A sword from the embers, p.21
A Sword from the Embers, page 21
part #5 of An Heir Comes to Rise Series
Their kiss began to slow, turning to a soft yearning, and her fingers weaved through his silver locks. They broke free, foreheads resting together while they caught their breath.
“I haven’t felt a moment of peace in forty-six days,” he rasped. When he pulled back, the tree kept her still while she leaned into the palm that encased her cheek. “Not for one damn second—until right now.”
Her brow pinched, and she nodded in agreement. “Why are you here?” She couldn’t be more glad for it, but they were heading to Ellium anyway.
A dark shift filtered across his eyes as they scanned every inch of her face. “Izaiah got word back to us about what happened. I wasn’t going to stay away a second longer.” His breaths turned hard, deep, as though he were trying to suffocate his rising wrath as he fixed his stare on the ground. “Maverick was here. He could have—”
“He got nothing,” Faythe cut in, unable to bear his turmoil. Her hand gripped his chin, forcing him to look at her.
Those sapphire eyes snapped open. The anger in them she’d only seen once before, and Faythe fought against the sickening shudder to be back in the temple. Then, slowly, as they shared a deep look, it was as if they both realized at once what mattered. Here and now. Being safe and together.
“I’m not leaving your side again,” Reylan promised.
Faythe nodded. “Good.”
He leaned down to kiss her again, instantly pulsing a desire so strong she pressed herself to him, moved against him, without conscious thought. Their scents shifted and mingled to bring them back to the time before they were parted. Lust. Against her core she felt his arousal, dipping her hand before she knew what she was doing.
Reylan groaned against her mouth with her first firm stroke.
Faythe didn’t care where they were, calculating she’d traveled far enough from the group that they could have this private moment. Her need had been building since the Fire Mountains.
He pulled back, holding her face in his hands, searching her stare with wild, blazing eyes.
“I need you,” she whispered.
He didn’t stop the heel of her palm from dragging down again, and he gritted his teeth with a hiss that sparked through her. “Gods, I missed you,” he said, colliding with her, and she moaned as their tongues clashed with a wild urgency.
Faythe had felt a burning lust for him before, but now, in this fae body, it was inexplicably maddening. Every touch ignited, every instinct turned raw and primal, and a part of her raced with the thrill that what she’d experienced with him before would be nothing compared to what they could share together now, as equals.
Faythe worked him again and again, her core tightening each time he thrust into her hand, driving her toward the brink of climax. His mouth left hers only to trail kisses across her jaw and down her neck as if he might devour her. Faythe clutched him tight, her thoughts scattered as she roamed over his chest, imagining his skin rather than the textured leathers. The scrape of his teeth drew her gasp.
“I’m seconds from taking you against this damn tree,” he growled.
“I want it, Reylan,” she panted, tipping her head back, wondering if he was aware of his own shallow movements against her core from their position. “I want all of you.”
The friction was torture. More so, the pants she still wore.
Reylan swore, pushing off the tree. He only walked a few paces before Faythe gasped as he lifted her higher, and spying Kali, her leg hooked around him on instinct. Faythe glanced back as Reylan braced.
“We should tell the others—”
Reylan hauled himself up in one smooth glide, slipping in warmly behind her, and she could have melted into him.
“If Izaiah let you go off on your own without knowing I was here, it might have been enough to distract me from you to strangle him.”
Faythe smirked, relaxing into him.
“Where are we going?”
“Only a bit farther away. There’s a small running lake.” His lips pressed to her head, then down to her ear, and she shivered. “I want this one night with you without the possibility of hearing about it from them by morning.”
A blush crept along her cheeks. Her thighs tightened.
In a few minutes, Reylan pulled them to a stop, and her heart fluttered when he dismounted and poised to aid her. Bracing on his shoulders, she eased down, but instead of planting her feet on the ground, Reylan’s hold slipped around her waist and her legs wrapped around him. The twinkle of desire in his eyes resurfaced her lust.
As he carried her, Faythe’s head angled up and her lips pressed to the soft spot below his ear. His body turned taut, hands clenching her upper thighs, and she smiled, traveling lower over his neck.
But something overcame her in that second—a desire so frightening and new…
Bite.
Her gums ached, but the ache was dulled by the new feverish impulse that doused her with panic. Her tongue traced her top teeth and she gasped at their sharpness.
Reylan lowered with her. The cool grass against her back didn’t register as her eyes widened and her hand darted to her mouth. Reylan’s attention fell there in confusion, then realization. Tentatively, he pulled her fingers away and his thumb brushed her bottom lip. All she could do was watch the awe swirling wide in his midnight irises as his breathing became delightfully rugged.
“Beautiful,” he admired, fixating on her elongated canines. “You have no idea how insane it drives me to see this.”
It was the first time she’d felt them. There were new discoveries around every turn, it seemed, and having Reylan here meant the fear that threatened to rise turned instantly into confidence as he coated her in pride.
“They kind of hurt.”
