted to show him I did care. Even if words failed me, I wanted to prove to him I was his.
I leaned back, adjusting my legs to ride him differently. I placed one hand on his powerful thigh, and the other I pressed against my lower abdomen. Samkiel lifted his head, watching the way my body took him in. I grabbed his hand, placing it between my breast over my heart.
“Yours,” I breathed, rolling my hips, my heart racing beneath his palm.
“Mine,” he agreed, and it sounded like a vow. The look on his face took my breath away, and I knew I would never forget it. I would remember it until I was dust between the stars.
I shifted Samkiel’s hand to my breast. He squeezed and pinched at my nipple, and I eased my pace, riding him deep and slow. The storm that raged in his eyes could bury ships.
“Yours,” I whispered, pressing his hand against my breast.
I wrapped my fingers around his thick wrist, dragging his hand down my torso, guiding it to my center, where we were joined. I didn’t break eye contact, holding his gaze as pleasure scorched my veins.
“Yours.” The word came out on a whimper, the feel of his fingers against the sensitive flesh stretched so tight around his cock, making my eyes roll back.
“Mine.” His thumb brushed lightly over my clit, sending a shockwave of electricity through me that had my brain short-circuiting. I clenched around him, my body bathing his cock in a rush of liquid heat. His eyes glowed, and I moaned, biting at my lip, trying to keep my eyes on him. I wanted him to know, to see, that even if I could not say the words he so desperately wanted, he owned me, mind, body, and soul.
As if he could read my mind, Samkiel’s hands grabbed my hips, and he drove himself into me with such force I almost blacked out from the pleasure of it. Samkiel’s lips crashed against mine. We fit so perfectly in every way.
I couldn’t breathe or think as he devoured my mouth, his tongue tangling with mine. His hands dropped to my ass, squeezing so tightly I knew he would leave marks. With ridiculous ease, he lifted me up and down on his cock.
“Fuck! Yes! Please, Sami,” I screamed, ripping my mouth from his.
He held me tighter, his large hands controlling my hips as he drove into me so hard I saw stars. I leaned my head back and realized I wasn’t just imagining it. The ceiling was gone, the galaxy twisting and sparking above.
Samkiel fisted my hair in one hand, forcing me to look at him. “I told you I would take you beneath the stars,” he growled, his thrusts powerful and steady. “I meant it.”
His mouth covered mine, claiming every scream, every gasp, and every whimper. He consumed me and my pleasure.
“Lean back, Dianna,” he demanded. “Show me what’s mine again. I want to see it.”
A shudder went through me at his words. My pussy clamped down on him as I placed my hands on his thighs and readjusted my legs. It was easy to move with him like this when I was fucking soaked for him, and he knew it, too. His gaze focused on where his cock disappeared inside me. He bit his bottom lip, and his eyes blazed.
“You have such a pretty pussy, baby. I love watching my cock disappear in and out.” His hands gripped my hips, his rings biting into my skin. “You take me so well.” He moaned, his elegant face savage with hunger. “You were made for me. Only me.”
His power aligned with mine, his presence surrounding and sustaining me. His hands were everywhere at once. Literally. Clever fingers brushed a piece of my hair that had fallen forward to the side and caressed the underside of my breasts, trailing in decreasing circles until they reached my dusky-tipped nipples. He rolled the sensitive tips between thumbs and forefingers.
Another set of fingers cupped my ass, tracing the crease where my buttocks met my thighs, easing around to the front and teasing the sensitized skin of my inner thighs before trailing to my clit. He changed the tempo and pace of his thrusts, watching me hungrily. His fingers made small, deliberate circles around the swollen bud, making my toes curl and pushing me to the verge of coming.
I felt the phantom touch of his hot, moist lips suckling at my pulse. At the same time, large hands cupped my breasts, squeezing gently in tandem
as my nipples were sucked and nipped.
Oh, my gods.
He was everywhere, hard-edged and hungry, taking my body with tender greed.
“Sami,” I moaned, my nails digging into his thighs.
“That’s it, baby. Say my name. Tell me who makes you feel this good.
Tell me who you belong to.”
“Samkiel.” His name left my lips breathlessly as he drove deeper inside me. “Samkiel.” The second time louder, as he hit that spot only he could reach. My belly clenched, pleasure shooting through my legs and back again as I screamed his name louder, “Samkiel!” I sounded like I felt— completely insane.
“Fuck me, Dianna,” he groaned, his fingers tightening on my hips.
“Ride my cock, baby.”
He was always so polite, but he was absolutely filthy when I had him like this.
I closed my eyes and flung out my hands, groping uselessly, desperate for something to hold on to. Samkiel clasped my hands in his warm, firm grip as he played my body like a beloved instrument. I increased my speed, driving myself harder onto him, moving with a primal instinctive rhythm in a dance as old as time.
“Gods, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Just like that.” He panted.
He felt so good and right, his thick, hard cock filling me up. At the same time, those phantom touches explored the most private areas of my body, flicking at my clit, sucking at my nipples, and stroking tenderly down my back. All the while, he held my hands, anchoring me to him. Somebody was swearing, an incoherent stream of profanity, and I thought it might be me.
“Oh, Dianna, baby.” He gasped my name. “You fuck me so good.”
Even in the midst of my frantic need, the pure sound of his voice pulled at me, and I opened my eyes.
Samkiel glowed, the lines of silver pulsing with each pump of his powerful heart. His eyes were crystalline and diamond bright, glowing with power and emotion. My breath caught, the sight of him so out of control my undoing.
I flung my head back and shrieked, muscles trembling from the strength of my release. I clenched around him, my body demanding that he join me.
Samkiel grunted and started to speak in a beautiful, fluid language. He let go of my hands and gripped my hips with bruising force. He pulled me down and thrust once, twice, before coming so hard it nearly pushed me over the edge again.
My body shook as I watched his abs tighten, his muscles flexing as his release barreled through him. I didn’t know who screamed whose name first, only that we were both falling as the bedframe snapped beneath us. I
lurched forward, Samkiel catching me, as he always did before we rolled to the floor.
Samkiel’s back hit the floor with a thud, and he lay sprawled beneath me, his chest slick with sweat and heaving. I glanced at the broken bed and back to him as I panted on his chest, hair clinging to my sweat-drenched face. I couldn’t help the laugh that left my lips.
“We broke it again.”
He grunted, his eyes heavy-lidded, just a hint of silver glittering through the thick fall of his lashes. “I’ll make us a new bed before I leave.”
I laughed as my arms went around him, hugging him tighter. “This is
the third one.”
He made an incomprehensible noise.
We both lay there, tremors racking our bodies as we came down from the high. My breathing matched his, along with my heartbeat.
“I also have another idea,” I whispered.
“You always ask me questions after you ravage me because you know
I’ll say yes.”
“I mean, I’m not denying that.”
His laugh rumbled beneath my ear.
I turned my head and placed my hands beneath my chin as I looked at him. “Just something to do before you leave.”
He forced his eyes open and regarded me. “What is it?”
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