Valkyrie Blade (Valkyrie Bound #4)

Chapter Six

Malachi

I carry Marion into my room, cradling her against my chest. She feels so small in my arms, but she's more powerful than any Valkyrie I've ever known. To hold that much power… Gods, I can't even fathom the strength it took her. Yet she did it without even flinching. The Forsaken were right to fear her. She is ferocious.

And more precious than anything I've ever known.

I set her gently on the edge of the bed and brush tendrils of fiery hair from her face.

"You should sleep while I shower, ljúfr ," I murmur, my fingers lingering on her round cheek.

She leans into my touch, her green eyes fluttering. "Will you…" She pauses, as if gathering her courage. "Will you lay with me when you're finished?"

"Ja," I whisper hoarsely. My cock throbs at the thought of holding her warm body against mine again. Out there on the battlefield, with the Forsaken and varulv coming from every side, I thought I'd never get the chance. I was certain that I'd die without ever knowing what it was to truly be loved by her.

Perhaps it's selfish to take this time when war is on our doorsteps, but I'll take it anyway. I won't waste this second chance the Norns saw fit to give me. Nei, that she gave us. She snatched a second chance at life for all of us from the jaws of defeat, scattering the Forsaken like roaches scurrying from the Light.

If four Valkyrie can do what she and her sisters did today, Gods help the Forsaken when we find Kara.

Leaning down, I brush my lips over hers, overwhelmed with gratitude. The soft sigh that escapes her sets my blood on fire.

It takes everything I have to tear myself away and stride for the bathroom before I take her right there. I want her so damned badly it hurts.

Inside, I quickly strip off my clothing, grimacing at the splatters of the dirt, grime, and varulv blood. Tossing them in a heap to burn later, I climb into the shower, the steaming water sluicing over my battered body.

The ache of my muscles is no match for the incessant throbbing of my cock, however. Need threatens to eat me alive as I stand beneath the spray, consumed by thoughts of the Valkyrie in my bed.

Gods, how I hurt for her…

My hand drifts down, fisting my shaft. I grunt at the sensation, squeezing—

"Malachi?"

I spin at the soft sound of her voice, only to find her standing just outside the fogged glass, watching me with dark, hungry eyes.

Helvete . She's so damn beautiful.

" Ljúfr ," I rasp, my hand still gripping my throbbing cock.

Her emerald gaze drops to it. Still, I don't let go. I can't.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispers, her tongue darting out to wet her plump bottom lip. "I…"

"Shower with me, Valkyrie," I murmur, my voice a gravelly rumble of pure need. "Let me take care of you."

"I…" Her tongue drifts along her bottom lip again before she nods hastily.

I watch like a man dying for the sight as she quickly strips from her clothing, baring herself to me. And, ah, Gods, what a sight. Every inch of her is soft and round, freckles dotting her porcelain skin. I want to fall to my knees before her in worship.

Instead, I hold the shower door open, my heartbeat pounding in my cock as she slowly steps inside with me, her eyes wide in her pale face.

I place a hand on her shoulder.

She startles at my touch.

"Easy," I croon, drawing her closer. "I won't hurt you."

"I know." She tilts her head back, staring up at me with those bewitching eyes. "It's not that. It's just…" A rosy blush crawls up her cheeks. "No one has ever seen me naked before, Malachi."

Satisfaction hums through me at her confession. I press her back against the slick shower wall, caging her in with my body. "Want to know a secret?" I murmur, waiting for her shy nod. Leaning in, I brush my lips against the shell of her ear. "No one has ever seen me naked before either. Not like this."

Her eyes fly to mine, round with surprise.

"Fae mate for life, ljúfr ," I breathe, running a fingertip down her sternum, between the tantalizing swells of her breasts. "You claimed every piece of my soul the moment I touched you. I'll never belong to another."

"Malachi," she gasps, eyes wide with awe. "You mean that, don't you?"

"Ja," I purr, cupping her face in my hands. "This Fae is all yours, Valkyrie."

With a soft whimper, she flings her arms around my neck, pressing her sweet lips to mine in a searing kiss. I groan into her mouth, pulling her flush against my chest. My aching cock gets trapped between our slick bodies as I deepen the kiss, unable to keep from taking a little more.

Her small hands glide over my shoulders and then down my chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I shudder under her touch, a rumbling purr building in my chest.

"You like that?" she asks, smiling up at me when we break apart to catch our breath.

"Ja, very much," I rasp.

Her hand slips lower, brushing over the sensitive head of my cock.

I groan, gently catching her wrist to still her. "Nei, Valkyrie. You don't owe me this. I didn't ask you to shower with me so you'd take me in hand."

She peers up at me from beneath her thick lashes, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. "But what if…" Her tongue makes another maddening pass over her bottom lip. "What if that's why I came in here, Malachi? Because I want you?"

I groan, desire tearing at my tenuous control. "You need rest," I grit out, fighting the urge to take her against the wall.

"I've had six weeks of rest. I need you."

This time when she reaches for me, I'm not strong enough to stop her.

Her hand closes around my cock, and my head falls back against the wall, a groan of surrender echoing around the shower. I watch through slit lids as she touches me, exploring every inch of my aching cock, every ridge and vein, slowly driving me mad.

"W-what is that?" she asks when her fingers brush the knot at the base.

"My knot," I growl, my hips bucking into her hand.

Her brows furrow. "Knot?"