He gave a side-smile. “They won’t after a while.”
“Why didn’t they come out when I was in danger?”
Reylan looked puzzled.
Faythe clarified. “The fae use them as a threat.”
His smile bloomed, wide enough in rare amusement that it showed his own sharp teeth. “I don’t know who told you we bite to attack,” he teased.
Her cheeks flushed.
“The dark fae, perhaps, with their taste for human blood. Fae don’t bite fae for any reason other than pleasure.”
Faythe couldn’t remember where she’d heard the obscure fact, though now she felt like a foolish child to learn her insight was nothing but a wicked bedtime story.
Reylan hovered above her, and a few silver strands fell over his dark brow. Faythe reached up to comb her fingers through them.
“I’m glad you came,” she whispered, choking up. “It was all for nothing.”
He shook his head. “If there was even a chance we could have kept you hidden and safe, we had to try it. Nothing about the plan was a waste, but I resent them for driving us apart, even if it was only for a short time in the forever I promised you.”
That beautiful ache in her chest grew so strong she had to act. With her hand on his chest and her legs hooked around him, Reylan read her gentle push and gripped her hips, switching their position. A new hunger flared in his eyes.
“I’m beginning to really love this position,” he ground out.
“You are?”
“Yes. Sinful thoughts aside, your confidence is growing. You’re taking what you want. If it has to start with me—with us—take it all.”
Faythe yelped as without warning he hooked an arm around her and twisted. His hand pinned her wrists, a few loose curls near touching his passionate eyes.
“And I’ll challenge you every damn time until you know you can take control when you need to and it is nothing to be fearful of.”
Her brow pinched with that because he wasn’t just speaking about their lust in that moment. Not submitting but encouraging her to rise. To fight. It struck a chord in her to have him shed light on what she assumed she was failing at.
“Push back,” he dared.
Faythe strained once before slumping back down.
He gave a soft smirk. “You’re not even trying.”
“How would you know?”
He leaned in close, warm breath across her collar. “I know you.”
“Are you sure?”
She felt the near touch of his lips on her throat, and in his distraction, Faythe’s knee tucked up between them, about to jab into his abdomen. Reylan was quick, however, and he shifted back, one hand grabbing her calf and pulling. He held it around himself instead, bring their bodies flush together. His mouth barely moved from her skin.
“Yes,” he purred.
Faythe arched into him to give the impression she was falling for his seduction. But her competitive side still hummed through, and Reylan reacted exactly as she’d hoped.
Hands freed, Faythe’s thighs clamped tight around him, and she reached to his side, using all her strength against his to make them tumble once more. When they stilled, chest to chest, her sly smile reflected on the blade angled against his throat.
Reylan’s bewilderment quickly eased to a clouded lust. His hands trailed up her thighs and squeezed.
“Is it bad that I found that highly arousing?”
He spoke to her in her mind, the stroke on her senses somewhat more intimate than his external touch.
“You still have a lot to figure out, and I’m with you every step of the way. But I see you, Faythe—the progress you’re making—even if it doesn’t feel like you’re moving anywhere fast.”
She didn’t realize how much she needed someone to see what she couldn’t. And coming from him, those words of encouragement gave her a strength like no one else could. Faythe had no words; could only bring her mouth to his to express her gratitude, her love, to the one who had never once dropped an ounce of his belief in her.
She pulled back, eyes instinctively falling to his neck. “Pleasure,” she whispered—more as an escaped thought that raged through her. “If I bit you, would it…?”
“No,” he answered. “It wouldn’t complete the true mating bond without a declaration from each side. It’s a law that protects against forced matings.”
The fact drummed hard in her chest and tingled heat straight to her core. “Would you enjoy it?” she asked, but she already knew his answer by the desire clouding his irises.
“Very much so.”
“Would I?”
“Yes.”
It was a surge of something primal she wasn’t used to. It terrified her and raced a thrill that canceled all thought and reason.
“I want to,” she breathed.
A wildness flared in his expression at her words. Faythe braced, but she didn’t know what for—only that she wanted him wholly unleashed. Then a softness replaced their moment of passion and his hand curled around her nape, guiding her head down to meet him in one firm kiss.
“I know,” he mumbled. Carefully, he sat up until she straddled him, propped up on one hand while the other stroked between her shoulder blades. “But it’s intense, biting. It could overwhelm you right now.”
When his words started to dispel her reckless lust, Faythe knew he was right. She was grateful he had a handle on restraint while she was still figuring out her impulses.
She eyed the water and her thoughts drifted to how everything was still so new to her—even her power. With Reylan here what crossed her mind didn’t seem so frightening. And he didn’t know what they might have discovered about her magick.
“I want to try something,” she said, not taking her eyes off the flowing water as she slipped from his lap and kneeled by the stream.
Reylan wordlessly shifted behind her.
“I need you to be ready, and to take it all from me if I can’t let it go.” Her hand trembled as she dipped it into the water, the bite from the icy-cold stream jolting through her.
