by Presley Hall
There’s just this.
Just the burning connection between the two of us, a tether that binds us even though he’s standing feet away from me and we’re not physically touching at all.
“Kaide!”
His name bursts from my lips as I push myself over the edge, fingers flying over my clit and my hips bucking off the bed. The orgasm rolls through me in pulsing waves, and I keep massaging my clit, prolonging the pleasure as long as I can.
Kaide’s nostrils flare, the markings on his skin glowing brighter than I’ve ever seen them. Releasing his grip on his pulsing cock, he takes two steps forward, grabbing my ankles and dragging me to the edge of the bed. Bracing one knee on the lumpy mattress, he hooks his arms under my legs and lifts my lower body, lining his cock up with my entrance.
I can feel the smooth hardness of him brush against my fingertips as he begins to slide inside me, and when I move my hand away, he surges forward, burying himself to the hilt.
The fresh pressure on my clit as his node grinds against me and the sudden feeling of fullness hurl me over the edge again, my second climax spiraling through me right on the heels of my first one. I throw my head back, letting out a naked cry of pleasure, and Kaide grunts as he draws out and pushes in again.
Every time he pulls back, he slides almost all the way out of me, and the rush of sensation when he thrusts forward is almost overwhelming. It’s two sides of a coin, the emptiness and the fullness, like a visceral reminder of what it feels like to be without Kaide and to be connected to him as intimately as possible.
That thought spurs something inside me, and I reach for him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him down toward me.
“I need… I need you,” I gasp out. “Please.”
“You have me,” he promises, his voice strained and heavy with arousal. “Always.”
With that, he wraps his arms around me, pinning our bodies together as he adjusts our position on the bed, settling us on the center of the mattress. His large frame covers mine, and he buries his face in my hair as he drives into me with deep, powerful thrusts. I wrap my legs around his waist, hooking my ankles together as my arms go around his shoulders.
I need him closer. I need every part of us to touch.
“Raina,” he murmurs, trailing his lips over my hair and then my cheek before finding my mouth. “You’re so slanching beautiful. So wild and perfect.”
The words are spoken between breathless groans as we kiss over and over, and I run my tongue over his slightly elongated canines before nipping at his lower lip. He rests his forehead against mine, holding my hip with one hand while he rests the other on the mattress, bracing himself as his thrusts become even harder.
Every single one steals my breath, and I run my fingers over the nodes on his spine as I feel him shudder against me.
So close.
So fucking close…
“Come with me,” he whispers hoarsely. “I want to feel you come on my cock.”
To punctuate his words, he bottoms out inside me again and stops, grinding his hips against mine in a way that hits something perfect inside me. The pressure on my clit makes sparks dance at the edge of my vision, and I scream softly as I come in a blinding rush.
Kaide draws back and drives in one more time, and I can feel his cock swelling and pulsing inside me as he empties himself, both of us shaking and moaning as we ride out the sensations.
He rests just like that for a long moment, giving us both a chance to recover, and I go lax beneath him. My fingertips trail idle pathways up and down his back, occasionally brushing over his nodes and making him groan. Sooner than I’m ready for him to, he pulls out, but he makes up for the loss by enfolding me in his arms as he settles onto the bed beside me.
I rest my palm against his chest, where I can feel his heart racing just as fast as mine is.
“I keep asking myself what Droth would do,” he murmurs quietly after a moment. “Or Axen, or Jaro.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
He tilts his head down, drawing back so there’s just enough space between us for our gazes to meet. “Part of me thinks they would be disappointed in me if they knew I was bringing my mate into such a dangerous situation. As Voxeran warriors, it’s in our blood to protect our mates. Maybe I should be trying to convince you to stay behind tomorrow—insisting on it, even—to keep you out of harm’s way.”
My stomach clenches, and I open my mouth to protest. But before I can say anything, Kaide continues.
“The truth is, though, I want you there.” He reaches up to gently brush a few strands of hair away from my face, his cat-like gray eyes gleaming in the dim light as he looks down at me. “I want you by my side, no matter what. Maybe that makes me a bad mate, maybe it makes me unworthy of being your protector, but that’s how I feel.”
His expression looks almost pained, self-doubt flickering behind his eyes, but my heart expands at his words.
I grab his hand and turn my face to kiss his palm, reveling in his strength and warmth. Then I push on his shoulder a little, urging him to roll onto his back as I follow him, ending up straddling him with my knees on either side of his hips. His large hands settle at my waist, and it feels so perfect to have them there. My bare pussy brushes against his semi-hard cock, sending a little aftershock of pleasure through me, and I trace the patterns of his markings as I stare down at him.
It takes me a moment to find my voice, and when I finally speak, the words pour out of me like they’ve been dying to escape.
“Kaide, I… I think I’m falling in love with you.”
His eyes widen, shock and joy filling them, and I laugh a little, shaking my head as I correct myself.
“No, I’m definitely falling in love with you.”
