Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

41. Luka

41

LUKA

H e kept her held tight to him, her back to his chest, when they stepped from the air. Her heart rate was still fast, her emotions too wild and chaotic. They had lessened some when he’d finally been able to get to her. There was no doubt this had all been a meticulously planned setup. The thing they hadn’t been able to sit down and figure out yet was why and who.

“Nylah and Roan,” she gasped out, her breaths as rapid as her heartbeat. Her inhales too short as if she couldn’t remember how to breathe.

“Were already making a run for it. They will be fine. They are somehow always fine,” Luka said. “I need you to take a breath, baby girl.”

She shook her head, the movement violent and erratic as she tried to break from his hold. What the fuck had happened there? And why was she holding a bow?

“Tessa, just—” Luka started.

“Tessa, stop.”

The command rang out in the space. An order from someone who was used to being obeyed.

An order from a ruling Lord.

Her head whipped to the side where Theon stood, emerald eyes narrowed on them.

“I don’t take orders from you ,” she sneered. “Not anymore.”

A dark smirk curled on one corner of his mouth. “Beautiful, you took orders from me just a few weeks ago when you crawled across the floor.”

“Only because I knew it would hurt you to know I was sucking off your best friend when I never did that for you,” she snarled back.

Theon shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “I’ve always said I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me, and I got off to all the lust flooding down the bond between the two of you. There was nothing painful about that, clever tempest.”

Tessa tsked in annoyance, rolling her eyes.

But it had worked.

Theon’s words, his voice, had made her still in Luka’s arms. His continued taunting had held her focus. Instead of manic thrashing, she was looking around the room, but Luka could feel her. She was focused entirely on Theon. He might be an overprotective, controlling bastard, but Tessa also needed that sometimes. And thank all the gods and fates if Theon was finally figuring out when she needed it, and when he needed to back the fuck off.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Something to worry about in the future. Right now, it was working for them. Her heart rate was slowing. Her breaths were coming more evenly, tension bleeding out of her muscles as she started to relax in his hold. He still didn’t let up, not sure if she was in control of herself. Or that power.

“Where are we?” she finally asked.

Theon glanced at Luka, his smirk turning into one of amusement. “Luka’s super secret cave.”

“Fuck off,” Luka growled, but Tessa was twisting in his arms to look up at him.

“What is he talking about?” she asked.

“I have a place in Arius Kingdom,” Luka grumbled.

“Right. Your smaller estate. Near Arius House,” she said.

“Yes. In the mountains.”

“ In the mountains,” Theon emphasized.

“Stop talking,” she snapped at Theon before turning back to Luka. She didn’t say anything. Just stared at him, waiting.

Luka sighed. “It’s a cave.”

“A cave,” she deadpanned.

He nodded, his grip slowly loosening as she took in the space once more. This time, her eyes roved slowly, sweeping over the walls adorned with various frames and shelves with odds and ends. The smooth floors with plush rugs and low leather sofas. The high-end kitchen and table with seating for six. The fireplace and overstuffed chairs. Everything in warm, earthy tones. The passageways that led to other areas of his space.

His.

All of this was his.

His chest was tight as he watched her, the dragon in him peering out and waiting.

“This isn’t like caves in the Underground,” she finally said, her fingers doing this odd twitching thing at her sides.

“We’re not in the Underground,” Luka said gruffly.

“Same mountains,” she countered with a shrug.

“Yes,” he bristled. “But not the same .”

“Careful, beautiful,” Theon cautioned, silencing his phone when an incoming call rang through. “He gets sensitive about things that are his .”

“Would you shut up?” Luka growled.

Tessa glanced between them while she wandered across the room, running her hand along the smooth wall. “And why are we in a cave?”

All the tentative playfulness evaporated at her words.

“Only a handful of people know about it,” Theon answered. “It’s a safe haven for you until we can figure out what happened.”

“For me?” Tessa repeated, turning to face them fully. “Why do I need a safe haven?”

