Page 66 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Tell me you’re mine,” he demands, lifting his hips to meet me and thrusting deeper inside me. I suck in a breath, and my head falls back. He feels so good, and I’m not going to last. His cock is hitting just the right spot, and his thumb is doing things to me that make my eyes roll back and my legs shiver.

“Tell me,” he says again.

I whip my head up, finding his eyes on me glowing with lust.

“I’m yours,” I spit out between moans, not taking my eyes off his.

He makes a guttural sound, and our mouths collide. His thumb works my center and with his cock pushed deep inside me I find my release coming in waves. I shake and cry out into his mouth, feeling his cock twitch inside me with his own release. He holds me tight against him until my body steadies, and my head falls to the hollow of his shoulder.

“Gods, I don’t deserve you,” he says while stroking my hair that’s slick and damp with our sweat.

“You do. You do deserve me, Nyx.” I kiss his collarbone and then his neck. I don’t want this day to end. I want to stay in bed with Nyx buried inside me. I can’t get enough of him and the feelings he elicits from my body.

“Would you like to take a bath and have something to eat?” he asks while lazily stroking my hair and back.

“Yes, that’d be nice.” I make no effort to move. He lifts me up, and I let my legs wrap around his waist. He carries me into the bathroom, waving a hand to fill the bath with warm water, then slowly slides me off of him and lowers us both into the tub.

“Careful. You're using magic again.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t put you at risk. Filling a tub is nothing, just like the orb of light.” He turns me around so my back is to him. He grabs a bar of soap and starts washing my hair. The scent of citrus fills my nose. I let him massage me and wash me all over until he’s satisfied with my cleanliness.

“Now turn around and let me wash you,” I say, moving to face him and holding my hand out for the bar of soap.

He doesn’t say anything. He just grins at me before handing me the soap and turns to give me his back. I lather the soap in my hands and massage it gently into his scalp and neck. Then I lather it up some more and begin cleaning his body, starting with his back and shoulders. His shoulders are so broad, and the hard, thick muscles on his arms feel nice. Once I’m satisfied with his cleanliness, I lean forward and kiss his head. I stand to find a couple of towels, and we take turns drying each other.

He places a kiss on my forehead then grabs our packs, handing me mine and rummaging through his. We both get dressed, and I braid my hair in two braids one down either side of my head.

“Next time you ride me, I want to hold onto those braids,” Nyx says, giving me a devilish smile.

I smile back and plop down on the bed. “So what do we have to eat?”

“I have some dried meat, cubes of cheese, and dried fruit. Oh, and some travelers delights and honey-coated rolls.” He pulls out a couple of containers and places them between us. Then places another container full of meat on the ground in front of Chepi.

We eat our fill, and my nerves start to stir up in my chest, shooting down to my stomach as I imagine leaving the place I’ve grown so fond of in the last few hours. I don’t want to think about what may lie ahead of us as we hike across the Cinder Territory tonight.

“What type of things should I be worried about tonight?”

“What do you mean exactly?” Nyx lies on his elbow across from me.

“Like what kind of creatures are out there? Should I be worried about more Monstrauths attacking us? And you can’t fight with magic . . . ” My words trail off, but he understands my point.

“Well, for starters, I’ll fight with magic if I absolutely have to, but I don’t think it will come to that. I’m an excellent swordsman and a trained fighter all around. As for what creatures are out there . . . the Lycans are out there for one. I wouldn’t put it past them to attack us if they think we’re sneaking through their territory unannounced. There are other things that live in these woods, but nothing compared to the Shifting Forest on the other side of the Lycan Realm. That’s where most of the dangerous creatures live. I don’t think anything will attack us tonight. It’s possible we could run into more Monstrauths depending upon how many are out there, but like I told you before they can’t see well at night. I’m more worried about you tripping and hurting yourself than I am a creature hurting you.”

That makes me laugh and flush. “I can’t help that I have poor balance.” I cover my face with my hands, giggling. “There’s something else I should probably have mentioned before.”

“What is it? There’s no need to be shy, especially after what we just did.” Nyx smirks at me, causing my face to heat.

“I’m not taking anything for protection.” My voice dies off.

“It’s okay. I take a tincture once a month to prevent pregnancy.”

Of course he does. Who knows how often he’s having sex with other women? The idea makes my chest feel tight, and I start to accept I have much deeper feelings for Nyx than I’ve been allowing myself to believe. I never had this conversation with Aidan, and that makes my stomach churn. I hope Aidan takes a tincture too.

“What's wrong?” he asks, drawing my eyes back to him.

“Nothing, why do you ask?”

“Your face always gives you away. You looked disturbed for a moment.”