So that only my warrior, my beloved, remains.
To his utter shock, the chains around him loosened noticeably. He hadn't realized he'd pushed pain to the back of his mind, accepting that it would be there for all eternity. He should have known she would find it there when she merged with him. It was impossible to hide anything from her. The pain eased and then slowly disappeared, leaving him lying beneath her, free of all silver, the chains only faint memories in his body.
Skyler sat up slowly, and at once he could see the burns covering her skin like a coat of armor. His heart jerked, his hands coming up to grip her arms. "What have you done?"
She shrugged, and the coat shimmied to the floor and disintegrated. "I've loved you the best way I know how." She smiled at him and brushed her hand over his flat stomach.
He rolled her over. "Then it's my turn, isn't it?"
Skyler lay sprawled beneath him, but he was very careful not to pin her down, or make her feel trapped. He caged her in with his arms, but made certain she had freedom of movement. She didn't flinch, but looked up at him, the love in her eyes wreaking havoc with his heart.
"I'm expecting great things, my love," she whispered softly, tracing his lips with her fingertip.
A slow smile curved his mouth. Amusement crept into his glacier-blue eyes. "I'll do my best not to disappoint."
He bent his head to fasten his mouth to hers. Tasting her. Savoring her. Loving her. She was a miracle of heat, of fire, pouring into him, cleansing him until he felt brand-new. He tasted her passion and knew he was addicted for life.
He kissed his way from her mouth to her chin, and then down her throat. He stroked one finger over her breast and felt her immediate response, a shiver of pleasure. Her hips moved subtly, a calling, a need.
He cupped her breast, his thumb sliding over her nipple, brushing gently at first, and then tugging and rolling, all the while watching her reaction. She shivered again, not pulling away, but rather pushing into his hand. Her breasts were definitely sensitive. Each touch sent a small rush of liquid fire dampening between her legs.
"You realize you have a fixation," she teased, her voice husky and a little ragged.
"Obsession," he corrected and lowered his mouth.
While he suckled, he flattened his tongue, stroking and teasing, even using the edge of his teeth. His fingers tugged and rolled the nipple of her other breast. He was very careful not to let his own desire get out of hand. From the moment he first saw her-touched her-inhaled her-he was lost and he knew it.
He wanted her with him every step of the way, her passion growing until it matched his-until she got to that euphoria of pure feeling and let herself go completely. Skyler needed to be comfortable with him and trust him. No matter how aroused she was, there would be moments she would panic, and she had to know he was capable of hearing, even perceiving those moments before she did and stopping immediately if necessary.
He lifted his head from the sweet temptation of her curves and kissed her again, long and slow. Their world was about love and he wanted to wrap her in it. He had enough love for her to hold her for eternity and he wanted her to feel that always.
He lowered his head again to the sweet curve of her breasts, licking over the tempting pulse just along the swell that led to the valley, using the edge of his teeth, letting her feel the sensation. Her heart accelerated. Her hips moved again, urgency beginning to grow in her. He bit deep. She gasped. Arched. The bite of pain burst through her. Merged as he was with her, he felt that erotic bite spread like a firestorm through her body.
Her arms came up to circle his head, fingers fisting in his hair. She cried out as he began to draw her life's blood from her body, merging them further, his hands once more at her breasts. She was his, this beautiful body, soft and warm and so responsive. Once she made up her mind, she gave of herself so freely, putting herself in his hands, trusting him. Her trust humbled him.
He lifted his head, watching the twin ruby beads began to flow over the slope of her breast. He chased them, drew them into his mouth and then closed those small wounds. He'd left his mark on her, and he found it pleased him.
He kissed his way down her flat stomach, taking his time, tracing each rib with his tongue, his hands exploring and shaping. Her breath came in ragged little gasps and she made a soft sound that sounded like his name, a chanting barely heard, but music nonetheless. His tongue dipped into her belly button and his hands slipped lower to cup her bottom.
Skyler's hands went to his hair, bunched there. Her body writhed under his now. Her skin was hot, glowing. "Dimitri?" Her voice trembled, and in her mind he could feel the skittering of fear. But this time, she wasn't afraid of her own reaction, or that he might hurt her; the pleasure engulfed her, threatened her control and she hadn't expected that.
"I've got you. Just let yourself feel. You're safe with me."
Her eyes met his, searching. He looked at her steadily, letting her see he would always be there to catch her. She let her breath out and nodded, lying back again, but her fists remained in his hair as if she anchored herself there.
He kissed her belly button and continued his leisurely exploring, running his tongue along her hipbones, and then over to the dragon, the mark of the Dragonseeker, much like a tattoo, very faint just over her ovary. He spent time there, lapping at it, tracing it, nuzzling her over and over. His hand went to her thigh, parting her legs, letting her feel the cool air on her hot, wet entrance.
So much heat. He was drawn there, his mouth moving lower until he could catch drops of nectar. Her taste was addictive and he found he couldn't stop. He lifted her hips to his mouth, pressing deep, his tongue pushing into that little tight flower, drawing out as much liquid as he could get. She gasped and cried out, thrashing again.
Dimitri lifted his head to look at her. He knew his eyes glowed with the heat of a predator. There was no way to hide what he was from her, but she was safe with him. "Let me," he said softly. "Give yourself to me. All of you. You belong to me, csitri, you know you do. Let me have you."
She nodded, but she looked frightened. "It's too much. The sensation. As if I might fly apart and never be me again."
Deliberately, watching her eyes, he swiped his tongue through her soft folds, circled her most sensitive bud and then stabbed deep again. Tremors wracked her body, but her gaze didn't falter. He saw fear, but he saw trust. His heart leapt and his cock jerked. He was already caught between the intensity of love and urgent need for her body. The two were woven so tightly together he couldn't separate them.
He began to devour her, driving her up that high cliff and stopping just before she tumbled over. Again and again. He needed to hear her soft little cries. He wanted to feel her fingers clamped in his hair, or her nails digging into his shoulders. Her cries were music to him, a symphony of desire, the notes so sweet he was nearly as addicted to that as he was to her taste.
Skyler crammed a fist in her mouth as fiery need licked over her skin. She had expected pain and degradation, not his worshiping her body as she had his. Her breathing came in harsh gasps, and she couldn't stop writhing, no matter how hard she tried. She felt as if Dimitri's passion and love were destroying her, tearing down fear and shame and forging her into a strong, sensual woman.
She heard herself chanting his name and she couldn't stop. He was her talisman, her anchor, her very strength. He lapped at the hot nectar spilling from her body, his tongue licking and stabbing deep, moving in torturous slow circles, driving her insane as tension built and built, stretching her out on a rack of pleasure.
Her head thrashed back and forth. Tremors ran down her thighs. Her breasts burned and ached for him. Deep inside, she coiled tighter and tighter, desperate for release. She whimpered. Sobbed. Pleaded with him. She needed him inside of her, to sate the all-encompassing hunger. She felt as if she was soaring out of control. She was skating the edge of panic, only her trust in him keeping her from fighting. She was afraid of burning up from the inside out, fragmenting into tiny pieces, or going insane from sheer pleasure.
He lifted his head when she cried out, her hips bucking, as she pleaded with him. He knelt up slowly between her thighs. He looked . . . intimidating. He was a big man and the thought of him fitting inside her was daunting, but she was too far gone to care. She needed him. Desperately. She wanted him. More than anything she wanted to be fully his.
You are mine.
Her eyes met his. His had gone nearly all wolf, the glowing predatory, focused stare that should have terrified her, but kept her steady and sane. She terrified herself, never Dimitri. No matter what face he wore, he was hers. She moistened her lips, her heart pounding.