“Why don’t you tell us what happened today?” Theon replied, silencing his phone when it rang again.

Her eyes immediately flared, bright and violet, and the bands around her wrists sparked with energy.

“ Your mother is what happened today,” she spat.

Theon reared back. “My mother? What does she have to do with anything?”

The humorless sound that came from Tessa was pure derisiveness. “She is in league with Rordan.”

“Impossible. She’s married to the Arius Lord,” Theon argued.

“She planned this entire day!” she cried, hands diving into her hair.

Luka knew what was coming before she started the pacing. The sparks of light that followed her steps. The tugging at the ends of her hair. Knew the next words she spoke were going to be seemingly nonsensical, and they needed to listen carefully if they had any hope of figuring out what the fuck had happened today.

“She lured us there,” Tessa said, still gripping the bow in her hand. “With them. With her. He did this. Him and the light guardians.”

“The Augury,” Luka clarified, keeping his tone calm yet forceful.

“And her,” she answered with a nod, still pacing, her eyes wild and scanning the room.

“Who, Tessa?”

“Mother Cordelia,” she hissed as though the words were venom.

“Cordelia was there? You saw her?” Theon demanded, taking a few steps towards her but stopping when her feet lifted an inch off the ground.

“Where were you?” she demanded. “You said you’d always come, and you didn’t . You lied to me.”

She may as well have hit him. That was how Theon looked as he stared at Tessa, his face pale. “We couldn’t?—”

Then he was cursing when his phone rang yet again.

Pulling it from his pocket, he answered with a barked, “What?”

His eyes went wide, darkness pooling at his feet. “What do you mean?” Silence while he listened. “Where are they now?” Silence. “We can’t do that.” Silence. “That won’t stop them.” Silence. “I’ll be right there.”

He hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he crossed the room. He paid no mind when Tessa’s power flared again, taking her face in his hands. “I did not lie to you, Tessa. Do you understand me? Luka will explain everything, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. You will be safe here.”

“Don’t bother,” she sneered.

He sighed, and Luka could feel his internal conflict down the bond. It felt like he was being torn in two directions. Stay here like he wanted to, or go because it was his responsibility.

He dropped his hands and turned to Luka. “I need you to Travel me to Dark Haven.”

“Dark Haven? Why?” Luka asked.

“The city is under attack. Hundreds are already dead.”

“What? By who?”

With another glance at Tessa, he answered. “Hunters.”

“I’ll go with—” Luka started, but Theon shook his head.

“You know someone needs to be with her. Guarding her.”

“You are ordering this again ?” Luka demanded. “I was born to fight in wars like this, Theon. Don’t you get that? This is a godsdamn war !”

“And she is what everyone is after!” Theon roared back. “That is why I am tasking you with guarding her.”

“I am your Guardian,” Luka countered. “Not hers.”

“Maybe not her Guardian, but you’re her something , Luka,” Theon said. “Take me to Dark Haven, and then come back here and figure it the fuck out. I think it’s the only way we’re going to survive this anymore.”

Tessa had fallen quiet, feet back on the ground. Her violet gaze flicked back and forth between them while they argued.

“If there are Hunters involved, we need to find Auryon,” Luka finally said.

“She’s dead,” Tessa supplied.

“What do you mean she’s dead?”

“I mean a Hunter killed her. This was hers,” Tessa said, helplessly lifting the bow she still held.

“I told you we should have brought Razik and Eliza here,” Theon said. “They’ve dealt with the Hunters before. Or at least Razik has.”

“And I told you he is not coming to my cave,” Luka growled. “I’ll take you to them. They can go with you to Dark Haven.”

“Fine. We don’t have time to debate this anymore,” Theon said. Then he added, “Luka will be right back, Tessa. Less than a minute.”

“Don’t touch anything,” Luka muttered.