“I’m right here,” was all he said, his warmth a welcome contrast as he tucked himself in close.
Faythe took a long, deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she could do it, but if what Marlowe said was true…
She closed her eyes to focus. Though her mind sparked with terror, she tried to erase Maverick’s face from her memories so she’d only focus on his ability. Fire. The heat it brought to her chest, the vibration of its essence in her palm, the taste of ash and salt…
Slowly, it became tangible, and she retracted her hand with the need to see it. Her eyes slid open, and she grappled with the tethers of her panic at seeing the shallow cobalt flame dancing over her palm—not touching it, but its blue light shone over the gold symbol that lived there, which awakened with the use of her magick.
“This is an interesting development,” he said quietly, but the awe in his voice quelled her fear. Reylan’s hand eased under hers, and they marveled over it together. His sharp intake of breath spiked her alarm. “I can feel it,” he said, stirring Faythe’s confusion, until he slipped his hand from under hers, and with the movement, the flame diminished from her palm only to reignite in his. “I can take it.”
“You have always been able to do that,” Faythe pointed out, but she furrowed her brow at the shake of his head.
Reylan manipulated the flame, growing it, weakening it. He broke it in two, holding the fire in both hands. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you. When you asked if I could feel your magick I never lied, but I discovered that I was unable to reach it—to take any of it—because there was no one thing to take and use. Not like when you only had your mind ability.”
Faythe’s mind blanked as she tried to make sense of what he was saying.
“When you translate it to something, this raw well of power you harbor…Gods, is it a relief to feel your magick. To know I can still help you, though it will take us time to figure it out.”
Emotion lapped over her as she watched him marvel at the flame. The small smile he wore lit a warmth in her chest.
“Can you still conjure your flame?” he asked.
With a deep breath, Faythe thought of the essence. Each time it sparked to life it came a little easier, though it was a mere matchstick flame compared to what chanted darkly within her each time to push and push and push. Faythe didn’t know how destructive she could become.
“Good,” Reylan said, winking out his own fire. “At least you got something back from that bastard.”
At his enthusiasm, Faythe allowed herself to smile. To see the power she harbored as something other than an entity that could harm and consume and destroy. Even if it were just a kernel she’d surfaced, her power could be beautiful, and maybe one day controlled.
Her next breath eased out of her much lighter, then she lowered her hand to the water again. The flame fizzled out, but Faythe focused on the harsh contrast of the bitter water that wanted to silence her Firewielding ability. She willed the heat to stay, felt it tingling through her veins right to her fingertips, until it escaped into the water. She kept going, thinking she could keep her control on this small change, but it began to grow. From the heat in her palms, she knew the line of script was slowly lighting up over her arms. She could feel the familiar burn and knew it would end between her shoulder blades, but by then it would be too much.
“Reylan,” she rasped, beginning to tremble with her reluctance to know what would happen if she kept going.
“You’re doing great.” He didn’t touch her again.
“You said—” Yet her words halted because he’d made no promise to stop her.
“Breathe. You are the master of yourself—don’t let your magick take away your control.”
Faythe shuddered, her eyes scrunching shut as she exhaled. She wanted to believe him just as fiercely as he believed in her. The water became hot—soon too hot, hissing over the surface. Faythe felt no end; no burnout. Steam began to moisten her face, and her eyes snapped open.
“I could dry up the entire lake! You have to stop me,” she rushed out, pulse racing. She couldn’t move her hand, fearing if she did, without the water as an obstacle, the fire could erupt from her and harm Reylan.
“I’m right here,” was all he repeated, hand slipping around her waist.
For a moment she felt no change, but then she thought of how beautiful the water looked with its misty veil across the surface and how she’d warmed it and not caused any destruction. Slowly, she drew away from her magick. As if it were cast out on a line, she reeled it in slowly. Faythe lifted her hand out of the water, watching the symbols’ glow wink out before she clamped her fist. She balled them on her knees, panting lightly, silencing the last vibration of magick completely.
Then she grinned.
She chuckled, shaking her head, but her brow pinched tight against the sting in her nose. “Thank you,” she said.
“I didn’t do anything,” Reylan answered softly.
Her head tried to twist to him, but he shifted behind her instead. His hands came around her shoulders, and her back curved into him with a thrill when his fingers began to undo the buckles of her leathers.
“You didn’t…?”
Soft lips grazed the tip of her ear. “It was all you.” His whisper shivered down her neck, making her eyes flutter. “We can’t let the heat you made go to waste.”
As she caught onto his plan, a giddy knot tightened her stomach. Faythe’s hands rose to aid him, but he took her wrists instead.
“You consume my every thought, Faythe,” he murmured huskily. “Everything we’ve done, but more so, everything yet promised.” His hands dipped to the buttons of her pants, and she inhaled. “Up on your knees,” he commanded.
Faythe obliged, easing into his body as he rose too, and when he undid the last button, her head tipped back and his hand curved down. His groan rippled over her collar when his fingers trailed through her slickness.
