We each take turns in the cleansing room, bathing and dressing for bed. The soft, silken blue sleeping gown I find in the cleansing room is held up by two thin straps over my shoulders and only reaches mid-thigh. I drape the matching long robe to cover myself, tying the sash at my waist before I walk back into the bedroom.
It’s quiet between us, and every time I glance over at Caelen I cannot help but notice the tense set of his shoulders. Dressed only in soft knit pants, the shadows and moonlight spilling into the room sculpt the thick planes of muscle that cover his body.
He moves with a grace that belies his lethal form as he steps out onto the balcony and stares at the sea.
A crisp, saline breeze blows gently from the ocean, tousling his short, blond hair as he leans forward on the railing. His hands grip the edge and he scans the water as if searching for something. Silver moonlight casts sparkling reflections across the rolling waves. I move up beside him and rest my hand over his.
He shifts his gaze to me, sadness easily read in his expression. “You do not have to stay with me, Lyana, if you do not wish.”
I’m not sure if he’s referring to this room or our marriage, but either way, my answer is the same. “I want to stay with you, Caelen.”
“You owe me nothing, Lyana,” he murmurs. “I will still help you, no matter what you decide about us. According to your traditions, our marriage can still be annulled and—”
I press a finger to his lips. I stare deep into his beautiful green eyes as I untie my robe and allow it to fall away, pooling at my feet. “Not after tonight,” I whisper. I stretch up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck.
His strong arms encircle my waist, drawing me close as his gaze holds mine. “You are not afraid of me?”
“Not of you.” I cup his cheek. “Ever. I love you, Caelen. And I choose you as my husband and mate.”
He touches my face, staring at me as if I were a rare and precious thing. “I choose you, Lyana,” he whispers. “You are my mate, and I am yours.”
Ever so gently, he leans in. He presses his lips to mine in a tender kiss and I open for him, curling my tongue around his and deepening our kiss.
Soft and gentle at first, it turns into something deep and sensuous, his desire matching mine. He lifts me in his arms and carries me to the bed.
He pulls back the covers and lays me reverently atop the sheets before moving over me. His eyes search mine a moment before I cup the back of his neck and pull his lips down to my own.
Caelen kisses me long and deep. He tastes of warm cinnamon. A soft moan escapes me as his hand glides across my skin to gently circle one breast.
I gasp as his thumb brushes over the already sensitive peak through the silken fabric of my gown.
I arch into him, wanting more. “Caelen,” I breathe against his lips.
He growls in arousal and rips his mouth from mine, trailing kisses down my neck to my chest.
I run my fingers through his golden hair and trace the outlines of his pointed ears. He growls low in arousal as he dips his hand beneath the neckline of my gown, freeing my breast. He closes his mouth over the hardened tip and begins a gentle suction that sends pleasure rippling through me.
He turns his attention to my other breast, giving it the same intimate treatment as the first before he pulls back. His green eyes hold mine, full of desire and hunger, as he stares down at me, his fangs fully extended.
I reach up and caress his cheek, making sure my gaze remains locked on his. “I’m not afraid,” I whisper softly.
“You are certain you want me?” he asks, his voice thick with longing.
“Yes.”
He lifts his left hand and I watch as his claws extend and he slices a line down the fabric of my dress, baring me to his gaze.
“Ashalan, Ashalik, Kaltoryn,” he whispers words in the Elvish tongue, and although I do not know what they are, I understand their meaning in the way they escape his lips in awe-filled reverence.
He pulls back and carefully takes my heel in his hand and presses a tender kiss to the inside arch of my foot. His gaze holds mine as he traces his lips and his tongue up my calf to my inner thigh.
“Open for me,” he whispers against my skin. “I want to taste you on my tongue.”
My heart pounds in anticipation as I part my thighs. His eyes snap up to mine, full of possession. “You are mine,” he growls.
His gaze holds my own as he guides my legs over his shoulders. He dips his head and drags his tongue through my already slick folds.
I gasp as he reaches the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex. A low growl rumbles his chest; the vibration moves straight through me, igniting fire deep in my core.
I dig my heels into his shoulders as he continues to tease my sensitive flesh with his tongue, leaving me breathless and panting beneath him.