She was still flipping him off when he grabbed Theon’s arm and Traveled him directly into Razik and Eliza’s room at the Arius manor. His brother glanced up from whatever the fuck he was doing, but didn’t say a word. Eliza sighed, resting her chin in her hand and waiting for an explanation.

“There are Hunters in Dark Haven,” Luka said. “Don’t let Theon get killed.”

They were both lurching to their feet, but he was already Traveling back to his cave to find Tessa still standing where he’d left her. She said nothing when he reappeared. Just stood there, holding that godsdamn bow in her hand.

Luka waited, unsure of what she was going to say or do. He never knew with her, and it drove him mad. She might be calm and collected, ready to have a civil conversation. Or she might lose her ever-loving mind and start ripping things apart with her power. It was always one extreme or the other.

He wasn’t expecting her to lift the bow up after nearly five minutes of silence and say, “I don’t know how to use this.”

“What do you need to use it for?” Luka asked, watching her carefully.

“Auryon said it was my birthright to have it. I don’t know. I don’t understand.” She trailed off, her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth. “I know you don’t want me here, but?—”

“I know you don’t want to be here,” he interrupted. When she sent him a perplexed look, he clarified, “In Arius Kingdom.”

Although, she hadn’t said much about the cave either, and she’d basically said it was just like being in the Underground. Which she loathed. So he supposed she’d said all she needed to about what she thought about the space he’d spent hundreds of hours and an exorbitant amount of coin to make it feel like anything but a hole in the side of a mountain.

“You were with Theon?” she asked, still not moving. “That was why you didn’t come?”

There was a clear accusation in the question, but he also heard the undercurrent of hurt. They’d spent every night sleeping beside each other these last weeks, ever since she’d been on her knees before him. Ever since she’d given him something she didn’t have to. It was more than her “sucking him off,” as she’d so eloquently put it to Theon. Or it had been more to him. He thought it had been for her too. Thought he’d made it clear, but apparently not if it was just another means of torture for Theon.

“You didn’t show up for training,” he started.

“Don’t start with that,” she sneered.

“Would you just listen?” he retorted. She huffed, moving to cross her arms before realizing she still held the bow. She looked around, trying to decide where to set it down.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered, closing the distance between them and taking it from her.

He made sure not to yank it from her hands, gently easing it from her grasp. It was obviously important to her, despite the fact he was certain she hadn’t been close to Auryon.

After carefully laying it across the dining table, he returned, keeping distance between them again. Her fingers were curling into the hem of her shirt as she worked to keep herself grounded, splatters of red and gold marring her clothing and skin.

“Are you hurt?” he asked suddenly. He couldn’t believe neither he nor Theon hadn’t asked that immediately. They would have felt it down the bond if she had been hurt, but they usually still asked for peace of mind.

Tessa shook her head. “They tried to hurt us. The others tricked us.” Right on cue, her hands flew into her hair. “They used us.”

“Look at me, Tessa,” he ordered, violet irises immediately snapping to his. “Stay right here, okay? Stay with me, and focus on my words.” She nodded slowly before he continued. “You didn’t show up for training, but Dex had delivered a message that said you would be gone all day due to whatever Rordan had discussed with you. I wasn’t pleased, but I know this is a delicate balance between you, me, and the Achaz Lord right now, so I didn’t argue. It turned out I would have had to cancel training anyway because while I was making my way back to the palace, Theon called. There had been an emergency Tribunal Hearing called to discuss the fate of Arius Kingdom with Valter still unaccounted for. Theon was required to be there, obviously. You can’t go to those meetings alone. You’ve seen them. They would all be against him. Axel is gone. I am still his advisor. You left, but I didn’t.”

Tessa nodded, and he thought it was in understanding of what he was saying until she said, “I am merely your responsibility. He is your family. I understand that.”

Luka was certain the look on his face was the same that Theon had sported when she’d accused him of lying to her. It felt like she’d hit him harder than she ever could. No, it felt like she’d punched him with the weight of her power behind it.

And the dragon beneath his skin had had enough.

