A Mate for the Senator (Brion Brides 9)(12)

It was impressive. Even Xaven was prepared to admit that. It went against every instinct of a warrior to let go of their weapon, but Moroven had done the only thing that could have saved his life.#p#分页标题#e#

Now he was left struggling for the possession of his spear with a man who weighed twice as much as he did.

Xaven's only option was to do something insane as well.

He glanced at the ax buried into the ground. Moroven had loosened it, but it was still a gamble.

Xaven let go.

Gravity came to his aid as Moroven's eyes went wide. The big warrior toppled back, the spear in his hands. He'd been trying to rip it out of Xaven's grip and now it had cost him his stance, which was everything in a Brion duel. The warrior fell heavily, but by that time Xaven had ripped the ax out of the ground.

Understanding dawned in Moroven's dark eyes, but it was too late. An ax wasn't Xaven's weapon of choice, but he could wield it fine when he needed to.

The blade cut through the air, slicing clean through Moroven's neck, without pain or needless suffering. Blood pooled next to the fallen warrior and the crowd cheered him. Both as the new High Lord and the man who'd put an end to Moroven.

When Xaven looked up at the balustrade, he could see Eleya standing, her eyes nailed to him.

Others might not have seen it, but to Xaven it was as clear as day – he'd won. Not just the tourney, but something much more important.





Epilogue





Eleya




Two weeks later...





Eleya opened her eyes and found herself in the arms of the man who loved her.

Those had been Xaven's first words to her when he came up from the arena to officially accept his title as the High Lord of the Militia.

She'd been trying to keep her composure and get their duties out of the way, but apparently Xaven didn't share her ideas of decorum and propriety.

"Captain Xaven," Eleya had said, presenting him with the symbols of the office. "I want to congratulate you –"

"I love you," Xaven had replied, cutting in, his deep voice filled with such emotion that Eleya hadn't been able to reply.

Ten thousand spectators who'd just witnessed the tourney were staring at them. Eleya had realized right about then that she hadn't really told anyone other than Towaren and the staff of her palace about her new bond.

Then the arena erupted in applause and it had been the final piece of happiness she needed.

Eleya had always wondered if Briolina liked her. She knew she was respected and feared by people who needed to feel those things, but being beloved was for active generals and the Elders.

Standing there, listening to her people yell their congratulations, making the floor beneath her feet shake, Eleya had her answer.

She had finished the ceremony quickly, letting Xaven take her away from the public eye.

It hadn't ended there, though. In the week that followed, so many congratulations poured in that Eleya honestly felt overwhelmed.

The message was pretty unanimous – Brions were hopeful and happy for her. A lot of the people who sent her messages had experienced a broken bond. They were overjoyed she'd found someone, not just because it gave them hope for their own future, but because they said they'd always thought she deserved to find happiness.

Xaven rolled over to kiss her and Eleya smiled, wrapping her hands around the warrior's neck and pulling him on top of her.

"Good morning," Xaven said. "While you're still sleepy, I have to ask if you're sure you want to go through with this? I don't think it supports the image of cooperation to have the High Senator and the High Lord duel."

Eleya laughed, kissing her fated again, loving the way he immediately deserted the argument to kiss her back, running his hands over her naked body.

"You can't keep winning arguments like this," Xaven growled, grinding their bodies together.

"Stop letting me win them then," Eleya teased him.

Xaven apparently took that as a challenge, because the warrior quickly spread her legs and thrust into her. Eleya screamed in pleasure, the slight sensation of pain being nothing more than an afterthought. She kissed him fiercely, pushing her tongue into his mouth and pulling at his hair.

It was everything she'd ever wanted. Xaven fucked her, making all of Eleya's fears melt away when she looked at his eyes, knowing that the fire she saw there burned only for her. The fears she'd had in the past were gone. And even if they did emerge from time to time, all it took was one look at Xaven to remind her that she needed to heed his advice and let go.

There was no use in living in fear of what might go wrong and forgetting to enjoy what she had.#p#分页标题#e#

Eleya screamed his name when he made her cum, her body shivering under his rough, hard thrusts. She fell back on the sheets, feeling his hot cum spilling into her, crying out. Her orgasm lasted for a long moment and every slow, deep thrust Xaven gave her made Eleya feel like she was having another one. She moaned, her eyes squeezed shut, trying to catch every last second of the pleasure.

When Xaven had given her a moment to relax, he pulled out and leaned down to kiss her.

"Payback, my love," he whispered. "You made me fight the last duel with a hard-on. You can now try to fight one with your tight little pussy still filled with my cum."

Eleya's eyes snapped open and she saw the grin on Xaven's lips, from one ear to the other.

"You did this on purpose," she said, pushing the warrior off her.

"Yes," Xaven admitted, chuckling darkly. "Partly because I wanted revenge. A lot more because you look incredibly sexy in the mornings."

Eleya got up, giving her fated a hard look.

"I'm impressed," she said, pulling on a robe and heading for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower and then we're going to see whether your plan worked."

Xaven's laughter followed her all the way to the door.

"You're still not backing down?" he asked.

Eleya turned, flashing him a smile.

"I'm a Brion," she said simply. "And you won the last time despite the tricks I used. My turn."

Xaven's eyes told her that he was more than prepared to accept those terms. Eleya slipped away from the door before the warrior had any ideas for another round.

As the warm water ran down her body, Eleya smiled. She loved the fact that they could challenge each other, lifting their fated up to new heights.

More than anything, she was grateful. For second chances and for the fact she'd had the fortitude to wait. There had been a time when she thought nothing was worth the pain, but Eleya was glad the gods had proved her wrong. Incredibly wrong.

With Xaven, every second of her new life was worth everything that had come before.