"Ja." Cupping her breast, I circle my thumb around the pebbled nipple, making her gasp. "When we mate, it will lock us together, keeping every drop of my seed right where it belongs."

Her mouth falls open, eyes turning molten with need. "I want to feel it, Malachi."

Her bold declaration sets my blood to boiling. With a growl, I press her back against the cool tile wall, already blazing a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down the pale column of her throat, over the swell of her breasts. I lavish attention on her round belly, touching my lips to every mark, relishing the way she quivers beneath my lips.

She was made to be loved like this, her soft body designed to cradle my hard frame, every inch of her crafted to be worshipped by my hands, my lips…my cock.

Sinking to my knees, I drape one of her thick thighs over my shoulder, opening her up to me. The thatch of auburn curls between her thighs makes my mouth water. So does the sight of her swollen clit begging for attention.

"Malachi," she whimpers, hands fisting in my hair.

I lean in, burying my face in her sex.

"You smell divine, ljúfr ," I rasp before spearing my tongue between her folds to taste her.

She cries out my name, her back arching.

I groan against her as her sweet, tangy taste bursts on my tongue. I lick and suck, fucking her with my tongue until she's a writhing, sobbing mess. Her juices soak my face, far too intoxicating. I lap them up greedily, using my tongue like a cock to drive her higher.

Her fingernails rake my scalp as she grinds herself against my face, chasing the pleasure.

"Please, please," she chants mindlessly, wavering on the edge.

I seal my lips around her clit and suck hard.

With a ragged scream, she shatters, drenching my face in her honey. I lick up every drop, desire raging through me in an inferno. It's hers and mine, pelting me from every side.

Helvete . I've never felt anything like it.

Lifting her into my arms, I storm from the shower, water sluicing from our bodies. I barely pause long enough to snatch a towel from the rack, haphazardly drying us.

Before the towel even falls to our feet, she's wrapped herself around me, her breasts and belly pressed to my chest, her slick folds sliding against my aching cock.

With every step I take, my cock slides through her folds, driving me wild with need. She squirms against me, rocking her hips to keep me gliding back and forth, back and forth.

I drag her down beneath me on the bed, spreading her legs wide to fit my big body beneath them. My cock nudges her entrance, making her sob my name.

"You're teasing me," I accuse as she squirms, rocking against me again.

"Ja," she sobs.

With a roar, I surge forward, sheathing myself to the hilt in one powerful thrust. Her inner muscles wrap around me, squeezing like a vise as she arches beneath me, shouting my name.

She shatters, tumbling over the edge just from feeling me inside her. Little prisms of her Light rush over me, hot and wild as her inner muscles flutter all up and down my shaft. The walls between us tumble to ash and rubble, allowing me to nestle into her soul, tying us together in a way that can't ever be undone.

I feel her in a way I never have, feel how utterly satisfied she is in this moment, and my blood roars in my veins.

I want more. Nei, I need it. I want this little Valkyrie so satisfied she forgets her own name.

"I can tease too," I rasp against her lips, holding myself utterly still. Slipping a hand between our bodies, I circle her clit with my thumb, stoking desire back to a fever pitch.

Within minutes, she's bucking wildly beneath me, begging me to move.

"Please, Malachi! I need you. I need—"

Her desperate pleas shred the last of my control. Hooking her legs around my waist, I begin to move, driving into her with deep, powerful strokes. The hand-carved bed frame groans in protest as I set a punishing rhythm, lost to the exquisite feel of her.

Waves of her Light wash over me, filled with her pleasure, her passion. It feeds my own, creating a feedback loop of sensation that drives me wild.

Lowering my head, I capture one rosy nipple between my lips, sucking and biting as I continue to drive into her. She sobs my name, her nails clawing down my back as she arches into my touch.

My balls draw up tight, pressure building at the base of my spine.

"Malachi!" she wails, hovering on the knife's edge. "I need… I'm going to…"

"Come," I command roughly, my voice rough with strain. "Come for me now, ljúfr ."

She throws her head back, screaming my name as her orgasm slams into her like a wall. The intensity of it triggers my own.

I drive into her as my knot expands, slamming into place deep in her tight body, locking us together. I empty myself inside her in pulsing jets.

"Mine," I roar, grinding against her, draining every drop as she claws my back, shattering again. "Mine. Mine. Mine."

We collapse together in a sweat-soaked tangle of limbs, my knot still lodged deep inside her. With shaking hands, I gather her into my arms, my heart pounding wildly. She clings to me, soft sobs of ecstasy still pouring from her lips.

"Mine," I breathe into her hair. She's so precious, so important. It's terrifying how quickly she eclipsed everything, becoming the center of all things to me. And yet…she has.

Wih her in my arms, for the first time, I understand why a Fae doesn't survive the death of his mate, why a warrior doesn't survive the death of his Valkyrie. It isn't just a mercy for the warrior. It's a mercy for the world.

Because there is nothing I won't do to keep her in my arms, nothing I won't do to destroy anyone foolish enough to rip her from them. She's mine in every way. In every realm. In every version of reality.

This Valkyrie was born to be mine.

It doesn't matter who she is or what lurks in her past. She's innocent. Pure. Perfect. Already, she's everything to me—my love for her burning hot as a brand seared upon my soul.

Gods, please don't let me fail her , I pray silently, my face buried in the curve of her neck. Don't let me lose her.