She stumbled back as a gasp of surprise fell from her lips when his wings appeared, shredding through his shirt. He was prowling towards her, and with each step he took, she took another back until she was pressing against the wall.

He didn’t stop until his boots were touching the tips of hers. His wings flaring behind him, he planted one palm above her head and gripped her chin with the other, forcing her face up to meet his gaze.

“What are you doing?” she snarled, but there was a breathiness to it that made his dragon rumble in satisfaction.

“Making sure you are looking at me,” he answered. She rolled her godsdamn eyes, but she didn’t look away. “Do you truly think I have spent these last months in the fucking Achaz Kingdom out of responsibility ?”

“I know you don’t want to be there,” she retorted. “I know you’d rather be here. With Theon. You didn’t want to go there.”

“You’re right. I didn’t.”

The slice of pain that flashed across her eyes was gone in the next blink, but the pang of hurt down the bond lingered.

He loosened his grip on her chin, instead cupping her jaw. “My place is in Arius Kingdom with Theon and Axel,” he went on, not letting her turn away at the words. “But it isn’t home unless you are there with us.”

“Please don’t give me pretty words right now,” she said, her tone so defeated it made his chest hurt.

“If you would fucking listen for once, you’d know they aren’t just pretty words, baby girl,” he chided. “Do you know how jealous I was when Theon Selected you?”

That had her eyes flying wide. “What?”

He gave her a knowing look. “We’d gathered all this godsdamn information about so many Fae, but you… Godsdammit, Tessa. It was always you . For both of us, and he may be a brother to me, but I hated that he was the one who would get to have you. For the years leading up to the Selection Ceremony, I forced myself to be indifferent, but I couldn’t help trying to convince him to Select someone else. I constantly told him you weren’t the one for this. Not because I had any inkling you weren’t Fae or were the grandchild of the most powerful gods, but because dragons are jealous creatures, temptress. If I couldn’t have you, I didn’t want anyone else to have you either.”

“You didn’t even know me,” she whispered.

“I know,” he growled in frustration. “That’s what made it so godsdamn ridiculous. Because I shouldn’t have cared. I shouldn’t have cared about the stormy grey eyes in a photograph that stared up at me on the screen of a tablet. I shouldn’t have cared that you wanted flip-flops. I shouldn’t have cared that you didn’t know how to defend yourself. I shouldn’t have cared because you were supposed to be his, but I did care because some part of me claimed you as mine from the moment I saw your photo.”

“But you’re too loyal,” she said in quiet acceptance. “And he is your family.”

“He is my family,” he agreed. “But you? You are my light.”

“You said yourself you are his Guardian, not mine,” she said, so much hope in those guarded words.

His hand slid along her jaw, slipping into the golden hair she so often abused. “Baby girl, I’ve always been yours. I just didn’t understand it.”

She surged onto her toes, her mouth crashing into his. Gods, he wanted to drown in her and never come up for air. He didn’t need to breathe if she was finally accepting what he had to offer. His entire life he’d been constantly trying to prove himself worthy of his place in the Arius Kingdom household. Worthy of being part of the St. Orcas family. Worthy of his bloodline. But when she kissed him, all he cared about was being worthy of her . If she accepted him, none of the rest of it mattered.

Something in his soul slipped into place at the thought. A piece that he’d been trying to find for nearly three decades. Trying to belong when he didn’t quite fit in anywhere else. Searching for something and never knowing what exactly that something was.

Finally giving himself permission to understand it had always been her.

Luka gathered her up, lifting her off the ground and feeling her legs wrap around his waist as his tongue slicked over hers. A low whimper sounded, and everything in him became a frenzy of desire and possession. Because she needed something, and he could give it to her.

His mouth never stopped exploring hers when he Traveled them to his bedroom, not bothering with walking through the passage. He didn’t have time for that right now. Didn’t want to navigate around furniture and knickknacks.

