Using her powers, she teleported them to her bower. Urian shrank back with a hiss.
“Nay! It’s all right!” She grabbed his arm and pulled him back toward the light. “It’s not the sun. The brightness is from fey fire.”
His breathing ragged, he still appeared terrified from it. He had the wildest look in his eyes.
“Shh,” she reassured him, stroking his back.
Urian stared up at the brightest light he’d ever seen in his life. It was unlike anything imaginable. How could that not be sunlight?
Squinting, he stared up at it.
Xyn smiled. “See, you’re not bursting into flames.”
“Easy for you to say. You’ve got immunity.”
“True.” She nuzzled at his neck while she stripped him to the waist.
Urian could barely breathe while her hands worked their magick on his body. Gods, how he’d missed her.
“Lean your head forward.”
His mind was dulled by his rampant lust and the blood he’d drunk along with the new soul. He obliged her without question. She brushed her hands through his hair and gently massaged his scalp. It felt so good that he had to grind his teeth to keep from moaning aloud.
Her fingers slid around the contours of his skull, tugging ever so gently on his hair, stroking and teasing until the pleasure was almost blinding with its intensity.
Then she moved her hands lower to his neck and shoulders. His abdomen. In that moment, he swore his body became liquid. “What are you doing to me?” he asked, his voice thick.
Xyn kneaded her fingers into his rigid muscles, easing them. “Making you mine.”
“I was already yours,” he breathed as her hands pleasured him all the more. Her touch was forceful yet so tender that it caused no pain, only joy.
“Come and lie down on my bed.” Xyn pressed her lips together to keep from smiling at how quickly he complied.
He moved so fast that but for the fact he didn’t know where her room was, he’d have beaten her to it. As it was, she had to rush to get in front of him to lead the way to where her large round bed was set in the center of an oversized bower. White silk was draped from the ceiling, shielding the bed from drafts.
Tossing away pieces of armor as he neared it, Urian lay down dutifully as if he craved her touch like a starving man at a banquet.
She laughed as she crawled up beside him and rested on her knees. “Put your hands under your head.” She sat forward so that she could gently knead the muscles of his scarred back. How she hated to see how many more scars had been added since the last time they’d been together. That was always the worst part about their absences.
Cataloguing his injuries. Seeing the additional pain in his eyes that seemed to worsen. While he didn’t physically age, the mental toll was ever evident in those beautiful baby blues that seemed to turn a bit duller as the years went by. And that made her ache for him. Every time she saw him, she wanted to ask how many of his friends and family had been lost while they’d been apart, but she didn’t dare.
For one thing, she didn’t want that pain in her heart, and for another, she didn’t want to pick at his own festering wounds that haunted him.
So she pushed those thoughts aside and savored the fact that he was still here with her this year. For now, he was safe and they were together. That was all that mattered.
Urian let out a deep breath as utter ecstasy washed over him and her tender hands eased his sore, strained muscles, soothing him in a way nothing ever had before. There was truly no one else like his precious dragon.
It was why he loved her so. Why he wanted to stay with her.
If only he could …
But the pain of his past and the difference in their worlds would never allow it. He still hadn’t found all of Apollo’s other bloodline. The curse remained.
And yet something about Sarraxyn completely erased the pain of his past. Just looking into her eyes was enough to make him feel better.
Until he had to leave her. Every time he left her side, he was terrified he’d never see her again. Because he knew that everyone, even dragons, died. He’d lived the whole of his life stalked by Hades and his minions, and he never wanted to lose another person who meant anything to him.
It hurt too much.
The thought of losing her gutted him.
Xyn felt him tensing. “Shh, Urian,” she whispered in his ear, moving her hands back to his head, to stroke his scalp and temple. “Put your ill thoughts aside and think of nothing but happiness while I’m with you.”
That was certainly easy enough to do. She even began humming in an effort to help him.
Grateful to be with her tonight, Urian closed his eyes as her gentle voice soothed him as much as her hands did. He felt so incredibly calm. Peaceful. At no time in his life had he ever experienced anything close to this.
It was perfection.
And he owed it all to his beautiful dragon who made his entire body burn with nothing more than a sweet, shy smile.
Xyn kissed his back as all the tension left him. She gently dug her thumbs under his shoulder blades, then moved her hands down his spine until she reached the small of his back.
She traced one of the scars there. One of them was deep and angry as it ran from his hip down across his left buttock. She wasn’t sure if it had been caused by a sword or some other injury. Either way, the wound must have been excruciating when he received it.
So much pain …
Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and placed her lips to that spot. Urian hissed in pleasure, but he didn’t pull away from her or try to roll over.
Encouraged by that, she slowly trailed her lips up his spine to his muscled shoulders. Even with all the scars over his caramel flesh, his back was perfect to her. Beautiful. And she wanted to taste every inch of him. To lick him from head to toe until he begged her for mercy.
Urian felt himself growing hard as she gently laved the scars on his skin. It was strange to feel so much pleasure over something that had given him so much pain. But then that was his dragon lady. It was what she excelled at.
Making his agony vanish.
Rolling over, he caught her before she pulled away. He cupped her face in his hand, then brought her near up to his lips to kiss her. He could taste the desire on her lips, feel the heat of her body.
And he wanted more.
Every day they had been apart had been pure torture. Being so close to her now and not inside her already …
His resistance melted under the onslaught of her presence. He was too tired to fight, too weary to deny himself her comfort. Whether he liked it or not, he needed her touch. She was the air he breathed.
The heartbeat he needed to survive.
Xyn closed her eyes and let the masculine scent and feel of Urian wash over her. He tasted of decadence and power. Of lethal masculinity. His kiss was fierce and passionate, filled with promise.
Love me, Urian. Hold me tonight and never let me go!
The words were a prayer deep in her soul. He was all she’d ever wanted in her life. How strange to have every comfort and luxury her position as a dragon could afford her and to still want the dream of her golden Daimon champion.
Even though he was the son of an evil demon, he was also the symbol of all things good to her. For he was love. Nobility. Honor. Passion. She couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.
Not like this.
She trembled as he left her lips to trail his kisses down her throat to her neck. His hot hand cupped her breast, spreading chills over her. His grip tightening, he pulled her beneath him so that his weight was pleasant yet crushing.
His caresses weren’t slow and playful as they normally were. Tonight he was bold and hungry, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. As if he wanted to touch every part of her body at once.
And she was every bit as hungry for him. Her body thrummed with fervent need that was stoked by his own urgency.