I recalled he’d once said there were truth properties to the shallows. Right now, I wanted some truth from him as much as I wanted to heal. I stepped to the edge of the glittering dark sand and let the ice-blue water lap at my toes. The lagoon was magical, enchanting. It called to me.
Wrath moved back, going a little deeper, to make room. I followed him in and took his hand, relishing the tiny bubbles that fizzled pleasantly across my skin.
We waded out until my chest was fully submerged and the magic of the water began tending to my wounds. It felt incredible. And a little odd as the magic cleansed my cuts, then knit my skin together. Even the wound I’d made when I’d sworn a blood vow in Pride’s throne room healed. Any momentary discomfort vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
Wrath watched the magical water work, concern present in his normally stoic features. He looked ready to jump in and attack at the first sign of trouble. “Better?”
I glanced down, pleased to see the wound had healed. Faint silver lines remained, but the scar didn’t trouble me. Not half as much as the secret I feared Wrath was still keeping. “Much.”
My husband tentatively reached over and dragged a finger over my flesh, checking to make sure it was well and truly healed. I looked over his shoulder, admiring the moon phases painted along the cavern’s walls while he continued his thorough inspection. I had wondered before if he’d painted the celestial scene but couldn’t picture him spending hours with a paintbrush or bucket of paint. Though he often surprised me. Perhaps he had.
“Is there a reason you keep saving my life when it’s not exactly in danger?” I looked at him again, waiting. “I imagine there must be something that worries you.”
Wrath circled me, the waves from his movements gently breaking against the shore. I wasn’t sure if the curse made it difficult for him to speak or if he was purposely picking and choosing what he’d share with me. “As far as I know, if your heart stops now, while you’re not entirely immortal, it could kill you. Until I know for certain, it’s a risk I refuse to take.”
“Envy said a drop of immortality wins out against mortality every time.” Though I left out the part where Envy had also been concerned if that were entirely true.
“Are you that willing to give up your heart to find out?” he asked.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, needing the physical contact. His arms went around my waist automatically, anchoring me against him, solid and comforting. We’d been through hell, and I wanted a reminder that we were here, together. Safe. He dipped his face and captured my mouth with his, the kiss hungry and filled with raw, powerful emotion.
When we finally broke apart, breathing hard, our lips pleasantly swollen, I grinned. “For you? I’d give my heart up.”
He looked at me, his expression hard to read. And I wondered if maybe he wasn’t quite ready to give me his heart in return, that even though we were now mostly married, perhaps all the demons from our past hadn’t yet been banished. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t mentioned anything about us completing the ceremony that would seal our marriage for good.
Granted, there hadn’t been much time to discuss it before we were attacked by wolves and separated, but still. Before I could worry over it, Wrath’s mouth slanted over mine again, like his very life depended on the connection.
His tongue demanded entry, and I parted my lips for him, welcoming his taste. Wrath’s kisses were certainly intoxicating. Each expert flick or tease of his tongue against mine had my body craving other unspeakable things he could do with that wicked mouth.
Heat pooled low in my belly, stirring my desires as it slowly spread. Soon all I could focus on were his hands as they lazily moved from my waist to my ribs, his thumbs brushing the underside of my breasts. He palmed one as he moved his mouth to my throat, the sensation causing the little bud to harden as a shiver of pleasure went through me.
Roughened hands glided up and down my spine, his caress light and gentle and maddening in the best of ways. He was touching me like I was precious, like each embrace was a moment to cherish, to indulge in and savor. And it was. For him, he knew what it was like to have this end, to have me wrenched away. It had been a mercy that I couldn’t recall that.
I touched him back as languidly, exploring every inch of his warrior’s body like it was uncharted territory that belonged only to me. I would never allow someone to rip us apart again. And I’d fight with everything I had to remember him and what we’d shared.
He broke away from the kiss, his gaze darkening as he dragged it from my eyes downward, watching as I touched his sides and powerful back, my inquisitive hands searching for a way to evoke ecstasy for him. They dipped beneath the water again, skirting over his sex to play with the toned muscle of his thighs before I curled my hand around his thick length and pumped. Wrath’s breathing turned sharp as I stroked him, his mouth parting on a groan.
I tightened my grip, feeling his sex respond enthusiastically as it twitched against my palm. When I slowly ran my hands back up to his chest, he drew me against him and began kissing and biting along my neck with ravenous hunger.
“I want to be inside you.” His hands drifted down, cupping the swell of my bottom and squeezing. I melted into the feeling of the fizzing water and his sizzling touches. His rock-hard length pressed between us, causing my own flesh to pulse with need. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” I sank my fingers into his hair as Wrath brought his mouth to my breasts, licking and suckling the peaks in a rhythm that had me arching against him, seeking the feeling of him between my thighs. “I was about to destroy the realm to find you,” I admitted. Wrath suddenly dipped below the water, then wrapped his arms around my waist, standing up with me perched on his shoulders. “Samael!”
I grabbed onto his head from the swift movement, earning a deep chuckle from the prince. With me secured in his strong grip, he waded over to a cave wall that had a group of stalactites hanging close to it. I braced my back against the smooth stone wall, still holding on to Wrath.
“Grab onto them.” His voice was husky, low. Desire rolled through me.
With my thighs wrapped around his shoulders and his mouth tantalizingly close to my apex, I did as he commanded. I’d just grabbed the stalactites and anchored myself when he hooked his arms around me and spread my legs a little wider. My breath caught from being on display, and a flash of lingering mortal modesty had my legs automatically trying to close.
Wrath flashed a sly grin, then licked my core with long, soft strokes. It was so delicate, so intimate, I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning while he worshipped me. I forgot all about any embarrassment; Wrath made me feel wholly comfortable.