They were both breathing hard, one of his hands tracing along the waist of her pants. Her shirt was short enough that it raised up, letting his fingers graze bare skin. The single touch had her pressing herself into him even more, both of them hungry and desperate. Sliding an arm under her ass to keep her balanced, he slid his other hand under her shirt because the small indulgent touches he’d allowed himself in the past weren’t going to be enough. Not anymore. Never again.

He found her breasts, snarling at the sports bra that blocked his access, and a choked laugh came from her.

Until he all but dropped her onto the mattress.

“Luka!” she barked, glaring up at him with lightning sparking in her eyes.

“I want you naked,” he growled, watching the flush that crept up her chest, her neck, her face. Another growl sounded when his gaze slid down her body. “Why the fuck are you wearing boots?”

She tipped her head back as she spouted, “ You insist I wear them for training. Which is where I was supposed to go. Instead, I was shoving arrows into people and painting myself in their blood.”

“Gods, I love it when you’re vicious,” he said, his voice nothing but gravel. Dropping to his knees, he removed her boots in record time. He dragged her pants down her legs, undergarments with them, before he reached up and made quick work of her shirt and sports bra.

With a not-so-gentle shove, he pushed her onto her back. His mattress was on the floor here as it was in his various rooms at the manors, and he could stare down at her from his knees. He still towered over her small frame splayed out before him. Naked in his nest of blankets and pillows. Completely at his mercy and squirming under his gaze.

“What are you doing?” she asked, an uncertainty in her tone he didn’t like.

“Looking,” he answered immediately. “Looking at a goddess. So let me look.”

“It’s weird,” she murmured, squirming some more.

He clicked his tongue. “You paraded around naked all the time, never bothered.”

“I did not,” she cried in outrage.

“Bare skin always on display. You were a tease, temptress,” he chided. “You made me so godsdamn crazy, I couldn’t be around you sometimes.”

“Wait,” she said, pushing up onto her elbows to see him better. “Is that why you were so scarce all the time when I first came to Arius House?”

He nodded, letting his eyes slowly roam down her body. Starting at the top of her head with that golden hair he’d had wrapped around his fist while he’d thrust into a mouth that drove him half mad. Down her delicate throat to her perfect round breasts, her nipples rigid peaks just waiting for him to suck on them. Down her rib cage, her stomach, her hips to where her creamy thighs pressed together.

A rumble sounded from his chest, his palms landing on her knees and nudging them. “Spread your legs, temptress. Let me see you.”

“You and Theon have dirty mouths,” she said, her voice sultry and erotic as she dropped her knees to the sides and spread herself wide for him.

All for him.

His tongue darted out, wetting his lips as he stared at her. “You love our mouths,” he replied distractedly. “I can only imagine what you’ll do when we’re both worshipping you.”

He felt her heart stutter down the bond. Heard her sharp inhale. “Do you… The two of you… Do that?”

His gaze flicked to hers, finding her eyes heavy-lidded and full of heated lust at the idea.

And he smirked.

“You like the sound of that, don’t you, temptress?” he crooned, sliding his palms up the inside of her thighs. She gasped as he climbed higher. “Both of us on our knees before you, giving you pleasure. Serving you. Letting you take whatever you want.”

“Oh, gods,” she cried when he ran two fingers along her cunt, finding her soaked.

“Such a good girl,” he murmured, her back arching at the small touch.

Then he lowered his lips, planting a long, open-mouthed kiss to her center. He was going to devour her. There was no other option when he finally tasted her, the dragon in him snarling in satisfaction but also pushing him to take more. He knew what the dragon wanted. Knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d fucked her properly and claimed what was always meant to be his.

She whimpered when he licked a hot path to her clit, a hand driving into his hair. Then there was a frustrated growl as she yanked the band out of the strands. Luka chuckled against her skin while his tongue continued to toy with her, one of his fingers making its way back to her entrance.

“Ask me for it,” he murmured against her skin, huffing another laugh when she shoved at him with her foot.

“Don’t be an ass right now,” she whined.