As scary as it is, I don’t want to couch my words or hide behind the barriers I’m so used to erecting. I could drag this out. I could lie to myself and the gorgeous man beneath me for weeks, even months, but it wouldn’t change the truth that I know in my heart.
I’m falling in love with him.
Kaide sits up suddenly, grasping my head as he threads his fingers through my hair and presses a hard, hot kiss to my lips. It’s fierce and wild, and I have a feeling he’s pouring more emotion into it than he usually allows himself to because he finally feels like he can.
When we finally break apart, I laugh softly again, overwhelmed in the best way by everything I’m feeling. My eyes bounce between his as I shake my head.
“The fact that you want me with you? I don’t think it makes you a bad mate. I think it makes you the perfect mate for me. Because I can’t be left behind, Kaide. I can’t handle being treated like a delicate flower who might break under the slightest bit of pressure. I know tomorrow will be dangerous, but I’d rather face that danger with you than stay here and let you face it on your own.”
I draw in a breath, my throat tightening a little as I pour my heart out. Now that I’ve started speaking, the words just keep coming.
“I’m still not very good at this,” I confess. “I’m so used to being alone that it’s terrifying to care for someone else this much. To feel like a part of my heart exists outside my own body. But the only way I’ll be able to deal with that fear is if I’m able to be there with you—not just in this, but in everything.” A small grin tugs at my lips. “All of this mate bond stuff weirded me the hell out at first, but I have to admit, I kind of like having a big, muscly warrior who’d do anything to protect me. As long as I get to protect him right back.”
Kaide’s eyes flash, and he palms the back of my head, pulling me into another kiss that curls my toes and leaves me breathless. Somewhere in the middle of it, I end up on my back again, and when he finally breaks the contact of our lips to look down at me, adoration shines in his eyes.
“You’re so much more than I ever expected, my fierce, sweet Raina. So much more than I ever thought I would find. Even when the mate bond first struck, I didn’t truly understand how lucky I was. How perf
ectly the stars aligned when they brought us into each other’s lives.”
A smile spreads across my face, so wide and unconstrained that I’m sure I must look like a sappy idiot. But I don’t care.
Kaide is hard again, and even though I know we need to get some rest to be prepared for tomorrow, I can’t resist reaching down between us and guiding his thick length to my aching core. He makes a pleased, helpless sound, thrusting gently as he lowers his lips to mine.
He kisses me as he fucks me, emotions pouring back and forth between us like a feedback loop as pleasure builds slowly. When I hit the peak again, I cry out into his mouth, and he swallows the sounds of my climax before he comes inside me with a roar.
My eyelids are drooping when he pulls out of me, and I don’t protest as he carefully cleans me up. It doesn’t feel strange to be cared for by this man anymore, I realize. It feels good. It feels right.
Because I care for him too.
Because even though I didn’t think I needed one, I’ve found a partner in life.
As he settles in beside me, pulling me into his arms, I realize that I don’t feel afraid. There’s a chance we’ll die tomorrow in our insane attempt to get the diamantum back, and worry over the unknown pricks at me. But no matter what happens, I can’t regret that I’m here with Kaide.
I don’t wish that he’d told me to stay behind in the village while he and the others went to Pascia.
No matter what comes next, I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
22
Kaide
Waking up with Raina in my arms is better than anything I could’ve imagined. She slept in my embrace on our journey to the city as well, but it feels entirely different now. We’re both naked, her perfect pale skin pressed against mine and the rounded curve of her backside nestled against my cock.
Despite claiming her twice last night, my length pulses with arousal as she shifts a little in her sleep. She’s completely relaxed in my arms, her body melting against mine in a way that proves how much she’s come to trust me.
For a moment, I just bask in the perfection of this feeling, burying my nose in her hair and inhaling her scent.
I’ve known about the mate bond my entire life. I’ve seen the bond form between many pairs. But in all that time, I never fully understood what it truly is.
The bond isn’t the end.
It’s just the beginning.
The bond was the spark, the intense connection that brought me and Raina together. But the feelings I have for her now, although heightened by the mate bond, are born of having seen what a brave, intelligent, kind person she is. And I can’t help but think that, even if the bond were to disappear tomorrow, I would still want her. I would still respect and admire her. I would still want to be close to her, and to discover everything there is to know about her.
I would still love her.
My arms tighten around her reflexively at that thought, and she stirs in my embrace as she begins to wake. She turns her head, craning her neck a little to look at me.
“Good morning,” she murmurs huskily.
“Mmm.” I hum a response, leaning in to kiss her in a way that makes her grind against me.
My cock jumps, throbbing more insistently against her warm, firm skin, and I mutter a curse as we break apart.
“Akhi. When we get back to the village, I’m going to take you to my cabin and not let you out for a week.” I hesitate, then add, “I know you said you don’t like to be locked away, but—”
“If it’s with you, and we’re both naked the whole time, I could probably get on board with it just this once,” she says, interrupting me with a laugh. Then her expression turns more serious. “I like that you’re talking about it as if we’ll definitely make it back there. I was excited to get out of the village and see more of Nuthora, but now that I’ve seen it, I’m ready to go back.”