He bands an arm across my hips to anchor me as I writhe under his attentions. “Caelen,” I barely manage to breathe through my pleasure. “It’s too much. I’m going to—”
My entire body goes taut like a bowstring and then I’m coming. I cry out his name as wave after wave of pleasure washes over and through me.
I’ve not even recovered from my orgasm when he moves back up my body, sealing his mouth over mine and stealing the breath from my lungs in a searing kiss.
His length is hard against my inner thigh, but we’re separated by the thin barrier of his clothing. I run my hands down his body, tracing my fingers over every delicious dip and curve of his heavily muscled form and sliding them beneath the waistband of his pants.
Gently, I push them down his hips, freeing his erection.
He pulls back and my gaze moves down his body to study him. He’s much larger than I thought he would be. And although I’ve had no experience, I’ve seen images of men and know he is very different from a human male.
Cautiously, I reach for him. He’s so thick, my fingers do not entirely reach around him. His length is covered in ridges and his tip is flared wide at the end. “My stav is different than you expected,” he whispers, but I note the hint of worry that laces his tone.
“I’ve never done this before,” I admit. “You seem so… large compared to the images I’ve seen of human men.”
He cups my chin. “We do not have to—”
I silence him with a kiss. “I want to make love to you, Caelen. I want to be yours.”
He drops low and rolls onto his back, pulling me on top so that my legs straddle his hips. His gaze holds mine as he trails his fingers over my body in a gentle caress. “You are so beautiful,” he whispers.
I lean down and kiss him. His stav is hard beneath me. When I pull back I notice the bead of liquid that gathers on the end. Carefully, I raise up on my knees and wrap my hand around his length.
His eyes stare deep into mine and the breath stutters from my lungs as I slowly lower myself onto him. A low groan escapes his lips as I take him inside me.
Tight heat blooms in my core as he pushes through my barrier, sinking all the way to the hilt deep within. We gaze at each other in mutual wonder of our bodies joined as one. I’ve never felt so full.
Slowly, I begin to move, inhaling sharply at the delicious friction of his ridges as they move against my inner walls. He wraps his hands around my hips. “So tight,” he rasps.
He sits up and I wrap my legs around his back as he gathers me to his chest. His heart pounds against mine as we move as one. His tongue strokes against my own and I’m lost in sensation.
His hands are everywhere as he claims me with each gentle thrust of his hips up into mine. He whispers words of love and devotion against my lips. Nothing exists outside of this moment and the joining of our bodies as we move as one.
Pleasure coils tight in my core. I’m so close to the edge, but I don’t want this to end. “Caelen,” I breathe into his mouth. “I’m almost—”
Passion burns in my vein as desire builds deep within. Each thrust of his hips up into mine becomes stronger and deeper as we chase our release. His masculine scent surrounds me and I’m lost in the feel of our bodies joined as one.
The base of his stav expands in my channel, almost to the point of pain, but not quite. I feel a slight pinch deep inside, but it’s quickly replaced with intense pleasure that makes me gasp. “What is—”
“My knot,” he rasps. “And the tip of my stav sealing over the entrance to your womb.”
The sensation of his body locked with mine is too much. My head falls back and my lips part on a moan as his length begins to pulse in my channel.
He growls and then sinks his fangs into my neck, marking me as his. The pain quickly disappears and I fall over the edge, crying out his name in ecstasy as he erupts deep inside me, filling me with the delicious warmth of his seed.
It feels as though it goes on forever, triggering another orgasm; this one even stronger than the last.
I’m not even recovered when he twists and flips me onto my back. His stav is still knotted inside me. He stares down at me, his gaze full of possession. A low moan escapes me as he begins to stroke long and deep.
“You are mine,” he growls.
I’d heard that human men need time to recover after their release, but it seems it is not this way with High Elves.
Caelen seals his mouth over mine in a claiming kiss. “Ashal’veh, Lyana,” he breathes against my lips.
I cling to him, enjoying the feel of his powerful body moving over me. We make love several more times until I’m completely spent and unable to keep my eyes open any longer.
He skims the tip of his nose alongside mine and then presses a tender kiss to my lips. “Sleep, my Lyana,” he whispers softly in my ear.
Closing my eyes, I allow myself to drift away in his arms.