But he just lifted his mouth from her cunt, instead planting small kisses along her thighs.

“Luka,” she cried in frustration.

His answer was a nip to her flesh. “Wouldn’t you rather wait to come until I’m fucking you?”

She shook her head against the mattress, hair flying around her. “No,” she panted. “I want both.”

“So greedy,” he mocked, slipping a finger inside of her. Her moan morphed into a gasp when he added a second finger. Then it became unintelligible sounds when he returned his mouth to her clit, laving at the sensitive nerves. It didn’t take long for her thighs to lock around his head as pleasure rolled through her, his tongue lapping it all up.

She was still gasping for air, her body trembling, when Luka stood. Hooded eyes tracked his every movement when he pulled the remains of his shirt from his body and tossed it aside. He watched her gaze skate over his chest and down his torso, lingering where he thumbed the button of his pants.

“What are you doing?” he mocked.

“Looking,” she tossed back, her eyes dragging back up his abdomen. Suddenly, she sat up, shifting onto all fours and crawling closer.

“Fuck me, temptress,” he growled. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“ Looking ,” she said again.

She came to the end of the bed, reaching out and tugging him closer by the waist of his pants as she sat up on her knees. Her eyes darted over his shoulder, and he suddenly realized what she was studying so hard.

“You can touch them,” he said, his stomach sinking in when her fingers glided along the ridges of his abdomen.

Her eyes widened. “What?”

He gently took her wrist, bringing one wing around them. Guiding her hand, he said, “You can touch them.”

Far more careful than she needed to be, she skated a single fingertip along the edge of the wing. It could barely be classified as a touch.

“ Touch it, baby girl,” he said, engulfing her hand with his and pressing her palm flat against his wing.

He watched her face as she marveled at the cool, leathery appendage beneath her fingers, feeling a shiver go down his spine as she moved her hand. A sound rumbled from him that couldn’t quite be called a growl.

She stilled, peering up at him from beneath thick lashes. “Do they get in the way?”

His brows knit together. “Did they get in the way of me feasting on your cunt?”

Her cheeks flushed. “You can’t just say things like that, Luka.”

“Tessa, your mouth is just as dirty,” he replied, stepping closer because he couldn’t handle so much space between them. He bent, brushing his lips along hers and letting his wing graze her bare back. “But to answer your question, no. I’m used to them, I suppose. They are a part of me.”

She nodded, her eyes glazing over when he bent to kiss her again. “Now can I fuck you?” he murmured against her lips.

“Only if you say please,” she crooned back.

He huffed a laugh before shucking off his pants and easing her back down on the bed. Crawling over top of her, his mouth found hers again, tongue dipping out to lick along her lips. Working himself between her legs, she gasped into his mouth as he lined himself up with her, the head of his cock grazing her opening.

Eventually this would turn into fast and chaotic fucking, but this part? The first time he was finally, finally , going to claim her, he was going to take his time with this part. He lifted up to watch her as he slowly eased inside her warm heat, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head.

“Fuck,” he spat, sinking in another inch. “You feel— Gods .”

Her laugh was more of a soft keen as he pushed in a little more. “I’m not fragile, Luka. You can actually fuck me.”

“I know,” he rasped. “I will. Just— Fuck,” he cursed again, his entire body quivering when he finally seated himself fully. Her hands came up, nails stroking along his biceps. His gaze got caught up in violet eyes glowing with specks of gold. Her smile was softer than he’d ever seen it as she bit her lip, clearly debating if she should say something, and panic blossomed in his chest. If she was suddenly changing her mind, he didn’t think he could handle it. He’d stop, obviously, but she was his . The dragon in him would never see it any other way. Just like Theon would never see it any other way. Not now that he was inside her, even if he hadn’t completely fucked and claimed her yet.

“Are you all right?” he asked, every ounce of self-control keeping him from going feral to keep her.