I cup her face, stroking my thumb over her cheek. “I talk that way because I truly believe it. We can do this, Raina. Together.”
She grins, rolling over to face me, her breasts pressing against my chest. “Have I ever told you what a turn on it is that you have confidence in me?”
I grin, running my hand over her hip and the dip of her waist. “Is it? I’ll have to remind you of that often, then.”
She lifts her head to claim a kiss, and if I didn’t believe the words she just told me, the hunger of her lips would certainly convince me. I allow myself a few heartbeats to enjoy this moment, my hands trying to touch every part of her at once as she slips a leg between mine, bringing us even closer together.
Then we begrudgingly rise from the comfort of the bed and each other’s arms, taking turns washing up before we get ready to head out. Just like always, we take our packs. If all goes well, we’ll be leaving Pascia today with the communicator—or at the very least, the diamantum—so I have no plans to return to these run-down lodgings.
I find myself almost nostalgic as we step out the door and onto the street. The accommodations were nothing special, not even as nice as the huts my fellow warriors and I built for ourselves back at the settlement. But I’ll always think of this place fondly because of what happened between me and Raina here.
This is the place where both of us truly realized what the mate bond is. What it means.
It’s the place where we discovered each other.
Taking my mate’s hand in mine, I lace our fingers together and give hers a gentle squeeze. When she looks over at me, I lift my eyebrows.
“Are you ready to do this?” I ask.
“You mean set off an explosive in a dangerous part of the city in the hope that the criminals and murderers there will chase us into another dangerous part of the city and start a fight with the kingpin we’re trying to steal from?” She pauses for a moment, then grins. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
I throw back my head as a laugh bursts from me. Then I bring our joined hands to my lips and kiss her knuckles.
“You’re right,” I tell her. “I’m lucky the gods were able to find a mate for me who’s as crazy as I am.”
“The good kind of crazy, though,” she points out with a smile.
“The best.”
It’s mid-morning, and the streets are busy as we make our way through Pascia toward Strakk’s territory. I can feel the good humor from earlier slipping away a little as we both focus, preparing ourselves for whatever we might face as we attempt to retrieve the diamantum.
At the border of Strakk’s territory, we slip into a dark alley that smells strongly of urine. Raina wrinkles her nose but steps deeper into the shadows. I follow her, knowing it’s important that no one see us for this part. Once I’m sure that no passersby will observe us, I dig into my pack and pull out the small container of grease that Yaveen gave us last night.
“Do you remember the design?” I ask, handing it to Raina.
She nods. I showed it to her before we left our lodgings, tracing it several times to make sure she had memorized the shape. Dipping her fingertips into the grease, she hesitates for a moment, then reaches up to drag a finger over my forehead, creating a black mark on my skin.
I can’t see how it looks, but I can feel the rough shape of the design she traces, and it seems right. When she’s satisfied with her handiwork, she steps back, wiping off the last bit of grease from her fingertips.
“Good. Now you do me.” She tilts her face up expectantly, and I mark her in the same manner, creating a dark pattern on her skin that looks almost like a tattoo.
That’s good. That’s what it’s meant to look like.
Hyron marks all of his most loyal followers, a designation that both symbolizes his faith in them and the fact that they belong to him. That the only way to undo their connection with him is through death.
Once I’m done, I close up the jar of grease and return it to my pack. The explosive device sits on top of everything else, along with a small detonator, and I pull them both out before looking up to meet Raina’s eyes.
She nods. “I’ll be ready.”
After making sure that no one is nearby to see us, we slip out of the alley side by side. A little way down the street, the narrow pathway widens out into a square, and in the middle of the open space sits an ugly stone statue. I don’t know what it’s supposed to be, or whether it’s supposed to represent anything at all, but it seems like as good a target as any. It’s in a central location, and its position of prominence makes me think it must be important to Strakk.
Keeping our heads down to obscure our marks, Raina and I move quickly toward the square. There are people milling about in the open space, talking boisterously in small groups. It’s not packed, but there are enough of Strakk’s followers all in one place for it to serve our purposes.
I don’t break stride as I near the square, and neither does Raina. Now that we’re committed to this plan of action, hesitation will only decrease our chances of surviving.
As we reach the spot in the street where it begins to widen out, I crouch down smoothly and roll the small explosive device across the packed dirt toward the base of the statue. The action vaguely reminds me of playing a game that’s popular back on Vox, where competitors roll large wooden balls over a smooth stone surface, trying to sink them into holes in the rock.
I was always good at that game, although I haven’t played it in years. But my aim proves just as good now as it was back then. The ball hits the base of the statue, and before it can roll away, Raina presses the button on the small detonator.
A loud boom goes up, the force of the explosion knocking several people off their feet as it rips through the air. Even from this distance, the blast makes me rock backward on my heels. Shouts and yells go up, and I take a deep breath to steady my nerves as I lift my head.