She nodded, her nails making another pass. “I was just thinking that if you’ve always been mine, maybe some part of me has always been yours in a way too. We just never understood it because we’re all so…broken.”

She wasn’t wrong. They were all so broken, all so irreparably fucked up, that no one knew how to properly love anything. No one knew what a healthy partnership looked like. It was all status elevation, power struggles, and dominance in Devram. Who could you take the most from while giving the least amount in return. It was obsessively protecting and clinging to illusions of freedom while trying to secure a place to make sure you belonged. There was no fucking balance. There never had been. Not in Devram.

“We just don’t have to be broken alone anymore,” he replied, pushing stray hair off her brow.

“Never alone again,” she agreed.

He started off slow, pulling out and easing back inside her. Feeling her inner muscles clench and try to keep him inside with each pass.

“Gods, you are greedy,” he murmured, dragging his mouth along her collarbone and down to a breast.

“I call it knowing what I want,” she gasped as he sucked a nipple into his mouth.

“And what do you want?” he asked against her flesh.

“You,” she said on a breath, and those words undid him. Gods, those words of her accepting him for what he was?

Anything slow and measured about this was gone.

He sat up on his knees, ignoring her protesting whine at the loss of heat, but from this vantage, he could see himself lodged inside of her. The sight of it was erotic, but the sight of it also satisfied something primal.

His hands curled around the fronts of her thighs, and he flexed his hips, thrusting in and out. He watched himself fuck her, claim her, take her for his own.

“You like watching?” she asked in a tone that told him she liked him watching.

“Do I like watching my cock inside of you?” he asked with a huff of disbelief. “Yeah, temptress. I like watching how well your cunt takes my cock.”

Her hips rose, seeking more. “Okay, well, do you think you could stop admiring your outstanding fucking skills and actually do the fucking?” she panted.

He paused, his cock halfway out of her.

“That bratty mouth of yours,” he snarled, slamming back into her and smirking at the gasp that punched from her chest. “Like that?”

“Yes,” she breathed when he did it again. “Just like that.”

Luka coiled forward, his body covering hers as she clawed at his back, his arms, his shoulders. Anywhere she could touch. His hips moved faster, giving her what she’d asked for. The change of angle made his pelvis scrape against her clit with every deep plunge of his length, her whimpers and moans driving him on.

He didn’t need to ask if she was close, feeling her core start to spasm around him, and he didn’t slow, sliding his palms under her ass to lift her a little higher. She shuddered in his hold, her entire body vibrating with her orgasm as her magic flared, her skin glowing.

But the flare of power also called to his own, black flames rushing to the surface and licking along her bare flesh, drawing out her pleasure as another cry fell from her lips. The sound of it shoved him into his own release, his head dropping as he groaned hoarsely into her neck. His cock jerked, emptying into her, and his dragon was finally satisfied…for now.

Gods, he almost wanted to go again now that he’d had her.

Her breathing was still uneven when her trembling fingers drifted through his hair.

“Luka?”

He hummed an acknowledgment.

“If I… Would you still…”

He sat up, internally mourning when his cock slipped out of her. “Tell me, Tessa.”

She wouldn’t look at him when she said in a rush, “If I fulfill my purpose, will I still be yours?”

He stared down at her. At this female who had been a pain in his ass from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. At the cautious hope that lingered in her violet eyes, fully prepared to accept his rejection because she’d been rejected her entire life.

Knowing the words would mean more to her than any declaration of feeling or love, Luka said, “My loyalty is to you, Tessa.”

Two tears immediately slipped from her eyes as she rose up, her arms wrapping around his neck and hauling him back to her.

It was hours later when she was resting against his chest, her fingers toying with the fine hair there while she drifted in and out of sleep, that he realized he hadn’t blocked the bond. In all the chaos and heat of the moment, it hadn’t occurred to him once. Even when they’d spoken of him, he hadn’t thought to shield his friend from this.

Theon had felt all of it.

Every whispered word and conflicting thought.

And his friend hadn’t said a single word.